Home cooking

[sam411]

Hi just a quick question, obviously most childminders advertise that their food as all home cooked, but just wondering to what extent people do their home cooking. For example if making your own lasagne does everyone make their own cheese sauce or tomato based sauce, or do some people use jars for sauce?? Is this frowned upon to use jars in a 'home cooked' dish??. Sorry to sound trivial but every little thing is popping into my head and stressing me out lol. Thanks x

[Maza]

I make my own sauces. I force myself to do it and I know it benefits my family as well. I only work three days a week and so I know that for those days we eat really healthily - not always true for the rest of the week! I say to parents that I don't make my own pasta, bread or stock but everything else is home made,( I think!)

[Kiddleywinks]

I make my own sauces too, but I do have a jar or two as well.

If I have the time, and the inclination , I do tend to batch cook and then freeze it.

I did do a pasta bake with a jar and most of it was left, with a lot of funny 'eurgh' face pulling going on so that convinced me 'my way' was best

[Bridey]

I do a mixture of both but make sure that if I do buy a jar sauce that it contains the same sort of ingredients as if I've made it myself.

[pillows]

I too make all my own sauces, I sometimes batch cook and put the sauces into portion sized containers and freeze this helps a lot.
I also freeze some meals that I have freshly cooked , but I always make parents aware of this when I sign contracts , as it gives me more time with their children but that is probably over a month maybe the equivalent to 4/5 meals I give all parents a menu at the beginning of the week and they know it is subject to change as it depends if the weather is really nice instead of me having to be home by possibly 1.30pm to start preparing tea I can get back by 3pm and just serve something I have taken out of freezer in the morning (I then just add to daily diary menu changed at tea due to going out this is what I had ??)
If taken out of freezer I always probe test it before serving , just make sure you follow your food safety guidelines.
HTH
Caz

[AliceK]

I do a bit of both, I like to make my own tomato based sauces but also sometimes use a jar, plus I also buy things from a local farm shop which are proper home made things. If you read the ingredients there are no funnies in there just normal food stuff. The taste of their food is just divine. I love my farm shop and don't feel guilty if I give the children something I buy in there
My rule of thumb with food is that I will never give the children anything I wouldn't eat myself so where meat is concerned I am very fussy and never buy for instance cheap sausages, or cheap mince or cheap chicken.

xxx

[Katiekoo]

I dont claim to parents that I home cook everything, but there is an expectation that meals will be more than just fish fingers beans and chips every night. I do 'cheat' quite a lot, just little things that make meals quicker or easier to prepare. I like batch cooking and freezing in portions, I buy frozen vegetables, pre grated cheese, pre prepared fresh veg, sometimes a jar of sauce etc. I usually serve better food when I feed mindees, than I would normally make for my family!

[kellib]

I dont claim to parents that I home cook everything, but there is an expectation that meals will be more than just fish fingers beans and chips every night. I do 'cheat' quite a lot, just little things that make meals quicker or easier to prepare. I like batch cooking and freezing in portions, I buy frozen vegetables, pre grated cheese, pre prepared fresh veg, sometimes a jar of sauce etc. I usually serve better food when I feed mindees, than I would normally make for my family!

I'm the same! My parents don't mind if the kids have fish fingers, which they do have occasionally!, but I always feel guilty about it so make something 'proper' the next again day.

I only do lunches but still like to give them a hot meal, sometimes that's just soup and bread, sometimes it's leftover from whatever we've had for tea the night before (pasta dishes, noodles etc), the other day I got the kids involved in making scrambled eggs, easy to do and they ate every mouthful because they made it!

[sam411]

Thank you everyone for the replies, have to say cooking is one area I'm not too keen on, I'm not the best cook but its ok with my kids but not for other paying people's lol. Lucky my husband is a chef, think I will get him to give me some lessons! Thanks again x

[kindredspirits]

well lasagne white sauce is about the only sauce i do buy - i just cannot manage a nice white sauce!! but i enjoy cooking and do only home cooking for my family as well.... i even make our own bread and rolls and ice cream!

[pinkellifun]

Will anyone share their sauce recipes? I have yet to find one that I really like from cookery books.

Thanks

[sam411]

pinkellifun Will anyone share their sauce recipes? I have yet to find one that I really like from cookery books.

Thanks


I was thinking the same, glad you asked too hehe x