The Charlie O'Brien Blog: Gino D'Acampo fussy eaters row

Oh Gino – did you learn nothing from your mate Jamie Oliver when he went on the radio and upset millions of women by saying breastfeeding was easy?!

What is it with male celebrity chefs and their comments on parenting? It’s like they have a death wish.

My advice – DON’T UPSET THE MUMS. We can get very defensive, and we’re very important when it comes to consumerism too, so not good for your all important 'brand' either.

So what has Gino D'Acampo done? Well in a nutshell he’s called parents of fussy eaters 'stupid'.

I’ve been called many things in my time, but actually – stupid is a first.

To add some more context – it was said in an interview with Woman magazine: "My kids are not allowed to be fussy eaters. The problem with fussy children is their stupid parents. I run a family kitchen and in my house we don’t have options. I never had options, why should they?"

"If you cook something your children don’t like, don’t offer anything else and put it out again for breakfast.”

Where do I start?

Firstly Gino – you’re extremely lucky. You’ve clearly never encountered a true fussy eater, a child with severe sensory issues, or a toddler with such extreme food aversions that they would genuinely starve themselves.

I did baby led weaning with my son from six months as I was told this would reduce the risk of fussiness. I am a healthy vegetarian with a love of cooking and the only food I refuse is mushrooms (unless you count meat.)

I gave my son avocado, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, butternut squash, pears, apples, bananas – you name it.

I slaved away night after night – batch cooking tuna flipping croquettes and salt-free veggie burgers

I slaved away night after night – batch cooking tuna flipping croquettes and salt-free veggie burgers. I even put my personal believes and dislikes to one side and cooked him beef bolognais using the very best beef from the butcher.

As often as we could, Gino, we ate together as a family and (as recommended) ate the same meal.

I always offered him bites from my plate, and Noah was introduced to the concept of eating out and social eating from day one. He was never overly excited by food, but he mostly tried what I gave him.

Then at about nine months he became poorly and it went on for weeks. We were in and out of the doctor's and hospital with stupidly high temperatures and a cough that wouldn’t go away. Eventually we were told it was bronchiolitis.

Noah massively lost his appetite and it took months to improve. During this time he developed more and more aversions to the point where he was refusing basically all fruits and veggies and had a limited selection of 'safe foods'.

I’ve consulted experts who told me his severe silent reflux at the start of his life may well be a contributing factor. I’ve chatted with other mums, I’ve watched endless videos, read the books. I’ve done it all Gino, let me tell you. I’ve also cried at night.

But my two year old is a true fussy eater. And no, I won’t force him to eat cold dinner for his breakfast because I think that is a disgusting and completely disrespectful way to parent.

I will keep offering my son a range of healthy foods every day, whilst still blending multiple veggies and fruits into sauces – if it’s the only way.

I live in hope that as he gets older and is able to communicate more that this may get easier. He may gradually learn that food doesn’t have to be scary.

So perhaps jump down from that almighty high horse you seem to be on, and be a little less judgmental about your fellow parents.

Charlie X

PS: I am not alone in my views btw– look at some of these comments from the My Fussy Eater Facebook page (run by Ciara who lives in Kent)

Lisa: I may have thought similar to this at one point, until I had my second child who was constantly sick if he was given foods he didn't want, had a panic attack at school when the teacher asked him to eat a bit more. Life's not that simple. He is lucky to have experimental children but don't judge everyone by your family!

Katie: A lot of children have sensory issues which means they can't cope with the texture or smell of certain foods. Also things like anaemia can cause a loss of appetite.

Suzanne: If children genuinely don't like something after trying it, it's abuse to then force it down their throat! Fussy is a phase!! It has absolutely nothing to do with "stupid parents". Every parent on this planet wants their child to eat healthy!

Nicki: Usually I love Gino but I completely disagree with this. My son has refused many food from weaning stage, to the point he would make himself sick when I give him food he didn't like at 8months old, he's now 10 and while he's better then he was he's still ridiculously fussy

Deborah: I thought this until I had my 4th. He refused point blank & would pretty much starve himself unless he had chicken nuggets or anything chicken based & tinned meatballs. Even potato products he was funny with. I took him to the GP because I was so worried. Yet when we weaned him I made fresh food & steered clear of jars.

Reshma: He does not have fussy eaters and therefore has no clue what it is like to deal with a true fussy eater. One should restrict their opinions to areas they have experience in. Calling parents stupid is just mean.