Breakfast in bed might sound like a distant dream for many parents, but for celebrity chef Marcus Wareing it’s a regular treat.
“My eldest son Jake got up on Saturday morning recently, came to us and said, ‘Would you like a bacon and egg sandwich?’” Wareing explains. “Breakfast in bed - what more could you want in life?”
His 11-year-old lad’s “mean bacon sandwich” is just one of the dishes Wareing’s taught him over the past year.
There was also a tasty risotto, which father and son rustled up together, and countless cakes that the family devours after dinner.
To inspire families to get their kids into the kitchen, recipe website www.greatbritishchefs.com is launching a new app in association with Tesco Real Food, and it’s packed full of easy-to-follow recipes.
Wareing is one of a number of top chefs who has contributed after hearing about the website’s Cooking With Kids initiative.
He’s keen to pass on his skills - but remains realistic about the pressures parents face at mealtimes.
“It’s not easy when you’re sitting and eating and the kids don’t want to try things. But it only takes one child to start leading [and the others will follow],” he says.
Wareing’s top tips for getting kids into cooking
- Providing your children aren’t hungry, take them to the supermarket and involve them in the planning of meals and buying the food. If possible, take them to food markets and show them different ingredients when you’re away from home.
- Buy your child a simple cookbook, apron or whisk for their birthday or Christmas.
- Put your child’s bakes in their lunchbox as a surprise so they can show their friends at school.
- If you have a camera, let your child take a picture of what they’ve made. Why not start a scrapbook of all the things they’ve made?
- Set up a chart in the kitchen and give your child a star whenever they make something with you. This will boost their confidence and keep them keen.
If you fancy having a go, here are three of Wareing’s recipes from the app to start you off:
Bacon roly polies
(Serves 10)
Bacon filling:
8 bacon rashers
1 medium onion, finely chopped
100g soft cheese
100g cheddar, grated
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pastry:
250g plain flour
3tsp baking powder
75g unsalted butter, diced and cold
225ml milk
½ tsp salt
20g butter, melted
Heat your oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Place the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Ask your little helper to crumb the butter into the dry mixture, then add the milk until combined.
Place the dough onto a floured surface, then your little helper can roll it out into a rectangle, approx 1cm thick.
Brush the dough with some of the melted butter.
Then top with the bacon, covering all of the pastry aside from a 2cm edge on one of the long sides of the rectangle.
Mix together the parsley, onion, cheeses and garlic, then spread this on top of the bacon.
Brush the 2cm gap at the edge of the dough with water.
Then for the fun part: starting with the side without the 2cm gap, start rolling the dough, until one big roll is formed. Seal by pressing the water-brushed gap onto the body of the roll.
Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Then, remove and slice into 1.5cm-thick slices.
Place spiral side up onto the baking tray and bake for around 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Mini beef and hummus burgers
(Serves 6)
Burgers:
500g lean minced beef
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 egg, lightly beaten
50g brown bread crumbs, fresh
¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ bunch tarragon, chopped
1tbsp tomato puree
2tbsp soy sauce
2tbsp tomato ketchup
½tsp salt
½tsp black pepper
1tbsp vegetable oil
Caramelised onions:
25g unsalted butter
3 medium onions, peeled and sliced
¼ bunch thyme, leaves picked
½tsp salt
To serve:
3 slices Emmental cheese, sliced in half
1 ciabatta loaf
6tsp hummus
6 handfuls rocket, small
2tbsp olive oil
Ask your little helper to mix together all the burger ingredients in a bowl until combined. Then shape into six equal patties and put in the fridge.
To caramelise the onions, melt the butter into a frying pan. Add the sliced onions, thyme and salt, and cook until golden and sticky, around 20-25 minutes.
In another pan, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil, then brown the burgers on both sides. Lower the heat and cook for a further 6-7 minutes.
When cooked through, remove from the heat and place a slice of cheese onto each burger to melt lightly.
Slice the ciabatta loaf into six equal squares for the burger buns. Brush each slice with oil and lightly toast or grill. Next, spread hummus onto one slice and lay a beef patty onto the other. Repeat.
Spoon the rocket and caramelised onions over the patties then sandwich together to make burgers. Serve with fresh salad.
Pea and pancetta risotto
(Serves 8)
260g risotto rice
2 litres of chicken stock
1 onion, finely diced
100g pancetta
250g button mushrooms
300g mascarpone
100g parmesan, grated
85g butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
150ml white wine
1 handful frozen peas
1 handful chopped parsley
30ml olive oil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
Bring the chicken stock to boil in a large pan.
In another pan, sweat the onions in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Once the onion has softened, add rice and leave to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring on a reduced heat.
Add a splash of wine and continue stirring. Gradually start adding the stock using a ladle. Wait until each spoonful of stock is absorbed before adding the next.
After 10 minutes, in another separate pan, fry the pancetta and mushrooms using the remaining oil. Once lightly coloured, stir into the rice mix.
Continue adding the stock, stirring occasionally until completely absorbed into the rice mix.
Add in the mascarpone and parmesan, followed by the butter and peas. Stir together then cook until the peas are cooked through.
If you find the risotto too thick, add a little more stock or water. To serve, just sprinkle over some parsley when spooned into bowls.
- Greatbritishchefs.com, in association with Tesco Real Food, launch their free new cooking with kids app on May 1. Visit www.greatbritishchefs.com/kids-recipes
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here