To not like Annabel Karmel/her food/recipes?

[MolotovCocktail]

Sorry if this has been done before, but here goes:

I first became aware of AK when weaning dd1 in 2009. I bought her book, thought that some advice/recipes were pretty good, then realised that I was actually having to prepare whole batches of separate food. Dd1 is now 4yo an still pretty fussy where food is concerned. So, far from broadening her tastes, I'm suspicious that AK weaning may be at least partially responsible for this.

I can't stand AK on her tv show. She's very pretty, in a cougar-type way. However, I think it's weird getting this impression from a kids' cookery show. I think it's all about her, IYSWIM. Hope that I'm not the only one who thinks this

Have you bought an AK kids' lunchbox from BHS? Yuk! I wouldn't feed into my dog! Acidly-tasting "fruity" water, shit-bit banana-chips and measly weeny biscuits. Okay, not all AK's fault, but certainly something he's put her name to.

Her mug is everywhere where kids food is concerned: AK food = healthy kids food. I think not. At least not tasty kids food, anyway

I went to a sure start baby weaning advice session and got all the info I needed there (blw ) . When I looked in the ,AK book I'd been given, the advice seemed to conflict so I didn't look at the book again. I just froze a couple of portions of the meals we had that were suitable for ds and gave finger foods for lunch. So I think I did a mixture really and made it up as I went along. took me weeks to find the salt free stock cubes in the shops though !

I wouldn't blame her for having a fussy eater, I did BLW and ended up with a fussy eater.

Look she's there to make money not really to feed the nations kids.

She's writing for money. Just like Gina Ford, and any other so called child care expert.

Attached parenting etc, all about the money.

Best plan is to follow your own commen sense not buy the books and make them more money.

You don't need fancy recipes, fruit, vegs, pasta and some treats. Diet sorted.

I also used AK back in 2009 to wean DS. He was, and still is, a fantastically good eater, but I really don't think this has anything to do with how he was weaned. He was, and still is, a terrible sleeper - I can't think I got everything so spectacularly right in one area, and so very wrong in the other. It's luck of the draw.

I weaned DS on her book but used my common sense and followed his lead rather than sticking up a meal chart and sticking to it rigidly. He loved all the recipes and at 18 months now eats everything we do (including stronger flavours like curry, olives etc) in whopping quantities. Each to their own.

Wish I had natwebb.

No idea why, but she makes my stomach turn. So there was no way on earth I could be made anything from her books.

I don't like her as a person but found her book useful as a guide. I certainly didn't stick to her timetable of which exact food on which day. DD1 was a fantastic eater until nearly four and has been fussier since but still eats plenty of fruit and veg. DD2 was having none of my lovingly prepared purees and did finger food by default. She is a dreadful eater and would live on beige food and chocolate. I'm sure it's just the Abidec that is preventing scurvy. Can't really blame one book on baby weaning for having a fussy eater. Some just are. I was terrible back in the seventies and I think DD2 is my punishmnet.

She does look very smug and very very annoying.

I like the recipes, most of them taste nice
W hen I test them and ds seems to like them. I am sick of peeling butternut squash though!

She is absolutely miniscule and extremely scary in rl, I found lots of her recipes actually quite nice, and he basics were very useful to me.
I wouldn't buy any of her products though (baby pasta!!! For those that remember)

She lost her daughter at a young age though, so I try to think kindly of her.

Never seen her TV show, but I do like her recipes. While I was weaning my DDs OH was working abroad and I always ate after they were settled so I would have cooked something seperately for myself anyway. I feel that using lot's of different recipes helped my DDs to not be fussy eaters. Of course it could be that I was just luckier than some.

YANBU however, you don't have to like every celeb cook or their recipes.

I did read an article where whichever paper interviewed the sons of celeb mothers and her son's final comment was about hard she has worked etc and "didn't sit about the house spending my dad's money and painting her nails" and that attitude put me off buying anymore of her books.

I found her book really, really helpful and wouldn't have been without it. I still make some of her recipes and DS1 is 11.

Her TV show however is shite and she is really quite creepy on it.

As usual and with anything baby/child related you just take from it what is useful for you. I liked a few of her recipes, her tomato chicken casserole is very yum. Also like her easy cup cake recipe.

Why you would do anything rigidly with a baby makes me pull this face tbh.

The recipes are a bit over the top as in making your own stock to use in the other recipes but it was ok for the puree stage. I honestly didn't use it that much as I moved to blw with ds at 7 months and dd is typical neglected second child where she gets fed the same as us (or even gasp, horror the odd pouch, something I would never have dreamed of with ds) and there's no way in hell I'm standing making her a separate dinner, or stock when there's baby stock cubes.

I do remember seeing AK on this morning (I think) and wasn't fussed on her taking the spoons from the kids who were meant to be making it but you never know they could have been pressed for time.

I do like the baby and toddler book as it tells you all about the different vitamins in food and would still use some of the toddler recipes. The spinach and ricotta lasagne has always been a hit in this house.

I did blw, DS was offered the same food as us from the start etc.

He's a terrible eater. We gave up giving him the same stuff as us as he wouldn't bloody eat any of it.

If I'd done the AK route I'd probably be blaming that, but it's just how DS is.

I weaned my first three on purées, last BLW, but I never understood why people needed to buy books on weaning? Especially purées. then again, I've never felt the need to buy a parenting book either.

I have looked at AK snacks in the supermarket, but as they contained salt and sugar I didn't buy them.

Her I've cube/ weaning trays are expensive and... LEAK!
I bought 4 of them and they all did... and they warped under warm tap water / when hot purée was put into them, so the lids never fit!
Crappy, crap,crap.
My other trays didn't!

YAmostdefinitelyNOUBU

NOU = NOT

Someone gave us an AK cookbook prior to weaning DS. I was shocked at how many of the recipes have added salt and sugar. The book was interesting for ideas though.

The BLW cookbook was much more appropriate in terms of its ingredients.

I rarely follow recipes though and just used both books for ideas which I could adapt. Everything I cooked was to feed the whole family, not just DS.

How on earth is it AK's fault that you didn't/don't engage your brain in the kitchen?

I can't stand her. She is so smug and out to make money anyway she can. Remember she has no qualifications in anything related to nutrition, I seem to remember reading get only qualifications are as a harpist.

Saw part of her show this week-it was awful and we are big fans of cooking shows in this house!