Dairy Delights

Grumpinator has been a little fussy with his food recently. It's not that he won't eat, it's just that being nearly two years old, he has decided which foods he prefers and equally which foods he really doesn't like.

Yoghurt has always been a firm favourite in our house though, even through the fussy times. He doesn't really care what flavours they come in either. He can open the fridge himself now and the first thing he reaches for is the yoghurt! Luckily, he hasn't worked out how to take the lids off himself yet because that could be messy!

We had a playdate with one of Grumpinator's little friends this week. Her name is Ella, which is really quite apt because I have a selection of Ella's Kitchen dairy products to review. So I enlisted the taste buds of both Ella and Grumpinator for the taste test. As a brand, I love Ella's Kitchen. It's a brand you know you can trust to produce food using the best quality organic  ingredients, in interesting flavours and in a size perfect for little tummies. Although I am in the Baby Led Weaning camp, I did use Ella's Kitchen fruit and food pouches to complement my meals and I still use them when we travel.


The Products

Fromage Frais - Mango and Banana
£1.89 for 6 pots
These ones were a big hit with JC he loved them! They had a really thick and creamy texture. They were a nice portion size, perfect for lunch or an after dinner dessert. He actually ate three in one sitting so I think these ones were his favourites!

Yoghurt - Pineapple and Mango, Strawberry and pear
£1.79 for 4 pots
Strangely, despite his love of Yoghurt, he hates milk. He drinks soya milk but doesn't like whole milk. These are made with 100% whole milk, real fruit puree and some honey to sweeten. JC loved them, especially the strawberry one. They are a little bit bigger than the fromage frais which suits JC better as he is a big eater. I had a taste of the pineapple and mango one and I thought it tasted really scrummy.

Rice Pudding - with a hint of vanilla
£1.09 for 2 pots
JC is not a huge rice pudding fan. I don't think he likes the texture of it. So I asked two of JC's little friends to try it, Ella and Callum.

Ella tried a couple of spoonfuls but wouldn't finish it. She said she didn't like it. Callum took a spoonful but didn't appear to like it either. Both myself and the mums had a taste and we all agreed that it was a little too bland for our wee ones. I think that it would be perfect for a baby who has just recently started weaning. I think because our little ones are 2+ their taste buds are more developed and they prefer stronger flavours.  Adding a spoonful of honey or jam to the rice would probably be best for older children.

Overall, the diary products went down a storm. I will certainly buy the fromage frais and the yoghurt again. These products are available from Tesco, Ocado or Waitrose stores.

I received these products free to review but this post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own! 

Super Snacks For Toddlers On The Go!

JC can have sudden hunger pangs when we are out and about so snacks that are easy to carry around in his change bag are a must. His latest favourite are these Nibbly Fingers from Ella's Kitchen.

His favourite flavour is the banana and raisins one. He had been eating these for a while when Ella's Kitchen contacted me to review them. I was delighted to review them on the blog as he already loves them so a taste test wouldn't be necessary! What I like about them is that they are a perfect size for an in-between meal snack, individually wrapped for easy transportation and they are full of healthy ingredients without any rubbish added in.

They did send me a multi-bag packet of their other new product, Munchy Biccies. The flavours they come in are cinnamon and oranges, cheese and apples or bananas. When I received the product through the post, it was the cinnamon and oranges one and I wasn't sure what JC would make of them because he isn't keen on cinnamon. I've tried to get him to eat cinnamon in his porridge and he won't touch it! I gave him a packet and he tried his best, he ate about 3 biscuits before admitting defeat. I gave the remaining packet to a friend whose child was less fussy about flavouring and her comment on them was that they must have been good as they didn't last long!

To give the product a fair test I went out and bought the banana one (as this would be the flavour I would buy for him normally). He loved them! He wasn't content to have one biscuit at a time. He had to have one in each hand and one in his mouth, whilst keeping a close eye on me to make sure I wasn't stealing any! I would recommend Ella's tasty snacks and I have nothing negative to say about them. Other than JC not loving the cinnamon flavour, the other products with different flavourings were a big hit. It's also comforting to know that these products are organic and are made with the best of ingredients for a healthy snack to feed your toddler.

This was a review post but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun to read! I received a free sample of the Munchy Biccies but all opinions are honest and are my own. 

Ella's Kitchen - The Orange One

JC loves his grub, especially his fruit! Sometimes when he is teething he won't eat much of anything but especially solid foods. To make sure he gets his 5 a day in even when he is teething, I often give him fruit packs straight from the fridge. Ella's Kitchen have released a new fruit smoothies which are available from Sainsburys. They sent JC an Orange One sample to try out. The ingredients in The Orange One smoothie are bananas, oranges, mangoes, guava and a dash of lemon juice.

Here is JC enjoying his

I trust the quality of ingredients in Ella's Kitchen products, they comes in handy packaging, each pack contains 1 of your 5 a day and they are a great way of getting children to eat fruit.

JC's only complaint would probably be that there isn't enough of it. This was his reaction when he finished eating it . . .