Matt Hazell Blog

We couldn’t resist it, the feedback we’ve got from the handy “pull-out” meal planner within the DVD has been fantastic, and as a result we decided to provide it to you on the website as well.

From next week, you’ll be able to use this handy on-line planner to devise your feeding plan for the coming weeks. This is an easy to use system that allows you to drag-and-drop all of the recipes from our website directly onto the chart for easy viewing and use.

To use the plan, just log into the site, and away you go! This planner is also great for recording the entire history of your child’s diet, just in case you need to present it to the doctor or health visitor.

In addition, it’s good for keeping track of likes and dislikes, along with checking what you fed at the last feed (very helpful for those who are sleep-deprived). It’s a perfect aid that you can print out and stick on the fridge or pin-board.

Last week saw the delivery of Easy Weaning, the first instalment of our new DVD series.

I drove down to pick these up, as I didn’t want them to get lost in the post (Not sure how you could lose half a ton of DVDs, but that’s not the point).

They look amazing, even better than we could have imagined. The soft-matt finish, and overall build quality is fantastic. It just makes you want to read it, and then pop in the DVD to watch. I can’t wait to start shipping it all around the world, and getting feedback from everyone.

So if you don’t mind, I would like to thank a few people, as without some of you we would be nowhere close to this milestone.

First, Jas, Fyl and Bailey for letting us film in your brilliant house and kitchen. It made the whole process even more enjoyable, regardless of the camera crew, lighting crew, sound crew, director and all the extras!

From the start we knew we needed to get someone who could be our expert, so I interviewed and researched for months before we met Lucy.

As soon as I met you, I knew we had the right person for the job. You’ve been a pleasure to work with, and it’s fair to say you’re much better on film than me, and your voice-overs are the best in the industry (according to Shoot You that is). Here’s to our exciting journey over the coming years!

Shoot You Productions www.shootyou.co.uk did an amazing job for us as well. A special thanks goes to Duncan who spent weeks editing over 20 hours of footage – you are Yoda in disguise, my friend!

To Matt and Paul who directed on the day, thanks again for all of your continued support – all this while Quint keeps the Twitter feeds coming!

Who needs a creative agency? Ahhh, well…we do! Big thanks goes to the gang at Theme Group, who designed our brand’s look-and-feel. You’re all a pleasure to work with, even if Luca is starting to take the place over (Mark, I’ll start to worry if he asks to put on a suit when we come to visit).

Rachel and Luca. All I can say is you’re the best, and I love you both so much. Thanks for believing, and for allowing me to express myself. We’ve got lots to do now, but I think the hard bit’s “In the Can” as they say.

Lastly, to all of you who’ve helped with the DVD and overall project. I hope you all like what we’ve produced and continue to inspire for DVDs 2 & 3.

When people ask what prompted me to start The Baby Chef, several reasons that spring to mind – the belief that there must be a simpler way to illustrate weaning, the feeling that a closer bond can be developed by sharing mealtimes, and the desire to take away parents’ natural concerns during this period.

But surely one of the main reasons anyone wants to feed their child fresh, healthy, homemade food is to ensure they get the best possible start to life? After all, anyone that knows me knows my passion for good food – but my desire to give Luca a healthy start is an even greater driving force.

And I think the importance of home cooked food is made even more prominent in the light of high profile studies showing how much sugar, salt and fat can be found in certain baby foods – and showing that cheeseburgers and biscuits can be more nutritious.

The Children’s Food Campaign survey carried out last year showed that certain baby foods had more sugar than chocolate digestives, while others contained more saturated fat per 100g than a McDonald’s quarter pounder cheeseburger.

Overall the survey revealed an incredibly high number of baby and toddler foods that were deemed high in saturated fat, salt and sugar. Only half the products were low in saturated fat, salt and sugar.

Studies like this do make me upset because our children’s health should be a priority. I just hope that we can show people that home prepared weaning food  can be simple to produce and cheap to buy, encouraging them to make the switch from the convenience foods that aren’t actually good for our little ones.

A full report on the survey, along with statements from some of the companies featured, can be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/may/04/baby-food-nutrition-claims

A Sainsbury’s survey has revealed that just under half of mums fear they won’t get their baby’s nutrition right, while 37.2% were concerned about knowing the right time to move them on to solids.

Other concerns highlighted by the study included what parents should feed their children once they had been weaned on to solids, how to persuade them to eat the right foods, and how to get value for money when shopping.