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Worried mums cook up a heap of stress
With so many busy modern mums having to juggle jobs with making sure their kids get to school on time and eat healthily, without overindulging on too many sweets and crisps, it’s no wonder many parents feel close to giving up. But did you know children want and need regular mealtimes and they love being involved in preparing dinner?
If you are looking for a bit of help in putting together those tasty, nutritious dinners - or maybe you think you can show the experts a thing or two - then why not join celebrity chef Lesley Waters and nutritionist Lyndel Costain and take part in a series of 8 web TV programmes on cooking for families.
Lesley Waters and Lyndel Costain join us live online at on Thursday 21st June at 14.30 to explain the best ways of cooking up tasty, nutritious meals.
JC: Hello and welcome to the lifestyle show brought to you by Dolmio Dinnertimes I'm Jayne Constantinis. Now are mealtimes in your household something of a nightmare? Has food become a sort of battleground between you and the kids you know the scenario they want to eat what they want to eat and you want them to eat something that's healthy and good for them. Well you’re not alone we all know that feeling. Well TV Chef Lesley Waters and dietician Lyndel Costain are here in the studio with me today to give you lots of helpful tips and answer you questions and if you’ve got a particular dinnertime dilemma we want it here from you because we might even turn you into a webchat star of the future. More on that coming up a little bit later. Ladies first of all welcome thank you very much for coming into talk to us. This business of getting our kids to eat healthily it is a bit of a nightmare isn’t it? What’s you key massage.
LC: I think you know just don’t give up it takes quite a while for kids to accept new tastes and you know we’re born liking fatty, salty, sugary tastes and we have to learn to like everything else so it does take a while to do that and it can take up to ten times, even sometimes just having the food on the plate and getting used to seeing it there let alone eating it so don’t gave up, and give lots of praise when something positive happens.
JC: Okay, perseverance. That's good.
Perseverance definitely and don’t talk it personally I think that's the thing, 'cos I mean there’s nothing worse is there you know you’ve had a hard day at work, come home you cook a meal nobody wants it you know.
JC: Oh I know it's heart breaking isn’t it?
It is heart breaking but keep going at it.
JC: Okay. Thank you for that, lots more on that in a minute. And remember it is an interactive show we do want to hear from you. So to share you dilemmas with us or ask us specific questions then just type it in the box below the screen and send it to us with you name and we’ll get through as many as we can during the course of the show. But tell us a little bit more about this series that you’re launching today where Mums are actually sort of competing to become web TV stars [laugh] what's it all about?
LC: Well it's a wonderful opportunity to come along if you’ve got a dinner time dilemma there’s something that's just been frustrating you and you just really want some help then Lesley and I will be there to so that but also you might have some of your own tips about how you’ve managed different mealtimes dilemmas that you can share. So it you know, we’re always looking for something new to find out as well.
I'm always looking for new tips.
LC: So it's a really, a big sharing opportunity.
It is and you know to sort you know share information and talk about everything to do with the dinnertime dilemma and that's not just about cooking, it not just about eating, it's about social behaviour, it's the whole thing.
JC: And it's such an integral part of family life isn’t it eating or it can be and it can be a really rewarding thing can’t it to share a lovely meal with your children?
I mean I have to say in life I can’t think of anything better well I probably could think of a few things but I can’t mention them on them on this programme [laugh].
JC: No-no. Exactly. Pre-watershed
You know being able to sit down and eat food with your family, break bread and talk
JC: Yeah.
is the thing I look forward to. For a lot of families though it can sometimes be a tricky you know maybe you’re you know working in the week and not everybody is there but making maybe the most at the weekends maybe when you’ve got a bit more time it think is important.
JC: So how is the series actually gonna' work. People, Mums are gonna' either call or go not the website and share their dinnertime dilemmas and then you’re gonna' film with them? How’s it gonna' work?
