Chicken Furniture

Today was a baking day. I let the children choose what to bake.

Lily chose a library book. This was more sensible than it sounded as it had a recipe for fairy cakes at the end. If like me, you usually belong in the 99% of parents who never try actual recipes found in children’s fiction, my defence is that it is August and in 31 Actual Days and something approximating 31 Actual Sleeps Lily will start school. What’s a little cleaning up really? I hope the library share my philosophy should they notice the recipe pages. Lily really got into the decorating element of the baking.

Joseph chose ninjabed. Which is great, because he was pointing to gingerbread men, so I took him at his intention. Being a mother of a two-year old this is a skill I am sure to optimise just as I stop needing it. Using a variation on something we found in my old childhood recipe book, Joe and I discovered how easy it is to make flat Wenlocks with burnt sultana eyes and how exciting it is to remedy this with leftover squeezy icing and decorative bling. We are not going to get any medals for this highly creative work. However, Joe loved it and also really got into the decorative element of the baking.

Then, because a baking day does not count if you only baked twice, Lily chose Chicken Furniture.

I need to give you the history here. Chicken Furniture came to Lily in a dream a few weeks or so ago. It was a highly detailed recipe, which changes in minor elements on each retelling, but essentially runs like this:

Chicken Furniture, a recipe by Lily Robinson (age 4 and a half):

1. Take some chicken. Enough to make furniture with. If you are worried about what kind of furniture, remember there is only one kind of furniture when you are aged four, and that is the kind you are supposed to get off.

2. Bake the chicken in the oven for 5 or 20 minutes [preferably 30 or more].

3. Make a carpet of rice and peas by boiling some rice, and also peas [at the end].

4. Make the chicken into the shape of ‘a furniture’.

5. Add two small cherry tomatoes for red cushions. [Also prepare onions or any other interesting flavours and nutritious details the children will not require to be kept out of sight].

6. Eat and enjoy.

I give you the world’s first Chicken Furniture. It may not be all that special. But I really got into the decorative element. Tasted not bad, either.