Tuesday 18 October 2011

My 5 year old loves Nigel Slater

Now I know that as a mum, it's my job to absolutely adore my children. To think they are the most amazing creatures to ever grace this earth and to think that the sun shines out of their behinds. But my 5 year old is growing up to be such an amazing person. He really is.

*warning: slushy, sentimental, gushing post about children ahead*

When I found out I was pregnant with my eldest, it was a bit of a shock. We'd talked about having a baby, even tried to conceive for a short while, but then life got in the way, other stuff happened and we put the whole baby thing on hold. We had plenty of time. So when I unexpectedly fell pregnant (a moment of passion *ahem*), we were both delighted and terrified.

We were so unprepared for becoming parents. We have to very quickly move out of our 1 bedroom flat and buy a 2 bedroom flat for starters. So the whole pregnancy was overshadowed with money worries and estate agent wheeling and dealing.

And then suddenly he was here. Our first-born child. A perfect baby boy with blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair. I fell utterly in love. Despite the breastfeeding issues, the persistent thrush, the continuing money worries.

And now 5 and a half years later, he rocks my world. He has this great little memory and remembers details we'd all forgotten a long time ago. His love of books absolutely thrills me and reminds me of me at that age.

And his new found obsession with cookery programmes, in particular Nigel Slater, makes me giggle so much. On a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, just before his little brother's witching hour is about to kick off, he'll ask in the most earnest of voices if he can watch some Nigel. He sits on the sofa transfixed by the images of whatever gorgeous foodie delight that Nigel is concocting. Sometimes he'll run through to me in the kitchen and impart some nugget of Nigel's wisdom, like "mummy, Nigel says if you add some lemon juice when poaching pears it stops them going brown" or last night it was all about ingredients "holding hands".

I love that he's found this little thing to obsess over. It's opening him up to new food and new tastes. He's never been a fussy eater, we've been lucky. But now he's talking about wanting to try crab and sweetcorn fritters and matching sweet with sour. So guess what we'll be making next weekend - yummy!

It's lovely to watch his world opening up. It's lovely to watch him growing up. It makes me so proud that he's beginning to find his place in the world and discovering his own tastes and opinions.

Stay true to yourself little man. You rock.

5 comments:

  1. What excellent taste he has! Lovely post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Clever chap!

    Now have you discovered My Daddy Cooks yet?

    ReplyDelete
  3. One of the highlights of my week is when we sit on a Friday night and watch Nigel Slater and prior to him Simon Hopkinson. I love that my boys have a passion for food and love to cook too

    ReplyDelete

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