LC: That's right. Yeah, yeah, we’ll be in a lovely local and so Mums will come along with a particular dilemma, there’s eight Mums that we’re looking for to be involved with different dilemmas, the three of us will get together and talk it through, give helpful tips and some information and that will all be filmed on the webcast. So a really opportunity for all of us.
JC: And then we’ll all be able to share those 'cos I think you know this business of sharing tips to hear that other mothers are experiencing the same problems that you are is, that's really helpful isn’t it? 'Cos you can feel a bit is located like you’re the only mother whose child won’t eat peas, in my case at the moment. She liked peas now she hates peas. Don’t know why.
LC: I think whenever there's anything like when you hear other people with the same issues it does help you relax and think ‘Oh actually I'm not alone’ and it boosts confidence and sometimes it could just be one small thing and you know, I mean when it's a nice relaxed mealtime that great but when there's tension at mealtimes then that's a whole different ball park and I think people then sometimes think ‘Well I just don’t wanna' sit around the table because there’s always battles and screams’ so sometimes it's trying to find simple ways to defuse that.
Defusing it.
LC: Yeah.
JC: Yes. So lets just say how Mums can get in touch and apply to be one of the famous eight. They can go on the website can’t they which is dolmio.co.uk and that's gonna' be going live any second.
LC: And there’s a number they can call as well.
JC: They can call, I think we’ve got that on the screen but I’ll reiterate it, it's 020 76113733. Fantastic. Lets go back to this business of perseverance and the fact that children are born with these things they already taste, how apart from just presenting it on the plate time and time again can you encourage them to like a wide variety of foods?
LC: Well do you want obviously start Lesley 'cos there's lots of things to say here.
Yeah, I mean how longs have you got? I mean it's, I think for me being a cook when I think when I grew up I was cooking from a very-very young age. My grandmother taught me how to cook, my mother taught me how to cook, and I think one of the ways that you can get children to try new flavours or eat better food is to involve them more. Now that can be something as simple as when you go shopping next time they choose what fruit goes in the fruit bowl, they choose what vegetables are going to be the vegetables for that night. It can be they come back with you maybe they lay the table, maybe they wash the vegetables, maybe if they’re a bit older they do a bit more. But even the young ones you can they can crack an egg they can do simple things so that they become part of that meal. So that’s one area that you can look at. Obviously you can’t do it all the time because we all lead busy lives.
JC: Time as well yeah.
But choose times when you have more time at the weekend say.
JC: Yeah.
LC: Or just whenever you’re sitting down there could be something that they could do that involves them with that meal. Or it could even be rather than having the food on little plates in front of you having it spread round the table so that kids can help themselves, and that’s great for trying new tastes. Because if it's plonked in front that that can almost a bit like “Oh I don’t like the look of that” and kick up a fuss but if everyone else is sitting there eating it and there’s things that they can pick up and try and pop in their mouth, at their own pace there’s that bit of control over what they’re choosing and very often they’ll go back for more or just try things they might not have tried in the past.
And try and sit up as much as you can as a family enjoy a meal together and also if you’ve got if they’ve got friends that are not so fussy get them round because there’s nothing better than a bit of peer pressure if they see their best mate you know chomping into some carrots and some broccoli to get them to do that as well.
JC: So when they say “I don’t like that, I don’t like broccoli” what do you do? Do you say “Well just try it or you might try it next time” or you say nothing and just bring it back another nine times.
LC: I’d be [laugh]
JC: I’d be [laugh] And you’ve got your little calendar ‘Broccoli 8’.
LC: That's right, oh yes it's all very strategic, yeah. Well I would be very I’d try not to say very much at all I mean I think and not making food a big issue at the table. So you’ve tried put it along something that you know that they like, if there a new food if there’s something on the plate that the kid already likes, that the child already likes, then if they do make a little bit of an issue about it then you say “Oh well you’ve go the chicken there that you like and you can enjoy that” and then just talk about something else. But the broccoli actually stayed on the plate and for some children that's a big step in itself, 'cos they haven’t made a fuss. 'Cos sometimes “Oh I'm not gonna' eat anything on my plate 'cos it got that green stuff on it”. So it's just gently-gently-gently.
JC: You mentioned not making an issue about it of course food can be a great weapon I mean literally and metaphorically can’t it?
Yeah, and I mean is it true Lyndel that a lot of children kick up a fuss about food if they want attention? Do you think that's true?
LC: Yeah, definitely yeah. And to start with it might because the genuinely don’t like it or they’ve never it before so they’re a bit shocked about it and it's an automatic natural reaction and then they realise ‘oh actually that got Mum stirred up a bit’.
JC: Yeah. Yeah. Mum sat next to me and tried to get me to eat that.
LC: Yeah.
JC: That was that's was.
LC: And I got her attention for all that time and then it becomes a bit of a battle of wills and control so it's not necessarily about what the food tastes like any more it's about the power it has in the house.
JC: Yeah, now I’ve seen that with friends who sat either side of their child and tried to get the food down him. Well great for him both his parents.
LC: Yeah and you understand.
JC: Undivided attention.
I can remember doing it.
LC: Well you can see why Mums would do it yeah. I mean I haven’t got my own kids but I had step kids and wasn’t quite so involved but could how you could easily fall into that pattern.
'Cos you’re so desperate for them to eat it.
LC: Yeah.
JC: Because it's such a fundamental thing if they don’t eat they will die of course if they don’t eat that plate they will die immediately. [laugh] Isn’t it?
But that's crazy really isn’t it. They actually.
LC: It's instinctive love stuff isn’t it yeah.
Yeah, but I mean actually children don’t need such a huge amount of food do they?
LC: No, no and that can be part of the issue of you pile it up.
Don’t pile it up that is the thing.
JC: I think I do that, that can be off putting can’t it?
LC: Yeah.
JC: So you offer a little then do you and then
LC: They can always ask for more.
JC: you can always have more
LC: If they’d like to. Yeah. Absolutely
What I learnt with my two.
JC: How old are you two?
My son Isaac is ten and daughter Scout, not Sprout, Scout is seven and what I've learn with vegetable is now that they’re that bit older you know if we’re having a shepherds pie or fish pie or whatever I’ll but the vegetables in a bowl in the centre with two big spoons and they help themselves. Now they love that because that makes them feel grown up.
JC: Yes.
That's what Mum and Dad do you know and often they will come back for seconds, it doesn’t always work.
JC: No.
You know some days are better than others but once again it's that thing of not piling the plate up with food.
JC: How young would you start with that helping themselves?
Oh I think 5 upwards.
JC: Okay.
I mean as long as the vegetables aren’t burning hot and they’re not gonna' burn themselves.
JC: Absolutely Yeah. Yeah.
But I really do think that that is s a good way of sort of getting the vegetables into them. I mean we can talk later on about how you, if you get really desperate how you can really sneak them into them 'cos [laugh] I have know to be incredibly sneaky my time but that is actually quite a good sort of grown up way of doing it.
JC: Yes.
LC: And being, and you’re being a role model as a family there a Mum as well 'cos you’re sitting there eating the veggies and the can see what's going on
JC: Yeah.
LC: and whether is parent or big brother and sister or a friend or someone else and that enormously important.
JC: Yeah.
LC: Even down to the sort of foods that you have in the house and I think it's so you know when we were growing up you know we’re sixties children,
No-no seventies [laugh] actually.
LC: But you know we had what was put on plate there was no issue about choice.
JC: Oh yes and I want to ask you about that in a minute
LC: And I think it’s quite tricky - Yeah.
JC: We’re just going to take a question and a reminder that it is an interactive show so do please send in your questions or give us your tips, just type it in the box below the screen and send it with your name we’ll get through as many as we can. Lets take this question from Tasha she thinks family mealtimes are really important, she refuses to let her children have TV dinners.
Good girl.
JC: But she is also asking why family time is so important at mealtimes?
LC: Well.
JC: What does it do for the family unit?
LC: Okay. I’ll give you some research pointers and you can give the nice foody pointers
Yeah. Yeah.
LC: 'cos there it's wonderful when there’s the research to support these things I know it's a gut instant sometimes. But children who eat and sit down as a family they eat less fatty and sugary foods, they eat more fruit and veg, and actually when they’re teenagers they’re less likely to get involve in sort of drinking too much and things like that.
JC: Really.
LC: It's good for their overall confidence as well. So there’s something very powerful about sitting down at a meal.
And it, no go on.
JC: Sorry before you go onto thing, of course the other thing it could be is about communication this.
Oh yes.
JC: As you said you sit down you eat and you talk.
LC: Yes.
JC: And sometimes mealtimes are opportunities to talk about you know with older children maybe some difficult issues, maybe things that are going on at school or whatever with their life.
LC: Sure kids like, even though they don’t always show it they like to be with their parents and they like to get that time and they also like the predictability and the comfort of having a regular meal.
JC: Yes, sorry you were gonna' say about the importance of mealtimes.
No, I'm agreeing totally and you know lots of eye contact and if there are any problems going in at school or in their life then it's more likely to come out if they’re feeling part of a group that they can relax and be with. Also the great thing as well if you’re talking and eating [laugh] you can often, they often eat far more vegetables 'cos they kind of you know just enjoying the while sort of scenario.
JC: Yeah.
But I have to say don’t expect them to sit up at the table with you for longer than fifteen minutes. I mean they're not gonna' sit up there with you for half and hour but it think as long as they spend a good sort fifteen minutes eat most of their food that's the important thing, and you know it's about lots of different things, social skill that we talked about.
JC: Mmm.
Even teaching them how to use a knife and fork. I know it sounds crazy a lot of children now eat with their fingers.
JC: Yes.
And don’t know how to eat properly with a knife and fork.
JC: Yeah.
LC: And therefore also how to chew your food, how to eat properly. I think all of those things
JC: Sure.
you learn.
LC: And it's not a time for lectures or you know having arguments about anything and not talking too much about the food either you maybe make a comment at the beginning or something or at the end, say thank however’s cooked it.
JC: Yes. Yes. Yes.
LC: But this is a nice quite calm time and then kid’s associate mealtimes as being pleasant as well.
But you can also get them involved in doing lots more things I mean for instance laying the table you know, choosing a bit of music to put on maybe.
LC: Mmm.
JC: Mmm.
You know just getting them involved in part of the meal.
JC: What’s you view, both of your views on the business of cooking separate things for different children? I can guess what you’re gonna' say but tell us.
I used to do it.
JC: Did you?
Yeah. Yeah.
JC: I'm surprised you would say that.
No-no, I know I'm admitting it.
LC: What do they call it in the States? A short order cook.
My first I used to do it with my first child and I remember my Mum pulling me to one side and said “You’re barking” you know “You are making a rod for your own back”.
JC: Mh-hm. Yeah. Yeah.
And because Isaac was very-very fussy and I just stopped doing it. And it took a while
JC: Yeah.
but we got there and of course with the second child I've been much
JC: Yes.
as you generally always are with the second.
JC: Yes. Yes.
Don’t do it, don’t go there. It’s you know they’ve got to learn to eat what you eat.
LC: And it's this choice thing as well if you ask a child, if someone asks me I don’t know about you say “What would you like to eat?”
JC: Oh yeah.
LC: You go “Err” and you’d sort of think about the last thing that you ate or the thing that is most comfortable and easy.
JC: No that's true isn’t it you go to a restaurant where there are eighty seven things on the menu and you yearn for just two.
LC: Yeah, that's right so perhaps offering one other choice and that can be quite useful so it might be say well “We’ve got lasagne and some salad, or there’s chicken and potatoes and carrots so which one would you like?”
