This recipe doesn’t require too many ingredients and it’s very simple but tastes so fresh and delicious! If this dish is a step too far for your child, see below on some tips on how to get them used to this kind of meal by deconstructing the food a bit more. Serve with familiar sides such as garlic bread and some plain pasta on the side.

Lunch suggestion: Leftover chicken (from Monday) with tortilla wraps

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)

Serves approx. 4 adults

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic (optional)
½ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
1 handful green beans/whatever veg you have
1 handful cherry tomatoes
1/2 lemon
Small handful chopped fresh parsley
Dried or fresh spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
Packet raw fresh prawns, peeled and deveined (or frozen ones)
1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree
1/2 bag of wild rocket

METHOD:

1. Peel and finely chop the garlic or use a garlic crusher. Finely grate the zest of the lemon and put aside
2. Halve the cherry tomatoes and trim the green beans and put aside
3. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil
4. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions
5. When your pasta has about 5 minutes to go, add the oil to a frying pan on a medium heat and add the garlic and chilli. As soon as the garlic starts to turn golden, add the tomatoes and beans and stir for a few minutes, then add the prawns and stir for another minute or so
6. Scoop out a small cupful of the pasta water and add it to the prawns with the tomato puree and parsley and stir and simmer for a couple of minutes
7. When the pasta is ready, scoop out another cupful of the cooking water then drain in a colander. Tip the spaghetti into the pan of sauce, squeeze in the juice of the lemon then tear in the rocket and toss well
8. If the sauce is a bit thick, add a splash of the reserved cooking water to loosen it
9. Have a taste and season with salt and pepper then divide between your plates and sprinkle lemon zest and more rocket over dish

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 spaghetti prawns 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 over a long period of time.

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, dough balls or something else that could go with the prawns) so there is no pressure. Don’t tip all the spaghetti into the sauce and keep some plain. 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 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!