This One Is My Favourite!

Although I am an advocate for Baby Led Weaning, I have made no secret about my love for Ella's Kitchen products. I used the baby food and fruit pouches from time to time when I was travelling with JC or as a standby in the cupboard.

They recently got in touch with me and asked if we would like to try their new range of Big Tastes dairy products. Here is a picture of Ella's Dad driving the worlds smallest milk float delivering delicious dairy delights to children in the London area.

I decided that we would try the yoghurts as we have already reviewed the fromage frais in a previous post and JC is not overly keen on rice pudding. 

The Taste Test

Here is what I liked about it

• Great size - some yoghurts are far too small that JC often eats 2 or 3 at a time!
• Pot shape - the pot is quite wide so it's easy for little hands to get the spoon in and manipulate the yoghurt onto the spoon. 
• The taste - I had a sneaky taste and I liked the tangy flavour. It is a thick and creamy texture.
• The Ingredients - 20% real fruit, no added sugar, organic milk and fruit.

What's not so great

• Price - the only downside is the price which is £1.79 for 4 pots. The yoghurts that I normally buy are £1 for 6 small pots. This might not actually be a great deal considering he would eat 3 in one go as there is hardly anything in them and the ones at this price are usually full of refined sugar. 

This is not a sponsored post. I received a free sample of the yoghurt but all opinions are my own. 

Big Taste Face with Ella's Kitchen

I loved taking photos of JC when he was weaning. It was really where the idea for the name of my blog came from (The Wean Machine part anyway).

Ella's Kitchen have recently launched a competition to celebrate their 'Big Taste' menu. You can enter your favourite messy eater photo here for a chance to win a years supply of Ella's Kitchen products. Enter by midnight tonight to be in with a chance of winning (terms and conditions apply).

Ella's Kitchen have been working with a taste psychologist (which to me seems like the best job title in the world, ever!) who has discovered through scientific trials that there is a reason that babies and toddlers dislike brussels sprouts and like banana. Babies experience a much stronger taste than adults and the 'Big Taste' has given parents the opportunity to taste test these extreme flavours for themselves to try and enrich their understanding about weaning. It may be that your little one isn't simply being fussy after all! According to the research, babies are much more fond of sweet flavours like strawberry and banana and dislike the bitter tastes of some foods. I have to say that my JC must break with tradition as he is a big lover of sprouts and really can't stand things that are too sweet!

Ella's Kitchen are committed to understanding little taste buds so that they can create the best and most appealing food possible. Even as a avid baby led weaner, when I have had to use baby food to supplement a meal, for travel or as a standby, this is always the brand I turn to. I trust their ingredients and the love and attention that is poured into every product.
This was my entry . . .

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! 

I'm Pretty Sure I Can Fit It All In - 125/366

I'm happy to report a return to normal eating habits. I've been both amazed and disturbed by the amount of food he had consumed this week. Here he is shoving some pizza in his mouth, determined to fit in the whole slice, even if he has to shove it back his own throat!

Cup Eh Tea? - 49/366

We are encouraging JC to drink from an open cup at meal times. This photo was actually taken after dinner when he was asking for more water in his cup. He does this thing where he dips his fingers in the water then sucks them. He does know how to drink from a cup, I think he just likes to wind me up.

I'm loving this new stage with JC where he seems to learn new words and phrases everyday. I plan on recording some of these on my 366 when he does say something worthy of recording.

My wee sound bite from JC today took place in Dunelm Mill when we were in the plates and cups aisle. JC pointed at a row of cups and said, loudly and proudly, "cup eh tea?" I thought this was hilarious. It's the first time he has spontaneously said that without copying us.

Ella's Kitchen Single Fruit Purées

We were lucky enough to be asked by Ella's Kitchen to sample and review their new single fruit purées. We were given 2 free samples, pear flavour and mango flavour. They are smaller packs of 70g for tiny tummies and being a single fruit makes them perfect for first tastes.

JC follows a baby led weaning approach and didn't eat many purées when he first started weaning but we have always used fruit packs as a top up for him to accompany his breakfast cereal or as a dessert after dinner. I really like the Ella's Kitchen packs compared to jars as they are much more convenient, you don't even need a bowl, just pop it straight onto a spoon or older children can enjoy it straight from the pack. I recently took fruit puree packs abroad with me to get me through the first few days and the Ella's Kitchen packaging was perfect as it was so light, I didn't have to worry about my luggage allowance!

Here is a video of JC trying out the fruit packs. You can tell by his face that he approves!

