Child-friendly cooking: The crowd-pleasing dishes you need to know about

Egg fried rice

Child food domestic goddess Annabel Karmel upgrades plain leftover rice into this egg fried rice. She adds chicken, prawns and vegetables to make it a complete - and healthy - meal. She says: “This is a great, quick supper to throw together for all the family”. Serve it with chopsticks to keep little minds entertained.

Best for: Under 7s, picky eaters

Garlic bread meatball sliders

Feed these to a group of kids and watch them smile. Buzzfeed has this brilliant recipe for garlic bread meatball sliders. The combination of beef, tomato sauce, melted cheese and herby garlic bread will wow them for sure. Go light on the cheese for a healthier version. What are you waiting for?

Best for: Everyone (including the grown ups)

Carne asada tacos

Adventurous, older children will love these kid-approved carne asad tacos from Momtastic. Juicy meat, full of flavour and easy to make at their own taco party. Serve up as much as you like and watch them assemble. Provide bowls of homemade salsa and guacamole.

Best for: Older kids who are more adventurous (10+)

Chocolate zucchini cakes

These chocolate zucchini cakesfrom Today’s Parent look as pretty as a picture. Elegant and beautiful, but made with healthy zucchini, they say “while the taste is subtle, the addition of grated zucchini gives your cupcakes that extra moisture they need to make them the perfect dessert”.

Best for: A girls sleepover

Healthier macaroni cheese

All children love macaroni cheese, but regular versions have very little nutritional value. You could try adding a few vegetables (steamed broccoli, peas or courgettes) or go for this bacon and pea macaroni cheese by The Brewer & The Baker that is made with greek yoghurt as well as cheese. The peas add a bit of sweet flavour and a more healthy feel to complement the smoky bacon and creamy sauce.

Best for: A group of under 5s to eat with their fingers

Curry for children

If the grown ups are having a curry party, why shouldn’t the children join in? For an Indian-themed family feast Love Food have some great advice about how to get children of different ages to enjoy spiced food. They suggest starting with turmeric and get the children involved in cooking creating games around the spices they use. Once they are hooked, they will be fans for life. Serve a simple and sweet curry with heaps of garlic naan and pilau rice and put on some Bollywood songs to get them in the mood.

Best for: All ages. Get them used to eating spicy food as early as possible.