Author(s): Elisabeth Luard

Cooking/Wine

In most societies around the world even quite small babies join the grown-ups at table, perched on a parent's or grandparent's knee, eating what the adults eat - healthy, nutritious home-cooking in a form which suits them. Babies and small children are naturally adventurous. They will try anything once, and once is all you need. In 100 recipes from all over the globe, "Food Adventures" takes us from first spoonfuls to first schooldays, exploring and adapting dishes that children are encouraged to try as soon as they're old enough to sit up and take notice. Starting with simple apple sauce and sweet potato mash, it progresses to the artichoke with lemon that Greek parents feed to toddlers and on through Italian rice balls to the school lunch of meatballs and tomato sauce inspired by a Lebanese classmate. Elisabeth and Frances also come up with ideas to keep children interested, transforming mealtime from that old familiar battlefield into a playground where everyone can join the fun. Baby food is, after all, not just for the early years - it's the first step towards a lifetime of enjoyable food.