@newmum234 weaning is one of the most exciting phase of parenting, you have the pleasure and joy to make your baby discover the richness of food.
Food before one is not for fun, on the contrary it will shape your baby's preferences and taste.
You are giving a fantastic variety of real food and this is the key.
Think about what you want your child eat growing up Do you want him to like the whole range of vegetables, non-fried fish, whole grains, legumes, lentils, chickpeas, quality meats and so on, prepare and serve him that and he will like them.
If you introduce him to ultra-processed baby food (even and especially any that has the word "healthy" on the label) , he will grow up with a preference for processed food and sadly even pouches will push him away in the long run from real food.
Pouches, even the vegetable ones, are focused on sweetness, so the main ingredient will be sweetcorn, carrot, or similar or add fruit (cooked apple, basically apple sauce).
Think about lovely and creamy soups, even soupy risottos with parmiggiano cheese, roasted veggies and not only steamed ones.
As PPs posters have said, don't make choices based on other people.Focus on what you want him to eat as a baby, toddler, child and teen, and serve him that.
IT takes roughly 14 attempts for a child to accept a new taste that is not sweet. Offer one bite, than the next day again, ..
Don't take refusal as dislike. A baby had nothing in his mouth except milk, and all of a sudden it is an explosion of flavours and textures. Think of it as if a deaf baby all of a sudden has a cacophony of noises. It takes time, don't rush.
You also need to understand that eating and drinking involve the mouth muscle and the tongue differently and that until he masters chewing (for the production of saliva), your food needs to be a bit "wet" to lubricate its way. Try swallowing a big lump of mashed potatoes without chewing, it will get stuck.
My true and only piece of advice is to not offer alternatives straight away, especially not those bought from a shelf at the supermarket. Offer the same veggies prepared in different way, cooked in a pan, roasted in oven, ....
I am French and the recommendation we are given is to never offer baby something you wouldn't eat yourself. Make nice food. You can't use salt, so use olive oil, rosemary, a clove of garlic, parsley and so on.
Let him be near you while you cook and while you are having your lunch. Let him reach and try your food if you see him interested.