The Lowdown

Ella's Kitchen First Taste fruit pouches are 100% organic and contain just 1 single fruit, nothing else. They come in 4 flavours (pear, banana, mango and apple). The 70g packs are available from Sainsbury's, Boots, Ocado and Tesco stores and they cost 69p per pouch.

Advantages 

• Convenient packaging
• Single fruit ideal for first tastes, allergies or fussy fruit eaters
•  100% organic puts your mind at ease that the best available ingredients have been used
• The price is reasonable, not cheaper that puréeing the fruit yourself but much less effort and time

Disadvantages 

• I don't really see any disadvantages but I think that the 70g packs are more suitable for younger children. JC would need 2 of them really or a bigger pouch. However, I do like this size for his breakfast cereal. 

Disclaimer - I was not paid to write this review and although I received 2 pouches to sample, this did not taint my opinion of the product. 

Forking Brilliant

JC impressed me tonight. He used a fork (metal one) to eat his pasta and  he ate it from an actual plate!

Baby led weaning, for us, has been brilliant but it has been messy, very messy. BLW is allowing your child to eat finger foods from 6 months, no spoonfeeding or purees, just offer them what you are eating as long as it is suitable for them health wise. The down side is that the food goes everywhere. Everyone has to go through this eventually anyway once spoonfeeding reduces and finger foods are introduced but with BLW the mess just starts earlier.

JC is the wean machine. He loves his grub and there is very little he wont eat. His appetite rivals that of a teenage boy and his favourite meals range from steak tacos to tarragon chicken bake to stirfry noodles. Until tonight he ate everything with his hands. He does eat soup and yoghurt with a loaded spoon but he feeds himself with the spoon. It was lovely to see him eating so well with proper cutlery and the fact that there was very little mess was a huge bonus!

Check out this wee video of him using his fork for the first time . . .

Silent Sunday, haud yer wheesht 3

If All Else Fails, Lick the Bowl!

He was getting annoyed with me because he loves his dessert so much that he just wasn't prepared to wait. So he grabs the bowl and starts licking it! As you can see we had some pasta for tea which he was really getting the hang of eating with his hands.

A Week of Firsts!

Well it was rolling over yesterday and today it is sitting up unsupported. I snapped this quickly after he had been sitting like this for a few minutes. Seconds after taking the picture he fell over. He seems to have made so much progress in the last week. He seems so much more controlled in his movements. Even his eating has improved. I have always done a bit of a mixture of purée and finger foods because he was only 4 and a half months when we started weaning (as advised by our health visitor and GP). He got used to eating purées and I didn't want to just stop so we have had a gradual move away from them as he has approached 6 months (which he will be next Friday!) This has been the right approach for us. I feel we have achieved a balance between the typical weaning (the likes of Annabel Karmel) and the more innovative approach of baby led weaning (the likes of Gill Rapley). I can see flaws in both approaches and benefits of both. I think that each parent has to look to their own child for guidance. They are all so different and it's not a one size fits all kinda deal. I am now starting to learn this and as a result, relax.

I really like this article that I found online. Obviously I have chosen to jump on the bandwagon but read this article to the end, I think it captures how I feel about parenting.

Avocado Beard

The latest craze is avocado and banana. He love the two of them mixed together like a mash. Lots of nom nom sounds.

He had another big milestone tonight. Normally I hand him his food and if if wants it, he eats it and if he doesn't he just drops it on the floor. Tonight, I was eating pasta and he was having some broccoli, potato and courgette. He kept eyeing up my bowl of pasta so I put a few bits on his tray. (We have started using the Bumbo to feed him in as he sits straighter in it even though he isn't really keen on it). He still didn't touch the pasta, still had his eye on my bowl. Next thing I knew he had his hands in my bowl of pasta (oh so hygienic!) and he grabbed a piece and shoved it straight in his mouth. He then decided he would try the pasta on his tray. This is the first time he has actively grabbed food himself AND successfully got it into his mouth. I can't believe that he has only been eating for a few weeks. He has made so much progress and is so adventurous. I am a very proud mummy!

First Taste is the Sweetest

It can all get a bit messy (above), First taste of baby rice (below)

JC is 5 months today and is ready for food. He has starting stealing from my plate (just like his Dad) and is struggling to sleep because is he hungry (just like his mum!) We are going to be following a baby led weaning approach with a little bit of purées on the side with loaded spoons. JC is already feeding himself with the spoon and trying to hold his own cup. I am looking forward to documenting his progress through my blog.

So far the foods he has tried that he likes are: apple, banana, pear, peach, carrot, lentil and vegetable soup, cheddar cheese, weetabix and porridge.

He isn't so keen on courgette, parsnip and turnip. I can't understand his dislike of parsnip but I'm with him on the turnip!