Ella's Kitchen: The First Foods Book: The Purple One

The presentation of this book is lovely. Every page is set out in bright colours, with different coloured section labels, so it's easy to get to the weaning stage you're up to. It's got lots of advice, from what equipment you need to information on allergies. In the centre, there are two pull outs. One is a quick reference weaning guide in the form of a map and the other is for keeping a record of your little one's weaning journey. I haven't actually used either of them, but they do look fun. We started off on a two week taste exploration where he got a different single vegetable/fruit puree every day. Tastes included potatoes, broccoli, avocado (a firm favourite), butternut squash and green beans (which he hated). After that there's twenty combination purees to choose from until baby reaches 7 months old. Most of these recipes make multiple portions (pears and avocado being the notable exception as avocado does not keep). I haven't made every recipe, but every recipe I've tried has turned out well. One or two have been a bit on the watery side, but I suspect that was my fault! There's only one Alec hasn't really liked (swede, carrots and cinnamon), but I've kept the extra portions anyway to try him again. I like that there's a mixture of fruit and vegetable purees. I tend to make him one of each, so he effectively has a main meal and a pudding. The extra portions are handy for lunch times, too. The recipes are grouped by age: 6 months, 7 months+, 10 months+ and one year and beyond. At 12 months, the recipes are all big enough to feed big mouths as well as little mouths. I love that every recipe tells you how many portions it makes (number of ice cubes for the purees up to how many adults and kids a meal serves). There's also finger food recipes, which I'm looking forward to trying. All the recipes are fairly quick to cook, so I do them whilst I'm cooking everyone else's dinner! And if there's an evening where I can't be bothered, or haven't been to the supermarket to get fresh ingredients, I have a variety of pots in the fridge that I can turn to. So far, I think this book is wonderful. In a couple of weeks I'll be moving on to the seven month recipes (it's scary how fast time is flying!), which start to introduce meat and fish. (There's still a good selection of purely vegetarian recipes!) I've already bookmarked the recipes I'd like to start with.

I have been looking for a weaning book for months now when i came across this one. Every page is colorful and fun, making weaning an exciting and happy time for both baby AND mum!! Although the book is clearly very colorful and full of pictures, the advice and recipes in there are amazing. I carn't wait to get started!!! There is a page for babys first achievements in eating, and a center double fold out page progression planner for weaning. The advice goes up to 12 months and just beyond when baby begins to eat proper solid meals but in smaller portions! The recipes are simple yet tasty and nutritious. The ingredients are things you most mainly have in the house anyway whereas other baby books have lots of intricate recipes which require lots of different ingredients! There is cooking health and safety advice, hygiene advice and instructions on how to store food i.e freezer + length of time can be stored for. Definitely recommend if you want a fun color yet very concise clear simple book that you and your baby can share together! ***** I have now used the book for a month and its brilliant!!! my baby loves the puree's and she looks so healthy because everything is natural! Thankyou Ellas Kitchen :-) x

We bought this as we felt that other books provided complicated recipes with lots of ingredients to purchase. This Ella's Kitchen recipe book starts from introducing purees at 6 months and goes through to full meals as children get older - with lots of advice on introducing allergens and textures / finger food. The ingredients are simpler (potato, pasta, broccoli, cheese etc.) and some recipes are ones that are great for parents to eat alongside babies (un-blended!). We found this a really useful book to start the weaning process and great inspiration for what to cook.

I am keen to make sure my baby doesn’t develop a sweet tooth early on, this book has some really good recipe ideas and useful tips for weaning, but a lot of the recipes add fruit to vegetable combinations which I’m not a fan of because it gets baby used to sweetness, when it’s a good idea for them to develop a savoury palate. Good for inspiration though.

Lots of helpful recipes. Great for a first time mum

This book was extremely helpful when starting to wean my son. It has very useful information of the kind of foods to introduce at each age, as well as good combinations which I may not have thought of for helping to introduce new flavours and textures.

I was really anxious about starting the weaning journey and what foods to give and when. This book has been a lifesaver. It has made everything so easy, the cooking instructions are really easy to follow and the variety is really good. I would highly recommend to all mums.

Livro incrível, tem o passo a passo para uma introdução alimentar descomplicada! Recomendo a todos!!

Ce livre a été une grande source d’inspiration pour moi, qui m’a permis de commencer à cuisiner des aliments sains et équilibrés pour mon bébé. C’est génial, il existe des recettes allant au 1er repas jusqu’a manger à la table avec nous. Il est parfois difficile d'imaginer toutes les combinaisons nutritives et délicieuses d'aliments que vous pouvez préparer pour votre tout-petit. Ce livre est donc d'une grande aide!

We love it, baby loves it too. Easy to use, beautiful colours, a lot of ideas, all based on age of the baby so you know what's okay to give him or not. A great addition even for the future as recipe are delicious!

very good

The book is beautiful, big, but it’s a shame when the product arrives already damaged