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 can't recommend this book highly enough. It saved the day for us. My little one didn't get on well with baby led weaning - gagging till she was sick and her eyes watered - and I found all the cooking and cleaning really stressful, so we went down the purees route, and I'm so relieved we did. This book explains all the different stages of weaning so clearly with lots of fun pictures and graphics. Each recipe has carbs, veggies and a source of protein so you know your baby is getting a proper rounded meal. There are probably only 6 or 7 ingredients in each meal so they're dead easy to make. The recipes are so delicious that I'll happily scrape the bowl if my daughter doesn't finish her meal. I just freeze it in ice cube trays then pop them all out into a freezer bag, and defrost 3 or 4 ice cubes for each meal - easy! Now, rather than getting stressed about cooking for hours only to have it all thrown on the floor, I actually feel a sense of pride that I'm cooking for my daughter and she's eating it! Only thing I would say is that the recipes don't make anywhere near as many ice cubes as they say they will, so I just double the amount of ingredients. But if you're looking for a book on purees this is the one!!

Great book with lots of ideas for my little one. Really like the age guidance on the recipes too

Great book, easy to read, have some really good tips and recipes, especially for a first time parent. I gave 4 stars as even though it has a section on finger foods, it seems to be all focused on puree foods for the first couple of months but Health visitors recommend finger foods. It can get a bit confusing. However, as said great quality book! I'm happy with purchase.

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

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.

This is an excellent guide to weaning - it clearly explains how to move from first tastes to eating adult consistency meals. Everything is clear with lots of images and not too much text so it doesn't take long to read which is great when you are busy! The recipes are also great - they include lots of different flavours such as mild fish curry, tortilla muffins (perfect for taking out on picnics!) beef stew and dumplings, chicken satay and lamb tagine. I have used the Annabel Karmel book but I much prefer this is as the introduction to each chapter is much shorter and clearer, and the recipes are more family friendly - we have all eaten most of the dishes which saves time as I'm not having to cook separate food for my baby and for myself and my husband.

Lovely, compact little book. It's been over thirty years since I did any weaning and this has been a great help in giving me ideas for when I'm looking after my 10 month old twin grandsons. Ideas about feeding little ones has changed quite a bit, for the better in my opinion, and finger foods are now the order of the day. I know from watching my daughter and son in law that babies really will eat the most unlikely things. Hummous on toast is a firm favourite and even with only a few teeth they mange perfectly well if the pieces are no bigger than a mouthful. Cubed vegetables are much easier than mashing everything and the boys are very good at going at their own speed. We don't have the usual squashing and squeezing of food through their fingers and I have wondered whether this is because they have more contact with their food and don't get bored and frustrated which can happen when everything is spoon fed to them. I would definitely recommend this book. It has a simple, friendly tone and is laid out according to age so that you can incorporate more foods as you go along.

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