The Five O’Clock Apron

Who’s the author? Chef, mum of three and popular food blogger Claire Thomson.

What’s it about? Faced with the daily challenge of what to cook for her three young children, Claire Thomson made it her mission to inspire parents stuck in a teatime rut. Every day she makes a ‘proper’ tea, tweeting it at 5pm – from that her blog '5 O’clock Apron' was born and a popular Guardian column on cooking for children followed. Her cookbook 5 O'Clock Apron is packed full of some of her most popular teatime recipes.

Recipes we love: Pork Cooked in Milk, Pink Rice, Strawberry Leather and Beetroot and Chocolate Cake.

Good book for: Parents looking for tasty and healthy meal ideas for all the family to enjoy.

You’ll like it if: You're looking to freshen up your approach to cooking for your kids and get inspired with delicious new recipe ideas.

Claire wants to inspire other parents and invigorate the concept of family cookery. Cooking shouldn't be a chore, one meal for the grown-ups and another for the children. Claire's fresh, exciting meals are versatile and flavourful enough to please everyone around the table, encouraging parents to view food differently, to refresh their culinary imaginations and find real joy in cooking for their children. 

Featuring sections on milk, bread, grains, pulses, rice, vegetables, fruit and fish, 5 O’clock Apron will engage and empower parents. Not just a recipe book, but a way of thinking about how to shop, cook, eat and celebrate as a family, Claire provides a unique insight, as both a mother and a chef, into what really makes food appealing for children.

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