Add the tomatoes, stock cube and Marmite and season with pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile cook the carrots and the potatoes separately in lightly salted water until tender. MULTI-LAYERED SHEPHERD'S PIE An attractive variation on a traditional nursery favourite. This recipe makes one family-sized dish, or you can prepare several mini portions in ramekins or other small dishes as individual portions for your child.112 tablespoons vegetable oil1 onion, finely chopped12 red pepper, cored, seeded and chopped1 tablespoon parsley, freshly chopped450g/1Ib lean minced beef or lamb400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes1 chicken stock cube, crumbled1 teaspoon Marmitefreshly ground black pepper450g/1Ib carrots, peeled and sliced2 tablespoons double cream175g/6oz mixed frozen peas and sweetcorn750g/112Ib potatoes30g/1oz butter60ml/2fl oz milksalt and pepper to tasteSaute the onion, red pepper and parsley in the oil until softened Stir in the meat and cook until browned.

Add honey, and toss for two to three minutes as everything starts to glaze Finish with soy sauce and lemon juice Then add herbs at very end Serve immediately !. THERE was once a time when children ate largely the same food as their parents. Nowadays pre-packaged and processed foods tend to win out, but there's no reason not to serve up one of the old-fashioned favourites from time to time. Leaving the tail on the prawns, slice the body in half but do not separate.Heat oil in large frying-pan or wok Add the chicken strips and cook until white Add prawns, and toss them with chicken Add carrots and all the spices and toss Then add all the other vegetables Toss for 30 seconds. Chop the spring onions (white with a bit of green) into about three pieces De-seed the bell peppers and slice them into long strips. So wash fingers in cold water after cutting chillies.SPICE GIRLS SPICY STIR-FRYServes 53 de-boned chicken breasts250g/9oz tiger (large) prawns, in the shell1 bunch spring onions200g/7oz carrots100g/31/2oz mangetout1 bunch asparagus, peeled and cut in 5cm/2in pieces, blanched for 2 minutes in boiling salted water2 yellow peppers20 baby corn4 cloves garlic50g/2oz fresh ginger1 tablespoon finely crushed Szechuan pepper (available in any Asian speciality shops)3 pinches ground star anisea few ground fresh peppercorns1 teaspoon fresh red chilli (or depending on your taste!), finely sliced3 tablespoons dark soy sauce2 tablespoons honeyjuice of half a lemon1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped5 tablespoons sesame oilAsparagus, baby corn and mangetout should be blanched in boiling salted water - asparagus for two minutes, mangetout and corn for 30 seconds only.

Cut the chicken into fine strips, chop the garlic finely and slice ginger into julienne strips. Peel the carrots, then shave long strips of carrot with a vegetable peeler (these do not need to be cooked ahead of time). But equally, black peppercorns need to be freshly milled.Fresh chillies: One of the newest additions to the British table, initially creeping in as the essential ingredient of a salsa, but now being used with great brio in the Asianisation of home cooking, in Chinese and Indian-style dishes. Contrary to frequent claims that the seeds are the hottest part, they are not; but the membranes to which they cling most certainly are.

Black peppercorns have overtaken white in popularity, powdered white pepper now being associated in our memories with staleness. One of the most important ingredients in Chinese cooking, it's used to perfume dishes of duck, chicken and pork. You can always find it in specialist Asian stores.Ginger: Powdered ginger has been a standby of the British kitchen since medieval times, but it's only in the last few years that fresh ginger has been available. Peeled and finely shredded, it's an essential ingredient (with garlic and spring onions) in a Chinese stir-fry.Black peppercorns: The most used of all spices, and once extremely valuable; a peppercorn rent was no mean rent.