How do you encourage your children to try new foods?

Make it fun - either by making the food visually exciting (making a face for example), sit down with them and try it too, and above all don't make a big deal out of it. Stay calm and praise them when they do try!

I usually give my daughter a pot of hummous or cream cheese if I am trying to introduce a new vegetable. If the food is a hot, savoury dish I will usually grate a bit of cheese on to it. If all else fails, pasta shapes are fab! ;) Good luck. Ax

Thanks ladies, I have tried the faces in the past and that did work but now that she is a little older she tells me "I don't need silly faces!". We are going to try our own vegetable patch in the garden to see if that might encourage her to eat veg. Unfortunately she won't even entertain humous, cream cheese or even grated cheese - she is THAT difficult. The majority of her food is still Ella's Kitchen pouches, Plum Pouches, breakfast cereal and occasionally chips - that's pretty much it! Oh yeah and chocolate spread. Although she did eat the crust from my pizza last night!?!?! Thanks for the tips though ladies, all ideas are worth a go :) x

The other thing you could try is ketchup. Now I know it isn't the healthiest of options but when our little one has difficult days we dip the food very lightly in Ketchup and she'll eat it right away.

Thanks Walid, I hate to say it but the dreaded ketchup has made its way onto kitchen table already :(

Wait for them to get curious enough to pinch it off your plate...as soon as my youngest see's us eating something he goes 'bite! bite!' begging for some.

Awww if only my daughter would do this, she's inquisitive (she is 4 years old) but as inquisitive as she is, she will never go so far as to actually take something from my plate :(