Kids Dish

This is the first of a series of interviews I want to publish with a variety of mums & dads of my acquaintance. If you have kids of any age still at home, and would like to be interviewed, please drop me an interview, or leave your email address in the comments spot.

Rachel Holkner
is a chief child-wrangler and manuscript wrestler. Or, child-raiser and collector of rejection slips.

KidsDish: How many kids do you have, and what ages?

Rachel: I have one daughter, Abbey, who is very-nearly-three.

KidsDish: How much influence do you have over the food Abbey eats?

Rachel: I have allll the influence. It’s one of the things my partner and I are most pedantic about.

KidsDish: What are Abbey’s favourite foods?

Rachel: We’re lucky in that she eats nearly everything presented to her. Her favourites vary according to the phase of the moon as far as I can figure. Soups are good. Risotto too. Spag Bol. And tonight - chinese takeaway.

KidsDish: Do you have trouble getting her to eat healthy food, like fruit and vegetables? What methods have you developed to encourage her towards healthy food?

Rachel: We almost never have trouble getting Abbey to eat healthy. We imposed rules early on like at least one snack per day must be fruit. The other might be toast or a muffin. Sweet treats (lollies, cake , ice-cream) are very rare and are usually in conjunction with a special occcasion. We have never related food to behaviour or toys to food (as in Happy Meals).

I guess eating healthy is just eating normally as far as Abbey is concerned.

We realise though, that we are very fortunate that she has not (to date - touch wood) ever been a fussy eater, and she’s always willing to try new things.

I am also conscious of keeping Abbey involved in food selection and food preparation. She helps choose fruit and veg at the shops and decide which meal we’ll be eating tonight. I’ve also started a small veggie patch so she can see the food grow. I must say, she’s very patient when it come to waiting for the strawberries to ripen, but she won’t share them once they are!

KidsDish: Do you enjoy cooking for your family? What are some of your favourite things to prepare?

Rachel: I have never considered before that I might enjoy cooking for the family, but I guess I do. It helps to have enthusiastic recipients! I like trying out new recipes to break the monotony, but doing the weekly shop is something I delegate.

One pot meals are always a winner - saves on the washing up. Soups, curry, risotto, pasta… We cook the old “meat ‘n three veg” so rarely now it’s become a novelty.

My particular specialty is making things up from what’s left in the fridge.

Fiddly things like lasagne are made under sufferance and require red wine to ease the pain.

Also, I think it’s important to note that I do not maintain a monopoly on cooking dinner. I cook probably four nights out of the week with my husband covering the rest.

KidsDish: What’s your breakfast routine?

Rachel: I have the best breakfast routine - it involves staying in bed until it’s all over. My partner has breakfast with Abbey - weetbix with sultanas and milk, either hot or cold according to the season. If I get up early I’m usually coaxed into preparing porridge.

KidsDish: Does Abbey cook, or prepare food? If so, what sort of food can she prepare?

Rachel: Abbey loves to cook. She has her own apron and a step stool to put her at the right height to the kitchen bench. Mostly she takes the lids off jars for me, but she can also de-stalk and peel mushrooms, stir anything with abandon, press out pizza dough, sprinkle cheese and grind the salt and pepper (although you’ve got to keep an eye on that last one. She does like grinding the pepper mill…)

KidsDish: Do you ever feel guilty about what you feed your daughter?

Rachel: Never. By having a stable, healthy base, I don’t have to worry about those times when we slip off the rails. Besides, if we never ate fish n’ chips, she’d grow up wanting nothing else!

KidsDish: What’s your favourite vegetable?

Rachel: Too hard! What’s the opposite of brussel sprout?

KidsDish: Thanks, Rachel, for taking the time to answer my questions!

Rachel: Thank you, Tansy!