Get Your Kids To Eat Anything by Emily Leary – Review.

When Emily asked if anyone would like to review her brand new book in exchange for a free copy, I jumped at the chance. I have followed Emily’s blog for years and she makes such gorgeous recipes. I was keen to see what they looked like in book format as I know the hard work she has put in to achieve this. Get Your Kids To Eat Anything is a 5-phase program designed to change the way the entire family looks at and approaches food.

Get you kids to eat anything isn’t just a recipe book, there are certainly beautiful recipes with gorgeous photography but this book is so much more then that. The whole aim of Emily’s book is, as the title says, is to help you to get your children to eat anything, or at the very least try a wider variety of foods, banishing ‘picky eating’ from your home. With a comprehensive introduction that explains exactly how Emily has helped her own children to expand their food repertoire, the 5 steps of the program are outlined clearly in manageable, easy to follow sections.

This book is aimed at helping children who have maybe got themselves into a ‘food rut’, where they will only eat certain things, certain colours or perhaps they will avoid textures that are alien to them. I’ve found that the main person it has helped in our family is me though. We all know how easy it is to get into a routine of only serving the same dishes on rotation. I am busy, I don’t particularly like cooking and I get demoralised if my family don’t like something I’ve made. Generally because it always happens to be the thing that I’ve spent hours on and followed a recipe, it gets easier to stick to the tried and tested!

Emily takes well known classics that your kids will probably be eating already and are easy for you to cook, like fish fingers and burgers, and gives them a twist. Adding in new flavours and textures in a gentle and non threatening way. It means meals that you’ve put your time and effort into are less likely to be rejected. I’ve found that my children absolutely love looking through the book and helping me pick out recipes for dinner. The bright, beautiful photography is very appealing to them and giving them some control over what I cook certainly seems to be instrumental in them trying everything. The final step of the program is to cement this new way of eating to make sure you continue to vary the menu, helping me to carry on this new way of approaching mealtimes. We are really enjoying the book and the recipes, especially the rainbow pizza!