www.amandagrant.com

Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:55:44 +0100

Hannah Murray has just interviewed me about my new Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids paperback book on her show on the radio station Talk Europe. Please do have a look at Hannah's website for more information.http://www.talkradioeurope.com where you can order the book.

Chocolate Easter Nests

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:30:46 +0000

Choose a 200 g bar of your favourite chocolate - milk, plain or white - and then have fun making these Easter nests. They are a great treat for tea on Easter Sunday.

My daughter Lola had the idea to add crushed shredded wheat instead of the more commonly used cornflakes, she thought they looked more 'nest like' and I would definitely agree.

Once you have made the nests keep them in an airtight container or in the fridge.

Happy Easter!

Cute photo taken by Susan Bell

Makes about 10 nests

Ingredients

200 g milk (or plain or white) chocolate, whichever you prefer
50 g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
100 g shredded wheat
about 30 mini chocolate eggs (3 in each nest)
10 paper cases

Put 10 paper cases into a fairy cake baking tray.
Crumble the shredded wheat into a bowl to break it into small pieces.
Break the chocolate into small pieces and put into a saucepan.
Add the butter and syrup.
Heat the pan very gently, keep the heat on the lowest setting, you don't want the chocolate to get too hot. Stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon until the chocolate and butter have melted. If the mixture starts to go solid, don't panic, just keep stirring until it has melted together and is smooth.
Carefully put the saucepan on a mat on the table.
Quickly add the shredded wheat to the chocolate mixture and stir to coat the shredded wheat in the chocolate mixture.
Using two spoons spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
Using the back of a teaspoon push the middle of each nest down to make a little 'hollow' or 'nest'.
Leave to cool. Then put 3 little eggs in each nest.

Ella’s favourite pasta

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:29:54 +0000

This sausage pasta sauce is easy to make and the fennel seeds add a lovely slightly sweet aniseed flavour that I my children love.

My eldest Ella cooks this when she wants to make pasta for tea. When you are cooking pasta it is a good idea to use a big pan so the pasta doesn't stick together.

Makes enough for 4-5 people

Ingredients

6 good quality pork sausages (about 400g sausagemeat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary
100 ml vegetable stock (or if your parents have any red wine open ask if you can add some to the sauce - it will add flavour and don't worry the alcohol will evaporate)
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
sprig of fresh rosemary (or a tablespoon of chopped thyme if your prefer)
350 g penne
handful Parmesan, grated

Using scissors snip the sausage skin and peel the sausages. Put the sausage meat into a heavy based pan and cook until browned - use a wooden spoon to help break it up into small pieces as it cooks. Spoon onto a plate.
Put the oil in the same saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the fennel seeds and garlic and cook for another few minutes.
Add the stock (or wine), let it bubble for a minute, keep stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the tomatoes and rosemary and stir. Lower the heat so that the sauce just bubbles very gently for 20 minutes until the sauce is thick.
Cook the pasta. Three quarters fill a large saucepan with water. Cover and bring to the boil. Ask an adult to put the pasta into the pan, give it a good stir.
Put a lid on to partly cover the pan and lower the heat slightly, if you cover it totally the water will boil over. Look at the pasta packet for the cooking time and set the timer. This will vary depending on the pasta's thickness and shape.
Ask an adult to help you drain the pasta and put it back into the pan. Add the sauce and mix everything together. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle Parmesan over the top.

grow it, cook it with kids

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:21:20 +0000

I was interviewed by Hannah Murray on the radio station Talk Europe about my latest book grow it cook it for children. Hannah loved the book and particularly liked the '5 ways with' chapters that give children quick and easy ways to prepare or cook the produce that they gave grown.
Here's a review of grow it, cook it in the lastest Junior magazine. Click on the image to view the full article
Grow it, cook it hits the USA. San Diego Family Magazine - March 2010 click here
*Parents Magazine* is the top parenting magazine in the US with a circulation of over 2 million readers and they loved grow it, cook it with kids.

Falafel

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:16:10 +0000

Falafel are little fluffy chickpea fritters that are cooked and sold on the streets of the Middle East. Traditionally they are made into balls and deep-fried in hot fat. I prefer to squash the mixture slightly and fry the patties in a little oil, it is safer and healthier and they taste just as good.

