Welcome to our very first Blog! This is our opportunity to share not only news from Harry's Choice, but anything else baby/toddler/child/food related. We hope you enjoy reading them...and will forgive any Blog newcomer faux pas!
So, as we approach the end of our 2nd trading year I thought it would be a perfect time to reflect and revisit the reasons Harry's Choice started back in June 2009.
The very first seed of an idea was planted in August 2008. Harry was 6 months old, ready for his 2nd stage of weaning and about to be whisked off for a family holiday in the Lake District.
Having been a big baby (9lb 8oz) and great feeder, he was ready for solids at 16 weeks. I didn't waste too much time with baby rice so we jumped straight into vegetable and fruit purees. Well, no one has ever had so much fun with a food blender and ice cube tray! Everything I gave Harry to eat was organic and home cooked. With the exception of broccoli (fair enough!), it was all wolfed down and soon Harry's clothes became stained a permanent shade of orange. No jar of supermarket baby food passed through our door...until the afore mentioned holiday!
We were going away with Harry's grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins and I knew that there would be more than one lunchtime pub visit whilst out and about. So, I picked up a couple of organic meals from the supermarket with the idea of adding to jacket potatoes at lunchtime. Tea time would be fine, I just planned to whizz up whatever we were cooking for ourselves.
The time arrived for our first pub lunch...Harry's jacket potato was garnished with a bright purple concoction...he looked at his plate...he looked at me...he looked back at his plate again...this was not going to plan..."Look darling, this is your yummy lunch. Better be quick or Mummy will eat it all up!"...Mummy tried...Mummy would NOT be eating it all up...and neither would Harry! Never mind, banana and rice cakes in the bag. Now imagine this scene repeated the next day, but with a bright green topping instead and you start to get the idea.
Harry would not be eating shop bought food, and I certainly would not be buying it again.
Back at home my mind was in overdrive. All I could think about were all the parents out there who wanted to provide home cooked meals for their children, but with every good will in the world just didn't have the time and so were resorting to baby ready meals that they would never want to eat themselves. For me, the food we give our very young children is so important to their health and development that I felt I just had to do something. I wanted to feed the children of the world...but South Norfolk seemed like a good enough place to start!
With this in mind I began reading all the government literature on running a catering business, which was quite daunting given that I didn't have a commercial kitchen at my disposal. However one meeting with my local Environmental Health Officer and I had the all clear to go for it! I gained a qualification in food hygiene and started to write 7-step cleaning guides for washing each item in my cupboard. My EHO also arranged for some sample meals to be tested at the UEA for shelf life and bacteria levels. These came back rated as being at the highest/safest standard.
Back at home my mind was in overdrive. All I could think about were all the parents out there who wanted to provide home cooked meals for their children, but with every good will in the world just didn't have the time and so were resorting to baby ready meals that they would never want to eat themselves. For me, the food we give our very young children is so important to their health and development that I felt I just had to do something. I wanted to feed the children of the world...but South Norfolk seemed like a good enough place to start!
With this in mind I began reading all the government literature on running a catering business, which was quite daunting given that I didn't have a commercial kitchen at my disposal. However one meeting with my local Environmental Health Officer and I had the all clear to go for it! I gained a qualification in food hygiene and started to write 7-step cleaning guides for washing each item in my cupboard. My EHO also arranged for some sample meals to be tested at the UEA for shelf life and bacteria levels. These came back rated as being at the highest/safest standard.
Everything else, as they say, is history. Harry's Choice was born. Right from the off, I was determined to only use organic ingredients and am very grateful to have a wonderful local supplier who sources fresh produce from across East Anglia for our seasonal menu. When it came to the packaging, I was not prepared to put our delicious meals into any old plastic pot. Instead we chose sustainably forested paper board containers from an environmentally friendly company.
So there you have it, the start of our little business in a nut shell...or Blog shell! In future Blogs I am planning to introduce you to our suppliers, offer serving suggestions for our meals, provide an insight into a day in the life of our kitchen and much, much more. But for now, just remember that when it comes to buying healthy, home cooked meals, there is a choice; Harry's Choice.
Thank you for reading, see you again soon
Amy x
www.harryschoice.co.uk
Probably the only Baby Food in the World I would be happy enough to eat myself!
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