Whenever I am interviewed about cooking for food poverty I always say that parents with little money can’t afford to take the chance of cooking something their kids may not like. They have to play it safe because if it goes in the bin there’s no alternative.

So, imagine my fury when I made a brilliant Biryani for my budget menu and my own kids refused to eat it.

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Zoe and Joe’s food preferences vary enormously. Zoe loves lentils, Joe says, ‘Lentils taste like dust but I actually quite like the flavour of dust. So lentils are worse than dust.’ Joe likes eating fish eyes, Zoe eats snails. They would rather die than swap plates.

One thing they both love is rice so I knew I was on to a winner with my biryani. I used turkey mince instead of chicken fillet to keep the costs down and both Ged and I were amazed at just how good it tasted.

500g mined turkey thighs
450g basmati rice, washed thoroughly
1tbsp garlic paste
1tbsp ginger paste
200ml milk
3tbsp plain yoghurt
60g butter
Sunflower oil for frying
1 onion

The following spices
Cinnamon (stick or powder)
Paprika
Cloves
Fennel seed
Cardamom

You will need a large, lidded, ovenproof pan or pot and tin foil to cover.

Pre heat oven to 180c/350f/gas 4

Fry turkey mince in a little oil and butter until dry. Add minced garlic and ginger (or chopped garlic and grated frozen ginger).

Next add the salt and spices and mix in.

Add the yoghurt to the meat.

Add a little paprika (or turmeric) and cinnamon to the milk.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add rice and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse.

Grease the ovenproof pan with butter and layer the rice and meat mixture. Pour over the spiced milk.
You can dot the rice with sultanas or a few cardamom pods if you like.

Cover the biryani with foil, put the lid on and cover again with foil to seal.

Bake for 1 hour then turn off oven and leave to stand for 20-30mins.

Garnish with fried onions to serve.

So why did my children refuse to eat it? I found this cardamom pod on the side of Joe’s plate and asked, “Do you not like the rice because it has whole cardamom in it?”
Joe replied, “I like the cardamom. I just don’t like the rice.”
Zoe said she didn’t like meat mixed with rice, she preferred her meat separate. Joe agreed.

I snatched their plates, threw their dinner in the bin and slammed about the kitchen trying to think of something else to give them. No wonder mothers feed their kids with fish fingers or chicken nuggets ever night.

When I wrote EATING MY WORDS I did so on Thursdays as it was my only free day. Writing about all the fabulous food I had the opportunity to cook when I was a Private Chef inspired me to make a real effort to make something delicious for my family on Thursday evenings.

If I had a pound for every time I have thrown dinner in the bin on a Thursday; if I had a pound for every tear of frustration and guilt I had cried then I wouldn’t need a bloody book advance.

My kids are lucky that I could find something else to give them. Many of the families I’m working with are not so fortunate and if a few of those mums have thrown plates at the wall from time to time then I completely understand their frustration.

By the way, I’m already feeling guilty about writing this because my kids are great (I love the fact that they eat snails and fish eyes) but it was a momentary frustration that I think a lot of mums will recognise hence I had to write about it. Sorry kids. Love you.