My kitchen’s been a kids’ playground recently.

As part of the process of writing a children’s cookbook, I’ve lassoed all the small people I can find to help with ideas, test recipes and star in photographs. It’s been unbelievably messy fun as well as enlightening. Even though I cook with my children all the time, cooking with kids I don’t know well has taught me lots about how to make it fun. I’ve also learned there are more benefits for adults in cooking with kids than I’d previously appreciated.

I’ve always cooked with my children, but I don’t say this smugly. On the contrary, I’ve always felt guilty that cooking was my preferred form of play. The truth is, I find it easier (and more enjoyable) to crack eggs and mix batter with my kids than getting down on the floor with toys or games.

But recently I’ve realised this is not such a terrible thing. Cooking with children is a brilliant chance to find out more about them, an opportunity to peer inside their heads. If that sounds like mumbo jumbo, it’s not meant be. Children’s food expert Fiona Faulkner had some lovely thoughts about this in a recent blog entitled Why mums SHOULD do the washing up this Mother’s Day. She argued that some of the best conversations she’s had with her children have been during “chop-n-chat” moments in the kitchen. Children (and adults, let’s face it) often find it easier to open up while semi-focussed on another task.

But, I hear you say, my kids just aren’t bothered about cooking. Maybe. But why not go that extra mile to encourage them to try? While making my book, I discovered that children I assumed had little interest in cooking - and I’m thinking of a particular group of pre-teenage boys - actually took to it with gusto when I was flexible enough to allow them to take the lead. And that’s what really gets children fired up about cooking, and eating for that matter. Hand over some control, let them decide what’s on the menu (or at least some of the ingredients) and you take a huge leap forward in making them want to get cooking.

But most important of all, you have to make cooking fun, so here are some tips that you might find useful. They don’t amount to rocket science. But they might help.

• Take a chill pill. Cooking with children is always messy and can be noisy and chaotic, depending on how many are involved. Accept that this is so and go with the flow. Clean up later.
• Give them a choice. Allow the kids to choose, within reason, what they cook or at least some of the ingredients. Pizza, fajitas, baked potatoes and even cakes offer ample opportunity for kids to choose what goes in. They relish this opportunity. After all, they don’t get to make many decisions of their own.
• Encourage mess. Kids love getting their hands right in there to touch, squidge and play with food. Choose recipes that involve getting mucky with rolling, kneading, dipping, cutting and decorating.
• Put on some music. Kids of all ages love music and it helps create a fun atmosphere in the kitchen. Music also keeps children distracted at times when patience is required such as when they’re waiting their turn to stir or while something is cooling.
• Be organised. If you’re cooking with a large group of kids, why make it a maths lesson? Prepare all the ingredients yourself before the session starts and have the necessary kit to hand. Save the weighing lesson for when you’re cooking one-on-one. Believe me - it will save lots of time and arguments.
• Take turns. Allocate tasks in an orderly way, giving each person something to do in turn. Screams of “that’s not fair it’s my turn” quickly turn a cooking session sour.
• Go with the flow. If a child wants to make a diamond-shaped pizza with a jam and cheese topping, let them do it. They might be a budding Heston.
• Involve grandparents. If you’re lucky enough to have older family members, encourage them to get together with the kids for a cooking session. Grandparents have precious cooking skills to share, and it’s often tricky for kids to find common interests with oldies.
• Just give them a task. Kids don’t have to cook a complete dish. Ask them to lend a hand with dinner by pounding spices, mashing potato or grating cheese. You never know, they might end up asking if there’s anything else they can do.

Here are two delish recipes the kids could help you cook this Easter. There’s pounding, rolling, grating and brushing involved and some scope for choosing the ingredients.

Fennel and pork meatballs with oven-baked orzo

This is definitely not a kiddie dish per se, but does contain key elements of kid food nirvana: pasta and meatballs. It’s perfect for children to help with as it involves grating citrus, pounding spices and rolling meatballs. The best part for adults - apart from tasting gorgeous and fragrant - is that it’s a one-pan job and does most of its cooking in the oven. Click here for the recipe.

Chocolate and raspberry twisters

I know filo pastry has something of the vol-au-vent about it - by that I mean it hardly reeks sophistication – but actually, it’s delicious and much less calorie-tastic than other forms of pastry. I still find its paperiness a wondrous thing to cook with and children enjoy painting on the absolutely essential slick of butter. Click here for the recipe. If you fear a chocolate overdose this Easter, replace the berries and chocolate with a filling of chopped apple tossed in vanilla sugar and cinnamon.