There are two distinct types of children's food. There is the healthy, eat-it-up-it's-good-for-you stuff we like to shove down them every day, and then there's that which we should probably file under 'occasional treats'. The latter was what interested me as a child - the sort of food that carried the added pleasure of knowing that someone, somewhere disapproved of it. I often meet parents who clasp their hands to their chest in horror at the thought of their little darlings getting their grubby paws on a fairy cake when they should be tucking into yet another free-range carrot, but I can't help thinking that the kids are sure to rebel when they are older and turn into sugar-junkies. It stands to reason that if uptight parents have proved so successful at producing drop-out teenagers then there are sure to be more than a few teenagers of nutritionally over-protective parents who will deliberately turn themselves into lard-arses.

With this in mind, my recipes this month sit firmly on the rebellious side of the fence but each one has a saving grace to it. Such as my dessert of forbidden meringues and whipped cream that is eaten with the benefit of a healthy banana or two; the batter pudding with a fresh tomato and olive oil sauce and the crunchy little patties that neatly hide the fact they are actually made from organic spinach and carrots.

Progressive head teachers and pioneering dinner ladies such as Jeanette Orrey have literally changed the face of what our kids eat, but there is still much to do if all schoolkids are to get at least one healthy meal a day. Some schools are still without the necessary equipment with which to provide their pupils with a decent freshly cooked meal, as Jay Rayner discovers.

I am a sucker for a love story and this month we have an extraordinary one in OFM. When nutritionist Jane Clarke adopted Maya from an orphanage in India she suffered from severe rickets. Now, three years on, with a completely improved diet, the rickets have gone, and Maya is a very different little girl. Author of the new children's nutrition bible, Yummy!, Jane tells us Maya's heart-warming story.

Now, how would it be if Mum or Dad were a top chef, cooking up all manner of posh nosh before you were out of short trousers? We got some of the country's starriest cooks to turn their signature dishes into child-friendly food. Meet the Michelin kids.

And just to prove that no party is quite complete without ice cream, our special kids's issue also puts the Ben & Jerry's and Häagan-Dazs of this world on trial. Which is the discerning diner's favourite cornet-filler? Find out in our taste test.

The best way to get the country's little ones to understand the pleasures of cooking and eating is to start them young. Get them used to good food as a way of life, just as it is in many other European countries. That way the nutritionally empty options they are surrounded by will look a darn sight less tempting. But I don't think we should be too draconian about it. That way lies trouble. The odd sticky pudding or packet of chocolate buttons isn't going to hurt them if they are getting fed well. If we are all to celebrate a future where good food is more tempting than bad then there is no better time to start than now. OFM