They make a great sandwich filling, and are delicious in a warm pitta with some crunchy salad. Alternatively, serve them with a baked sweet potato and vegetables for supper. My children love them with a spoonful of mango chutney.

Makes: 12

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp of each ground cumin, ground coriander
2 x 400g chickpeas, drained
1 tbsp mango chutney
a little plain flour
pitta bread, salad & extra mango chutney - for a healthy delicious sandwich

Pour the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry over a gentle heat until soft, this will take about 5 minutes. Add the spices and stir until the spices are cooked.
Carefully spoon the cooked onion mixture into a food processor. Add the chickpeas (washed and drained) and whiz together until roughly mashed up. The mixture can still be lumpy - you don't want it too smooth.
Carefully spoon the mixture into a big bowl (remember that there is a sharp blade in the bottom of the blender). Add a handful of chopped fresh coriander or mint, 1tbsp mango chutney and season with freshly ground black pepper.
Divide the mixture in half and then divide each half into 6 so that you have 12 small mounds. Shape each mound into a flat patty shape.
Put the flour onto a plate and dip each patty in flour to lightly coat.
To cook, heat 1tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and fry the falafels on a medium heat for 3 minutes. Using a spatula turn the falafel over and cook on the other side until golden brown.
Toast some pitta bread, ask an adult to cut them open for you to make 'a pocket'. Leave the falafel to cool slightly and then pop into pitta breads with shredded lettuce, slices of tomato and extra mango chutney if you fancy.

Always ask an adult to help you when you are using a food processor- and if you don't have a food processor - mash the chickpeas with a potato masher.

Get digging!

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:15:37 +0000

At long last the weather looks fair this weekend and the family have agreed to help me dig over two of my raised beds. We have plenty of compost to dig in. I planted some early onions in the third bed and I'm still waiting for growth to show - hopefully the warmer weather should speed things along.

The tomatoes we grew last year were a great hit. I have to confess that my mother-in-law gave them to me as well established seedlings. She grows her own from seed collected from last years crop and has just started planting this year's crop in her greenhouse. I'm hoping that she can spare a handful of plants for me again this year!

Sainsbury's Little Ones Food Expert

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:54:51 +0000

As a busy mum I am always thinking of quick and easy ways to feed a family a good diet. I am delighted that I will now be able to share some of these ideas with you on the Sainsbury's Little Ones website. The recipes will be suitable for the whole family, this includes recipes for during pregnancy, breastfeeding and for babies and toddlers.

When my children were babies and toddlers (which wasn't very long ago) I cooked food for them that the rest of the family could also eat. For example, if I made vegetable soup I would puree some of the vegetables for the baby before adding more stock for the rest of the family. This way cooking can be fun and enjoyable and you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen making different things for everyone. The recipes that I develop for the Little Ones site will be created with these same principles in mind.

I hope you enjoy my page on the site and please do email with me any feedback so that I can make sure that I am providing you with the best, most useful information.

Feeding your Children

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:13:52 +0000

How to feed your pre-school child a healthy diet

If you watched Panorama investigate toddler's food on Monday 25th January and you are worried about how to make sure your pre-school child is being fed the right diet and nutrients you may find my 'baby & toddler healthy eating planner' useful. It contains over 350 easy recipes, meal planners, charts and nutrition guides explaining how to include all the key nutrients in your family's diet using everyday produce. Click here for more information.

We all know how important it is to feed our children good food. However recent research shows that lots of parents are still putting rubbish into their children's packed lunchboxes. I have written a basic guide for good packed lunchboxes so that you can see quickly and clearly just what your children need to eat at lunchtime. Click here to take a look Easy Lunchbox Ideas.

Quiet time on the vegetable patch

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:57:35 +0000

I have to confess to doing very little on my vegetable patch since the begining of December! I did plant a bed with 4 rows of early onions but no sign of growth yet. Looking forward to some warmer weather when I can get outside with the children and dig in some manure.

Easy Lunchbox Ideas

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:07:57 +0000

We need to take the lead when it comes to choosing what goes into our child's packed lunch. Schools can help by banning certain foods like crisps and chocolate, but it is a partnership, as parents we need to take control of what we feed our children. We make the decisions about other important areas in our child's life whether it is suitable bedtimes, homework etc, so why do we let children tell us what they will or won't eat? This is too important to compromise over, children need to eat good food!

