I’ve never believed that expression of flavours being too ‘adult’ for a child’s palate.

You know what I mean; highly spiced foods, olives, anchovies or dark chocolate. They all sit in that ‘adult food’ bracket with a big red tape around them stating ‘do not feed this to your child until they reach adulthood’. Why?

If you deny your children this type of food early in their lives, not only do they miss out on some of the best flavours around but you may also have to go through the whole ‘go on, just try a little bit’ routine all over again when they're old enough to know better.

I’m not saying feed your children a full-strength vindaloo on the first attempt. A gentle introduction to highly flavoured food is the key.

This classic Anglo-Indian breakfast of kedgeree, a spiced rice, fish and egg dish that is a doddle to make is a great place to start.

Traditionally used with smoked haddock, it is perfect for experimenting with. Try just a pinch of the garam masala, a good squeeze of fresh lemon and plenty of child-friendly peas. Go for fresh fish when you can or open up a tin of tuna. Mix and match your fresh herbs too. Authenticity goes out of the window when your experimenting.

With one eye on frugal times, it is also a great way of using up leftover rice. It works as a lunch or dinner, making it even more versatile.

Make sure that your child does their fair share of stirring, prodding and tasting; it will go a long way towards getting them to eat the completed dish when you can tell them how great they did.

Adult supervision: yes

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingrediants

4 eggs, boiled for 5 minutes then left to cool in cold water

50g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

A pinch of cayenne pepper

200g basmati rice, cooked and drained

100g frozen peas

1 tin of your choice of fish, drained

Salt and pepper

A handful of fresh dill, parsley or coriander, roughly chopped

2 lemons, halved

Method

1 – Heat a non-stick pan and melt the butter. Add the oil then stir in the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until softened.

2 – Add the spices and combine thoroughly. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

3 – Stir in the cooked rice and peas and heat through for 5 minutes, stirring all of the time until piping hot.

4 – Flake in the fish and stir in the fresh herbs. Taste for seasoning.

5 – Plate up and decorate with the boiled eggs – food faces optional. Serve with a wedge of fresh lemon.

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