“As a working mother you have to be extremely organised and have a sense of humour as nothing ever goes exactly to plan!”

March 3, 2010

Mumpreneur Hillary Graves at Little Dish

Hillary, your business sounds great. Tell us where it all started and how you came up with the idea?

I’ve always wanted to run my own business, and in 2004 I met my business partner John Stapleton, who was on the founding team of the New Covent Garden Soup Company. We’re both passionate about healthy food for kids and wanted to provide a truly healthy alternative to home cooking that parents could feel good about feeding their children. As a result, Little Dish was born in April 2006 offering busy mums something that hadn’t been available before – a fresh, nutritionally balanced meal that allowed them to feel a little less guilty when they didn’t have time to cook. Our Little Dish recipes contain no added salt or sugar and are made with 100% natural ingredients replicating what mothers make in their own kitchens. We want kids to eat healthily and love their food, while mums and dads feel confident in the nutritious recipes that we make.

Being a mumpreneur is not easy. How do you juggle between work and kids?

It’s definitely a challenge. As a working mother of 2 young children, you have to be extremely organised (and have a sense of humour as nothing ever goes exactly to plan!) I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home some days, so that I can spend time with my two little ones. We also have a lovely nanny who looks after Monty and Ridley when I’m at work. They often pop by the office to say hello which is always a treat. In my opinion the key is getting a good team in place; your business is all about its people and we’re really lucky to have a brilliant team helping us fulfil our vision of feeding fresh, healthy food to as many kids as possible.

Little dish is a lovely brand name! Please tell me a bit more about the Little Dish products: how do they differ from others like Annabel Karmel’s or Cow & Gate’s ready meals? What ingredients do you use, what age group they are suitable for, and how do you manage to preserve them?

Little Dish is the first brand to launch a range of fresh, healthy food for toddlers and young children (12 months +) made with 100% natural ingredients and no added salt or sugar. All of our recipes are created with a paediatric dietician, and every dish is taste tested by lots of kids. The Little Dish company mission is to encourage as many children as possible to eat fresh, healthy food from an early age, to discover new flavours and textures and enjoy mealtimes.

Our competitors offer ambient pots and trays with long shelf-life and traditional ready meals made with salt and sugar. We’ve opted to make fresh food made with 100% natural ingredients that is sourced as locally as possible, with no added salt or sugar, providing the nutritional value that growing toddlers require. There are no preservatives in our meals and by working closely with the supermarkets we ensure that our meals are on shelf the next day. It is hard work, but we’re committed to giving mothers fresh, healthy recipes just like they would cook at home!

I love the “all natural ingredients” idea! – Does it mean there is no added sugar, salt or preservatives and colourants?

That’s right – we’ve opted to make wholesome food with no added salt, sugar, additives or preservatives.

Where can parents find your products – are they available to order online, too?

We are currently listed in Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Ocado.com. You can find out exactly where on our website.

Which are your little ones’ favourite dishes from the Little Dish range?

Monty is 3 years old and his favourite at the moment is Vegetarian Lasagne. Ridley who turns 1 next week loves the Fish Pie and the Cottage Pie.

What would be your ideal toddler Easter menu, some secret recipes (they may already be included in your products range)?

Both children like lamb, so perhaps a lamb and lentil casserole which is already a favourite in our house. And Monty loves to bake, so I’m sure we will make some Easter cup cakes.

Your top tips and recommendations for fussy eaters?

Here are four tips that I have found to work:

• Patience and perseverance – keep trying foods that are rejected and don’t make a fuss if they are refused.
• New foods – encourage toddlers to try new foods regularly and reinforce that they cannot have treats and puddings until they have finished their main course.
• Food names – we always refer to broccoli as ‘green trees’ and lasagne is a favourite in our house so other dishes, like enchiladas, get called ‘Mexican lasagne’ which works well.
• Getting involved – if you are cooking from scratch get your little ones to help, if they stir something or add in an ingredient they are more likely to want to taste and enjoy the food.

On a more personal note, which has been the most precious moment with your kids so far?

There are so many, but I especially love the weekends when I don’t have to go to the office.

Filed under: Feeding, Parenting, toddlers

Tags: Little Dish, Mumpreneur