JC: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
LC: And that's sort of a good way of steering them towards the foods you’d like to eat and also helping them not had to make that dilemma really and try new foods.
JC: Yeah. Okay.
And I also think just making mealtimes more of a structure you know so that they are having, they’re not grazing through the day you know it's is.
JC: Yeah.
'Cos children love habit actually they find it very-very reassuring.
JC: Mmm. Yeah. We’re nearly halfway through would you believe so do keep your questions coming in we’ll get through as many as we can, just type it in the box below the screen send it to us with your name, and in fact Mary’s done just that we’re back to veg of course I think it's what all we mothers thing about.
LC: Yeah is a difficult one.
JC: How to get her kids to eat enough. “They eat everything else and leave the veg on the plate”.
Right. Okay. So.
JC: Top tips.
Top tips, well maybe try the whole thing about putting their vegetables in the centre bowl and allowing them to help themselves but she may need to go down the seriously sneak route.
JC: Right.
So there are lots of things that you can do. Creamy vegetable soup without lumps is a incredibly nutritious meal.
JC: Mmm. Lovely.
So you know maybe you’ve got leeks, potatoes, carrots, a little bit of onion, a touch of garlic, put your vegetable in little bit of stock, maybe a splash of wine, don’t worry the alcohol cooks out, bring it up to boil, simmer it and then until everything’s cooked, and then whiz it, and then you’ve got a delicious creamy soup which you without any lumps, which you can serve with a big hunk of bread, and maybe a piece of cheddar cheese.
JC: Lovely.
So that's one soup. A vegetable soup.
LC: Could you use that as a sauce perhaps for something else as well?
You can use that, sometimes I will add a bit more cheese to it and pull it through pasta which is really nice.
JC: Oh yes.
The other things that you can do is to chop the vegetables up really small.
JC: Right.
And next time you’re making maybe a meat sauce throw them in.
JC: Yeah. Yeah.
But the way that's I’ve learnt to really get more vegetables down my children is to roast them.
JC: Ooh.
Because roasting carrots, onions,
JC: They’re quite sweet aren’t they?
parsnips, they become incredible sweet and you don’t have to roast them in lots of butter you can toss them in a little bit of olive oil, and roast them in the oven and then you can add those to sauces or if you’re really stuck you can blitz them to a puree and then pour those through mash or sauces or what have you.
JC: So lots of ways to hide them. In fact we’re getting a lot of questions in and they’re all about veg it clearly is the thing that preoccupies most of us.
LC: Sure and I think it's going that step back as we mentioned earlier about starting off by if you’re in the shops almost talking about “Oh what sort of veggies could we have for tea?” So the kids are already starting to think and feel involved with the meal.
JC: Yes so what's you position on something that I do which is I do a bit of bribery and trading and I say “If you eat half those carrot you can have pudding”. Is that not?
LC: I really wouldn’t recommend that route it's probably works a few times.
I've done that [laugh].
LC: I know it's really harsh, I'm being like the harsh you know.
JC: Yeah.
LC: And I’m sure
JC: And then say says “Okay I won’t have pudding”.
LC: you know we’ve all done it on some way. Yeah. That’s right and it works a few times and then you do get stuck because it like well where do you go after that point.
JC: Yes. Yes.
LC: And also it means well therefore I don’t like vegetables. It reinforces the fact that vegetables are yucky.
JC: Okay I’ll stop that immediately thank you for that. [laugh]
LC: Look at more sort of positive, praise, hugs, all sorts of positive praise some people find star charts helpful as well, so there’s all little tricks and things.
JC: Oh that's good idea.
The other thing I think can help and it's a lot of schools now are starting to grow vegetables for children. Now it's a bit like the more they can be involved the more they’re likely to eat it. So if you’ve got maybe a small garden or maybe you can even, you can grow even something’s in pots can’t you?
LC: Yeah just on the windowsill.
