So you and your baby have been getting the hang of this puree thing, and you’re ready for a bit more of a challenge. Great! Starting at around seven months, you’ll be able to gradually start experimenting with the next great frontier: texture.

This can be a very hit and miss venture – and in case you’re wondering, we mean that literally. Up until now, your baby has had nothing but smooth purees, so  getting her to accept a new, strange substance that contains lumpy, bumpy bits can be a bit of a challenge! If your baby shows a previously undiscovered talent for ingesting all the smooth bits while simultaneously spitting out anything resembling a lump, don’t worry – you’re in very good company.

Our Stage Two recipes are cooked to what we call a ‘fork mash’ texture. The idea is to reach a consistency that’s thicker those now-familiar loose purees, but without any massive chunks of vegetable – you don’t want your baby choking. Most babies this age can chew soft lumps such as mashed soft fruit, cottage cheese or cooked, mashed veg, so start with these and increase the textures gradually. You can also stir cooked lentils or quinoa grains into any puree you still have on hand: voilà, insta-lumps!