She has been cooking since the summer and can cook better than a few adults I know. I allow her to do everything herself apart from touch sharp knives, touch raw meat and empty boiling water. When cutting things up she uses a butter knife so it can’t cut her and before she even entered the kitchen for the first time I got a pan and told her which bits on it she could touch and which bits get hot and will burn her if she touches them.

Aura is a very fussy eater and it got ridiculous in the summer, I was struggling to get her to eat cooked meals and I had tried everything. Then one day I thought “right lets try letting her help so she’s more interested and wants to eat it because she feels like she’s achieved something.” and I invited Aura to come and make spaghetti bolognese with me (I invited Elijah in too and he helped with a few meals but got bored) She squished the tomatoes up, she put the herbs and spices in, she stirred the mince until it was brown, she chopped up the ingredients and put them in, she was brilliant.

When we had finished, she sat down and ate every bite, we have been cooking together since, she barely needs help now. It also makes me happy because it’s an important skill that she can take to adulthood and when she’s older it’s something she can make if she’s hungry and there’s nobody around. 

So many people just don’t cook anymore and it’s sad. I’ve even learned things through cooking with Aura, I learned that I was a little bit of a lazy cook, I used to buy ready made sauce in jars and now the idea makes me cringe, the amount of money you save by making things from scratch is actually crazy and it takes less time than you’d think and it strengthens the bond between people because when Aura grows up and somebody asks her “what did you used to do with your mother?” or “who taught you to cook?” she will know I taught her and remember all those fond memories.