I remember fondly the year before I commenced my training as a registered nurse and midwife. I was employed as a nannie for a high profile American family based in the UK. It was a role that was challenging at times, but hugely rewarding. I have so much admiration for the wonderful people involved in caring for children, helping to shape their futures.
We all recognise the importance of food and nutrition to the well-being of growing children. We also know how boring food can appear to the active child and the difficulties we can face when introducing them to new tastes, when all they want is to have fun.
This is exactly what Taste’n’Tell is about. ‘Making kids’ food fun’. Taste’n’Tell allows you to introduce healthy food samples, which are placed in a hygienic container, within a book. The book has a base to allow other books in the series to be used as well. There are five characters, each representing the main food groups. Holly honeybee (fruit), Veggie vole (vegetables), Millar mouse (grain), Beefy bear (protein) and Darcey dragon (dairy).
The characters go on adventures, discovering their favourite foods and having lots of fun along the way. The book uses vivid photos of food, entertaining rhymes written in an educational font, and a call to action to try the healthy food within the pod. An experience that encompasses all the senses, Taste’n’Tell also features a reward chart with stickers, adding to the fun and feeling of achievement.
At the start of this piece I mentioned my time spent as a nanny, and my admiration for those of you who carry out this role. My experience during that time, along with my more recent role as a parent then grandparent, have clearly helped to shape our vision for Taste’n’Tell.
Our grandson Daniel has the same personality and zest for life as his parents. It was Daniel who initially inspired the idea of Taste’n’Tell. He recently celebrated his third birthday, and has been enjoying his ‘mock up’ Taste’n’Tell book since age two.
We devised this book to encourage him to eat his vegetables at a time when he wasn’t interested in trying new food. Broccoli for example was a no go area. On one occasion, when Ronnie and I were looking after Daniel, we were trying to encourage him to try a piece of broccoli. Exasperated, I decided to place the vegetable covered in foil inside the flap of a new lift the flap book. I conjured up a character in my head who loved broccoli and wanted him to try it. Suddenly, Daniel couldn’t wait to find out what ‘Veggie vole’ had placed in the book and to our surprise he lifted the flap, found the broccoli, popped it in his mouth, then asked for more.
This was our eureka moment, as Ronnie and I looked at each other, an idea quickly forming. And so, Taste’n’Tell was born.
We’ve had really enthusiastic responses to the product at events we have attended, including picking up two awards. One for best new product, awarded by MiniMe and Luxury at the Birmingham Baby show and 3rd place in the Manchester Childcare Expo Star Product Award. It has shown us that there is a need for more products aimed at healthy eating and literacy, and we can’t wait to reveal our plans for the future.
You can watch clips of Daniel enjoying the Taste’n’Tell experience at:
Daniel loves it. We hope you do too. 😊