Ingredients:

A little olive oil (for frying the onion and garlic)
1 onion (white)
2 cloves garlic
2 tins chopped tomatos
1 tin butterbeans
1 tin/jar of artichoke hearts
900ml of vegetable stock – I use 6 veggie oxo cubes in 900ml of water as I like it very strong
2 tspn dried Thyme
3-4 handfuls of pasta (I like to use mini pasta bows)

How to cook:

1. Chop the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes in olive oil until they are just softened but not browned

Fry onion and garlic until just softened and not brown

2. Add in the stock, tomatos, drained butterbeans, drained artichoke hearts, thyme and season with some black pepper

3. Bring just to boil and then transfer to slow cooker and cook on low for around 5-6 hours

Pop in slow cooker and then relax for 5-6 hours!

4. Half an hour before serving, chuck in the pasta, stir and bump up to high setting

And that’s it! Serve in bowls with fresh, warm bread and butter! Sprinkle a little grated cheese on top to garnish if you like! Zara and Oscar love it!

Since the day we received the Newborn Set it has been used every single day from when Oscar arrived home from hospital weighing just under 6lb to when he was a strapping 6 month old baby weighing around 20lb! Mealtimes for us are family times when we all sit around the table, chat about our days and eat together. This didn’t change when Zara arrived on the scene and when Oscar arrived, the Newborn Set made mealtimes a thousand times easier. Oscar has loved sitting with us during mealtimes and having him sat near us when cooking, etc has been a real boost. Zara has also loved having her little brother nearby although we have had to watch out for the occasional carrot or spoonful of yoghurt being thrown at him

Taken when Oscar was 3 weeks old, 3 weeks before his due date

My main concern when I originally saw the Newborn Set all those months ago was the size. I remember looking it and thinking it would never last him until we were ready for weaning but it has proved me wrong. Although premature, Oscar didn’t stay a tiny baby for long and soon outgrew most other babies his age but the Newborn Set has coped with his growth spurts and we have only now retired it as he has reached 6 months and is ready for weaning.

Oscar approx 3 months old, having a snooze

Oscar approx 6 months

Stokke very kindly sent us a Baby Set for Oscar to move up into as we have started weaning and Oscar absolutely loved his new seat

Oscar in the Baby Set

Although it did cause a bit of trouble in the household as Zara then proclaimed this to be “Zara’s chair”…sigh.. however the ever so lovely people at Stokke saved the day once more by sending Zara her very own Tripp Trapp so now the tiny terrors have a Tripp Trapp of their own and peace has been restored in the Brown household once more

Double Tripp Trapp

Mealtimes are now even more of a family affair with Oscar joining us all in eating, the Tripp Trapps enable Zara and Oscar to sit together and the bond between them is beautiful to watch…

Having a pre breakfast conversation

A family that eats together, stays together..

Zara at 22 months sits on the Tripp Trapp with no harness or baby set, she is capable of climbing on and off it by herself and will sit nicely at mealtimes although we do make sure someone is nearby at all times just in case. Oscar sits in the baby set and can easily reach the table and his food from it. Another huge bonus with the Tripp Trapps is that they are SO SO easy to clean compared to other highchairs with all their nooks and crannys to trap food in. With the Tripp Trapps I just wipe them down at the end of a meal, brush the floor and it’s all done And yes for those of you who’ve noticed that our table doesn’t match the Tripp Trapps, that is because we hate the table and it will be replaced shortly with one that matches our floor and the Tripp Trapps Of course you can get the Tripp Trapp in pretty much any colour you like so for those of you who are more adventurous you will be spoilt for choice!

Mealtime

We absolutely love our Tripp Trapp chairs and they really will last us for years and not be relegated to the scrap heap like our old plastic highchair has been. They are practical and elegant and something I’m proud to have in my kitchen

PS. Apologies for the photos and there being stuff everywhere but in a household like ours the kitchen is rarely looking like a show home lol but that’s just how we like it