Earlier this month Big E reached the grand old age of three. To help with my party preparations I was very kindly sent a copy of Annabel Karmel’s ‘Complete Party Planner’.
Being a bit of a recipe book addict I’m no stranger to Annabel Karmel’s books and website. When I was weaning Big E I used her ‘Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner’ and ‘Top 100 Baby Purées‘. I also have copies of her ‘Superfoods for Babies and Children’ and ‘Favourite Family Recipes’. The Party Planner makes a fitting addition to my (fit to burst) bookshelf.
The planner contains recipes for all sorts of occasions. Birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, Bonfire Night, Mother’s Day, picnics Easter and barbecues are all featured. There are also ideas for themes and games thrown in for a bit of extra inspiration.
I was catering for five children aged between 2 ½ and 4 years old. and wanted to keep my menu as simple but as appealing as possible.
With time being of the essence (as the party was scheduled for 11am) I decided to make a few easy recipes from the book and add basic sandwiches to fill out the menu. I had a whirl at making the ‘Bashful Sausage Hedgehog’, the ‘Crudités with Annabel’s Dip’ and the ‘Cucumber Crocodile’.
Many of Annabel’s recipes have great visual appeal which is popular with children. These recipes did not disappoint. They are perhaps a little more fiddly and time consuming to make than I expected but the look on Big E’s face when he saw the hedgehog and crocodile was worth the effort.
By far and away the best thing I made from the book (taste wise) was a cake. I used the recipe for ‘The Three Bears Cake’ and turned it into a Thomas and Friends extravaganza instead. I was complimented a lot on it’s taste and texture. Was that down to Annabel’s recipe? Probably, but I’d like to think that my baking skills (ahem) were partly responsible too.
This book will certainly be used again and again in our household and the cake recipe is my new favourite. My one niggle would be that Annabel’s recipes sometimes have a lot of ingredients and often they’re things that I wouldn’t usually purchase. This for me meant I spent more than I would’ve liked on making the food.
Overall, If you’re looking to make something a little bit special that will appeal both visually and taste wise to children then I would certainly recommend this book. Just make sure you leave yourself more time to cook than I did!
The ‘Complete Party Planner’ is currently available online through Annabel Karmel’s Amazon Store for £7.96 (RRP £12.99) with free delivery.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like it was worth it and that's the main thing.
My girls grew up on Annabel Karmel recipes. I'm always in a rut and she always has really good ideas.
I have used Annabels receipes and find some of the basic ones to be a life saver. Infact I made my first ever cheese sauce from her books, but my niggle is the same as yours, sometimes there are far too many ingrediants, plus when you are cooking I tend to have a child by my side, so time and ingrediants are of the essence for me.
Sounds good – like most of us I have an AK book and always turn to her to remember the proportions in a cheese sauce but like everyone else I also think that she often uses complex recipes that aren't easy to prepare with a child howling for their dinner.
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