Four easy recipes that turn tins into healthy dinners for tots during lockdown

Cash-strapped parents are struggling to cook meals from all the cupboard items they stocked up on for lockdown

Parents of young children across the UK have reported an average loss in household income of 38 per cent due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Families have faced no other option but to stock up on tinned and non-perishable items to keep costs down, but in a recent study of 1,000 parents of children under five, 4 in 5 admit they are struggling to find healthy recipes using these ingredients and are forced to opt for ‘old faithful’ dishes to keep their children fed. 

The poll, commissioned by Ella’s Kitchen, reveals Britain’s children are dining on a limited rotation of just five meals during the Covid-19 lockdown.

These meals are Spaghetti Bolognese, roast dinners, pasta with tomato sauce, chicken nuggets and bangers and mash.

When surveyed, parents admitted they’re at a loss with what to feed their children and admit to feeling pressure when it comes to feeding the family during these unprecedented times.

Almost half admit they’re worried about making sure their kids are eating healthy but with a lack of recipes and meal ideas out there, which make use of tinned items and non-perishables, parents are left with little option but to opt for old faithful’s.

To help parents during these challenging times, and to alleviate some of the pressure parents are facing, Ella’s Kitchen has created a series of recipes using ingredients most commonly found in our cupboards that parents are struggling to make healthy and nutritious meals with.

In the research, parents admit they’re sitting on a heap of non-perishables and the typical British cupboard currently consists of:

• 6 cans of tinned tomatoes  
• 6 cans of garden peas  
• 5 cans of sweetcorn  
• 5 cans of chickpeas  
• 5 cans of baked beans  
• 5 cans of tuna  
• 5 packets of pasta  

The Ella’s team, in collaboration with their infant nutritionist Claire Baseley, has developed a heap of family-friendly recipes based on the most common store cupboard staples that require few ingredients, are easy and fast to make, but also tasty and packed with goodness, and like all their recipes and products can be trusted to delight tiny tastebuds and tums.

The recipes cleverly turn the most common surplus ingredients found in our cupboards into: 

• Mini Fishy Pizzas
• Fish Pie (dairy-free)
• Cheesy Garlic and Herb Squares
• Easy Pea Soup 

You can find step-by-step instructions on how to make each recipe on the Ella’s Kitchen website here.

Ella’s Kitchen’s nutritionist, Claire Baseley said: “We can see that parents are struggling to find new ways to cook with what they have at their disposal and that’s why we’re continuing to help them come up with new recipes that will grow families’ repertoire of meals, offer plenty of variety and help kids get the nutrition they need.

“Inspired by the common supplies found in Britain’s cupboards, the recipe development team at Ella’s Kitchen has developed quick and easy family-friendly recipes that are simple to make, super nutritious + delicious. They’re also fit for the whole family – including little tums.’

Find out more about Ella’s Kitchen here.