I have two smalls. Felix is 8 and Winter is 6. If you’re familiar with my writings or follow me on social media you’ll have seen that they eat pretty damn well. My wife and I put a huge amount of time and effort into feeding them to the best of our ability, and they’re routinely exposed to, if not taking part in, my incessant culinary expeditions and Food Revolution campaigning.  

Felix was in fact the motivation for this very blog; Emma and I strived to give him the very best start in life through ideal nutrition and a focus on real food from the outset. 

BUT, here’s the thing folks – even in our ‘perfect’ little gastronomic household, we still hear Winter saying things like “I’m allergic to pasta” on random occasions or “water is disgusting” and Felix, well …. tomatoes are the devil (although ketchup and anything derived from tomatoes is just fine..). 

Yep, that’s right: It’s not all as rosy as anyone’s Instagram feed appears – sure there’s negatives and difficult times, but who wants to see that right?  

I’m pretty confident that every child follows a similar path, and that every parent certainly struggles at some point with the battle between what we know to be right and the best thing for our children, and simply giving in to an easier life, if only for one peaceful meal.

Here’s my advice:

This will happen. Persevere.  Involve them in selecting, buying and preparing food, go with the ebb and flow, and don’t be hard on yourself. Persist with variety in their diet, and your own – they’re clever little beings and pick up on all of the social cues, reactions and traits, regardless of how tiny or insignificant they may seem to us. Obviously seek professional help via your GP in extreme cases, but don’t give yourself a hard time.  Ask questions of other parents – we’re all in the same boat. If you’re even thinking about these things, then you’re already doing great. 

Godspeed.