Palates, Like Children, Grow!

Palates, Like Children, Grow!

So you’ve lovingly slaved over that lasagne and your little one gobbles it up with a grin. You serve it up again the following week and it’s turned down with a look of disgust. What is going on? It’s quite simple – at this age, your child doesn’t know what they like and don’t like.  

Taste Preferences in Young Children are Unstable

Research recently conducted with a group of under 5’s offered them 5 flavours of ice cream and asked them to rate the flavours. The next day they repeated the task and each day they rated the flavours differently. 

Don’t believe them when they say “they don’t like it”.

The same research conducted with a group of over 5’s showed a more stable palate in terms of their likes and dislikes and they rated the flavours the same both days.

Other research was conducted on parents this time to see if they could spot which foods their children would and wouldn’t try. They were wrong! Despite spending mealtimes with their children and hearing repeated refusals or requests for food, most parents were wrong when it came to spotting which foods their little ones would try. Children who had refused broccoli were happy to try it, proving that children are fickle when it comes to claiming their likes and dislikes. If they won’t try it or don’t like it today, it doesn’t mean they won’t like it or try it tomorrow.

Many parents are wrong when they think they know which foods their kids will try!

I Like v I’m Willing To Eat 

There’s a difference between what your child “likes” and what they’re willing to eat. Your child may like sausages and fish fingers but that doesn’t mean they’re not willing to eat mackerel or broccoli. There is no diet or eating regime for a fussy eater. If you continue to feed a narrow palate you will reinforce a narrow palate. A flower needs to be regularly turned to the sunlight else it grows bent and crooked in one direction - the same applies to the palate. It needs to stimulated and encouraged to grow in many directions else it will be stunted along a single path.

If you continue to feed a narrow palate you will reinforce a narrow palate.

Get Used To Rejection

You’ve cooked up a fabulous meal and your little one has refused it. Get over it! Take rejection in your stride and don’t make a big deal out of it – you could find yourself entering a battle of wills and at the end of the day short of prising your child’s mouth open and forcing the food in (not what we’d recommend) you can’t force them to eat it.

Don’t Offer An Alternative

Now this is the hard one since many parents hate the thought of their child going hungry and serve up maybe just a bowl of yogurt or something just to make sure they don’t go hungry. Don’t do it! You are in a great position here to teach action-consequence and by recognising not “trying” the food on offer will mean no food until the next mealtime is a common and often necessary situation to find yourself in. Yes they will get hungry but that is a developmental leap – recognising that “not eating = hungry”.

Play Fair

Now with all this in mind, don’t go serving up tripe and then saying “that’s all there is”. Your child is entitled to make choices so ensure there are multiple foods available on the plate, such as risotto, broccoli and green beans so your child can retain control over choosing to eat one thing or not the other. It’s a bit like “everyone’s a winner”. You’re happy because the green beans have been eaten and your child’s happy because she’s only eaten the green beans and left everything else. Sound petty? Yes – but we’re dealing with children whose brains are still developing so pettiness is going to be around for a long time yet.

Make at least 3 different foods available on each plate of food.

It can be good to talk to your child before serving the meal about what to have. We are big fans of A-B choices in all aspects of parenting so your child gets used to choosing from 2 things. Asking before dinner “would you like peas or sweetcorn” means you’re ensuring they’re getting veggies and your child chooses “peas” means they have had some say in the food on offer. Because they have chosen it they are far more likely to try it. Repeat this A-B throughout all aspects of your life. “Would you like to walk or take the buggy?”; “Shall we go on the slide or the swing first?”; Shall we read book A or book B?”. Your child will get used to making these decisions so when mealtime comes along it will be natural to choose from a choice of food.

Offer A-B choices in all aspects of parenting.

Always make sure there is something on the plate your child can choose to eat – don’t go serving up a plateful of new foods or foods you know they won’t like. If they will eat peas then maybe pop a small serving on the plate so they can choose that if they like.

At the end of the day, feeding the “right” foods to a fussy eater is never going to work since fussy eating isn’t about the food. Once you get to the root of the real problem and deal with it in the right way – whether that be control, attention, neophobia or other area then the fussy eating will sort itself out.

