New parents have admitted being so confused about what to feed their little ones they no longer trust traditional sources of information, including advice from their own mums.
Parenting on Female First
Research, commissioned by organic baby food brand Plum, reveals that maternal instinct still has a huge role to play, with nearly a third of mums admitting that they ignored weaning guidelines because “they just knew” that it was the right time to begin the weaning process.
Plum spokesman Nigel White said: “It wasn’t when to start weaning that was bothering mums the most, but which foods were most suitable.
"51 per cent of mums told us they were most concerned about introducing the wrong types of food when making the change from a milk only diet.
" It’s a daunting time for mums and at Plum we’re looking to make this stage in a baby’s life that little bit easier,” he added.
To take the worry out of weaning, Plum is launching its first ever cookery school which opens its doors in May where mums can take advantage of recipe development sessions and informal chats with child nutrition experts.
Meanwhile, their babies will get to taste-test a range of new recipes designed especially for younger palettes.
The attendees will also be the stars of Plum’s all new weaning videos as a guide to help parents across the country with their weaning worries as well as receiving help and advice from a star-studded kitchen.
Celebrity chef, Rachel Allen is working with Plum as part of the Cookery School. She’ll be on hand to give her recipe suggestions, answer any cooking-related questions and tell her own anecdotes about weaning her children.
Together with Rachel, gathered foodies will even work together to help to create the next range of Plum recipes.
Hosting the Plum Cookery School will be child nutrition expert, Beverley Glock. Beverley is the author of successful book 500 Baby and Toddler Foods and has 11 years’ experience of cooking with mums and babies.
For a taste of what to expect from Plum, try the exclusive Rachel Allen recipe below.
Rachel Allen’s Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad
Rachel says: “This salad is a perfect dish for the whole family. It uses quinoa which is a wonderful ingredient that is full of nutrition, good for both babies and adults alike.
“It’s high in protein as well as carbohydrate and fibre making it such a good all round food. I love the bright sharpness from the lemon zest and juice and your baby will love the sweetness from the sultanas and pomegranate seeds.”
Note: When you’re serving this salad to adults make sure to season it with salt and pepper.
Serves 6
250g (1/2 pint/ 10floz) quinoa
600ml (1 pint) vegetable or chicken stock
50g (2oz) sultanas
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ the lemon
The seeds from 1 pomegranate
1 small handful of coriander leaves
Instructions
Place the quinoa and stock in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered or until the liquid has evaporated.
Remove from the heat and stir in the sultanas along with the cumin. Cover the saucepan and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Mix the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and most of the coriander together. Stir into the quinoa.
Turn into a serving bowl and stir in the pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle over the remaining coriander.
Tip: There is a smart trick to quickly removing the seeds of a pomegranate without removing much pith and avoiding any fiddly peeling.
Cut the pomegranate in half, then hold, cut side down over a large bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to hit the pomegranate and let the seeds fall through your fingers. Keep hitting the back of the pomegranate and you’ll soon have a bowl full of pomegranate seeds. Remove any small bits of pith then repeat with the other half.