Donna Hay may be Australia’s culinary queen, but she isn’t afraid of stepping back and letting her kids take the wheel.
Being a mother of two boys, the 46-year-old says she has always whipped up meals and experimented with recipes which would make them excited about cooking.
In her new cookbook, Basics to Brilliance Kids, Donna shared her tips on how to keep children curious about food – and it’s all about getting them to master the basics and handing over the control.
Being a mother of two boys, Donna Hay (pictured) says she has always whipped up meals and experimented with recipes which would make them excited about cooking
In her new cookbook Basics to Brilliance Kids (pictured) Donna has shared her tips on how to keep children curious about food – and it’s all about getting them to master the basics and giving them the control
‘You need to get creative! Kids are inquisitive; they want to know everything – where ingredients comes from, what’s inside, what the texture feels like,’ Donna said in her Lifestyle Channel segment.
‘The secret is really just getting kids involved in the process, experimenting and feeding the curiosity.’
Donna says kids generally love to be hands on when learning how to cook, so activities such as rolling sushi or baking muffins are a great starting point for learning the basics.
Watching children transform from being passive onlookers to being actively involved in the cooking process is very rewarding, the award-winning food stylist adds.
‘You need to get creative! Kids are inquisitive; they want to know everything – where ingredients comes from, what’s inside, what the texture feels like,’ Donna said in her Lifestyle Channel segment
Donna says kids generally love to be hands on when learning how to cook, so activities such as rolling sushi or baking muffins are a great starting point for learning the basics
Watching children transform from being passive onlookers to being actively involved in the cooking process is very rewarding, the award-winning food stylist adds
‘As soon as kids are involved with cooking in the kitchen – choosing the ingredients, learning to handle cooking equipment, tasting and testing – I find there’s a natural inclination to discover more,’ she said.
‘Kids also generally start learning with sweets and then they move onto savoury, so teaching kids to cook with fresh produce from an early age is what can make a huge difference later in life.’
Donna’s new book also suggests creative ways to introduce healthy eating into a child’s palate – such as getting them to grate vegetables into fritters or using zucchini wraps for cannelloni.
Donna says letting kids get their hands dirty in the kitchen is the best way for them to learn
Donna’s new book also suggests creative ways to introduce healthy eating into a child’s palate
‘Kids also generally start learning with sweets and then they move onto savoury, so teaching kids to cook with fresh produce from an early age is what can make a huge difference later in life,’ Donna (pictured) said
And for parents navigating the difficult terrain of raising fussy eaters, Donna’s advice is to ‘not sweat the small stuff’.
‘There were certain things I didn’t particularly love as a kid but I think you develop your palate as you grow and end up experimenting with them as you cook. I do find that when kids are involved in the process they tend to be more adventurous in eating the results,’ she said.
Some of Donna’s top recipes for kids include her artichoke and pesto mac and cheese, apple bircher popsicles and banana honey pikelets.