KELLY BROWN: Tackling my fussy eater is a recipe for fun '“ and for kitchen clean-ups

At the weekend my fussy-eater son ‘helped’ me make pumpkin soup as part of my efforts to increase the variety of food he consumes. I think he would just live on spaghetti bolognese if I let him!

Cooking is something he absolutely loves to do – especially chocolate crispie cakes – so I’m taking full advantage and together we will be cooking all sorts.

At first we made yet another funny face on the pumpkin – and a spider! – before moving on to the main task.

And my cunning plan most definitely worked at the weekend when he (eventually) tried the soup as we worked out whether it needed salt or not – and he had a few mouthfuls with Daddy afterwards.

He also asked if he could try raw onion (which he did – and no, he didn’t like it) and pinched a few bits of raw carrot (which he does like).

So it was the first in what I hope will be a string of minor victories to battle the fussy-eater, but it did leave a scene of devastation in my kitchen.

When you watch Saturday Kitchen everything is always nice and tidy as the chefs create their culinary delights. Mine looked like as though a hurricane had swept through!

This is compounded by my need to start stocking up on cubes of baby purees, and the fact some kind of winter nesting gene appears to have kicked in.

Suddenly I want to whip up a host of comfort foods to fill up my freezer so I’ve started a mini shopping list of meals I can make which will fit both criteria.

My daughter is really starting to get into this eating malarkey with sweet potato, yoghurt and butternut squash top of the favourites list.

But I need to start introducing chicken, fish and other meals so this weekend it will be out with the Annabel book to see what my son can help me to make.

I just need to prepare myself for another massive clean-up operation!