Feeding / 21 October, 2026 / Ellie Thompson

21 Quick Fire Questions For My Baba Awards Judge Annabel Karmel

What happens when you put the queen of children’s food, Annabel Karmel, in the hot seat? We asked our My Baba × The Baby Show Awards judge 21 quick-fire questions, and the answers did not disappoint.

Parenting product you couldn’t have lived without?

My app, with over 1,500 recipes, from first foods to quick, easy family meals.

Most overrated parenting product?

A baby wipe warmer.

One thing you bought for your child and never actually used?

Dr Brown’s formula mixing pitcher.

Best parenting hack you’ve ever discovered?

I put ingredients into a Magimix, like chicken thigh, with grated apple, breadcrumbs, onion, herbs and a little egg. Whiz them together, then roll into balls and cook in an Airfryer or the oven, easy for little ones to feed themselves, packed with good nutrition, and my son wouldn’t eat chicken until I combined it with apple.

Your parenting superpower?

Getting children to eat food they’ve rejected on sight, with absolutely no prior experience tasting it!

Your parenting kryptonite?

My own children asking what’s for dinner, then suggesting a takeaway. Tough crowd for someone who has written 50 cookbooks!

What’s always in your bag?

Jellycat soother.

One parenting rule you’ve completely given up on?

Not sleeping in a bed with your baby.

Best £20-ish you can spend on a child?

Magnet Mouse Onesie.

What makes a product instantly stand out?

Something that is easy to clean. If it has sixteen parts and needs a tiny specialist brush, you’ve lost me!

Style or practicality?

Practicality – if it can’t survive the dishwasher or a sweet potato explosion, I don’t care how beautifully it matches the nursery.

One children’s brand you wish existed when you were little?

Mamas and Papas.

What would you NEVER put in a child’s bedroom?

LEGO for developing their creativity. Less lovely when you step on it in the dark at 3 am.

What deserves a parenting award but isn’t a product?

Grandparents. All the patience you remember them having absolutely none of when you were little!

Finish this sentence: Parenting would be easier if…

Babies could speak, we’d have to try to work out why they are crying.

Your emergency five-minute children’s dinner?

Scrambled egg with toast fingers and avocado. Five minutes to make, twenty minutes to negotiate, half an hour to clean off the floor.

One food every child should try?

My no-sugar carrot cake balls – no cook and no sugar and absolutely delicious.

Hidden vegetables: genius or cheating?

Genius. Sometimes I blend vegetables into a hidden-veggie sauce but leave a few chunks so they can pick them out, it’s a good double bluff!

Most underrated ingredient for children’s meals?

Orzo – it’s pasta but looks like rice, and I find children will eat most things as long as they are mixed with orzo.

What do you do when a child refuses dinner?

Remind them I’ve sold five million cookbooks -they remain unimpressed.

If you could only cook one family meal forever?

My Marry Me Tomato & Chicken Orzo from my App… it’s amazing and will have everyone asking for seconds.

Download the app

Looking for more recipe inspiration? Annabel’s award-winning baby and toddler recipe app is home to 1,500+ simple and delicious ideas for the whole family, PLUS new recipes every week.

Download today and enjoy your 1st month FREE with code MYBABA

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