Annabel Karmel

Annabel Karmel

Butlins have teamed up with Annabel Karmel MBE, the UK’s leading author and expert on children’s food, to help mums encourage their kids to eat a more balanced diet.

Annabel has come up with recipes which help families enjoy healthy eating and make it easier for children to achieve their ‘5 a day.’ These will be available at the restaurants on the three Butlins seaside Resorts, Minehead, Bognor Regis and Skegness, from February half term and she will be giving live cookery sessions throughout the year.

Annabel Karmel said “I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of creating a range of healthy freshly prepared meals for children at Butlins that taste so delicious the children will prefer them to junk food. It can be really difficult getting fussy eaters to eat vegetables so on the menus will be dishes like my hidden vegetable pasta and freshly prepared pizza with a veggie topping.

My aim is to broaden the range of food that children enjoy as well so there will also be dishes such as Pad Thai Noodles, Paella and Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli. Instilling a love of healthy food at an early age is so important for children’s future wellbeing”

The new children’s meals complement Butlins’ existing healthy eating campaign ‘Eat Well, Feel Good.’ The campaign, aimed at 5 to 11 year olds encourages them to eat five pieces of fruit or vegetables per day during their holiday rewarding them with a special Butlins badge at the end of their stay. So far almost 300,000 children have been awarded badges.

Gary Johnson, Head of Food and Beverage at Butlins added “A little bit of what you fancy is OK when you’re on holiday but we think it’s important that people have a healthy choice. Annabel’s dishes are both healthy and fun”

Dishes such as hidden vegetable lasagne, mild fruity chicken curry, sweet and sour meatballs and rice, baked macaroni cheese with ham and Chinese style rice with chicken and sweetcorn will be available in the Resort buffet restaurants. Annabel’s meals will also be available in the Shoreline Hotel Bistro at Bognor Regis and the Sun and Moon pub at all three Resorts.

Annabel’s books on cooking with children as well as cookery for kids will also be sold at the Resorts.