I hadn’t ever made risotto till my twins were born and this recipe by Nikki Duffy River Cottage Baby & Toddler Book makes it so easy. It is delicious and I feel so grown-up making it! Buy some fresh peas and get the kids podding them if you can. Along with adding the peas towards the end of the recipe, I add other veg too such as cubed courgettes and green beans. If you are still at the phase where your child still isn’t eating proper ‘meals’ and this dish is a step too far, see tips below at the bottom.
I’ll be serving this with herb roasted salmon (recipe below) from Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook p126 and maybe a few fish fingers thrown in for good measure too!

GET AHEAD: Prepare herb crust for salmon and chop veggies for risotto the night before or straight after breakfast on the day
TEATIME SUGGESTION: Tortilla wraps

Serving suggestion:
- A large dollop of long-term thinking (don’t focus on just one meal)
- A cup of cheerful conversation (no bribery, just connection)
- A pinch of salt (how you should take all food rejection!)
- Lashings of laissez-faire (the less you micro manage, the better)

Serves 4 adults

Ingredients:
50g unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
About 1 litre chicken stick or vegetable sotck
250g risotto rice
250g fresh podded peas (about 650g unpadded weight) or frozen peas, defrosted)
Freshly grated Parmesan, or other mature hard cheese
Fresh ground black pepper and sea salt

METHOD:
1. Heat about half the butter in a fairly large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and sweat it gently for 5-10 minutes until soft. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a low simmer in a small pan and keep it over a very low heat.

2. Add the rice to the onion and stir for a minute or two, so that each grain os coated in butter. Now start adding the hot stock, a ladleful at a time. Stir frequently and add a fresh ladleful of hot stock once the previous one has been absorbed by the rice.

3. After about 15 minutes (a bit sooner if you’re using large, fresh peas), add the peas so they cook with the rice in the hot stock. After another 5 minutes, you should have added most (or all) of the stock and the rice should be cooked and tender. The consistency of the risotto should be like a very thick, ricey soup.

4. Turn off the heat, and dot the remaining butter over the top along with a good grating of Parmesan. Cover the pan for a minute or two so the butter melts, then stir the butter and cheese into the rice. Season if you like and serve straight away, with more Parmesan.

How to serve this meal to your child

Beginner: ‘My child refuses any new meals’

Cook for yourself one evening and reheat some of the risotto and serve alongside your child’s usual meal the next day.. Or you could offer it as a small starter whilst they are waiting for their meal. The great thing about this approach is that you are not cooking specifically for your child, you are giving them leftovers from a meal that you would have cooked anyway, so straightaway there is LESS expectation and pressure. It’s about creating easy opportunities to widen your child’s food list.

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

Choose a day when you can eat together. Offer other components to the meal your child usually eats (such as bread or something else that could go with the risotto) so there is no pressure. Leave out the herb crust on their salmon fillet to start with. It doesn’t matter if your child doesn’t every component to 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 so it is never a waste of time offering them something new.

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

Serve the 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 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!