Top tips for good packed lunches

Try to include a variety of fresh, unprocessed (or minimally processed) real food like fresh and dried fruit, vegetables, bread, cheese, yogurt, meat etc

Variety: if you are making sandwiches vary the breads and vary the fillings. We all get bored if we eat the same food each day and we need to eat a variety of food to make sure that we are getting the right number of nutrients.

Drink: children need to drink water - if they drink enough water they are more likely to be able to concentrate at school and they are less likely to have problems like headaches. Fruit juice, smoothies and milk are also good.

Something sweet: we all know that is nice to have something sweet after the sandwich, but try to choose a cereal bar (without too much added sugar), plain biscuits like digestives or rich tea or better still something homemade like a cookie or a fruit bun. Ideally encourage your children to help you make something for their packed lunch at the weekend that they can then take to school the following week.

Keep the cost down: You can provide good food without having to spend too much money. A big bag of local apples can be less expensive that lots of individually wrapped fruit strings and will provide your child with more nutrients.

Involve your child: Talk to your children about what their friends take in their packed lunches and see which of those healthy options your child may like to try.

Involve children when you put the packed lunch together - they are more likely to eat it if they know what is inside. This may mean putting some of it together before they go to bed so that it is not too stressful in the morning rush before school

Prepare packed lunches at the same time as you make the evening meal - this way it is less stressful for you and keeps time spent in the kitchen to a minimum. For example cook extra pasta and then mix some cold pasta with vegetables and left over roast meat to make a pasta salad. Fill a roll with left over roast meat or wrap up some slices of cold pizza.

Keep it cool: Freeze cartons of juice and put into the packed lunch to help keep the lunch cool and to give your child a cool drink. It will have defrosted by lunchtime.

Cut down on junk. Avoid too many processed foods as they tend to contain few nutrients and too much salt, sugar, additives and saturated fat. If you do have some processed food in your child's packed lunch also give them foods that are high in potassium such as bananas and dried apricots helps balance the effect of salt in the body

Something warm: Include something hot in a lunchbox, particularly when the weather is cold. A wide-mouthed mini-Thermos flask would be ideal for serving up a delicious cup of homemade or good-quality bought soup that's both warming and nutritious. Or wrap up a small pasty in foil. It can make a change to sandwich when the weather is cold.

The Silver Spoon for Children

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:38:22 +0000

Take a look at this exciting press coverage from my latest book - The Silver Spoon for Children.

The Canberra Times [17th March 2010]
The Financial Times [11th October 2009]
The Independent on Sunday [25th October 2009]
Waitrose Food Illustrated [October 2009] Silver Spoon featured in 'what to read now' section. See article here
Australian coverage [December 2009/January 2010] Click on the link or photo to see coverage in a couple of the Australian daily broadsheets: Brisbane Times - How to get your kids to eat well

True, but parents' instinct to send their children to bed full is a tough one to fight. And it's troubling when you're constantly desperate to concoct a delicious, nutrition-packed dish that will bring them around. Full article here

Article in the Melbourne Age		Sydney Morning Herald

Click on image for article		Click on image for article

Junior Magazine [March 2010]

Silver Spoon for Children

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:33:28 +0000

The Silver Spoon For Children

'The Silver Spoon for Children' is a great book to help teach children how to cook some of their favourite Italian recipes and learn essential life skills along the way. For example, how to hold a knife properly and how to crack eggs. I have written the recipes so that they are easy for children to follow and I involved children in the recipe testing. My eldest daughter and her friends helped edit the book before I sent it back to Phaidon, making sure that 10 years olds can follow the instructions clearly.

I love Italy, my father lived in Italy for some time and I was fortunate enough to visit frequently. I also have great friends with a home in Umbria and I love to visit whenever I can. Each time I am there I am always struck by Italian children's passion for good food. I do hope that The Silver Spoon for Children will excite children in many countries and encourage them to cook some of their favourite recipes. The book is also beautifully illustrated with pictures that will capture children's imagination. "Children's cookbooks need to be fun and practical and this book works on both levels. It would make a good Christmas or birthday present for a budding -or reluctant - young cook." Financial Times October 09

For press coverage click here

Pumpkin Scones

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:33:34 +0100

Have you ever wondered what to do with the inside of the pumpkin after you have hollowed it out to make a lantern? Cook the flesh until soft and then use the puree to make some pumpkin scones. They taste good with a little cheese and herbs mixed into the mixture or if you want to make them sweet add a little brown sugar and a pinch of ginger instead.

