Author Annabel Karmel says she has never met a child who doesn't enjoy preparing food, writes SYLVIA THOMPSON
IF STAYING in is the new going out, then doing things at home with your children is the new way to keep them occupied instead of paying out money for classes that you could – with a little extra work – create in your own home.
Annabel Karmel is the author of more than 20 books on cooking for and with children and she is zealous about how children can learn to cook good tasty food at home that all the family will enjoy.
“I’ve never met a child who doesn’t enjoy cooking. It’s just that many of us can’t be bothered to spend time with them in the kitchen,” she says. “I sleep three children and feed about 10 every day,” she adds.
Her children – now 21, 20 and 18 – all live at home and get involved in one way or another in what has become the “Annabel Karmel” brand.
She says she is amazed how many people in Ireland know her books, the first of which was written in 1991.
“It all started after my daughter, Natasha, died as a baby. I had played the harp and I sang, and I couldn’t do it anymore after she died. My son, Nicholas, was born in 1989 and he was such a terrible eater that I started making lots of homemade soups for him.”
At the time, Karmel was running a playgroup and soon the other mothers became interested in her recipes and encouraged her to publish them. She began to study nutrition and her Cooking for Toddlers and Babies books soon became best-sellers.
“I tested all my food on the babies in the playgroup and discovered that contrary to what people say, babies do like tasty food,” she says.
Karmel went on to have two more children and, as they grew, she developed her hobby into a business, using her children as guinea pigs for her recipes and encouraging them to cook at home.
“We used to have cooking birthday parties when they were younger and from when they were seven or eight, I encouraged them to cook supper on Fridays for all the family and to invite their friends too,” she explains.
“I would get them to make the same meal for four weeks and by the end of the four weeks, they would know how to cook it well.”
She has a few key tips for parents who are keen for their children to cook at home. “The important thing is not to take over and to choose a recipe that doesn’t take ages and that is within their capabilities,” she says.
It’s also a good thing to keep in mind that what they are making will not look as perfect as it is in the book and that’s fine.
Karmel is also adamant that you’ve got to teach your children how to get involved in each stage of the cooking. “They should learn to chop and grate food at about eight or nine. If they don’t learn how to chop up things, they won’t learn how to cook,” she says.
She also stresses the importance of teaching them what’s dangerous in the kitchen. “You’ve got to believe that they can be responsible so teach them not to touch things that are electric with wet hands and teach them that you’ve got to be careful because the stove and oven remain hot for a while after you turn them off.”
In her latest book, You Can Cook,Karmel takes children step by step through making simple things like garlic toast and real hot chocolate (see below) through making bread dough right up to making chowder, marinades, chicken escalopes, salmon in pastry and home-made pasta.
Children’s cookery books are – by design – full of pictures and clear instructions. And in this way, Karmel’s books are as attractive as the many others on the market.
But, what’s interesting about her new book is how she has included a child-friendly section on healthy eating and double-page spreads of tasty-looking and clearly labelled fruit, vegetable and salads.
Many families tend to stick to a limited variety of fruit and vegetables, and cookery books such as this will encourage children to try new ones.
Similarly, she dedicates some space to baking techniques such as separating an egg, preparing a cake tin, rubbing butter into flour (something many children and adults find difficult) and kneading.
Alongside her popular cookery books, Karmel has developed a range of ready meals for young children and her food is now served in UK theme parks. She was awarded an MBE in the 2006 Queen’s Honours List for her work in children’s nutrition.
“I have a team of eight people who work for me and we run creative cooking sessions in the theme parks. I also have a TV show coming out next year on teaching children how to cook.”
So, does she manage to cook for herself anymore? “Oh yes, I cook for the family. I’m always thinking about what to cook next. My hobby took over and became an obsession. I love it as much as when I started 22 years ago.”
DO TRY THIS AT HOME
Grilled Garlic Toast: Cut two rolls in half lengthways and lightly toast or grill. Mix together 30g of softened butter, one clove of crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese and a grinding of pepper. Spread the mixture on toast and grill for 30 seconds.
Real Hot Chocolate: Break up 30g of plain chocolate into a heat-proof jug. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar to taste. Bring 250ml of milk to the boil in a saucepan and pour over chocolate and whisk until chocolate has melted. Serve immediately.
Adapted from You Can Cook – A Step-by-step Cookbook for Kidsby Annabel Karmel (Dorling Kindersley, €15.99)
