This is a book about feeding children, but these recipes are for adults too. I don't think there should be any sharp distinctions between ‘baby food’, ‘children's food’ and ‘grown-up food’. It's a spectrum the whole family can be on, the food each person eats becoming a little more sophisticated and seasoned as they mature.'

Nikki Duffy brings the River Cottage ethos to feeding children, and shows that it's never too early to involve the youngest family members in mealtimes. Her delicious seasonal purees and simple, wholesome recipes put the needs and wants of babies and toddlers first, whilst offering up dishes that will delight adults too.

With clear advice on nutrition and weaning, The River Cottage Baby & Toddler Cookbook is the perfect starting point for your child's great food adventure. Start the day with breakfasts like blueberry pancakes, apple muesli or eggy bread, followed by simple and delicious meals like fishcakes, meatballs, shepherd's pie, home-made pizza, falafel, mackerel pate, pea risotto or roasted fish with tomato sauce. Nice little puddings include baby baked apples with chocolate, rhubarb crumble and a classic rice pudding.

With an introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, this book will put real food on the table for the whole family to share.

Reader Review
“I have a lot of cookbooks and it's rare that I get really excited about any of them, but I can really say that this one has been a revelation. I was a bit worried when I first opened it as I am not an adherent to any particular baby-feeding philosophy and there was a long intro on baby-led weaning. However, moving past that (which was interesting at least), the book is full of recipes that I can feed to the whole family, saving me the need to cook multiple lunches and suppers for my eight month old, three year old, and the grown-ups. Some of the recipes are a little time-consuming but I figure I'm still spending less time cooking and coming up with better results than I was before.
Our particular favourites are the spelt and apple biscuits, the pea risotto and the double-potato pies. I still haven't tried a "bad” recipe yet and the bread recipe makes a really fabulous pizza base!" V Martin

Author Biography

Formerly Deputy Editor of the award-winning magazine Waitrose Food Illustrated, Nikki Duffy also wrote a weekly food column in the Guardian. She worked for three years as the River Cottage Food Editor and is now a freelance food writer. She lives in Essex with her husband and two daughters.