LITTLE GREEN KITCHEN

Recently my sons have been "getting into cooking". At two point five, this involves brandishing spatulas and creating Heston-style culinary masterpieces in their mini kitchen. "IT'S A SAUSAGE PANCAKE."

So this new cookbook from the couple behind blog Green Kitchen Stories, designed specifically to get children involved in the kitchen, arrived right on time and I was instantly impressed with Luise and David's honesty.



As parents of three, they get that there will be days when your children have a meltdown because you haven't dished up the exact type of meal they were hoping for. There's no pretending that the book will solve all your toddler kitchen nightmares, but they do suggest lots of ways to make cooking fun for everyone through wholesome, veg-focused meals. Already I've noticed that getting the little ones involved means they are more engaged with what ends up on their plates.

We hit the kitchen.

First up, Halloumi Souvlaki Pitta Pockets. This involved marinading halloumi in a whole heap of delicious herbs, and while they baked in the oven, my husband made the tzatziki, which will forever be our go-to tzatziki recipe from now on. Seriously, it was DELICIOUS. I ate spoons of it long after the halloumi and pittas had been devoured and my twins dipped cucumber sticks into leftovers the next day.

Next, the Smash and Tear Summer Pasta which used up a box of fresh, mixed tomatoes. As the name suggests, get your little ones to mash up the tomatoes with their tiny fists before adding in capers, basil, garlic and olive oil. Cook up some pasta and combine! This was so simple, so fresh and a nice healthy variation on my go-to pesto pasta.

Next on my agenda are the Energy Bean Bars and these ridiculously cute Animal Grain Cakes...

All told, a really lovely recipe book packed with fun ideas for eating as a family.

Little Green Kitchen is available here.

A big thank you to Hardie Grant for the review copy, too.