If you’re interested in some of the research which we’ve cited in this article, here are the references:

Busick, D. B., J. Brooks, S. Pernecky, R. Dawson, and J. Petzoldt. 2008. “Parent Food Purchases as a Measure of Exposure and Preschool-Aged Children's Willingness to Identify and Taste Fruit and Vegetables.” Appetite 51: 468-73.

Coulthard, H. and J. Blissett. 2009. “Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Children and Their Mothers. Moderating Effects of Child Sensory Sensitivity.” Appetite 52: 410-15.

Dovey, T. M., P. A. Staples, G. E. Leigh, and J. C. G. Halford. 2008. “Food Neophobia and 'Picky/Fussy' Eating in Children: a Review.” Appetite 50: 181-93.

Liem, D. G., L. Zandstra, and A. Thomas. 2010. “Prediction of Children's Flavour Preferences. Effect of Age and Stability in Reported Preferences.” Appetite 55: 69-75.

Photograph courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.

 

Antibiotics & Acidophilus

Antibiotics and Acidophilus

 A paper recently published demonstrated a potential link between a baby under 6 months having antibiotics and weight gain later in life (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19341639). Much more research needs to be done in this area to see whether there is a true cause and effect but looking at the impact antibiotics has on the digestive system may highlight some reasons why this may be the case.

Natural Delivery v C-Section

When your baby is growing inside you, their GI tract is sterile with no bacteria living inside it. However, during a vaginal birth there will probably be a transference of bacteria from your digestive system to your little one, starting the process of populating your baby’s gut with the good bacteria. It is less likely for a c-section baby to be exposed to the same bacteria as a vaginal delivery and is instead more likely to get first bacteria from external sources such as nursing staff.

It takes approximately one month for the good bacteria to proliferate and populate the GIT of a natural delivery yet up to 6 months for a caesarean section.

Yeast and Bacteria Living Together in Harmony

In your baby’s bowel, yeast and good bacteria (floura) live happily alongside each other, working away on breaking down foods, regulating water content, teaching the immune system to respond to the baddies and other amazing jobs which keep your baby’s stools moving. The yeast however is a bit of a rogue, wanting to replicate and produce as much yeast as possible but the friendly bacteria keep it in-check.

As you kiss, cuddles and touch your baby, more bacteria are transferred increasing the numbers.

Friendly Fire

If a bacterial infection invades, your baby they may need antibiotics. Antibiotics act a bit like a tsunami – they come in and take out all the bacteria, both good and bad. If the good bacteria are wiped out, it gives the yeast a chance to take over and lead to things like thrush, yeast nappy rash, vaginal yeast infection, diarrhoea or yeast infection of the breast.

Replenishing Friendly Bacteria

Acidophilus is a great way of replenishing your friendly bacteria. Taking Acidopholus for a week after finishing antibiotics may be beneficial. Look for a brand that is specific for the age of your little one and try making a paste using water or breastmilk and rub this once a day in your baby’s mouth. If formula feeding, put the recommended quantity of the powder in the formula once a day.

Always consult with your doctor or health visitor before giving your child any supplements and follow the instructions on any products you give your child. 

YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS SERVICE IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE, AND YOU WILL NOT USE IT AS, A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR DOCTOR OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER PRIOR TO STARTING ANY NEW TREATMENT OR WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING A MEDICAL CONDITION. NOTHING CONTAINED IN THE SERVICE IS INTENDED TO BE OR WILL BE USED BY YOU FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY IN SEEKING TREATMENT BASED ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE SERVICE.

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.

Snacking on Demand

Snacking on Demand

There are no hard and fast rules for how many snacks a day you should be offering but some families find it useful to have an eating structure of 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. Snacks are ideal for your little one, to keep them going. When you watch them bounding around with relentless enthusiasm and energy, a snack aimed at regulating their blood sugars and sustaining them to mealtimes might be just what they need. 