Makes: about 8-10

Ingredients

200g pumpkin flesh (or butternut squash)

225 g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

40 g butter

3 or 4 tablespoons milk

for savoury scones add:

handful grated cheddar cheese
handful fresh chopped coriander or parsley

OR for sweet scones add a pinch of ground ginger or cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar

Turn the oven on to 200C/400F/Gas mark 7. Grease a baking sheet by rubbing it with a little butter or cut a piece of baking paper to fit.
Cut the pumpkin flesh into small pieces and put into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer until just tender - poke a fork into the pumpkin - it should go in easily.
Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the butter and using just your finger TIPS rub the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. (If you use your whole hands you may melt the butter and end up in a sticky mess)
Use a table knife to mix the pumpkin puree into the flour mixture. Then add enough milk to make a dough - not too much or it will be too wet
Sprinkle a little flour on the table and onto your hands and very lightly knead the mixture for half a minute until it is smooth.
Pat the dough or roll with a rolling pin until it is about 3 cm thick. Dip a round cutter into a little flour and cut out scones from the dough. Put the scones onto the baking tray, spaced a little apart. You will need to keep gathering up bits of dough and roll them out again until you have made about 8-10 scones.
Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk and using oven gloves put the scones into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until risen and golden. Use oven gloves to remove the tray from the oven and cool the scones on a wire rack.

Blackberry muffins

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:12:36 +0100

Encourage the children into the kitchen to make some blackberry and honey muffins to take to school to keep their energy levels up while they are working. They are great for their mid morning snack or packed lunch or for munching when they come in after school starving! Before you can start cooking you will need to go out looking for blackberries. Take a pot with you to put the berries in and keep an eye out for the sharp thorns on the bushes!

When you get home it is a good idea to scatter the blackberries across a tray and pick out any insects or leaves. If you want to give them a rinse put them in a colander and dip the colander of berries into a basin of cold water and then take out and leave to drain.

This recipe makes 12, they only keep fresh for a few days so you could put 6 into a freezer bag and freeze. Just take one out of the freezer in the morning and it will have thawed by the time you want to eat it.

Makes: 12

12 paper muffin cases or butter to grease the tins

Ingredients

50 g butter (or sunflower oil)

2 free range eggs

110 ml natural yogurt

110 ml milk

a few drops vanilla extract

300 g self raising flour / Spelt

2 tsp baking powder

80 g golden caster sugar

2 big handfuls blackberries (or frozen berries like raspberries or blueberries if you haven't had a chance to go blackberry picking)

a little honey to drizzle over the top if you like

Method

Turn the oven on to 180C/ 350F/ gas mark 5. Line 12 muffin tins with paper cases - if you don't have any muffin cases use a little piece of greaseproof paper and rub some butter all over the tins.
Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan. Leave to cool slightly.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl - have you ever cracked an egg before? The easiest way to crack the egg is to hold the egg in one hand almost cupping the egg - hold it over a small bowl and hit the middle of the egg with a table knife to crack it. Put the knife down and then put your thumbs into the slit and pull the shell apart and let the egg drop into the bowl. Do the same with the other egg. Using a fork beat the eggs together to mix the yolk and the white together.
Measure the yogurt in a measuring jug, add the milk, vanilla extract and melted butter. Add the eggs and mix everything together with a fork.
Sieve the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the sugar to the flour.
Pour the yogurt mixture over the flour and quickly and gently mix everything together - this should not take long, don't over mix or your muffins will not be light. Add the berries and quickly mix together.
Using two spoons dollop the mixture into the cases
Using oven gloves put the tray into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Take the cases out of the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack. Using a teaspoon drizzle a little runny honey over the top and leave to cool.

The Silver Spoon for Children

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:08:53 +0100

I am proud to tell you about my latest project which is a great cookery book for children - The Silver Spoon For Children. It really is a lovely book with an inspiring collection of recipes that will help to teach children the basics of cooking and Italian cuisine. I have included some essential life skills like how to hold a knife properly and how to crack eggs.

