Thoughts/reviews on the BLW cook book

[CTgirl]

Just wondering whether I should splash the cash and buy a copy as none available at my local library right now. My 8.5mo old is point blank refusing puree's so it's finger foods from now on. I've read a lot about BLW but am running out of ideas for family meals that bubs can easily share in (particularly meat based dishes).
What is this book like? Worth the money? I've got loads of regular cookbooks so am just a bit worried it'll land up hogging space & gathering dust after a couple of weeks.

I love this book, lots of simple ideas which are suitable for babies and for the whole family. I have cooked lots of the recipes and literally make something from it every day, my baby is now 9 months and we have been weaning since 5 1/2 months using this book. I have tried other baby cook books and this one is by far the best.

I have also recommended it to several friends who agree it is really user friendly. The book is good value, think it is less that 8 quid on amazon.

Go for it I would say

It's not rocket science, but it is full of useful ideas which is really helpful when trying to work out what on earth to feed today. And there are also some good sugar-free recipes for things I would normally have cooked with sugar. The other one I find really helpful is the River Cottage baby and toddler cookbook. Again, probably nothing much there I couldn't have found or adapted from one of my other cook books, but really good tips and baby friendly recipes. I use one of them every day for sure.

I probably am the exception to the rule, but I hated the BLW cookbook. I am a good , experienced cook but have tried a few recipes, the quantities were wrong (there was no way I could have got a tray full of muffins with the quantities in the book). I like the River Cottage book though, and I've recently bought My Daddy Cooks, which seems full of good, easy recipes (I haven't tried any yet but am planning too at the week-end).

You aren't the only one. I don't like the BLW cookbook at all. It's filled with very bland recipes. I remember there's one that's basically a tin of tomatoes with chicken. It tastes like a tin of tomatoes with no other flavour. Yuck.

I like both the river cottage baby and toddler and my daddy cooks too. The later is really really good for simple hassle free midweek dinners.

I have tried the chicken and cauliflower biriyani, chicken and apricot casserole and Thai basil chicken. All well received by my DH and 10mo DD. The biriyani especially impressive because DD can't have enough of the cauliflower!

I have tried tuna croquettes today. Quite bland but my LO liked them sucked on them for a few seconds
Personally, I don't regret buying it.

Thanks a lot for recommending my book. Very impressed by a cauliflower loving daughter! As a dad of two BLWd kids (and an ardent advocate, evangelist even (!), of Gill Rapley and BLW, which I often get invited to talk about on TV and radio), I would say that all my recipes are appropriate for BLW. In fact, most family cook books are appropriate for BLW, in so far as BLW is just about making nice food and serving it to all members of the family, no matter their age. I have also heard very good things about Jenny Maziels' cook book, although I haven't yet got a copy of it.

I found the intro chapter a good summary of BLW but the recipes are pretty dull if you are a half way competent cook. Like others I prefer the River Cottage book and make the rest up from my usual cookbooks/standard repertoire.