Innocent (Firm) - Hungry?: the innocent recipe book for filling your family with good stuff

Good stuff for when youre under the weather Savoury pick and mix A night on the sofa Quick teas and suppers Dinner in 10 minutes Dinner in 15 minutes Dinner in 20 minutes Leisurely dinners Quick after tea puds Lunchbox legends After school snacks Weekend treats Leftovers High tea Midnight feasts Picnics Sunday afternoon baking Out and about Party food Soire food Unexpected visitors Gluten free Dairy free Summer classics Winter warmers Food for bears dragons and robots Double batch

Hello. Were innocent and we make stuff that tastes good and does you good. We started by making smoothies in 1999 after the idea for the electric bath got binned. Since then weve moved into veg pots, healthy kids drinks and the odd village fte. Were now a bit older, wiser and (in some cases) beardier than when we started and some of us have even had babies. Which is sort of where the idea for this book came from.

Having sold our kids smoothies in supermarkets across the land for the last 5 years, we had already bought into the benefits of getting fruit into small people. But when it came to finding a cook book to feed our families in a quick, tasty, nutritious way, there didnt seem to be any out there. None that didnt involve spending hours labouring over the stove, making different meals for our kids or faffing about with miniature sushi. So we decided to write our own. Before we started, we asked the people who read our weekly newsletter what they thought. Hundreds of mums and dads got in touch to say they thought it was a very good idea and to suggest all sorts of recipes, tips and ideas on how to make it an all-round really useful tool.

So here it is: a guide to healthy, tasty, no-fuss food that the whole family can enjoy (and that doesnt take ages to make). From classic family favourites and quick ideas for when youre in a hurry to posher stuff for when youre not, theres also loads of stuff for kids to do, make and help out with to get them involved and excited about food. In other words, a book that makes it easy and tasty to get good stuff into your family. With no mini sashimi fiddling required whatsoever.

There are several ways to use this book. Each recipe has the steps where kids can get involved picked out in light grey to make it easy for them to help in the kitchen.

These steps are just there as a guide, so if youre pushed for time, you can ignore them and get on with cooking by yourself. In between the recipes, there are lots of distractions and ideas for your family to do while youre waiting for things to marinate, bake or just for the weather to cheer up. At the front, theres an alternative contents page where weve divided recipes up into stuff like quick teas for when youre in a hurry and leisurely cooking for when youve got a bit more time on your hands (like breakfast at the weekends). So you can have a quick flick for ideas or plan in advance, depending on how busy you are. At the start of each recipe weve also highlighted how many fruit and veg portions there are per serving. Of all the recipes in this book, 85% contain at least one portion of fruit or veg, 10% contain fruit and veg that count towards your 5-a-day and the remaining 5% are treats to be respected as such.

You can find out a bit more about fruit and veg portions in So whats all this 5-a-day business?.

Our company purpose is to make natural, delicious food and drink that helps people live well and die old. It lies behind everything we make and this book is just as much a part of that mission as our smoothies, juice and veg pots. We believe if you can get people on the right road from when theyre knee-high and make it enjoyable along the way, its more likely theyll stick on that path rather than deviating off down Takeaway Alley. Which is why getting kids involved in tasting, cooking and enjoying healthy, tasty food is the way forward. Chances are if they grew it, picked it, squashed it or stirred it, theyre more likely to eat it.

But kids change their mind all the time. What they eat today, they might suddenly refuse to eat tomorrow. They dont obey the rules, they will nearly always want crisps over celery and, sometimes, youre just happy if theyve eaten a spoonful of peas. Its not a personal slight theyre just experimenting with expressing opinions. So theres no point getting angry. Its like shouting at the bus driver when the bus is late it wont change what time you get there.

Far better to make the journey fun and interesting instead. We know that health food has a reputation for being a bit of a boring, taste-free wilderness with only mung beans and flatulence for company. But thats not the stuff were talking about. Healthy food done well is delicious. So first and foremost, this book is about health through pleasure. To paraphrase Roald Dahl (a great advocate of little indulgences), treats are an essential part of life.

We think you and your kids can eat well and still enjoy the odd slice of chocolate cake. Especially when its got beetroot in it. Ultimately, though, youre the best judge and example of what your kids should be eating. Of course, there will always be a perfect family next door who eat brown rice for breakfast, but your kids will base their habits on what you eat. So lead by example, get them cooking regularly and by the time they leave home, theyll hopefully be able to feed themselves properly and rustle you up a decent dinner while they are at it. Please say hello to Anna and Ness Whilst were very proud of all the stuff we make, in order to write a book like this, we thought it best to get some help from people who know a thing or two about writing recipes that actually work.

So thats where Anna and Ness come in. Anna Jones is a cook, writer and maker of beautiful looking (and tasting) food who has spent the last year working with us to help write the recipes for this book. Having trained at Fifteen, Anna then went off travelling round Spain, France and Italy, picking up cookery secrets on the way. Back in London, shes spent the last 7 years working for Jamie Oliver and is now busy doing lots of other interesting stuff with food as well as trying to surf (badly) and buying bits of old china for her kitchen. Vanessa Hattersley is our nutritionist at Fruit Towers. Shes in charge of giving the big official tick to all the stuff we make, ensuring that as well as tasting good, everything innocent makes does you good too.

Shes worked in the nutrition field for years (including for the NHS) and recently got top marks for her masters degree in food policy. Unlike the folk in those glossy telly ads, Ness doesnt wear a white coat, is a dab hand at baking and likes spending her evenings looking at stars through her telescope.

Anna and a pie
Ness and a fetching green door
Do I need to buy any stuff? Ingredients-wise, if you always try to have these things in your kitchen, along with an interesting mix of fruit and veg, then you should be ready for most recipes. Cupboard : Olive oil Honey Smoked paprika Roasted peppers in a jar Tinned tomatoes Tinned pulses (chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils) Fridge : Eggs Butter Milk Tomato pure Mature Cheddar cheese Parmesan cheese Lemons Plain Yoghurt Freezer : Fresh herbs (snipped up) Frozen mixed berries Frozen veg (peas, spinach, sweetcorn) Equipment If you only buy one thing for your kitchen, then let it be a food processor. It is the saver of time, the king of chopping and you can pretty much do anything in it grate, julienne, pure, mix, salsa, pasa doble Itll save you money, time, washing up and having to buy a hundred other gadgets for your kitchen. The decent ones last for years so think of it as an investment/a helpful new member of your family.