In a desperate attempt to mature the palates of my children, I’ve started sneaking new flavours into family meals. 

My son approaches every suspicious ingredient with a sort of “he’s done it again…but I actually quite like it” optimism. My daughter meanwhile appears to have an advanced early-warning system somewhere in her frontal cortex. It can detect half a teaspoon of cumin at twenty paces and immediately triggers a full-body rejection response.

So imagine my delight when she took one bite from my latest meal and announced:

“This is the best dinner EVER.”

Being awarded an MBE by the King himself wouldn’t have come close. And the funny thing? I’d cooked it over a fire in the garden. 

Which brings me to a little experiment…