Feeding-on-demand is an encouraged and common feeding approach for babies and continues to apply to toddlers but in a slightly different context. As a baby, you would have probably allowed your little one to have eaten as much as she wanted as often as she needed. Once the toddler years appear, a little more structure is needed whilst also allowing your child to retain some control – they are after all the one who is “feeling” hungry.

You choose how many snacks and the foods on offer and your child chooses when to eat the snack

This way you are creating an eating structure that allows you to ensure your little one has control over their hunger/satiety whilst ensuring they aren't grazing throughout the day and spoiling their meals. Having this structure has other benefits in that you won't find yourself falling in to the trap of using food as an emotional comforter - "if you stop crying you can have this". It encourages your little one to learn about action/consequence - if they happen to gobble both snacks in one go then they will be hungry later, but this is all part of learning to make healthy choices around food and remember that learning what hunger feels like is a developmental leap.

Cereal bars becoming an increasingly common snack offering for children as well as for adults. Recent research by consumer group Which? Found of 30 cereal bars tested, only 1 was not high in sugar. Why not try making your own cereal bars? Our recipe below keeps well in a food storage container in the fridge for up to 5 days and your little one can help get their hands sticky in the mixture.

 

Fruity Flapjack

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

80g unsalted butter

1 tbsp honey

100g jumbo oats

100g dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, apricots, dates, figs)

50g mixed nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, cashews)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (160 fan) Gas 4
2. Melt the butter and honey in the microwave or in a saucepan on a low heat
3. Bash the mixed nuts in a bag with a rolling pin to break them up or pop them in a food mixer until blitzed in to tiny pieces to reduce the risk of choking
4. Either chop the mixed fruit or pop in the food mixer too
5. Mix all the ingredients together
6. Line and grease a baking tin and tip the mixture in, squidging it down
7. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 20 minutes
8. Makes around 10 – 12 snack bars and store well in the fridge for several days

 

Note: Nuts are a great source of protein but are a common allergen. Ensure the pieces are small enough to not pose a choking hazard

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.

Food Throwing

Food Throwing

When your child throws food on the floor, the most natural response from any parent is to say something along the lines of “don’t throw food on the floor”.

At a young age, children are unable to process a negative command and even when they are a little older they are often inconsistent. So what they hear from you are the key words of “throw food on the floor” omitting the key “don’t” from their processing.

Tip: Some parents find that using a positive statement such as “food stays on the plate” or something to that nature can help

If your child continues to throw food then this is a great opportunity for learning – it is not yet another frustratingly disappointing meal you might have previously thought. Here’s an idea of how to approach this

1. Remind your child that food stays on the plate. Do not pick it up from the floor – this opens up a whole new game of “I drop it, parent picks it up”.

2. If they do it again, remind your child again that food stays on the table and a warning that if they drop food again you presume it’s a sign that they’re finished.

3. If they do it again, without anger, simply remove the food and state that you take it they have finished.

4. For the next step, two options now apply and it really depends on the age of the child. If they are young, remove them from the highchair and offer them toys they can drop/throw in a play area acceptable to you. For older children, the alternative is that they should stay at the table until everybody has finished eating and so with their food removed they are to sit there – this is a parenting decision and up to you.

Your child is learning some very important lesson: He’s learning to find ways to cope with the feelings of disappointment and also learning that an acceptable way to get what he wants is through food staying on the table. 

If your child is crying, upset or distressed at having to stay at the table or being made to leave to play with toys whilst you eat, this is not a time for time-out or other punishment. He needs reassurance from you and help in processing these feelings of disappointment of not getting his own way and you talking to him again about the incident and where it went wrong will help cement it in his memory. 

It is also possible that your little one is showing signs of being in the Trajectory Schema.

Read more about Schemas and in particular throwing food in the Trajectory Schema.

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.

Learning To Use Cutlery

 Learning To Use Cutlery

 Did you know that rushing your child in to using cutlery can actually hold them back developmentally?

