Starters for children

[emsmum79]

Any ideas for starters for kids? My DD, 5, has a good appetite to say the least and is asking for a starter some times. She eats most food, not keen on prawns.
Thanks all.

To have a starter at home or when you go out for dinner?

Veg sticks and houmous?

At home. Giving her a bigger portion of the main meal isn't working - she already eats a good portion and then gets fed up with more of the same!

We give our minded children starters sometimes - usually some veg. Does she just like the idea of a starter, or is she saying she wants more food? My (adult) daughter loves soup as a starter.

Stuffed mushrooms, little cup of soup (freeze a batch in little portions), veg sticks and hummus, samosa and chutney, melon, edamame, roast chickpeas, bruschetta, mini fish cakes, rice paper rolls (summer rolls) and dip.

@SMaCM
**Does she just like the idea of a starter, or is she saying she wants more food?

A bit of both!

@PippinStar
Great ideas, thank you.

Oatcakes and ... (cheese, ham, pate, smoked salmon) - nice and filling and very little prep

Veggies like tomato, cucumber, peppers, carrots etc. Works great for getting veggies into the kids first and when they are really hungry.

Good grief. I’ve never heard of having starters at home, unless it’s a special occasion

I would stick to fruit or veg as starters. Fill her up a bit without too much faff on your part. Although previously frozen soup also sounds like a good idea.

Crudités and salsa
Soup
Thai spring rolls

I give my DS home made veggie soup with chunks of wholemeal bread as a starter. During the winter, I make soup a couple of times a week especially since lockdown. It only takes ten minutes.

Or sometimes cheese chunks and olives. Or taramasalata and little celery sticks. Or wholemeal cheese straws and cherry tomatoes. He's having a growth spurt so I use that to get an extra serving of veg in him.

I'm hoping when he turns into a starving teen raiding the fridge, I'll have trained him to reach for savoury stuff rather than sweets.

I give crackers and cheese spread or cucumber and carrot sticks.

Today 02:59CrazylazyJane

Good grief. I’ve never heard of having starters at home, unless it’s a special occasion.
CrazylazyJane

Well, us too, hence my question.

She's 5 and fancies trying new things. It hardly requires a "good grief"!

Oatcakes and crudites sound like a great start, thanks all!

If your'e going to do it, I'd be tempted to try and do it "properly" (up to a point) - teaching her about eating etc. So maybe a little dip or pate with a few bits of melba toast/crackers, a stuffed mushroom, soup etc. Obviously, bearing in mind hassle factor etc!

DS loves a bit of baked camembert. As a treat I'll occasionally do one for lunch, but a mini one or one to share for the whole family would be a nice starter to?

Or go retro with parma ham and melon!?

My dc love a starter! I do one every week with Sunday lunch.
They enjoy mini onion and goats cheese tarts, soups- broccoli is the favourite, pate and toast, squash and walnut salad, vol au vents (stuffed with coronation chicken/ creamy mushrooms/egg mayo) tomato and feta salad, fondue, spring rolls, Samosas, momos, gyoza (basically any cultures dumpling variation) veg kebabs- even steak tartare. I don't think there's anything wrong with introducing children to a wide and varied diet- in fact I'd think it's a good thing. Mine are much older than yours op and it's a pleasure to eat out with them- they know the format of formal eating, and enjoy enough variety at home to not be intimidated by formal menus. And when they go to friends for tea I know they be fusspots. When they are in school residential trips I know they'll be well fed and not living off sweets (which many of their fussy friends do) I can see nothing but benefits of introducing and encouraging children to enjoy food in a variety of forms.

Tarts, melba toasts, and vol au vents would definitely be successful. Thank you.
She was so fussy when she was about 2, but now eats pretty much everything and is willing to give anything a try at least - she's an absolute pleasure to cook for.

Soup
Melon
Smoked mackerel pate and toast
Apple, blue cheese & walnut salad
small bit of smoked salmon & cream cheese on blinis
manchego cheese & chorizo
Olives, feta & sun-dried tomatoes

Corn on the cob? Love that as a starter x

I always have roasted sweet potato chips as an additional side for every meal. Any left go in the fridge and are ready for any snacks.

alll of above especially soup or mini tarts...

Also avocado and vinaigrette very popular in our house!