A couple of weeks ago we were sent Baby at the Table by Michela & Emanuela Chippas. We have a large huge recipe book collection, and both of us are always excited when a new one arrives, so we were looking forward to trying some of the recipes.
The concept for the book is simple: a three step guide to weaning (1. Baby 2. Toddler 3. Family), containing recipes with less than 15 minutes preparation time for busy parents. Although the Baby section hasn’t been relevant for Busby and H-Bear, as it contains only purees, it’s very comprehensive – including a list of everything babies shouldn’t eat, which would be very useful if you’re weaning for the first time, or have a large age gap between children and need a refresher.
We’ve loved exploring the Toddler and Family sections of the book:
The Toddler section focuses on snacks with a little bit of nutritional trickery thrown in for good measure. Both of our children can be very fussy when they want to be, and I found the prologue to this section of the book very reassuring.
The Family section is about cooking and eating together as a family – meals that everyone will enjoy! I’m always looking for new things to cook for us, so really enjoyed thumbing through this part – salivating over potential meal ideas.
Baby at the Table has really come into its own for evening meals on preschool days, as by the time we’ve got home, it’s almost time to eat. Any way to make my life easier is a winner, and I’ve enjoyed putting the book to the test.
With H-Bear suffering from a Cow’s Milk Protein (CMPA) and a soya allergy, a few of the recipes aren’t usable as they are, but they’re very easy to adapt with milk and soya alternatives.
I decided to make the Blueberry Banana Bread from the book, as banana bread is a hit with both children and the recipe is completely dairy and soya-free (if you use soya-free flour).
It’s a whack-it-all-in recipe – mixing the wet mixture and then adding the dry ingredients. I’m always a bit dubious of recipes like this, but it produced a nice batter, so I popped it in the oven for 50 minutes.
Sadly, I went a bit OTT with the blueberries, so the mixture didn’t rise as much as I hoped it would. It still tastes yummy however, and that’s the most important thing!
It’s been a huge hit with the whole family!
Baby at the Table is a beautiful recipe book – the photos are all wonderfully captured and bright, and everything looks very rustic and appetising. The book retails at £16.99 and can be purchased online here.
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Home made macaroni cheese
Luca doesn’t really have a favourite food, he’s quite fussy which drives me up the wall. He loves fruit though and will eat fruit until he bursts if I let him. He also loves a chunk of crusty bread with balsamic vinegar to dip it in. X
My daughters love brioche!
My son is quite fussy, but he’ll happily eat any quiche or pizza at the moment. About to start weaning my daughter, this book would be perfect to help us both get started.
My sons pretty fussy, loves pizza and quiche. About to start weaning my daughter so this book would be perfect to help get us started
Pasta, everything pasta, time to explore different food. lol
Chorizo and broccoli are the top foods for Chiplet
We don’t have a favourite food yet as solid food isn’t on the menu just yet.
Grapes!!!
Tuna pasta with garlic bread
Fish!
any fruit!
My eldest loves pasta and any fruit.
My kids love Lasagne
My daughters pretty fussy. Loves fruit though x