Big to Small and Close to Far

The principles of child motor development are “big to small” and “close to far”. This means children will develop the bigger, chunkier muscles of the trunk and arms before the smaller muscles of the hands. The muscles closer to the trunk (shoulders), will develop before the muscles further away (hands). When a child is encouraged to use a “proper” grasp of cutlery before the shoulder and arm muscles are ready to support it, fine motor problems may emerge, such as holding the cutlery in peculiar ways, avoidance using cutlery or even tantrums and refusal to sit down to eat. So don’t be in a rush to make your little one hold their cutlery properly, let them learn naturally and probably around the age of 4 years they will have naturally suppressed reflexes and learned new skills to be holding their spoon or fork in a more “adult” way.

Running before you can walk

Like when learning to walk, children go through sequential phases of sitting – crawling – standing – walking. The same applies with the development of the hand. Control of the hand goes through different developmental stages:

Stage 1: Initially, you may find your little one holding their cutlery in a fist (grasp) with their elbow high up in the air. This is the remnants of the grasp reflex – you might remember how you would offer your newborn your finger and they would respond by clenching their fist tightly around it

Stage 2: Before your child can move on any further, the grasp reflex needs to be fully inhibited, which means they should be able to let go of an object quickly, easily and voluntarily. Building blocks of towers is a great way of doing this since your little one needs to precisely release an object to stack it. Don’t be surprised if during this time lots of food is being dropped from the highchair – this is your child developing.

Stage 3: Later, they will start to straighten their index finger to gain control over the cutlery - this is a key transition stage and is a sign that your child is developing independent finger control. No longer are the fingers treated as a single entity but are 10 individual digits in their own right. Your little one by this time will have probably had over the last couple of years hundreds of different foods on their hands. They will have separated spaghetti strands and licked slimy sauces off their fingers. These different textures and sensations on the hands and fingers help disassociate them from each other allowing your child to recognise they are each individual and so through self-feeding and BLW you should be well on your way.

Stage 4: At around 3 or 4 years of age, a “brush” grasp might be used so the cutlery is held in the fingers rather than in the fist and the elbow is still probably up high. You will probably see this same grip being used when they are painting.

Stage 5: As your little one spends time watching people eat with cutlery, they learn that bringing the elbow down and resting the forearm on the table gives better control - another good reason to eat together. With so many of us eating with just a fork nowadays, children don’t know what to do with a knife when they get to school (and don’t get me started on those knorks (combined knife and fork) – ludicrous!). Using a knife is a life skill and is another step towards your child’s independence and so age-appropriate, supervised use of a knife when eating is a key part of learning.

Stage 6: Up to now, the cutlery control has come all from the shoulder and wrist (big muscles and those closest to the body) but providing finger control has been allowed to develop (hopefully by you allowing your child to self-feed from weaning stage, through picking up their different shaped/ weighted food with their hands) your little one will now have the fine muscle control in their fingers and hands to manipulate the cutlery using the hand and finger muscles. In most children this won’t be until they are 4 ½ years old but every child is different.

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.

Perfect Preparation For Pencils

BLW - Perfect Preparation For Pencils

Baby-led weaning (BLW) involves allowing your child to use their hands to eat their food and you may find people criticising you for making such a mess – after all, the puree spoon-fed babies are eating off spoons which is the goal, right? In fact, you are giving your child so many opportunities to developmentally work on their motor control to encourage them to use cutlery properly which will set them up for pencil control. 

Food is an extension of toys. Your child sees a toy, is interested and puts it in their mouth and the same process occurs when eating. Toys are used as an education and development tool and food and mealtimes are no different.

The hand development to use cutlery is the same as gaining control of the arm and hand in order to write so gaining good hand control will set your child setup for good pen control. Here’s how:

Inhibition of the grasp reflex. Your child is using their hands each time they eat and in order to get the food to mouth, they need to let go of it, which is the beginning of grasp reflex suppression. Remember how your little one would grab on to your hair and not let go? Those days are being left behind as your little one learns to let go of things voluntarily. Be prepared for phases of dropping food from the highchair as they go through this – it is a developmental phase and not (always) naughty behaviour.

