Cooking with kids: Easter edition

If you're stuck for something to do this Easter, cooking with your children can be a great way to bond, and great fun too!

We understand that you're not all budding Gareth Ramsay's though, so with a bit of help from MyDish, we've compiled a few tips and recipes to get you started. They're easy too, so even those of you whose idea of 'cooking' consists of pouring the water on a Pot Noodle will be able to join in.

• Preparation is everything when cooking, so get everything organised before you start. Clear an area in the kitchen where you can prepare ingredients, and make sure it's clean. If the kids are helping, make sure you wash their hands - and yours too!
  
• When cooking with kids, it's really important to have lots of patience - remember, it's all about having fun, not creating incredible food, so if things go a bit pear-shaped or messy, just try to laugh it off.
  
• Tidy as you go - if you tidy things up as you go along, you'll have less to do at the end. There's no point looking after the kids if you leave your partner with a ton of clean-up work to do afterwards!
  
• Finally, make sure you let kids get involved, but only when it's appropriate. So stirring a bowl of melted chocolate (as long as it's suitably cooled) is great. Letting them cut pastry with sharp knives? Not great. Just use your common sense really.

This one's great fun, and doesn't even need the oven!

Difficulty: Super easy!
Prep Time: 0hrs 15 mins

Ingredients:
5 Shredded Wheat
75g Milk Chocolate (cooking)
75g Plain Chocolate Grated
50g Butter
3 tbsp golden syrup
mini candy coated eggs

How to make them:

1. Crush the shredded wheat into a bowl with your fingers. Break the chocolate into pieces and put into a saucepan together with the butter and golden syrup and melt over a gentle heat. When using the hob, use one of the back burners so the kids can't grab the saucepan handle or accidentally burn themselves.

2. Line two baking sheets with non stick baking paper. Stir the shredded wheat into the chocolate mixture and spoon 8 mounds onto the baking sheets, shaping into rounds with dips in the centre. Kids will definitely enjoy helping with this bit!

3. Chill in the fridge for several hours until set, then peel off the nests carefully and fill with mini eggs. Delicious!

This recipe is a bit more advanced. It may seem weird to make these Easter classics when you can get them so cheap in the shops, but believe us, they're worth it.

Difficulty: Medium
Prep time: 1hr 45 mins
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Large Egg beaten 
7½ Fl oz Warm water 
½ oz Fresh yeast 
1 tsp Sugar 
2 oz Strong white flour 
For the dough:
1 lb Strong white flour 
1 tsp Salt 
2 tsp Ground mixed spice 
3 oz Butter cut into cubes 
3 oz Sugar 
1 Lemon - zest only 
6 oz Mixed dried fruit 
2 tbsp Plain flour 
Oil for greasing 
1 tbsp Golden syrup gently 
heated for glazing

How to make it:
Make the Ferment Starter:

1. Combine the beaten egg with enough warm water to give approximately ½ pint of liquid.

2. Whisk in the yeast, sugar and flour, cover and put in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Make the buns:

1. Sieve the flour, salt and spice into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre and put the sugar and lemon zest in the well. Pour on the ferment starter.

2. Gradually draw in the flour and mix vigorously, then knead to a smooth, elastic dough.

3. Carefully work in the mixed dried fruit.

4. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a warm, greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

5. Turn out the dough and knead to knock out any air bubbles and give an even texture.

6. Shape it into a ball again, put back into the bowl, cover and put back to rise for another 30 minutes.

7. Turn out the dough and divide into 12 even pieces. Shape them into buns and leave to rest for a few minutes covered with the tea towel.

8. Place the buns on a lightly greased baking sheet.

9. Slightly flatten each bun and then cut into quarters, cutting almost all the way through the dough, so that as each bun rises, it has a well-marked cross on it.

10. Grease a large polythene bag and place the tray with the buns in it and tie the end. Put in a warm place and leave to rise for 40 minutes.

11. Meanwhile, heat oven to 240C.

Make a paste for the crosses on the buns:

1. Mix the plain flour and 2 tbsp cold water until it is soft enough to pipe through a nozzle.

2. Remove buns from the polythene bag and pipe a cross on each bun.

3. Bake the buns for 8 -12 minutes or until risen and golden.

4. Brush the buns with hot golden syrup as soon as they are ready. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

All recipes kindly supplied by My Dish. To read more of their Easter recipes, click here. If you want some advice on preparing and cooking family meals, check out thier family recipes section!