Stage three recipes (10 to 12 months)

Suitable for vegetarians
Makes 2 servings
Suitable for freezing

Ingredients
1tsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
A very small pinch ground parsley
1 bay leaf
125ml (4fl oz) sieved tinned tomatoes or passata
2 tbsp water
2 tsp grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp small pasta shapes

Method
Heat the oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Lightly fry the onion and carrot until soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside half of the mixture.

Add the parsley, bay leaf, tomatoes or passata and water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat, add the cheese and stir well.

In a separate pan, cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet and drain well.

Remove the bay leaf, then roughly mash the tomato and cheese mixture. Add the drained pasta and reserved vegetable mixture and mix well.

This is a very balanced meal providing protein, complex carbohydrates, calcium, fibre, zinc, iron, Vitamins A, B and C. For vegetarian babies, replace the minced lamb with another 50g of dried chickpeas, and any other vegetables you might have, such as carrots, or extra courgettes, and aubergine. A vegetarian version will provide calcium, zinc and iron, as chickpeas are high in these nutrients, and raisins are high in iron too.

Sauce is suitable for freezing
Keeps in the fridge for 24 hours
Makes 10-12 portions

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 small onion
200g lean minced lamb
100g raisins
50g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked according to instructions*
1 courgette, top, tailed and diced
1/2 an aubergine, diced
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
100g couscous (this makes enough for about 4 portions)
200ml low salt organic stock made up

* if you don't have dried chickpeas or you haven't had a chance to prepare them, use tinned (100g weight). Dried are preferable though as they have a slightly higher iron content.

Method
Dice the onion and garlic clove, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic, cook until soft then add the minced lamb. Break it up and mix it with the onions and garlic until all the meat is browned. Add the coriander, cumin and ginger. Dice the courgette and aubergine and add to the mixture and cook until soft. Add the chickpeas and raisins. And cook for a few more minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree and then leave the mixture to simmer for 30 mintues.

Couscous. Put it in a bowl and pour over the stock. Leave to stand for 10 mintues, then fluff up. Stir the coriander into the lamb mixture and puree or mash to the consistency you want. Serve the lamb stew and couscous (allow to cool first, check the temperature too just in case)

This is a delicious easy to make pudding. The fruits can be pureed together or separately. It's high in vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium, folate and zinc.

Suitable for freezing
Keeps in the fridge for 24 hours
Makes 2-4 portions

Ingredients
100g strawberries, washed and hulled
100g cherries, washed and destalked
4 tablespoons of full fat yoghurt

Method
Steam the fruit or boil in water for 3 minutes maximum. Remove from the heat and puree (you don't need to puree these fruits in water as they have high water content already). Allow to cool and stir into the yoghurt.