Pancake Sunday

Children love pancakes for breakfast... Hugo Arnold stirs up a quick batter

Children love pancakes for breakfast ... Hugo Arnold stirs up a quick batter

Cooking is meant to be a shared thing. I have to remind myself of this every Sunday morning as I juggle the coffee, laying the table and making pancakes. My four-year-old, Ruby, insists on stirring and ladling the batter, and this can get quite messy. Add in her brother, Tom, aged nine, and it becomes quite an event.

It never fails to get us all going. We sit and ladle far too much maple syrup everywhere, plan our day and have the usual arguments about getting dressed (just in case this was all beginning to sound too idyllic).

Involving children in food is crucial and possibly one of the easiest activities in which to spark their interest. In my experience, the more involved they are, the more likely they are to be adventurous eaters. Breakfast is a great place to start.