The Silver Spoon for Children – Favourite Italian Recipes

Now kids can get to grips with wholesome and authentic Italian cooking with these 40 recipes that have been adapted from the original Italian cookery bible, ‘The Silver Spoon’. All the recipes in this lively book have been adapted, written and tested by children’s cookbook author, Amanda Grant who is tirelessly enthusiastic about teaching the next generation how to cook. Suitable for children aged ten or older, the recipes are easy to follow and prepare with some occasional help from an adult. The book is divided into four sections; ‘Lunches and Snacks’, ‘Pasta and Pizza‘, ‘Main Courses’ and ‘Desserts and Baking’. There are also introductions on cooking safely, equipment, utensils and techniques, all laid out in a fun and accessible format.

There’s a wide range of inspiring dishes from a simple tomato burschetta to ravioli napoletana and tasty lamb chops. The recipes incorporate a wide range of abundant and simple ingredients to create cost-effective and nutritionally balanced dishes. Along with the step-by-step guide and entertaining illustrations created by Harriet Russell, the book is also highly informative of the heritage and traditions of the dishes, such as where pesto comes from. So this books is not only enjoyable but also educational with a sprinkling of geography, interesting facts and maths thrown in. In fact adults can also learn a thing or two from this book, for example I had no idea that margherita pizza was named after Queen Margherita in 1889, when her chef cooked her a pizza using ingredients that matched the Italian flag; red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil! The Silver Spoon for Children, undoubtedly makes cooking look breezy, exciting and uncomplicated – I wish adult cook books were a bit more like this!

Written by: Leila Sarraf