Kids’ Kitchen: Animated food that’ll be a hit with the young ones

By Susan Welsh

May 31 2020, 6:00pm

Strawberry ladybirds.

Eastenders star Jacqueline Jossa creates recipes inspired by some of the nation’s favourite TV shows

Celebrity parent and queen of the jungle, Jacqueline Jossa, teamed up with streaming service NOW TV to help keep children entertained at home.

She took centre stage in a cook-along video demonstrating how to create afternoon-tea recipes inspired by some of the nation’s most-loved shows.

Jacqueline said: “I’m no cooking pro and often have to wing it, that’s why we’ve created these fuss-free and easy to follow recipes for everyone.”

(Makes 10)

Heat the oven to 220c/200c fan and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Unroll the puff pastry and brush with the beaten egg.
Make sure the pastry has the short sides at the top and bottom of your workspace.
Sprinkle half the cheese over the top half of the pastry.
Add some pepper, then fold the bottom half up to cover the cheese.
Brush one side of the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
Use a rolling pin to gently press down and roll over the top of the cheese. Make sure it’s all stuck down. Cut the pastry into 2cm wide strips.
One by one, twist the two ends of the strips in opposite directions. Then, place each one on the lined baking tray.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and leave to cool on the sheet before serving.

(Makes 12)

Cut the strawberries in half, from top to bottom. Cut a small V-shape to remove the green leafy top. Place the strawberries on a large plate.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave in bursts of 10 seconds, stirring in between until smooth.
Spoon the melted chocolate into a piping bag and make a small cut at the top so only a little chocolate comes out at a time.
Draw a line of chocolate down the middle of each berry. Pop a few dots of chocolate on either side of the line. Put a little bit of chocolate into the V-shape.
Carefully add a blueberry to make the ladybird’s head.
Pop in the fridge for 20 minutes until the chocolate becomes firm.
If you don’t have a piping bag you can make a cone out of parchment paper instead.

(Makes 6)

2 big pots of shop-bought or ready-made hummus
A selection of vegetables such as baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, broccoli, asparagus
A few springs of parsley
6 very well washed little plant pots

Wash and prepare your vegetables.
Take your washed plant pots and check if there are holes at the bottom.
If so, cut a little circle of baking paper and place inside the pot. Fill each pot with hummus.
Push a few veggies into the hummus and “plant” a few sprigs of parsley alongside.
For an extra fresh look, make a little hole at the top of each carrot.
Spoon in a little hummus, and stick in some parsley to make it look like real leaves. That’s it – dig in and don’t let Mr McGregor catch you!