WHO IS..? CIARA ATTWELL

who is?

CIARA ATTWELL

CREATOR OF MY FUSSY EATER, PICK PLATES AND AUTHOR OF WE’RE HUNGRY!

Three words to describe yourself. Disorganised, messy and manic!

How did My Fussy Eater start? It started in 2014 as a response to my daughter’s eating habits. She was a typical fussy toddler and I wasn’t a particularly confident cook, so I set about trying to improve her eating and documented it on my website and social media.

When did you get the idea for Pick Plates? I started to realise how much better my kids ate when eating from divided or compartment plates. But most of them were quite small and designed for the baby/ toddler years. I decided to create some aimed at older children.

How did you go about getting a book deal? I met my literary agent at a conference a few years ago and it went from there!

How hard did you find the process of getting an autism diagnosis for your son? We were lucky that it was spotted when he was quite young so he was diagnosed at three and a half after 12 months of assessments.

What would be your best advice if someone has a fussy eater? First up, try to relax and not get too stressed and emotional about it. Slow introductions are important. Don’t try to completely overhaul a child’s diet in just a few days. Introduce one new food every week and give them time to come accustomed to it. It may take up to 20 different exposures for a child to accept and taste a new food.

Tell us one thing that people don’t know about you. I hate tinned tuna despite using it in quite a few recipes.

Where’s your favourite date night? It’s been a while! But you can’t beat a nice restaurant with good food and wine.

What’s your signature dish? At the moment I’m trying to perfect chicken wings.

What would you take to a desert island? My phone! Is that bad?! What’s your proudest moment? 100% my children.

What’s next for Ciara Attwell? Focusing on Pick Plates and expanding our product range later this year.