Moroccan Lamb Stew for Toddlers and the Whole Family

I fancied trying out a recipe with Ras el Hanout and wanted to cook something where the flavour would be out front and clear.  I always associate North African food with lamb so it seemed an obvious choice.

If you've not come across it, Ras el Hanout means "head of the shop" or "top of the shop" and that's because it contains lots of the best and most fragrant spices.  Depending on where you source it from will depend on how many different spices are in the mix.  To me it reminds me of an even more fragrant version of garam masala, it often contains sweet spices and even roses.

Toad in the Hole for the Whole Family

Toad in the hole is such comfort food, thrifty too.  How mean would it look if you were served up with two and a half chipolatas for your tea as an adult?  It would be ridiculously mean but when cooked with the batter, it makes a dish suitable for Sunday lunch out of the cheapest of things.

I have no idea why it's called Toad in the Hole, nothing to do with toads.  Normally it's a dish of sausages and batter, sometimes chicken or bacon is also put in but this is much less common than the traditional dish.

My son loved this.  Admittedly he picked out the sausages and ate them first then moved onto the batter (all eaten with ketchup) but as he was also eating the broccoli, I felt ok with the whole thing.

I'm not 100% happy with how the toad in the hole looked, I think part of the problem was I poured the batter over the sausages but gosh, darn it, it tasted fantastic!  How can flour, milk and eggs taste soooo gooood?!!

Might be an option for you baby led weaners out there to serve some of the vegetables and batter.  For younger toddlers, I'd cut up the sausages for them before serving as it's a common food for wee ones to choke on.

Low Sugar Trifle for Babies and Toddlers

This has been something in the ideas bank for a while.  I did originally want to make it no added sugar but it was a tricky task.  I also found by using traditional custard powder, the amount of sugar I was adding was pretty low and I'm not as strict as I used to be!

Root Vegetable Mash for Babies, Toddlers and Adults

A great recipe for the whole family this and an awesome recipe for the reluctant vegetable eater in your life (baby, toddler or *ahem* adult).

Prawn and Potato Soup for the Whole Family

It is soup season.  Although the snow has gone, it's still brrr.  That said, I don't want all of my soups to be stodgy and heavy, this is a sunshine of a soup.  Also my poor little man needed some cheering up and he loves prawns.