I know from experience that caring for a tube-fed child with complex medical needs means living in a permanent state of high alert. Every feed, every position change, every small routine is really about staying one step ahead of a medical emergency. I remember stretches of eight feeds a day, where missing one wasn’t an option, and the whole day simply revolved around the next feed. Writing a book is the furthest thing from your mind in a period of your life like that — you’re simply trying to get through the day safely.

For Kelly Kent, that relentless vigilance — years of watching, adjusting and problem-solving to keep her son Mason safe while tube feeding — became the exact expertise that shaped an Amazon number one bestseller: The Blended Diet Family Recipe Book.

This is a very special book to review for me, as the author and I met through Minishine’s birth group (around 14 years ago now!) and so I was there when her second son Mason was born and witnessed his health struggles from birth to the present day. This book represents years of experience, knowledge and passion from Kelly Kent, all geared towards one goal: to give her son the best chance at health she can, and now, to share that with others facing similar struggles.

I put my money where my mouth is and purchased my own copy of the book and have tried out a number of the recipes myself, despite not personally needing a tube-fed diet. My chronic illness makes it hard for me to get the right amounts of nutrients in my food without gaining weight and many of my meals are prepared in advance for me to then eat during the day, so convenience can be a large factor too. Oh, and I am dairy intolerant too! I found I was easily able to adapt the recipes in this book to meet all of those needs, with my husband blending a batch up and popping one in the fridge as a breakfast/lunch shake while freezing the rest for future meals. This has enabled me to tweak my intake of things like protein, fibre and iron to boost my usual diet while controlling the amount of calories, giving me a healthier, more well-rounded meal plan.