Top tips to inspire tots, teens and in-betweens. Our friends at Gousto offer their advice on how to get your kids in the kitchen.

You could get more than a good meal!

 

1. Start simple.

Try quick wins, like Gousto’s foolproof recipes with 8 clear steps and helpful photos. Even little ones can pitch in, by stirring a sauce, adding some herbs or just sneaking veggies off the cutting board.

Bonus: When children handle and cook food, they’re more likely to try new flavours and textures.

2. Focus on the wonder.

Why does a cake rise?
Why do carrots and potatoes get soft after cooking, while eggs become firmer?

Bonus: Cooking is chemistry, after all, and could inspire a real interest in science!

3. Make time for ‘quality time’.

On busy nights, you’ll feel too stressed to be patient with your budding chef, so choose a day when you have more time.

Bonus: When working on a task together, kids often relax and open up for good chats and even teenagers need more support than they let on.

4. Breathe, relax and prepare for the inevitable mess.

Let them know ahead of time that if something goes wrong, it’s not a disaster.

Bonus: Today’s kids can be perfectionists, but cooking lets them get stuck in, and get a bit mucky.

5. Empower them.

Young children can “help Mummy/Daddy so much” by reading the recipe card or prepping some veg while you can get on with another task.

Bonus: Cooking refines their co-ordination and fine motor skills when mixing, whisking, weighing or chopping.

6. Let them choose.

When kids click a recipe on the Gousto app or website, they’re already more involved and more motivated to cook.

Bonus: When they choose the menu, they’re much more likely to clean their plates!

7. Lashings of praise.

Give positive reinforcement, whether they have tackled an easy recipe or a restaurant-worthy dish.

Bonus: It’s lovely to watch your kids gain confidence in the kitchen.

 

Exclusive SN members offer:  Gousto are  giving 50% OFF your first two boxes! Visit our Offers page here