Kids

In a small upstairs room in Battersea Arts Centre, a group of apple-cheeked young children in matching blue tabards are being asked to identify a knobbly yellow fruit by a vivacious young woman clutching a stuffed anthropomorphised pea pod. ‘Who knows what these are?’ she cries. Three tiny arms shoot up. ‘Lemons! That’s right.’ And what about this? A tomato! Great! Now lets see how many we can find hidden around this room…’

The youngsters race off and come back with armfuls of red and yellow fruit which they then go about sorting into appropriate containers. Next it’s time for a song. ‘Cauliflower is good for me,’ the children sing to what I can just about discern to be the tune of ‘Old McDonald’. Feature continues

This is Mange-Tout, the latest kiddie craze to sweep through the more bourgeois enclaves of south London and I have dragged Max (aged two and a half) along to test its core philosophy: that by encouraging children to play with their food they’ll grow to love, even eat, fruit and vegetables.

Lucy and her ingenious fruit 'n' veg based games

Started by 28-year-old Lucy Thomas last August with a few trial sessions in Clapham, it already hosts classes in Clapham, Battersea, Dulwich and Putney, with others planned in Sheen and Fulham. The empire won’t stop there. Longer term there will be cookery classes; a touring group to go into nurseries; a book of songs, advice and recipes, due to be published at the end of the year; and, if that all goes well, an organic café for parents and kids.

‘I was a nanny for ten years,’ says Thomas, ‘and spent a lot of time being paid to feed children. I realised there wasn’t anything in the market that helped parents.’ Unlike some best-selling parenting guides, the Mange-Tout approach is not about making already stressed parents feel guilty about their shortcomings, but takes the grown-ups’ side. The songs, games, and baby talk may be aimed at the 18- month to four years bracket, but the nutrition sheets, recipe suggestions, newsletter and general camaraderie are about providing advice and support for parents.

‘So many parents feel that they are failing in their battle with their children and food. Busy mums don’t have time to sit and sift through recipe books, and it’s all very well saying things like “get your children involved in the cooking”, but a lot of parents don’t have time. Mange-Tout is trying to offer simple approaches that aren’t going to take up the whole of the day.’