Fish Pie

With the weather turning cold I begin to crave ‘proper’ warming food. This fish pie ticks all the boxes for me – it’s really comforting, can be made early and popped in the oven half an hour so so before you want to eat, and fish is great for little brains!
If your Picky Pickers aren’t great fish fans, just serve a very small amount the first time you make this and fill up their plate with other things they like so they don’t feel too overwhelmed. Hopefully it won’t be long before they’re enjoying a full portion and begging for more!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1kg potatoes for mashing
a knob of butter
a splash of milk
75g grated cheddar cheese – maybe start off with mild and build up to mature for Picky Pickers
a pinch of salt
400g mixed fish – I use a frozen fish mix, there’s no need to defrost, you can just pop the fish straight from the freezer into the pie dish. Smoked fish might be a little strong for Picky Pickers so perhaps stick to white fish at least to begin with.
25g butter
25g plain flour
400ml milk
1 teaspoon of English mustard
Optional: a handful of frozen petit pois and/or sweetcorn, chives
Method:
1: Peel and chop the potatoes into small pieces. Boil until soft (about 20 minutes depending on size).
2: Mash the potatoes until smooth and add the knob of butter, the splash of milk and about a third of the cheddar cheese and a pinch of salt. Mix together until creamy.
3: Make a white sauce by melting 25g of butter over a low heat then adding the flour. Mix and cook gently for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, little by little, and stirring constantly to avoid lumps! Bring to the boil and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Mix in another third of the cheese, a teaspoon of mustard and the chives, sweetcorn and/petis pois if using. Take off the heat.
4: Place the fish in a large oven proof dish and pour over the white sauce.
5: Next spoon on the mashed potato and smooth with a fork. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
6: The dish can be put in the fridge overnight if you like or popped straight in the oven at 200 degrees celsius until bubbling and golden on the top (about 30 mins, or 40 from chilled).

No One Puts Baby In The Corner!

Get babies involved in family mealtimes! Traditional highchairs keep your baby separate and away from the table. I found a chair that allows them to sit properly at the table worked much better when my boys were tiny – it was easier to clean than many highchairs and took up less room in the kitchen. You can even get travel versions that fold up and can be strapped onto chairs in restaurants or when out visiting. With this sort of seat your baby can be right in the middle of the action and can watch the family eating, take in their table manners, and spot anything they might like to have a munch on themselves. There’s nothing more tempting than the food on Mummy or Daddy’s plate!

Gte yourself a good bib, make sure the floor is wipe clean, and away you go!

3 Reasons That Your Kid Is a Fussy Eater

Some great pointers…

How do you decide what to feed your kid? In an ideal world, kids will eat everything that’s put in-front of them but unfortunately, that’s not the case now is it. If you are one of those parents with child who’s a fussy eater, then this article is for you.

The truth is that we don’t know if controlling our kids’ food choices will result in food issues when they become teenagers and adults. But we can be sure that subsisting on processed food isn’t good for their growing bodies.

Here are some of the reasons people end up with children who don’t eat well:

1. Parents are afraid to say no. It’s not just that they don’t want to create an ice cream binger. It’s also that feeding our children is a way to nurture them and show our love. It is so tempting to give them treats like…

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