a very small change..

...can make a huge difference.

Something VERY big happened a few weeks ago, it took us all by surprise, but has become the norm so quickly that I almost forgot to write about it.


Laila ate some ham!!!!

Yes, it's a HUGE deal, let me fill you in on some history....

Some of you will know and some of you won't. Laila has been a pretty selective eater since about the age of 16 months, up until then she would eat anything. Then she went through a really bad bout of teething, she would only eat toast and yoghurt for a few days. Ever since then she has been extremely selective about what she would and wouldn't eat. For a long time the list was like this:

Yoghurts
Milk
Fruit purees
most fruits in their natural form
toast
Weetabix
rice cakes
baked beans
tuna and tomato pasta
spaghetti bolognese
sweetcorn
steamed carrots
brocolli
peanut butter sandwiches
cheddar cheese
raisins
chocolate, biscuits and crisps (of course were fine)

So there were a lot of healthy things she would eat, but so many things she just wouldn't. The main problem in other peoples eyes was that she refused all meat except beef mince in bolognese sauce and tuna in tomato sauce.
 I wasn't too concerned about this, I served her 2 favourite meals (containing meat) once a week, she also had baked beans and peanut butter once or twice a week as well as plenty of cheese and milk, so I think she got enough protein. Her French family were naturally shocked and worried that she wasn't eating enough meat, vegetarianism is still not really recognised here!

A couple of changes have occurred since, which affected her eating. When we moved to France she was 2.5yrs old, the list above was still standing. Then she cut out cheese and raisins! Bearing in mind France is the country of meat and cheese, I was now facing people with a child who wouldn't eat either! Oh la la!!! For some reason she started eating dried apricots instead of raisins.

Ever so gradually since she turned 3, she has been trying more and more things. We never ever pressure her to eat all her food, we just ask her to try it. Sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't. She managed to add potatoes to her list, but only Mamy Couny's potatoes! Which I admit are butterlicious! After starting school and eating at the canteen (I should say "attending" the canteen), she started eating haricots verts and any kind of pasta with butter, no fancy sauces.

When Max started on proper meals I thought it was our opportunity, I really thought seeing her younger brother devour a variety of delicious homecooked meals would inspire her. I was of course dillusional! It did however add 2 more dishes to her list, both from Annabel Karmels cookbook, which I still look to for inspiration and would highly recommend. 1. Cherubs Cousous (couscous with sweet potato, peas, raisins and apricots). The recipe didn't call for apricots but that's how I got her to try it and for a while she was tricked into thinking the sweet potato was apricot. We discovered later that she was completely aware that it was sweet potato but she was eating it anyway! 2. Tasty meat and rice (beef mince with carrots, peas and tomato sauce and rice). Laila hates rice but she'll eat it well mixed in with this dish.

That brings us to her 4th birthday, she'll now try a lot more foods, without being prompted, some she likes and some she doesn't. One day a few weeks ago, she announced she likes Ham and could she please have some with her meal. I looked at hubby in amazement, we gave some to her and lo and behold she ate the whole slice right there in front of us! I actually cried with happiness!!

This now means when we make croque monsieurs, she doesn't just have bread on its own! When we have galettes (Breton savoury crepes) she'll have ham and egg in hers! When we're at a restaurant, she will actually eat the 'jambon frites' from the kids menu, and when I'm stuck for a quick meal, she'll have ham, pasta and butter and sweetcorn! A classic french kids meal!

So for all those who have fussy eaters, there is hope. They say a child needs to try a food 14 times before they can say they don't like it. How on earth that piece of research was done I don't know, but it's true that you can't suppose they will never like something just because they don't want it right now. We were brought up very differently in the "you-must-stay-at-the-table-until-you-finish-what's-on-your-plate" method. I can guarantee this doesn't work! You need a LOT of patience and please please don't label your kid as fussy and give up on them. One day they might surprise you!