Would you be interested ?

[Tillysmummy]

I am just wanting to find out if there is anywhere already that you can buy freshly produced organic baby meals and not long life jars ?

Would anyone be interested in this ?

I think Planet Organic in West London have fresh organic baby foods in the chiller cabinet. Have never been all the way over there to investigate.

Thanks Marina. I cook all my own for DD but was just interested as to whether you can buy these anywhere, doesn't seem you can.

Haven't heinz just brought out these 'simply' things - they are organic, pure veges with nothing else, and while not in the chiller are in a plastic container with foil top. I got one in my bounty pack follow on pack from Boots. You can buy fresh stuff elsewhere, I've seen them around planet organic etc. why - thinking of setting up a business? need any help / encouragement from a former chef / new mum whose just closed her business and needs a new hobby?

Tillysmummy, Sainsbury's used to sell fresh (and I think organic) baby food in little pots that would last about 2-3 days in the fridge. I only tried it once, many months ago now, and my dd turned her nose up (but she does at nearly everything!!!). I thought it sounded a good idea but then thought I should really cook 'potato and sweetcorn' at home so didn't really try with the rest of the range. Not sure if they still do it but it used to be (in my store) along with the organic yogurts (??!).

Yes, there'a company called Chow Baby which does that and they are sold in my local deli in East Dulwich - next time I pop in a spend half my wages on Lentil Casserole or whatever I'll try and get a contact detail for them so you can find out if they have a supplier in your area. The food's v expensive (about £1.85 I think) but my son LOVES it and one pot makes two meals for him. It's organic but not all veggie - they do a great lamb and sweet potato. Plus it all tastes like real food - I've tasted it and it's nice. I highly recommend for times when you can't be bothered to cook anything and want a standby in the freezer

Oops, just re-read your message and wondered if you did want to set up a business, in which case I don't know if I've depressed you or encouraged you... I so think more and more people are getting fed up with jar food, even the organic stuff doesn't seem that nice to me.

tillysmummy - yes, your own kitchen! I just checked out truly scrumptious and can't believe people will pay £1.50 per tiny pot of pureed apple (plus a £3-5 delivery fee). The only advantage of jarred food that I can see is that you can keep it indefinitely in your cupboard for emergencies - fresh food doesnt even have that advantage!

Saw something in M&S yesterday that made me cringe - a tiny pack of carrot batons for 79p. About half a carrots worth. Has everyone gone mad???

Enid, in defence of people who use these sort of companies, I would probably have used them when I started weaning if I'd heard of them. I am on my own for long hours of the day as partner works long hours and is away for one week in six on business, no relatives within 4 hours, had no friends who had had babies, and, worst of all, had a baby who just didn't take to food. I worked my way through the Annabel Carmel book and nearly drove myself mad with spending hours cooking food that got met with a clamped mouth! I remember being in tears many a time after lovingly preparing some meal or other and would have paid ANYONE to just make something she might of eaten!!!
I agree it seems ridiculous to pay £1.50 for pureed apple but there were quite a few days that I would have been on the phone ordering something to just take the onus off me!
I don't think people would make this service their main way of providing food, perhaps it is just to get them through the end of bad week!

OK, pureed apple is one thing, but lamb casserole is another - and while I make lots of his food (he doesn't like jars anymore) I can't always be bothered to make that, or bean medley or even pasta pomodoro. I don't love cooking - and I think it would probably often be just as expensive to buy all the ingredients to make tiny quanties, otherwise poor baby would have to eat lamb casserole for every meal for weeks because it would be so uneconomic to make small quantities and I have very limited freezer space.
Also - and here's my final 'excuse' - I refuse to buy any new clothes for my post-baby fat body so my clothes bill has plumetted (my wardrobe now consists of two pairs of jeans and a selection of gap t-shirts) and I am happy to spend some of the money that would have gone on clothes on really nice babyfood he enjoys.

Enid, the cost of those carrot batons worry me too. I treat organic yoghurts with suspicion, too - many seem to contain added sugar. Finding an organic, wholemmilk, un-sweetened fruit yoghurt is not easy. Sainsburys do them but only in two or three flavours, alas.

As for ready made baby meals, mine loved them, but I did worry he would get too used to sophisticated cuisine and later on would reject typical toddler fare like fish fingers and peas.

tigermoth, that worried me too - getting used to the taste and refusing later, simpler food.

I think there must be a happy medium between slaving over Annabel Karmel (who I could never be bothered with) and buying over-priced ready prepared food. Aloha, couldn't you make lamb casserole for all the family and just puree ds' bit? A small pack of organic lamb mince costs around 2.99, an onion, carrot, celery stick and half a tin of tomatoes would cost around a pound. Thats £4 - even if you only spread it out over four meals (it would make many more) you are still saving money to go in the pot for your fab post-baby clothes!

As for yogs, I can recommend the Noddy organic yogurts that Sainsburys do, although they have got sugar in them (dd is 2.5 and beyond the 'no sugar' stage unfortunately ) they are very mild and un-sickly - I think they are delicious and luckily so does dd.

Tillysmummy, I would be definitely interested as my daughter has not taken that well to solid food and will only occassionally eat a morsel. The emotional investment of cooking homemade food for her is just too much as I may well end up tipping it over her head after the hours spent making it. However, although I want the conveinience of jars, I am really bothered about what she eats (why does everything have cornflour in it??? - this is just a filler and it is completely disgusting that they will bulk up baby food in this way), so I for one, would pay the extra to have freshly produced organic food made by someone other than me!

Hi Enid - actually I do give him our food when we make something appropriate (or rather, when dh does!) He loves it. But when I've run out and we're having tuna salad or steak and chips it's useful to have something he likes and I trust for him in the freezer. And as for post-baby clothes, the minute I have a pre-baby body (or something that looks anything like it) I shall make those shops sorry they ever opened

I too am a working mother and simply do not have the time to prepare good healthy meals for my 18 month old son. I would much rather pay a little bit over the odds for good quality organic baby food that can be served in minutes allowing me to spend more quality time with my child. At the end of the day, the slight difference in price between the likes of Truuly Scrumptious (who incidentally are the only suppliers that I've found who actually are 100% organic - eg Chow Baby 'Organic' Fishermans Pie - made with non organic fish! - check the labels) and ordinary baby food is definitely worth it. I also agree with the comment made earlier about the costs of making this type food at home - organic meat and fish prices are extortionate! What's more, both my son AND my husband love it!

Helen Browning Organic made kids sausages, and lamb, beef or pork patties. they were small (around 5cm across) and used to be available in Sainsburys. They are no longer stocked there, but were fantastic. Would love to know if anyone knows where you can get them

rach1, there is a website, helenbrowningorganics.co.uk (sorry, I can't do the link).I've just had a look, and it doesn't list patties or kids sausages, but I guess you could ring/ e-mail and enquire.