Try introducing your baby to new foods. Change is never easy for tots, but the earlier your little one has new taste experiences, the more likely he is to accept them and enjoy a whole range of healthy foods throughout his life.
Toddlers vary, but generally they’re ready to try puréed food at around six months. Just be prepared for a rocky road! Patience is key – it may take 15 attempts before your baby will accept some foods. Incorporate new ingredients gradually, mixing them in with old favourites. And remember, babies follow our lead, so if you turn your nose up at certain foods, chances are your offspring will, too!
Freezing
Once your purée has cooled, spoon it into a sterilised ice-cube tray and freeze until needed. Individual cubes can then be removed and defrosted in the fridge in a bowl and heated
through as and when required.
Tips on making purées
- Wash and prepare the fruit or veg and cut into even-sized pieces.
- Cook by gently steaming.
- When soft, allow the food to cool a little, then purée using a hand blender or food processor. Alternatively, pass the food through a sieve.
- Test the temperature of the food before feeding – it should be room temperature or slightly warm.
Pea, spinach and apple purée
Put 100g frozen peas and 80g frozen chopped spinach into a steamer with an apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped. Cover and steam for 8 minutes or until the apple is tender. Blend to a purée. Thin it out with a little baby milk, if necessary.
Makes 7 portions. (Suitable for freezing)
Avocado, cottage cheese and garlic purée
Mash half a small, ripe, stoned organic avocado with 1 tbsp of cottage cheese and half a small garlic clove, crushed. Thin with a little baby milk, if necessary. Eat this purée straight away. Makes 1 portion. (Not suitable for freezing)
White fish, sweet potato and tomato purée
Peel and roughly chop 1 medium sweet potato, then steam for 10 minutes. Add 1 skinned plaice fillet and 3 or 4 fresh, basil leaves, washed, to the steamer and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then blend the fish and potatoes to a purée (or mash with a fork if your baby is older) with 1⁄2 tbsp of tomato purée. Makes 2 portions. (Suitable for freezing)
Broccoli, pea and pear mash
Place 300g broccoli florets in a medium saucepan with 3 pears, each peeled and cut into thin slices. Add 250ml boiling water from the kettle and cook, covered, over a medium heat for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in 190g pack of Taste the difference hand-shelled peas halfway through. Blitz or mash to desired consistency.
Roasted red vegetable pasta sauce
Preheat the oven to 220ºC, fan 200ºC, gas 7. Cut 150g peeled carrot, 1 deseeded red pepper, 2 tomatoes and 1 small, peeled onion into fine dice and place in an ovenproof dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cover in foil and roast for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cook 100g small pasta shapes in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain. Blitz the veg in a food processor for 1 minute and pass through a sieve to remove the pepper and tomato skins (discard these). In the food processor, whizz together the smooth sauce and the pasta to the desired consistency for your baby’s age. Serve with a little grated cheese.
Scrummy chicken, spinach and chickpeas
Fry 1 crushed garlic clove in a little oil. Add 300g skinless chicken breast fillets, chopped into 1.5cm cubes. Cook for 2 minutes. In a separate pan, mix 200g runner beans, trimmed and finely chopped, with 100g baby leaf spinach and half a 410g can of chopped, rinsed and drained chickpeas. Pour over 100ml water. Heat and simmer, cover and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Blitz the chicken and chickpeas together in a food processor to the consistency.
Haddock, sweetcorn and new potato supper
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan, and cook 1 peeled and chopped onion with 1 peeled and chopped celery stick for 10 minutes, covered. Add the kernels from 1 large sweetcorn to the pan, along with 200g Jersey Royal potatoes, chopped into 2cm cubes, and 200ml whole milk. Cook for 10 minutes. Add 200g skinless and boneless haddock loin, chopped into 4cm cubes, then cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Mash or purée to right consistency.
Cheesy cauliflower and potato bake
Halve 250g cauliflower florets, then peel 200g potatoes and cut into 2cm cubes. Cook the veg in a pan of water for 15-20 minutes until soft. drain well, then preheat the grill to a high heat. Meanwhile, melt 40g butter in a pan and cook 100g finely chopped leeks for 5 minutes, covered. Add 25g plain flour and cook for 1 minute, remove from heat and whisk in 250ml whole milk, then simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in 75g grated mild Cheddar cheese and mix in the veg. Spoon into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with a tablespoon of grated cheese and grill for 10 minutes. Blitz or mash.
Blueberry dream purée
Place 4 apples, each peeled and sliced,into a pan with 4 stoned, sliced plums. Add 5 tablespoons apple juice, heat and simmer. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes,covered. Add a 150g punnet of blueberries and cook for a further 5 minutes. Purée and serve on its own or stir into porridge or yogurt.