The recipes come from the renowned The Silver Spoon, a cookery book found in alomost every Italian home. I have adapted, re-written and tested (with the help of many children) a selection of recipes from The Silver Spoon to make them suitable for children to cook. These recipes are accompanied by brief, lively text providing young cooks with fascinating facts about the dish and its' ingredients.

The book features popular favourites such as Margherita pizza, lasagna and ice cream. Each recipe has simple step-by-step instructions, and is illustrated with specially commissioned drawings by Harriet Russell.

Based on an abundance of simple ingredients, such as meat, fish, pasta, cheese, vegetables, and of course olive oil, the Italian diet offers a cost effective, easy way of preparing healthy dishes as part of a balanced diet. It is therefore extremely relevant to today's children and parents.

The launch of The Silver Spoon for Children also coincides with the cooking in schools campaign spearheaded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. With practical cookery lessons in schools to become compulsory from 2011, The Silver Spoon for Children will give many youngsters a head start.

Publication Information
The Silver Spoon for Children

Published by Phaidon Press
Publication Date: October 2009
ISBN 9780714857466
£12.95
Hardcover
40+ Recipes
100 Colour Photographs

For press enquiries please contact:

Hannah Kent at Sauce Communications
Tel: 020 8600 3617
E-mail: hannahk@saucecommunications.com

Glynde Food Festival 2009

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:42:30 +0100

Come and see me at the Glynde Food Festival on September 19th and 20th, a lovely spot not far from Brighton. I love running cookery workshops for children at this festival, it is a great chance for children to meet and listen to some of the best food producers in the area.

Take a look at this article by Emma Chaplin for Viva Lewes to learn more about the event and my children's workshops......

Glynde Place is hosting its annual food and drink festival again mid-September. It is a most conducive environment for lounging about nibbling delicious bits of this and that, and sipping some excellent English wine. Foodies can expect to derive a great deal of gastronomic pleasure from the event, because the organisers, including Eleanor and David of Say Cheese (still going strong, though no longer in the Riverside), have such a passionate commitment to making sure that the best local produce and food producers are represented. A popular feature of the festival is the cookery demonstrations, so I've been talking to two people involved in them about what they have planned: local cookery writer and journalist, Amanda Grant, and 2006 Masterchef winner, Peter Bayless, who lives in Chalvington.

Lewes dweller Amanda Grant's involvement with the Festival began with hands-on cooking demonstrations for children in the café, "teaching how to cook and encouraging enjoyment of eating". They proved so successful that her Children's Kitchen now takes place in a large marquee. "I believe it's really important for children to enjoy going to food festivals and not see it as a chore. If they become interested in cooking and where food comes from, that passion stays with them as they grow." Last year, she brought in local producers, like Louise from Barcombe Nurseries, and local shepherd Tom, with his sheep. Louise talked to the young people about how fruit and vegetables are grown, and Tom discussed how sheep are looked after to produce the lamb we eat. "I realise this is controversial for some people, but I think it's helpful for children to understand where food comes from, and make a connection between what's on their plate and the sheep they see grazing on the Downs." Whole legs of lamb were marinated, chopped up and threaded onto five-foot willow sticks with courgettes and peppers, then cooked by the children over an open fire. All ages enjoy it, and Amanda encourages the teenagers to help the little ones. She hopes to do something similar this year. "It's a fantastic place to learn about good quality local produce."

Emma Chaplin, VIVA LEWES

Glynde Food Festival, Glynde Place, 19th and 20th

September, 10.30-5pm.

www.glyndefoodfestival.co.

Pre-book the demonstrations when you arrive.

Fruit Rocks

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:43:11 +0100

The really exciting thing about these fruit rocks is that once you have asked an adult if you can make them you can do everything else yourself until you need to ask for help to put them into the oven. You will be practicing some great skills along the way - weighing ingredients, rubbing butter into flour (great for crumbles, pastry & scones too!), cracking eggs and chopping with scissors. These fruit rocks are ideal for packed lunches or as a snack - have a look at my book ‘Healthy lunchboxes for Kids' for more ideas.

Makes about 8-12 (depending on how big you make them!)