You could grow something like carrots and potatoes which are quite easy to grow and I can guarantee you if the child has been involved and is ripping the carrots out of the ground they’re much more likely to eat them.
JC: Mmm. Because they are naturally curious aren’t they about food. I mean my daughter’s two and half she always wants to sit next to me whilst I'm cooking. She wants to look into the pan she wants to see what everything is so it is an instinctive thing. Sarah from Croydon wants to know “How can she make mealtimes and eating healthy foods more fun?” Do a tap routine while the children are eating? [laugh]
LC: Don’t make it too much fun otherwise they will forget to eat and be watching the routine. [laugh] Yeah, actually not having, too many distractions isn’t always helpful so I’d always encourage Mum’s or you know families to turn the telly off and put the computer games away and actually if you ask when you are eating to to eat
JC: Yeah.
LC: and perhaps chat about something else.
JC: Yeah.
LC: But at the same time you want food to be colourful, bright, interesting and this is Lesley’s department yeah.
Well I mean there are lot of, we used to have the mystery fruit which used to be quite fun to do. So if we were introducing a new fruit I would and this is when they were really young, we would kind of say for instance I don’t know a mango or something, we’d blindfold them and give them the mango and they’d have feel of it and a smell, and they’d have to guess what it was, and then you’d say what it was. And then you’d peel it and do the hedgehog or whatever it was and then you would try. No sometimes they didn’t like it actually one of my children loves mango the other doesn't. But it actually gets them interested in it and if you’ve a got a bit more time at the weekends you can do stuff like that.
JC: Yeah.
But even things like if your child for instance likes painting or drawing they could actually do you know sort of like table settings you know you can get them involved with the whole sort of table thing, they love to a child the best game the world is cooking 'cos they get to make a mess and they get to eat it.
JC: Yeah. Yeah.
So if you’re doing a big bowl of pasta say and you’ve got a sauce going get them in there tossing it all together. I think you have to be prepared of the fact that they are going to make a mess.
LC: There’s gonna' be some mess.
But honestly I think the more that you can involve them I really do believe that is the way forward.
JC: You mentioned a crucial word. Time and that brings me to a question that Lucy has sent us “She often goes for a quick option jar of readymade sauce for example and she feels guilty is she a terrible mother”. Working mother in particular I think we do have this bit of guilt thing
LC: Bit of a sense.
JC: that's kind of you know adding to all of our anxiety about food.
LC: Yeah and there’s a lot publicity about processed food all being bad and it isn’t true at all and it really can be and important lifeline for everybody including busy Mums, so everybody and something like a pasta sauce I mean its made from essentially tomatoes and you know another great way to get veggies in there, toss it with some pasta that you’ve got from your store cupboard, your nicely stocked store cupboard.
JC: Yeah.
LC: And wither perhaps put in some beans, or some chopped ham, or some cheese, or some tuna on top, a little bit of salad on the side and you’ve got a balanced meal. It's fantastic.
JC: Yeah. What are the things that we really should be avoiding that we may reach for in you know desperation?
LC: I think there’s no good or bad foods really it depend how often you’re having them. I think it's possible when you are planning your meal trying to think of getting the four food groups in there. So some pasta or bread or rice or potatoes, some fruit and vegetables in some form they could be canned, frozen, fresh.
Frozen or fresh.
LC: dried, juiced, yeah all sorts of types. Some meat or fish or chicken or beans or eggs for protein, and them some milk dairy foods cheese of some type, and yoghurt. So that's a nice way whether you're packing a lunch or preparing a family meal then that's the basic ingredients.
JC: Funny you should say packed lunch Thomas from York wasn't to know “How he can give his child a healthy packed lunch and tempt them with food other than crisps?”
Yeah well I my feeling is my son came home from school other day he went “Mum so and so gets crisps in their packed lunch everyday”. And I say “Yeah”.
JC: And your point?
So to me Friday is treat day. Friday they’ll get something naughty in the packed lunch and it think that's fine.
JC: Yeah.