Fisted grasp refinement. First weaning foods are often big sticks of roasted veggies or broccoli spears. Serving up a selection of foods of different weights, textures, which need different degrees of muscle recruitment to pick them up, help improve the control over the muscles of the arm. Learning how tight to hold the fist so the sweet potato chunk doesn’t squidge everywhere, or how much shoulder muscle recruitment is needed to hold the empty cup versus the heavy one are all essential lessons. Even now, you may find yourself picking something up expecting it to be heavier than it is and flinging it high in the air – but you will learn and probably not do it again.

Multi-Grasp-Release. Initially, your baby will grasp with one hand and the other will automatically do the same. This will over time change and they will, given the opportunity, grasp an object with one hand whilst picking up another with the other hand. Offer you child a choice of foods on a plate and they will pick up one thing they like with one hand and be putting it in their mouth whilst they reach for another with the other hand. We see this commonly with children who maybe love strawberries and so have several slices on a plate and are reaching for the next whilst the other is being popped in – gobbling it down. Only once this skill is mastered, can your child move on to the next stage of refining finger movement.

Suppression of the Babkin response. Initially, as your newborn suckles, their fists will clench (Babkin response) and this is because in the early days the hands and mouth are your baby’s main ways of expressing themselves. This neurological link needs to be suppressed else you may find your child sticking their tongue out when they write (hands and mouth still linked) and other developmental skills won’t be able to come forward. We sometimes see speech development delays since the mouth can’t be controlled independently of the hands. Your child will need to use their hands and mouth independently through self-feeding in order to pick up other foods as they eat, helping this response to be suppressed.

Development of the Pincer grip. Picking foods up of different shapes and sizes will encourage hand dexterity and development of different grasps. Picking up peas, sweetcorn and blueberries will probably initially be done as a side-sweep but over time the pincer grip will come through – a massive developmental leap for the fingers and so the muscles of the fingers now being put in a different position will start to strengthen - perfect preparation for pencils.

Copying. With everyone eating the same foods and enjoying mealtimes together, your child will learn that using cutlery is how you eat and to try different positions to get the arm in to. This strengthening of the hand and arm and early manipulation of the fingers are all warming-up the motor control of the hand ready for writing.

Hand dominance. From around the age of 2 your little one will develop a dominant hand. Some parents mistakenly think that being ambidextrous is the goal but in fact it is much better for your child to develop strength and dexterity in one hand so it flourishes in fine motor skills and the other one to work on being a supporting hand. Think about it – it is far better to have two specialised hands that do their jobs well rather than a pair of mediocre hands trying to be everything to everyone. Allowing your baby to self-feed gives them a head start, since self-feeding develops their sense of bilateral co-ordination.  For example, holding the pod steady whilst he picks out the peas, holding the plate whilst he helps himself to another serving, holding the orange whilst he peels the skin, are all ways your little one is starting to rehearse their sided dominance and their hands are rehearsing their jobs already.

Hand control and spatial awareness are intrinsically linked and so being able to grasp objects in the hands coming from different directions will help with the hand development. Having foods on a plate or spread across a highchair table improves spatial awareness since they will need to reach for the food, pick it up and put it in the mouth. That’s a lot of things going on and your 6 month old is rehearsing it through self-feeding.

Hand awareness is another key part of development of the hand, so allowing your child to explore different shapes, textures and objects with their hands will encourage this. Children often have lots of toys but repeatedly use the same 6 or 7. This is not enough and so self-feeding with hands from the moment a child is weaned is ideal since each time a child eats, a variety of foods are made available – all with different colour, texture, size, shape.

As an aside, making new foods available to your child will encourage speech since they will be interesting and encourage them to try it (improving willingness to accept new foods) as well as improving speech since he will be encourage to describe it or name it in order to request it

So, you can see that allowing your child to feed themselves a variety of foods of different shapes and textures from the moment they are weaned can help develop their hand control enabling them to grasp the basic skills, suppress the relevant reflexes to enable them to manipulate cutlery and pens.

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.

