I read somewhere that children are cautious about eating green things because in ancient civilisations this was a safety device to avoid eating poisonous plants. Sounds reasonable? It sounds plausible, but whatever the cause, some kids (and big kids as well) just don’t like greens.

More than ever, it is important that our kids eat a varied diet, and the best way I’ve found is to get them into the kitchen to cook. Once they take ownership of the food it becomes more palatable.

I don’t know any kids who don’t like making pancakes. The measuring, cracking eggs making a mess is a great source of fun. The whole thrill of standing over the hob with a wooden spatula trying to flip over a pancake is irresistible.

Not only are these courgette pancakes fun to make, but they can also entice even the hardened no -greens eater to be to taste them. The reaction will be a game changer.

Ingredients:

2-3 courgettes, about 250g

2 large free-range eggs

2 tablespoons self-raising flour

2 tablespoons milk

2 syboes (spring onions) trimmed and finely chopped

6 sprigs flat leaf parsley and 6 leaves fresh mint or basil, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

Corn or vegetable oil

Method:

Wash the courgettes and grate on a course grater.

Leave in a sieve over a bowl to allow any excess liquid to drain away. (Organic courgettes tend to have less water).

Break the eggs into a large bowl and beat with a fork.

Sieve in the flour and add the milk.

Beat everything into a batter.

Season with sea salt and pepper.

Add the grated courgettes, chopped syboes and the herbs.

Prepare a warmed plate with a sheet of kitchen paper to lay the cooked pancakes on.

Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a non-stick frying pan.

Heat the oil and add a teaspoon of the batter to check when it is hot enough.

When it starts to sizzle, the oil is hot enough.

Add 3 separate tablespoons of batter into the oil, leaving plenty of space between them.

Cook for 3 minutes or so until they start to look browned.

Turn and cook the other side for a further 2 minutes.

When both sides are well browned remove to the warmed plate and leave to drain.

Make the rest of the pancakes the same way, adding more oil to the pan if needed.

Keep the heat high enough to ensure the pancakes cook briskly to prevent them absorb too much oil.

Try with a drained tin of sweetcorn as an alternative.

Mary Contini OBE is a writer and Director of Valvona & Crolla ltd. We are happy to welcome you in our CaffèBar and shop again, open all day. Book and order online: www. valvonacrolla.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. www.richardsonsofwhitehaven.co.uk