- Mark Northeast's son Oscar started eating tomatoes after they were disguised in SpongeBob SquarePants sandwich
- He managed to fashion a grand piano and a crocodile out of vegetables
By Emily Allen
Published: | Updated:
A father who encouraged his children to eat fruit and vegetables by transforming their food into cartoon characters has now put his whacky ideas into a party recipe book.
Mark Northeast was delighted when his son, Oscar, seven, started eating tomatoes after they were disguised in a SpongeBob SquarePants sandwich.
The 39-year-old web designer spent hours coming up with more ideas to make food more exciting.
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Delicious: After posting pictures of his extraordinary ideas on the internet Mark Northeast was encouraged to put his ideas in recipe books and his first came out in 2009
And after posting pictures of his extraordinary ideas on the internet he was encouraged to put his ideas in recipe books.
His first, Funky Lunch, proved a huge hit with parents and children alike when it launched in 2009.
Recipes were made up of the least popular food items among children - including tomatoes and cucumber.
Incredibly, he managed to fashion a grand piano and a crocodile out of the vegetables.
Popular: Mark Northeast was getting calls from all over the world from parents saying his fun food had helped them encourage their children to eat vegetables
The book was such a success, Mr Northeast was getting calls from all over the world from parents saying it had helped them encourage their children to eat vegetables.
And now he’s come up with even more funny ideas for children’s parties with a little help from Oscar as well as his daughter Izzy, nine.
The latest recipe include bangers and mash with broccoli, which have cleverly been made to look like worms in the garden.
Bright idea: Mark Northeast was delighted when his son, Oscar, seven, started eating tomatoes after they were disguised in a SpongeBob SquarePants sandwich
Tomatoes and cucumbers have also been made to look irresistible to kids after being transformed in to a flying saucers.
And the ‘Monster Burger’ aims to get youngsters eating red peppers, which are cleverly disguised as the characters horns.
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Mr Northeast, who lives with wife Lisa, 38, in Littlehampton, West Sussex, said: 'It all started because Oscar was a bit grumpy one day and he didn’t want to eat.
'The options were to let him starve, trying to force something down or making something he would eat.
Mark Northeast's children have inspired him to create the fun food and share it with the public
'So I decided to make a sandwich and made it in to a space rocket - he ate it instantly.
'By doing this I was able to get him to eat things he usually wouldn’t - like tomatoes.
'I made a SpongeBob Squarepants sandwich with a tomato for a tie.
'Oscar didn’t want to eat it but I said if he didn’t he couldn’t eat the rest so he did and now he eats tomatoes.
'To begin with it was purely just a bit of fun. I had a creative background and an interest in food so I started playing around with ideas.
'I put some of them online and got a bit of flack from friends. They thought it was a bit strange and joked I had too much time on my hands.
Yummy: Recipes are made up of the least popular food items among children - including tomatoes
'But publisher saw my ideas and got in touch. It all took off from there.'
He added: 'We had such great feed back from parents saying that it would help their child eat different foods and try new things.
'Emails where coming in from across the globe from parents in places like South America, Canada and Australia.
'They were using the book to have fun with the fussy child and get them involved in creating their own food.
'I believe if a child takes the time to prepare and craft their own sandwich creation from a few simple ingredients, they are much more likely to try new foods.
Mark Northeast's latest book called Funky Party recently launched in the UK and is already proving a sucess
'My two children love making their own funky lunch now, they come up with their own ideas and use just the ingredients we have in the fridge or cupboards.'
Mr Northeast's latest £7.99 book, called Funky Party, recently launched in the UK and is already proving a success with mothers in the playground.
He said: 'The book contains a mixture of recipes from sandwiches, baked goods, puddings, sweet treats and hot dinners, to drinks and snacks.
Musical lunch: Incredibly, Mark Northeast managed to fashion a grand piano and a crocodile out of the vegetables
'There is a good helping of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the recipes to keep within the ethos of encouraging children to eat healthily.
'I had two eager tasters on hand - both Oscar and Izzy gave me the thumbs up or down on how my ideas looked and tasted.
'They thought of ideas too - Oscar came up with the idea of frog with a raisin fly on it’s tongue. It was great that he wanted to include fruit.
'I’ve already given a few copies to mums on the playground and I’ve had a great response.'
