Hi all,

I post lots on baby and toddler but this is the first time I have ventured over to cookery! I hope that's ok. I'm not a massive sausage fan but I have recently had some lovely sausage casseroles out and about and I know it is one of my daughters favourite things to eat at nursery so I'd like to give one a try, without resorting to something processed and out of a jar. My daughter is only 16 months so ideally I'd like something simple and tasty with veggies in it and maybe a tomatoey sauce, but I am open to suggestions. Tbh, I find grilling sausages a real faff! I am more of a one pot wonder kind of woman and I'd love to be able to make something yummy for the 3 of us to eat and then maybe be able to freeze baby sized portions of the leftovers.

Any ideas? Thanks x

Similar to H's:

Sausages in oven dish with sliced onions, halved tomatoes, crushed garlic, couple of sprigs of rosemary or thyme, olive oil, slosh of balsamic vinegar, moderate oven 40 minutes, turning once, Robert's your father's brother.

You can add chilli if you little one can take it!  A can of cannellini beans would be spot on as well.

With mash/polenta/pasta/jackets/even rice.

cosmos:

Most important though is to buy decent sausages with a high meat content.

Without a shadow of a doubt.

I think there can be a tendency for some people to buy cheapo sausages, meat, other ingredients etc. when cooking for kids, as if their tastebuds aren't as refined and so it doesn't matter.  Quite wrong, I think.  I don't mean we should buy the finest organic produce available specially for them, but I do think we should at least buy them the same stuff that we eat.  As much so we develop their tastes so they eat the same when they're older.  Good on you, OP, for cooking the same things for your little one as you do for yourselves.  I'm sure the majority of folk on this forum who have kids do just the same, but I reckon there's a load of people who eat decent grub themselves but will plate up dinosaur fish shapes and alphabetti spaghetti to their offspring.

Re sausages - I've found that the best commercially available ones are Porkinson's.  If I haven't got any from the butcher in the freezer, these are what we invariably buy.

Fantastic ideas, thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

Nick, I am equally amazed at what some people feed their kids. I have made 90% of her food  myself since she we began weaning her and altho it's hard work it's really satisying. She now eats anything and everything but to cut my workload now I'm back at work I'm trying really hard to just give her portions of what we have, altho she has it the reheated the next day. It means that we're now eating better too, so that's a bonus!

Re. quality of meat, my parents have a farm so I am lucky enough to be provided with home grown sausages, mince, stewing beef and bacon.

Thanks again.

nick909:

I do think we should at least buy them the same stuff that we eat. 

Of course we should.

I don't doubt for a moment that Asian families feed their babies Indian/Chinese or other dishes. Mybe without as much chilli but I'm sure they don't go down the 'baby rice and rusks' route!

nick909:

alphabetti spaghetti to their offspring.