As far as packed lunches are concerned where I live in Dorset they don’t get school dinners at the moment so it packed, and packed lunches can be hard 'cos sometimes you rack your brain for ideas.
JC: Yeah.
But you know bread is a fantastic carrot. There are lots and lots of different types of breads that you can use, tortilla wraps, pitta bread, bean dips, peanut butter. I think as you were saying it's getting the balance right so that in the packed lunch you’ve got your carbohydrates, which is your bread, if they’re vegetarian maybe it's a bean butter or a bean spread or you’ve got some meat there, piece of fruit, maybe yeah, absolutely. A juice. What do you think about fruit in packed lunches?
LC: Yeah. Fine a pure juice and they’re quite hand to keep them cool if you freeze them overnight you can stick them in the box.
JC: Top tip.
LC: And it helps keep it cool.
JC: Yes.
LC: No they’re good and they count toward you're fruit as well.
JC: Yeah, but as you say it's everything moderation isn’t it its not just eating the crisps it eating the piece of fruit and the sandwich or whatever it is as well.
LC: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. There's not defection here.
JC: No, don’t we all learn that as well go along. I mean I'm only two and half years in and I'm learning that you know it's what works for you isn’t it.
LC: Every little step makes difference.
I'm ten years in and I'm still learning. [laugh]
LC: Every small step makes a huge difference and I think you know a non vegetable eating child isn’t suddenly going to be eating loads but if you can get them to enjoy one or two that's great.
JC: Yeah. The organic word has comes up as you do expect to “I can’t” Lydia says she can’t “always afford to buy organic, is she putting her children at risk by giving them mass produced foods grown non-organically”.
LC: I mean nutritionally the balance of studies shows there's not difference really between organic and non-organic in teems of actual nutrition. You know there's little ups and down here and there.
JC: That's interesting isn’t it?
LC: But overall generally there’s no significant difference. So it’s very much a personal choice. Some people prefer organic because of the environment issues etcetera so.
JC: I'm really glad to hear that because I have the non-organic.
LC: Yeah. I mean always wash your fruit and veg well pesticides and those sorts’ of things are controlled very well so the more important this is actually eating the fruit and veg.
JC: Yeah. Yeah.
LC: And how organic is something that's been flown thousands of miles you have to ask yourself the question. My thing would be try and source as much local and seasonal produce as you can.
JC: Yeah. Yeah.
That was it hasn’t done the miles and you’re eating it when its at it's cheapest and at it's best.
JC: And of course it the interest in the food as well isn’t it's an educational thing.
Absolutely
JC: It’s seeing the fruit on the tree as you drive through Kent or whatever. You mentioned earlier about frozen vegetables and tinned vegetables that nutritionally they are good.
LC: Yeah. Yeah.
JC: Pretty good. We’ve got another question here on a similar sort of theme. “Sometimes” Lucy from Lincolnshire “Sometimes she makes large portions of spag bol and freezes them”.
LC: Good one her, well done, well done.
JC: Well do that don’t we, but she's concerned that the nutritional value is going be lost by doing that.
LC: No actually when you freeze things this is the same as when things are canned you actually lock in the nutrition at that time, so it's basically static. So whatever was sin there when you popped it into the freezer stays there until you bring it out again. So totally fine and a wonderful way to have a convenient meal ready to go.
Yeah, and how often have you cooked a meal and you’ve put too much on the table and it just wasted.
JC: Yes I hate that.
So you know.
JC: No I'm greater bagger up of food except when keep freezer then broke down and three months of food were destroyed.
LC: Oh no.
JC: Can you imagine, you can understand how much that hurt can’t you? [laugh] Patrick from Bury wants to know he’s “Very interested in taking part in the series, how can he get more information about sighing up?”
LC: Well there’s the website he can go to which is the dolimio.co.uk website.
JC: And that's going live any second now isn’t?
LC: Yeah, that's right, and there’s the phone number which.
