Big Chef Mini Chef – Cooking for Kids with Kids is a book stuffed with joy and inspiration. Yes, the star of the volume is a young lad living with Cystic Fibrosis, my son.

This large-format book is inspired by and dedicated to Armin, my son and I’ve been working with children to create simple and appealing recipes to entice them into the kitchen and then to the table. If kids learn to grow or cook things, then they will be more likely to eat them. Cooking is a life skill and healthy eating matters.

Each recipe in Big Chef Mini Chef has a full-page illustration. The text is bold, and the recipes are easy to follow, and delicious too. There are sweets as well as savouries and they will be enjoyed by the whole family and not just its younger members. This isn’t junk food but proper cooking.

Definitely kid-friendly

Favourite dishes include the Baked Bolognese in a Jacket Potato topped with cheese, for a hearty dinner. Turkey Meatballs with Linguini Carbonara is definitely kid-friendly yet rather classy. Who wouldn’t want a Double Chocolate and Orange Brownie with Salted Popcorn? This dessert can convert from a children’s party favourite to a dinner party finale by just changing the presentation.

Big Chef Mini Chef – Cooking for Kids with Kids would make the perfect gift for any youngster who is old enough to stir cake batter. Expect the pages to be smeared with chocolate and tomato sauce, and consider those embellishments as a sign of success.