We've pulled together some quick and easy recipes that you can get your kids involved with. Not only will this keep them entertained, but it will help build their confidence in the kitchen and develop their cooking skills. The benefits of cooking with kids doesn’t stop there. Cooking is beneficial for kids as it encourages creativity, improves communication and increases their awareness of food types, encouraging them to try new things. 

Banana oat bars 

Peel 3 ripe bananas and mash with a fork. Add in 200g (approximately 2 cups) of oats, 1 tablespoon of water and mix together. Here, you could add in any mix-ins you fancy! We recommend dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or cinnamon. Add the mix to a lightly greased/lined baking tin and press down firmly with the back of a spoon to make it compact. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees, and slice into bars once cool. 

Pasta salad 

Cook whatever pasta shapes you have to the package instructions and leave to cool. Cut up any vegetables that you have in, such as tomato, cucumber, onion and lettuce. Make a salad dressing using oil, vinegar/lemon juice and seasoning. Add the vegetables and salad dressing to the bowl of cooked pasta and mix together. 

Tortilla pizzas 

Spread pizza sauce (tomato sauce or puree) on a tortilla. Sprinkle on grated cheese. Add any toppings, such as peppers, sweetcorn or ham. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. For some extra fun, challenge the kids to make a face out of the pizza toppings! To mix things up, try out different bases and toppings to your likings – eg spread pesto or bbq sauce onto the tortilla and go from there. 

For more easy recipes for kids, check out Tesco's suggestions here: https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/collections/easy-recipes-for-kids.html, one of our long-standing food partners. 

If you have surplus food you want to donate to frontline charities, please get in touch: https://www.faresharemidlands.org.uk/food-donation/