The work of The Cool Food School is centred around children - mine and yours. Our

children are very important to us - nobody disputes that. We cherish them from birth,

and as they grow, their little world expands and they are introduced to more of everything - people, toys, experiences and food.

parentsDeirdre DoyleJanuary 28, 2020obesogenic environment, obesity, childhood obesity, childhood obesity in Ireland

10 Christmas gifts for your little foodies and environmentalists!

It’s that time of year again when we all go into a frenzy of list writing and google searching for the perfect gifts for our loved ones.

parentsDeirdre DoyleNovember 26, 2019sustainable, gift list, gift guide, sustainable gifts, gifts for young chefs, foodie kids, giy, giy allmanac, kids cookbook, kiddies food kutter, safety food peeler, johnny magory, gifts for environmentalists, food lover gifts, christmas gifts

Why I keep saying no.....

I say no to my children a lot. I buy petrol, I say no. I’m grocery shopping and I have to say no. I bring them to the barber and I say no. We’re waiting to collect someone from swimming and I have to say no to sweets, jellies, ice cream, crisps. It’s wearing, frustrating and stressful.

parentsDeirdre DoyleNovember 13, 2019obesity, childhood obesity, childhood obesity in Ireland, food companies, obesogenic environment, Irish Heart Foundation, toxic environment, Childhood Obesity Manifesto, No, health and wellbeing, personal responsibility, junk food

Dealing with the halloween stash!

So Halloween is over but the stash of sweets, jellies, lollipops and other trick-or-treat “goodies” is still hanging around. My #givecashnottrash initiative was popular with all the kids who called to my door but what about my own kids?

parentsDeirdre DoyleNovember 5, 2019halloween, trickortreat, sweets, candy, trickortreat stash, ellyn satter, food on the edge, treat food, junk food

Give Cash not Trash this Halloween

October means it’s all about Halloween in my house. Along with the costume debate (who’s going to wear what, where can I possibly get a costume for a dead teacher/bus conductor/hedgehog?) goes the chat about the trick-or-treat haul. How many sweets did you get last year?

parentsDeirdre DoyleOctober 3, 2019Halloween, trick or treat, dressing up, Moam, single use plastic, give cash not trash, healthy kids, jellies

Using the environment to get our kids to eat better!

My daughter begged and begged me for a packet of Dairylea Dunkers in the supermarket recently. It is not the kind of thing I would ever buy for my lot as the list of ingredients reads like a chemists shelf (polyphosphate, calcium phosphate, lactic acid, citric acid, paprika extract..)

parentsDeirdre DoyleSeptember 30, 2019reccling, recycling, environment, greta thunberg, climate change, processed food, dairy lea dunkers, packaging, reduce reuse recycle

School lunch boxes - tips, tricks and musings!

Oh summer, where have you gone? How is it back to school time already? Back to routine, early mornings, uniforms, home work and the dreaded school lunches

parents, school lunch boxesDeirdre DoyleAugust 18, 2019back to school, school lunch, lunchboxes, school lunch boxes, food jagging, sandwiches at school, fussy eaters, lunch box tips, kids won't eat school lunch, sandwich options, school lunches are boring, teach your kids to make their own lunches, food education, teach kids independence, variety in the lunch box

Picnic food, tips and advice!

Summer is drawing to a close but there is still time to take advantage of the long days and get out and about with your kids.

parentsDeirdre DoyleAugust 8, 2019picnic, healthy picnic, picnic ideas, picnics for kids, beach, beach picnic, sandwiches, trail mix, healthy muffins, healthy options, healthy kids, division of responsibility in feeding, hungry kids, active kids

Our French food adventure

I’m just back from a couple of weeks in France and already missing the weather, the wine and the holiday way of life. But the food?

parentsMcKenna CreativeJuly 22, 2019eating in France, eating with kids in France, food chain, food in France, France, French food, frites, mussels, OECD, oysters, pain-au-chocolat, Sapere, sensory food education, snail

My Bloom Highlights 2019

I visited Bloom, the Bord Bia garden and food event, in 2018 and thought, what an amazing event, I would really love to bring my workshops here. Fast forward to 2019 and there I was, on the stage in the Kidz Zone.