Photographs courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Cutlery Confusion

Cutlery Confusion

Did you know that rushing your child in to using cutlery can actually hold them back developmentally?

Big to Small and Close to Far

The principles of child motor development are “big to small” and “close to far”. This means the bigger, chunkier muscles of the trunk and arms will develop before the smaller muscles of the hands and the muscles closer to the trunk (shoulders), will develop before the muscles further away (hands). 

When a child is encouraged to use a “proper” grasp of cutlery before the shoulder and arm muscles are ready to support it, fine motor problems may emerge, such as holding the cutlery in peculiar ways, avoidance using cutlery or even tantrums and refusal to sit down to eat. So don’t be in a rush to make your little one hold their cutlery properly, let them learn naturally and probably around the age of 4 years they will have naturally suppressed reflexes and learned new skills to be holding their spoon or fork in a more “adult” way.

Make cutlery available to your little one from the moment they start to wean, such as rubber-tipped spoons. They can become familiar with handling it and since you are using cutlery to eat your food, they have the opportunity to mimic you. Opt for cutlery with big, thick, chunky handles since the primitive fist grip will be around for a while and the chunky design will make it easier for them to hold in a fist grip

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.

Burgers and Bears in Boxes

Burgers & Bears in Boxes

The National Association of Sport and Physical Education advise that toddlers enjoy physical activity for around 1 ½ hours each day.  As the summer holidays and olympic games are in full swing there's no better time than now to get your kids outside doing something fun.

How about inviting some friends over and having a “bear in a box” race?

Get your little one to choose their racing teddy then get a small cardboard box that accommodates the teddy.  Line the inside of the box with colourful tissue paper (or kitchen roll) for the teddy to sit on.  Then decorate the outside of the box using glitter, paint, stickers, crayons or whatever else takes your fancy.

Get an adult to pierce a hole in the front of the box near the top edge then thread a piece of string through it and tie a knot ensuring the string doesn't come back through.  Thereby creating a string handle for the box to be pulled along by.

Get the children to place their teddies in their boxes and line up in a row.  After a “ready steady go!” get the kiddies to race, pulling their teddies along in their boxes.  Great fun!

With all that creativity and running around appetites are sure to grow so why not treat them to a healthy, salt free version of burgers n chips.  These are guaranteed to be enjoyed by all the family – and weaning babies!!

Burgers & Chips

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time 40 minutes

Makes 6-8 burgers

1 chilli, (deseeded and chopped finely)

2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1 small leek (chopped finely)

500g turkey mince

20g of grated parmesan (optional)

Black pepper

Pinch of mixed herbs

2 slices of bread made into breadcrumbs

1 egg (beaten)

4 baking potatoes

Olive oil

TO SERVE: Place the cooked burgers into buns with sliced tomato and lettuce or maybe a slice of cheese

1.      Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan) , Gas mark 7, and place a roasting tin in the oven with several glugs of olive oil

2.      Cut your potatoes into wedges then rinse under cold water

3.      Place into a pan of boiling water and boil for 5-7 minutes

4.      Drain and shake the wedges about a bit in the pan to fluff them up

5.      Pat dry with kitchen towel then place into the roasting tin and cover with the oil

6.      Place in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, turning the wedges once half way through

7.      Meanwhile fry the leek, garlic and chilli on a low heat until the leek is soft.  Take off the heat and leave to cool

8.      Place the turkey mince, parmesan, pepper, mixed herbs and breadcrumbs into a bowl

9.      Once cooled place the cooked leek, garlic and chilli in the bowl with the mince and other ingredients

10.  With your hands mix the ingredients together

11.  Then add the beaten egg and continue to mix the ingredients together by hand.

12.  Take a small handful of mixture and make it into a pattie.

13.  When you have your patties heat some oil in a frying  pan over a medium heat.  Cook the patties until golden brown and cooked through, turning frequently

Photograph courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

We like to set our little ones a good example and encourage sharing. We don't mind you using any of the information, recipes and tips from our website, all we ask is that you credit us hard-working mummies here at Yummy Discoveries. 

Thank you x

©Yummy Discoveries Ltd.