I’ve never made fishcakes before and these were seriously delicious! The Mary Berry recipe is below plus tips on how to serve this dish for all the family, even the pickiest of eaters!

GET AHEAD: Cook fish and make fishcakes the night before to just fry on the day. About 15-20 mins work and worth it.

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)

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 not 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. Offering fun 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 and a fish finger or two. 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!