• Measure the lemon juice and olive oil.
• Brush the aubergine.
• Season the aubergine.

Jake 5 years 4 months, James 2 years 8 months 

Aubergines are a very tricky one for me, because Jess doesn’t like them. I really should have done all of these recipes while Mum was here last year. But, Jake and James both ate aubergine as puree when they were babies. Jake heard Jess say she didn’t like it a long time ago, but he's remembered this and it took me a few goes to get him to try it. I’ve made the same mistake. Never say that you don’t like something, unless it's something you really don’t want them to eat, although that doesn’t seem to work when you talk about junk food. (Off the beaten track, I have always said, I love brushing my teeth, love it, and both of them say this with great glee when we brush our teeth together – putting the paste on the brush is another great game.) I finally had success with Jake when I cooked the Aubergine Pizza, but I forgot to cut back on the cayenne so it was too spicy for him. 

The great parental paradox is that to keep things simple you have to think about everything a lot. Or is that the problem, because I think (and worry, god I worry) about everything so much, am I over complicating the things I think I am making simple? Am I completely wrong to write about my kids' eating habits in the first place?