JC: Phone number I’ll give that out again I think it’s on the screen 02076113733, and then there are going to be eight winners aren’t there and you’re going to film with those eight and then I think we’re gonna' another webchat at the end of the series aren’t we to conclude and bring together all the tips and so on.
LC: Yeah, that's right.
JC: So Patrick to enter you might be one of the lucky winners. Just to go back to the vegetable thing the healthy food and so on, why do children in a particular need, what is it giving them is it all to do with development and growth and healthy bones and so on, why should we be so concerned?
LC: Very much basically we are what we eating terms of everything that we consume helps our bodies to grow and develop. So its concentration at school it can effect mood a better diet kids mood often improves as well as their leaning, and growth definitely strengthening their bones, keeping their blood healthy, keeping their immune system strong, and also help build good habit so
From a young age
LC: So, absolutely, and they get used to that and they might perhaps in their teens sort of when they're off doing their thing and rebelling against everything forget that for a while but when they get older and they start to take care of them selves and they’ve got their own children if they’ve go those good habits that's you’ve instilled they’ll come back.
JC: So if you’ve got a dinnertime dilemma that either you’ve solved 'cos we don’t just want to' hear problems or you’d like some help with then do get in touch 'cos you might be one of the eight lucky winners. I just want to ask you one question about it appears to me and maybe I'm wrong that other countries like I'm thinking of Spanish people and Italians in particular,
LC: There’s a real food culture.
JC: they seem to have it sussed why is it different there?
LC: I just think it's always been with them. I think the problem what happened after the Second World War was we never really go back up again did we as far as.
It's the meal the importance of the mal and the structured meals.
They way they live their life, they live their if to eat don’t they and if when they’re finishing ht next meal they’re talking about the next meal, what they’re gonna' have and it's.
LC: And its very regular and its very structured and it's interesting apparently French children are brought up and they had, there was a lot of advice to parents to have very-very regular mealtimes and them almost down to the amount to give them, and don’t snack very much you know perhaps have some fruit or something, buy very structured and each meal is a bit special. So.
JC: Mmm.
LC: And that whole eating together again, once again.
JC: Yeah. All generations
Absolutely.
JC: You notice that particularly when you go on holiday somewhere like Italy don’t you?
Yeah, children in restaurants and eleven o’clock at night.
JC: And in England are people are doing the like ‘Oh there’s a child over there” Aren’t they?
Yeah.
JC: We are.
LC: It’s just a totally different attitude and I think we need to get more like that.
JC: Just to go back to the series tell us what you are looking for in the Mums or Dads who are applying to be one of the famous eight.
Lots of new tips please I'm need some new tips.
JC: That you can steal.
[laugh] For them to enjoy it I think and to, you know if they’ve got dilemmas, I mean we will be touching on most things.
JC: Sure.
LC: But it could be it's those classic things like you know how do I get them to eat some vegetables or how to I cope with battles at meals or how do I plan a healthy packed lunch or what's some good breakfast ideas? Because you know 1 on 4, 1 in 5 children skip breakfast the morning and that's a really important meal.
Very important meal.
LC: So they’re all those sort of classic sorts of dilemmas.
And how can I put together really nourishing food quickly because as you were saying before it's the real time element?
JC: Time, yeah. Great thank you very much for coming it's been fascinating we could go on and on couldn’t we?
We could
JC: It's a never ending [laugh]. And I'm not going to' bribe my daughter with carrots anymore, so thank you for that tip. Great, and we’ll see you again at the end of the series hopefully.
LC: Absolutely.
JC: So if you’d like to apply to be one of the famous eight then you need to contact dolmio.co.uk and there’s all the information there application form and so on, or you can ring and the number’s on the screen now and the website will be up and running any second. I hope you’ve enjoyed us sharing our tips and hearing other viewers tips as well and I look forward to seeing you later on at the end of the series and maybe one of you is gonna' be a webtv star. Thanks for joining us bye-bye.
