All Hands On Deck! Cooking With Your Kids Just Got Even Easier

It happened on the eve of my son's third birthday; we now refer to it as RiceKrispy-Gate. We had spent a lovely few hours shopping for ingredients, setting out the cake cases and stirring the chocolate goop that promised to be the piece de résistance of my painstakingly planned birthday display. If only I hadn't taken that phone call it could all have been so different. In the amount of the time I took to book a blow-dry, the entire birthday bonanza had unraveled into one giant catastrophe. Every rice-Krispy bun was smashed on the floor like one giant sticky explosion, and my son's little face was scrunched up in a pre-howl expression that was about to be released depending on my first reaction. It was obviously an accident; he had toppled the tray containing all the cakes, and it was totally my fault for turning my back. I suppressed the urge to run away or scrunch up my own face, and instead adopted my friendly, calm-mum tone, and his face instantly relaxed. We managed to salvage the birthday party, but it did put me off cooking with toddlers in tow. But it doesn't have to be so, now there is an online cooking app that can help you get your culinary kicks with kids of all ages, and it is easy peasy! The Cook and Play online cooking course gives quick and entertaining recipes you and your child can take on in the kitchen. It's part of the beginners program from Uncle Ben's that hopes to encourage parents to develop their kids cooking skills while also having fun. New research has shown that many parents are missing out on the opportunities to teach their children lifelong cooking skills: 86 per cent of parents surveyed said they felt very positive and content when they spent time cooking with their children, yet just 32 per cent of them actually spent time in the kitchen with the children once a month. Ambassador of the programme is TV personality, Lucy Kennedy;

"Cooking with my kids is something I want to do more of, but sometimes I don't have the time and then when I do I'm not sure what jobs the kids can take on. I am guilty of giving them jobs like setting the table. But, I tried the Cook & Play course online with Jack and Holly, and we all really loved it! Seeing the tangible result of eating something we all made together is really special."

I know my own husband's cooking skills are a result of being encouraged in the kitchen by his own mother. It made him very self-sufficient when he moved out initially. Obviously, I was very impressed when he would cook dinner for me while we were dating. It is one life-skill I really do want to pass down to my children. Even if it means a messy kitchen and a few hairy moments with the grater, I think the sense of achievement your child will get from creating something with Mummy and Daddy, makes it all worth it! Check out Uncle Ben's Beginners here and take a look at the Cook & Play programme from Uncle Ben's below: