4+ months

At first you will be offering any of the below either alone or mixed with baby rice. Below the individual cooking methods, I have given suggestions for mixing the different flavours together.

Stewed Apple

Wash and peel 3-5 apples (depending on size). I always use normal eating apples (as opposed to cooking apples) as these are sweeter and you can experiment with the different varieties.

Remove all the core and cut apple into chunks (the smaller the chunks the easier it will be to mash).

Stew the apples in a small quantity of water. You may steam if prefered (if you do not have a steamer, you can still steam them by placing in a sieve over a pan of water and putting a lid over the top). However, I have found that stewing the apples works best as the extra water helps soften the apples quicker, thereby removing less of the flavour.

When apples are soft enough, remove from the pan and place either in the liquidiser (or other suitable device) for pureeing, or into a large bowl for mashing. At first you will need to add some of the cooking water to reach the desired consistency as baby's first foods should be fairly runny but as baby gets used to proper food, you should find you are not using any additional water at all.

Pear

Wash and peel 4-6 pears. Remove core and pips and cut into manageble chunks.

Steam or stew the pears in a small amount of water until soft. If you do not have a steamer, you can still steam them by placing in a sieve over a pan of water and putting a lid over the top.

When pears are soft enough, remove from the pan and place either in the liquidiser (or other suitable device) for pureeing, or into a large bowl for mashing. Add some of the cooking water if desired to reach the right consistency for your baby (see apple puree for details).

Plum

Carefully remove the skin and the stones from about 6-8 plums. I have found the easiest way to remove the stone is to slice the fruit away from the stone until there is no more fruit (or until you cannot get any more without slicing your finger!)

Steam the plums until soft enough to mash.

Mash or puree.

Carrot

Peel 3-4 large carrots and chop into manageable chunks.

Steam the carrots over a small amount of water until soft and tender. If you do not have a steamer, you can still steam them by placing in a sieve over a pan of water and putting a lid over the top.

Mash or puree the carrots, using boiled water if necessary to reach the desired consistancy.

Sweet Potato

Peel 1 large sweet potato and chop into manageable chunks.

Steam or boil the sweet potato until soft.

Mash or puree to the desired consistancy, using some of the cooking water if necessary.

Courgette

Wash 3-4 courgettes and slice finely. You do not need to remove the seeds.

Steam courgette slices for about 5 minutes, until soft enough to mash or puree. If your baby is over 6 months, you could also fry the courgette in a small amount of olive oil, rather than steaming, for a more varied taste.

Mash or puree the courgette.

Butternut Squash 

Peel 1 small-medium butternut squash and remove all the seeds.

Chop into manageable chunks and steam or boil until soft and tender.

Mash or puree to the desired consistancy, using some of the cooking water if necessary.

Parsnip

Suggested food combinations

Prepare all foods as above and mix cubes together in equal quantities (or as you wish depending on which flavour(s) you wish to be prominent in the meal). If you defrost 3-4 pots of savoury for each day, you can mix and match at lunch and tea without duplicating the meal exactly. For example: sweet potato, broccoli and carrot could make sweet potato, broccoli and carrot for lunch (one cube broccoli + spoonful each of carrot and sweet potato) and carrot and sweet potato for tea (the balance of the cubes). This works better when baby's appetite increases but can be adapted for earlier by filling the cubes to a lower level than the 70ml max. 

Apple and Pear .

Banana and Avocado - neither of these need to be cooked. Simply cut off about one quarter of the banana and mash straight into the bowl. Cut the avocado in half and scoop a couple of spoonfuls of the soft flesh into the bowl with the banana and mash together.

Avocado is quite filling and has a strong taste so even when your baby's appetite increases you should need no more than one quarter to one half of the fruit. A good tip to remember is to leave the stone in the half that you are leaving, then wrap in clingfilm or place in a freezer bag and pop in the fridge. This will keep the avocado from going brown for at least a day.

Carrot and Cauliflower

Carrot, Cauliflower and Broccoli

Cauliflower and Broccoli

Sweet Potato and Carrot

Sweet Potato and Broccoli

Sweet Potato and Potato Mash

Broccoli and Carrot

Broccoli, Carrot and Mash Potato

Mash Potato with Carrot and Sweet Potato

Courgette, Mash Potato and Cauliflower

Broccoli, Cauliflower and Courgette

Carrot and Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash and Cauliflower

Butternut Squash and Potato Mash

Swede and Potato Mash

Swede and Potato Mash with Courgette

Butternut Squash with Swede and Potato Mash and Carrot

Swede, Courgette and Broccoli

Butternut Squash and Courgette with Mash Potato

Carrot, Courgette and Broccoli

Swede and Parsnip Mash

Parsnip and Carrot

Cauliflower and Swede

Butternut Squash, Marrow and Avocado

Mash Potato, Carrot & Butternut Squash