I want to eat more fish but I find it a bit dull and unsure what to do with it! This recipe is simple yet makes the fish more appealing to eat and has a lovely smokey flavour. Scroll to the bottom on how to serve this dish to your kids before you rule it out!

Prep time: approx. 10 mins - Cooking time: approx. 15 mins
Serves: 2 adults, 2 kids

Serving suggestion:
- Without expectation
- Without bribery (as child more likely to back away even further)
- Think long-term, not just on one meal
- 'You provide, they decide’ (Division Of Responsibility)

Ingredients:
3 Cod fillets (cut 1 in half so one portion can feed two children),
4-5 slices streaky bacon,
1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (optional)
Olive oil
1 lemon
salt and pepper, 1 lemon

Serve with chips, mashed or jacket potato or whatever carbs you fancy! Also with a mixed selection of veggies.

Teatime suggestion:

METHOD:
1. Put your oven on to its highest temperature. Finely chop the rosemary and add to some olive oil on a plate.
2. Roll the fillets in the oil and rosemary and season.
3. Take 1 piece of streaky bacon (flatten out with the side of your knife to make it thinner if needed) and wrap around the fish. Add more bacon if wished.
4. Place on an oven tray (I usually put grease proof paper under the fish to stop it sticking) and cook for about 12 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the fish cooked through.
5. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the fish.

How to serve this meal to your child

Beginner: ‘My child refuses any new meals’

I normally recommend serving any new food as leftovers the next day or as a starter to your child, but fish is never great reheated, so to begin with, serve alongside a fish finger or something else easy to shove into the oven at the same time. Don’t expect your child to eat it straightaway, these early stages are all about the exposure to new food and if you can offer it in a zero pressure setting, then even better. It’s about creating easy opportunities to widen your child’s food list. If the rosemary is a step too far, simply roll the cod in olive oil and add the bacon. Get your child involved in the cooking process if possible, even cutting up the herbs with scissors or helping wrap the bacon around the cod, it’s about building up slowly. Offering pleasant distractions such as squeezing lemon over the fish may get them interacting with the new meal slightly.

Intermediate eater: ‘My child may try this new dish but I’m not sure’

Choose a day when you can eat together so at least they can see you eating this new meal. Offer other components your child usually eats so there is no pressure. Add chips, a jacket potato or mash depending on your child’s preferences. It doesn’t matter if your child doesn’t touch the new meal, it is all about your child getting used to seeing new food and taking it in and also seeing you eat it to give them confidence for future meals.

Advanced eater: ‘My child eats most things I give them and is not phased by new food’

Serve new meal and if they unexpectedly do refuse it, the best advice is not to panic and don’t feel bad. It’s just one meal. Say non-confrontational words such as ‘you don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to’ and and see if they can try a bit in their own time. If they don’t, it is best to move onto the next mealtime and write it off and try another time!