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Ways to entice your pre-schoolers

• The three best ways I know of introducing children to fruits and vegetables are with soups, juices and smoothies, and home made ice creams, sorbets and ice lollies. In the early stages soups and smoothies should be really smooth and lump-free.
• The pre-school years are your last chance before children get exposed to the world of mass catering, so now's the time to establish proper eating patterns. Try sitting down to meals as a family as often as possible, get children involved in the kitchen. I know it's messy and time consuming but if they help cook it they'll eat it.
• Be more adventurous with soups like minestrone, Welsh rarebit with thin wedges of lightly sauted apples. Give them slightly spicy grilled chicken breasts with roast vegetables, which children often prefer to plain steamed or boiled.
• Prepare pitta breads stuffed with salad, real cheese and your favourite dressing. Start using more garlic, onions, herbs and spices in cooking and always make sure there's plenty of fresh fruit to nibble on.

Once they're at school

• They're going to need more calories, lots of B vitamins and plenty of iron to keep them fuelled with energy for body, brain and growth. That means lots of dried fruits, wholemeal bread, sardines, meat and poultry, rice, potatoes and beans, dark green leafy vegetables, cheese, yoghurt, unsalted nuts and seeds.
• Home-made fishcakes and burgers will be a favourite and there's nothing wrong with homemade chips a couple of times a week.

• Next: Dealing with teens

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