Delicious Diary Dates!

I love the randomness of picking up new vegetables to try at the supermarket, if they're on a special offer, and when I get the shopping home, trying to incorporate them into something that's going to lead to an empty plate and not a full dog!

 However, my children, who are seven and nine, are typically average kids at trying new things when it comes to eating their dinner. This is why we are trying a new activity at meal times - whenever there is a country's national day marked on the calendar, we are trying that cuisine... Best of all Jasmine and Sam help me with researching what we should cook, then help with preparing and cooking it if it's on a weekend.

So far we have tried Chinese (Chinese New Year) - sweet and sour veggies with brown rice, American (President's Day) - we made meat and also lentil burgers with potato wedges - and Wales (St David's Day) - leek and potato soup with freshly baked bread rolls.

Coming up, we have St Patrick's Day which is of course Irish food and then Anzac Day which is Australian and New Zealand recipes - sometimes the imagination has to stretch a little with what can be cooked on a rainy day far from the warmth of Sydney!

The kids have really taken to the idea and look up the countries on the globe we have in the lounge - it can also lead into many other activities such as themed reading, finding out about the day to day life of children in those countries, or activities online such as www.activityvillage.co.uk/educational.

If the recipe that day is not a hit, there will soon be another special day on the calendar - it can be developed even further into celebrating Royal Day (Queen Elizabeth's birthday) with Queen of Puddings or International Women's Day (baking gingerbread women!).

The only limit is your imagination!

Written by Andrea.