You're never too young to bake, that's the message from a new cookery class for the under fives

IF you thought pre-schoolers could only make Rice Krispie cakes, then here's some food for thought.

Children as young as two and a half are getting to grips with the likes of cheese and apple muffins, banana and orange scones and cauliflower and cheese bread at fun cookery classes around York.

Mum-of-two Vanessa Mills runs the local branch of Crafty Cooks, offering baking lessons for children including the under fives, and will be launching classes at several venues in the area from February.

In the run up to Christmas, she has been hosting taster sessions for kids and parents to enjoy some foodie fun.

At Tang Hall Primary, pupils made stained-glass biscuits. "Lots of them said they didn't bake at home and were really interested," said Vanessa, who lives in Wilberfoss with husband Jamie and sons Sam, five, and Kit, 15 months.

Vanessa used to work in HR before she had her sons. But after they were born she took a new direction, cooking school lunches for children at a nursery in Wilberfoss.

"I always enjoyed baking and I loved spending time with the kids at work. I read about the Crafty Cooks franchise I thought it would be perfect and would work well around my kids."

Vanessa says children are never too young to learn about food and introducing them to simple baking and cooking can open their culinary horizons from an early age.

"It gets children interested in food. Kids can be fussy. If you get them involved in making something, they are more than willing to try it.

"I work in a nursery and I see that when children are all eating at the same time, they all get stuck in.

"It gets children involved in food and learning about food."

Vanessa will be offering the first three classes for £15 and if children and parents enjoy them they can sign up for a term, priced at £7 a week.

The fee includes recipe cards to take home, a binder and a tote bag. All ingredients are provided and the children can take home what they make.

In 2016, a pre-schoolers-only class will take place at Haxby Memorial Hall on Tuesdays from 1-2pm. Classes for children of all ages will be available too, on Mondays from 4pm-5pm at the Riccall Regen Centre and on Wednesdays from 4pm-5pm at Clements Hall, Nunthorpe Road, York. Every second Saturday from 10am-11am, classes will also be held at Kiddies Corner Day Nursery in Wilberfoss.

The lessons are educational as well as fun, says Vanessa. While their creations are in the oven, Vanessa does activities with the children, which are food related.

"We talk about where food comes from and I bring them examples to try. We looked at dried food and the difference between dried apricots and fresh ones, between plums and prunes and grapes and raisins."

At the next taster class, Vanessa says she will bring along pomegranate, passion fruit and mango for the children to try.

"It's a good way to get them interested in learning about food and enjoying it - and learning to cook is a life skill."

To find out more at email Vanessa at ness@craftycooks.co.uk, or telephone 07826 783003 or follow her on Facebook at Crafty Cooks E York.