Desperately need your favourite family recipe books!

[redhappy]

My dcs have always been so fussy, wont go into how and why, but basically we were down to 3 meals that they would eat.

In the last 2 weeks I have cracked it! They will now eat everything I give them! Dinner takes 2hours, but they're not complaining, just eating slowly.

Having spent years not cooking normal food I suddenly need lots of new meals. I want to introduce as many things as possible whilst they are open to it...

We have had lots of fish, roast ham, sausages, roast chicken, peas, broccoli, courgettes, kale, potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, baked beans and beetroot (roasted in honey yum!). All completely new foods.

Would love to hear your favourite family meals, or your favourite books you turn to for inspiration.

[chocolatespiders]

Home Cook by Alastair Hendy

[pregnantpause]

As a family our favourite meal is lasagne, which I'm sure you don't need s recipe for. My favourite cookbooks at the minute include Jamie's 30 min meals (particularly the chicken pie, chicken satay (with less chilli for children) tuna spaghetti thing, beef hash and butter beans) and Sara lewis slow cooker book (best recipes include crab gumbo, stuffed lamb breast, lamb rogan josh, which is very mild, tomato and aurbergine soup)

I loaned economy gastronomy from the library and though I am not a fan of either of the authors usually, I think its brilliant for family's and the pork shoulder was delicious, in fact everything I tried was lovely, although I don't think most people need recipes for spag bol tbh.

I love Nigel slaters books but theyre not really written for family style cooking IMO.

[dreamingofsun]

hamlyn student cook book and hairy bikers diet book are current favourites.

suggest borrowing books from library first and then you can see if they suit you

[NettoSpookerstar]

Jamie's Ministry of Food

[frenchfancy]

Take a look at the BBCgoodfood magazine website, it has got loads of good recipes and is now my first port of call for what to cook (even though I have 100's of cook books)

www.bbcgoodfood.com/

[mrspink27]

Rachel Allen Home Cooking - Hugh FW Veg and River COttage EVeryday. ALso Jamie Oliver books worth a look.

[lolalotta]

Do you mind me asking how you have cracked them being open to trying anything???
I second BBC Good Food website!!!

[redhappy]

Oh I love the bbcgoodfood website, I'd forgotten all about it, thanks!

lolalotta I'm not really sure, it just sort of happened! I think several factors combined and I saw the chance and really pushed dinner time.

They were ill for a while with a horrible tummy bug, and so they were starving once they got over it. Whilst off school they got in to watching some cbeebies thing with a theme tune that goes "be happy be healthy and get well soon" and so they've really got into the idea that if you eat healthy food you don't get poorly (and I think they felt soooo rough and it's recent enough that they can remember, so they are trying very hard to be healthy).

The other thing, is that I've never done puddings before, so I've started making really good, exciting (and actually really unhealthy!) puddings on the agreement that they have to eat everything or they wont be allowed it. I have tried this before with no success, so I just think, for some reason, the timing was right this time.

Toptip for exciting looking puddings is stick sprinkles on everything! Even better, pour a mixture of sprinkles into a tiny container and let them decorate their own pudding, very exciting to a 4 and 6 year old!

My ds has autism, so I really thought we'd be stick with the same 3 meals on rotation forever. Last night I served sausagesand purple sprouting broccoli with mixed veg mash (swede, parsnip, sweet potatao and one small potato). Ds had a meltdown because I put a teaspoon of gravy on his plate, but it only lasted 2mins and he ate it in the end. I'm really insisting they try everything, because I don't know how long this will last and I want them to get used to as many tastes as possible.

[frenchfancy]

Well done red happy keep it up.

I have 1 fussy eater and 2 good eaters. I try not to cater to the fussy eater, but sometimes i just give in for an easy life.

I'm extending her range, and recently have added fish cakes and stew and dumplings to the successes. She loves anything bread related so the dumplings went down well.

[StellaNova]

The book I use the most often is the incredibly dull sounding Potatoes and Rice Simple Cookery. I do have more exciting books I promise, but somehow I do most stuff out of this one - shepherd's pie, kedgeree, jambalaya (with nowhere near the amount of cayenne it suggests, blimey), fish pie, Spanish omelette, goulash etc etc.

I also have a Sainsbury's one called Winter Food or something that I use a lot for casseroles, stews, salmon wrapped in bacon, etc.

[lolalotta]

That sounds fab Redhappy!!!!!