cooking with children

Let’s Cook the Books: A Series of Unfortunate Events – The Reptile Room

Series of Unfortunate Events Reptile Room

When the Baudelaire orphans arrive at Uncle Monty’s house, we’re unsure what to think of him. After all, this is A Series of Unfortunate Events, where we are promised that only dreadfully unpleasant things will happen to our heroines and hero. What fate awaits them in Uncle Monty’s Reptile Room? If you are in any … [Read more…]

Let’s Cook the Books: Sam’s Sandwich

Sam’s Sandwich was a gift from my friend Nice Kate, to my children, and quickly became a firm favourite. Nice Kate had been astonished I’d never heard of the tome, and so swiftly purchased it for my children, introducing them to some funny rhymes, cheeky characters, and the idea of putting insects in their sibling’s dinner. … [Read more…]

Let’s Cook the Books: Nuddy Ned

My children’s love of Nuddy Ned can be blamed squarely on my parents. When EldestGirl was about three years old, she went to stay with Grandma and Grandad, and they took her to the library and brought back a copy of Nuddy Ned. My parents – clearly with the same sense of humour as an average three … [Read more…]

Let’s Cook the Books: The Gruffalo

This month’s Let’s Cook the Books is slightly sneaky, firstly because it’s featuring YoungestGirl, rather than EldestGirl, and secondly because we’re not actually cooking a recipe from The Gruffalo itself (roasted fox, anyone?). YoungestGirl received for her birthday, from my lovely friend Erica, a fantastic children’s cookery book based on The Gruffalo. (Believe it or … [Read more…]

Let’s Cook the Books – The Magic Faraway Tree

homemade toffee final product

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton was one of the first chapter books EldestGirl and I read together. I had loved it as a child, and remember playing for hours, imagining I had my own slippery slip to slide down a giant tree. Unfortunately, my parents lived in a new-build in the Midlands, so … [Read more…]

Let’s Cook the Books – A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning

Every night we read a chapter or two of a book to EldestGirl. Her taste in fiction moved really swiftly from picture books to really quite complicated chapter books. She did baulk at The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe being read to her. I think it was just a bit too involved in terms of … [Read more…]

Let’s Cook the Books – The Cat and the King

EldestGirl adds sugar

About a year ago, a few months before she turned five, EldestGirl started to prefer chapter books to picture books. She was still reading picture books by herself, but at bedtime when we read to her, she liked to be read chapter books. Over the last twelve months we have raced through so many I … [Read more…]