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A whopping 88 per cent of parents admit their child can be picky when it comes to eating, with ‘stressful’ and ‘frustrating’ being the words most mums and dads use to describe mealtimes

Mealtimes can be a minefield, no matter how old, adventurous – or hungry! – your kids are.  

As every parent knows, children’s appetites are just as unpredictable as them. What works well one day can be a total failure the next. Sometimes getting any food into them at all is a challenge. And vegetables? Don’t even think about putting them on the table… let alone their plates.

If you – like many of us – are tearing your hair out trying to get filling, nutritious meals into your little ones, don’t worry; you’re far from alone.

Research commissioned by Play-Doh, the much loved pre-school brand, has found that a whopping 88 per cent of parents admit their child can be picky when it comes to eating, with ‘stressful’ and ‘frustrating’ being the words most mums and dads use to describe mealtimes.

In fact, three-quarters of us are so fed up that we give in to our youngsters’ picky eating habits, with 55 per cent of parents allowing kids not to finish their dinner, 48 per cent letting them eat something else – and 44 per cent letting them sit in front of the TV instead of staying at the table.

The ways we try to get food into them are even more creative: 42 per cent of us tell them they can’t have dessert, 28 per cent pretend to eat their dinner ourselves, 26 per cent of try the aeroplane spoon technique – and 17 per cent resort to all-out bribery with toys or sweets.

Sound familiar? Well, if you’re among the 74 per cent of stressed-out mums and dads who’d do anything to put an end to the pickiness, you’re in luck – because, thanks to Play-Doh, help is at hand.

Play-Doh’s research team found that 53 per cent of little ones are less picky when they get to help choose what’s for dinner, and 32 per cent when they’re involved in preparing the food

And don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you go on a fancy cookery course, overhaul your kitchen or draft in an expensive chef for those demanding little diners. Nor is there any bribery – or fake aeroplanes involved (phew).

The solution is far simpler than that – and it all revolves around play.

Picky-eaters can discover a world of entertainment with Play-Doh’s Busy Chef’s Restaurant Set, which brings out the fun side of food through pretend play – and, in turn, will spark their imaginations when it comes to real-life mealtimes.

Whether it’s dreaming up imaginary menus, dishing up plates of make-believe meals, or pretending to be a chef, waiter or washer-upper in the busiest mini restaurant in town, there’s plenty to do for kids of all ages – and hours of fun to be had.

Watch them rustle up make-believe burgers, cookies, meatballs, chips and pretty much every type of fake fruit and veg under the sun.

And when it comes to colour, shape and size, the only limit is their imagination – so expect to be dished up pretend purple spaghetti, blue bananas and rainbow-coloured ice-cream!

Once they’ve made it in the Busy Chef’s Restaurant play set, you can be sure it’ll be far more appealing at the dinner table.

Play-Doh’s research team found that 53 per cent of little ones are less picky when they get to help choose what’s for dinner, and 32 per cent when they’re involved in preparing the food.

Spark their imaginations with everything from imitation pizza (which research found to be 40 per cent of families’ favourite meal) to the most controversial veggies around, including – yes, really! – Brussels sprouts, which 45 per cent of parents said was the hardest food to get children to eat.

Set your kids the challenge of coming up with the menu, making their own version of breakfast, lunch or dinner, or using the skills they’ve been practising with Play-Doh in the family kitchen – and those mealtime meltdowns will become a distant memory.

Play-Doh’s Busy Chef’s Restaurant Set brings out the fun side of food through pretend play

They’ll soon be chopping, mashing, mixing, tasting, trying, munching and smiling their way through every single meal.

If this sounds like music to your ears, you could even book a table at the Restaurant of Imagination, Play-Doh’s one-of-a-kind gourmet restaurant, opening for one day only this half term in an east London hot spot.

Play-Doh’s research found that 50 per cent of parents were put off from going out to restaurants by their children’s picky eating habits, but this one’s different.

Come along with your picky little eaters and let them unleash their culinary flair and creativity, providing the inspiration for a team of real-life busy chefs to turn their pretend Play-Doh creations into edible, family-friendly meals.

Once they get back home, they’ll be dashing to the dinner table and eating up – or, at the very least trying – everything you’ve served.

So, for clean plates, happy smiles and full tummies all round, turn mealtime into playtime with Play-Doh – and those picky eating habits will soon be a thing of the past.

TOP TIPS FOR PARENTS OF PICKY EATERS When it comes to real-life meals, there’s plenty you can do to make them feel excited by, and interested in, what’s on their plates.  
Here are five top tips for winning over picky eaters: 

Use colour to make food exciting. Try encouraging your child to ‘eat the rainbow’ throughout the week, by using a colour theme for their lunch or dinner each day. This is great for veg like peppers, carrots and sweetcorn, or fruit like mango and blueberries.
Let them choose their cutlery, crockery and glassware. Something as simple as changing the colour of the plate or using their favourite cup can make mealtimes happier (and little ones love using ‘grown-up’ cutlery as a special treat).
Don’t make mealtimes a mystery. Sit down as a family and plan the week’s food together, making sure you include a favourite – such as fish and chips on a Friday, or pizza and salad on a Saturday night – that everyone will enjoy.
Eat together. This is easier said than done during the week, but make sure you do breakfasts, weekend lunches and, if you can, a big Sunday roast with everyone sitting at the table together. Watching you eat will help encourage them to do the same.
Don’t demonise foods or avoid them completely. Whether it’s greens, peas or those dreaded sprouts, include them in small portions – such as diced up in a risotto or blitzed into a sauce – to get kids used to the taste, and slowly work up to small portions.

Book your table at Play-Doh’s Restaurant of Imagination HERE

Win a family ticket to a world of imagination at Peppa Pig World! Make memories, spark their imaginations – and have the ultimate family adventure on us, with your chance to win a fun-filled visit to Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park in Hampshire.
Meet Peppa and George, as well as all your other favourite characters from the TV show, and step inside a world of creativity, fun and laughter at the world’s first Peppa Pig World.
This amazing prize, for one lucky family, includes a day ticket for two adults and two children, and two nights at a four-star hotel near Paultons Park with dinner and breakfast included. You’ll also get a £250 travel allowance – and we’ll throw in £500 spending money, so you can stock up on plenty of goodies along the way (and even treat yourself to something from the gift shop).
When you get back home, the fun doesn’t have to stop.
Your little explorer will also receive a bundle of must-have Play-Doh goodies, specifically designed for creative play around make-believe food.
As well as the Play-Doh Busy Chef’s Restaurant playset, winners will receive an assortment of different Play-Doh playsets and a four-pack of classic colourful Play-Doh tubs, so you really can create the rainbow! Children are guaranteed never to get bored with this brilliant bundle, encouraging hours of imaginative play, thinking outside the box and dreaming up fantasy feasts for all the family.
For your chance to win an experience your kids will never forget, go online today to enter our incredible competition.
Visit metro.co.uk/play-doh and tell us in 200 words or fewer what your kids would create with the Play-Doh Busy Chef’s Kitchen playset!

Several new appointments are expected.

Police have been looking for him since last week.

‘Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the on-going Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.’