Ingredients
125 g wholemeal self-raising flour & 125 g white self-raising flour OR 250 g white self-raising flour
90 g light soft brown sugar
90 g unsalted butter
125 g of any dried fruit you choose - for example raisins, dried mango, cranberries, sultanas, papaya etc
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1 free range egg

Method

Turn the oven on to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 5. Weigh the flour in a bowl. Cut baking paper to fit on two baking trays or lightly grease them by rubbing a little butter over the trays.
Put the butter onto a chopping board and using a table knife (a knife you eat with - not a sharp knife) cut the butter into small pieces. Try not to touch the butter too much as you don't want it to go soft. You may find it easier to put the butter into the flour and cut the butter once it is in the bowl.
Using your finger tips (if you use your whole fingers you will melt the butter) gently rub the pieces of butter between the tips of your thumbs and fingers so they flatten and mix into the flour. As you are doing this lift your fingertips above the bowl as this will let air get to the flour and help keep the mixture cool. Keep rubbing until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Using scissors cut any big pieces of dried fruit into small pieces and add to the flour with the sugar and mixed spice.
Crack the egg - have you ever cracked an egg before? Hold the egg in your left hand over a small bowl. Hold a table knife with your other hand and use the knife to crack the egg in the middle. Put the knife down, holding the egg over a bowl, put your thumbs into the crack and pull the egg shell apart, let your egg fall into a bowl. Whisk the egg with a fork and then pour into the flour mixture.
Now for the messy bit - put your hands into the bowl and bring everything together with your fingers.
Using the table knife that you used for your butter cut the mixture in half and then cut each half into 6 even pieces so that you make 12 fruit rocks (or cut in half and then cut each half into four to make 8 bigger rocks)
Mould them into rock shapes and put them onto the tray. Put your oven gloves on and ask an adult to help you put them into the oven and bake them for 12-15 minutes. They will be light golden in colour and they should have risen slightly. Leave to cool.

Childrens' Food Festival

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:42:15 +0100

The Children's Food Festival 2009 was a huge success with 14,000 families flocking to the site over June 27th and 28th. Once again I was running the Kids' Kitchen marquee where children were able to work with Chefs, Food Writers and Cookery Schools to prepare and cook a wide range of different foods.

"When I walked into your marquee it hit me just how good it was - lots of happy children with hands in bowls making good food - it was marvellous. I also loved watching you teach children how to make sausage rolls, it was great, every day talking, you stuck to the basics which is what we need to be teaching. Well done".
Nora Sands, from Jamie's School Dinners

We were so over subscribed that we could have run 10 times as many workshops. I also ran a session in the Celebrity Theatre talking to children and parents about quick, easy food for the family on the move using a number of recipes from my book Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids.

I was joined on stage by one of my Delicious ‘Junior Food Heroes' Billy Wyatt and another of my Junior Food heroes Emma was also there talking about life as the youngest pig farmer in Britain.

Sausage and Apple Rolls

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:54:51 +0100

This is just one of the recipes that I cooked at the Children’s Food Festival in June, taken from my latest book Healthy Lunchboxes for Kids. If you try these sausage rolls please let me know what you think of them and come back and have a look at this recipe page again - I will keep updating new and interesting things to try.

Red peppers contain fantastic vitamins like beta-carotene and vitamin C – both essential for helping boost immature immune systems. Try as often as possible to add vegetables to children's favourite foods.

Makes about 10

Ingredients
plain flour, for dusting
375 g pack puff pastry
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 apple, cored and finely chopped
450 g good quality pork sausagemeat (or sausages)
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg, beaten

Alternative filling – chicken mince, honey, wholegrain mustard

Method

Preheat oven to 200C/ 400F/ gas mark 6. Lightly grease 2 large baking trays. Dust a work-surface with a little flour and roll the pastry (even if you have bought a ready rolled sheet of pastry you will need to roll it thinner) until it is approx 30cm x 28 cm and then cut in half lengthways.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the chopped apple and cook for 1 minute. Leave to cool.
Put the sausagemeat (if using sausages snip the skins and peel) into a bowl, add the onion mixture and parsley (if using) and season with a little freshly ground black pepper.
Divide the sausagemeat mixture into two and shape each into a long sausage shape on top of the pastry. Brush one edge with beaten egg and then roll up. Seal and turn the rolls over so that the seam is underneath.
Cut each roll into 2.5 cm lengths. Cut a small slit in the top of each roll, brush with beaten egg and pop onto the baking tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool.