Lentil & tomato medley
Lentils simmered with fresh tomatoes and tomato juice, then pureed and sieved into a smooth, tangy first dal for babies of 4–8 months. Use any lentils: split red lentils cook fastest. Serve warm.
17 babies & toddlers recipes for every night of the week, with photos, step-by-step instructions and cook times. The quickest, Oat porridge for babies, takes 11 minutes. Most take around 30 minutes.
Lentils simmered with fresh tomatoes and tomato juice, then pureed and sieved into a smooth, tangy first dal for babies of 4–8 months. Use any lentils: split red lentils cook fastest. Serve warm.
A small banana baked in a foil parcel with butter, lemon, a pinch of sugar and cinnamon until soft and fragrant. A warm, easy pudding for babies of 8–18 months, mashed or left in soft pieces for older babies. Serve warm, not hot.
Rounds of bread spread with cream cheese, soaked in egg custard and baked gently in a water bath until just set. Soft and mild, it suits babies of 8–18 months and makes a good light lunch for toddlers too. Serve warm.
Flaked rice (pauva) simmered in milk until soft and creamy, then stirred with apple puree and a little ground almond. A comforting afternoon meal for babies of 8–18 months. Almond essence is strong: a tiny drop is plenty.
A smooth, savoury first meal of rice with carrot, new potatoes and spinach, pureed with baby milk for babies of 4–8 months. Use plain, unsalted cooked rice. Make it a little thicker as your baby gets used to texture.
Soft tomatoes and carrot blended with cheddar, ground almonds and milk, then baked in teacups under a golden cheese topping. A gentle, savoury dish for babies of 8–18 months, with plenty of flavour. Serve it just warm, on its own or with soft toast fingers.
Finely ground oats cooked in milk and water until smooth and creamy, with a little sieved banana for natural sweetness. A warm, filling breakfast for babies of 4–8 months. Grind a batch of oats in advance and keep it in a jar.
A soft, golden hash of butter beans, chickpeas, French beans, carrot and potato, mashed together and pan-fried until crisp on both sides. It's a filling, protein-rich meal for babies and toddlers, moistened with a little home-made vegetable stock. Remember to soak the butter beans and chickpeas the night before.
A smooth, naturally sweet puree of gently stewed apple and pear, one of the first foods for babies of 4–8 months. The fruit cooks in a little unsweetened apple juice, so nothing else is needed. Serve it lukewarm; any leftover keeps covered in the fridge for a day, or freezes well in small pots.
Steamed carrots and cauliflower pureed and stirred into creamy baby rice for a smooth, mild meal for babies of 4–8 months. Steaming keeps the vegetables' colour and goodness. Serve lukewarm.
A gentle, salt-free vegetable stock for cooking baby food, for babies of 8–18 months. Root vegetables, ginger and a few herbs simmer slowly for two hours, giving a light, sweet stock. Use it for the purees, hash and pasta in this section, and freeze small portions in an ice-cube tray for quick meals.
Soft mashed potato and mixed vegetables, shaped into little cakes and coated in wholemeal crumbs and ground almonds, then shallow-fried until golden. They're made for babies of 8–18 months and are easy for small hands to hold. Serve them cooled, with a little tomato ketchup for dipping. Leave out the almonds if anyone in the family has a nut allergy.
Small pasta shapes cooked right in a soft sauce of aubergine, courgette, pepper, mushrooms, sweetcorn and tomato. It's blended for babies of 8–18 months; as they grow, blend it less or not at all. Serve warm.
Sweet potato baked whole until soft and caramelised, then mashed with milk and a pinch of ground coriander. Naturally sweet and smooth, it's a favourite first food for babies of 4–8 months. One sweet potato makes more than a baby can eat, so freeze the rest in small portions.
A bright green, savoury puree of potato, mushrooms and fresh spinach cooked in home-made baby stock. Thick and smooth, it's a good way to get iron-rich greens into babies of 8–18 months. Serve warm; spare portions freeze well.
A smooth, naturally sweet puree of three root vegetables: choose from carrots, potatoes, sweet potato and pumpkin. Changing the mix is an easy way to give babies of 4–8 months new flavours. Serve lukewarm.
A sweet, creamy chowder of sweetcorn, potato, leek and red pepper simmered in milk, then blended and sieved until silky. It suits babies of 8–18 months, and older children enjoy it unsieved. Serve warm.