CHILDREN eat what they want for tea at least five times a week in almost a quarter of Scottish homes, according to official research.

The Scottish Government's Eat Better Feel Better campaign claims "many children are ruling the roost when it comes to mealtimes," after surveying 500 youngsters.

They found 13 per cent were allowed to choose their meals every single day and 23 per cent five times a week.

Tomato based pasta meals, such as spaghetti bolognaise, were a firm favourite with 54 per cent saying it was often on the table. This was followed by pizza, cheesy pasta, roast dinners and curry.

Chips were actually in sixth place, along with chicken nuggets, which just over a quarter said they ate them often.

The Eat Better Feel Better campaign said their findings "suggest that parents are reluctant to veer away from these tried and tested favourites".

The survey, conducted by YouGov, found 30 per cent of parents invited their children to try something new each week. However, more than four out of five of the children said they would try something new if it was served up for tea.

Judith McLean, a mother of two in her 40s who turned to a local community group to help broaden her childrens' diet, said the survey results were very familiar.

She said: "My two toddlers can be quite fussy about food with one preferring meat over veg and the other only wanting veg and no meat and I’ve often found it difficult to convince them to eat a well-balanced meal. I’ve lost count of the number of battles we’ve had in the kitchen and I understand why, as an exhausted parent, many of us give in and let the kids get their own way at mealtimes. I’ve even promised sweet treats as a reward for eating something healthier at a mealtime, which completely cancels out the benefits."

However, after seeking support Ms McLean said she was able to make changes.

She said: "It’s taken time, but some simple tricks like getting my four year old involved in meal planning and helping to prepare food makes her far more likely to try new things. We now sit down as a family on a Sunday and plan the week’s meals. By the time the meal comes around, the kids are happy to eat it because they’ve played a part in deciding what we’re having."

Eat Better Feel Better was launched by the Scottish Government in January last year to help families find easy ways to eat more healthily. It includes a website with recipes and tips, as well as roadshows and community group work with parents.

Scottish Health Minister Maureen Watt, who launched a new phase of the campaign at a Glasgow school, said: "For many families across Scotland, buying, cooking and eating healthy food can be a real challenge. By working with families across Scotland over the past year, we’ve helped many to make significant improvements to their daily diets, including dealing with fussy eaters and shopping on a budget to planning meals and finding time to cook."

Bailie Liz Cameron, executive member for children and young with Glasgow City Council, said: “This is a wonderful project for our schools, children and families to be a part of and tackling a number of worthy issues."