Food

A rock’n’roll dad on cooking for his toughest critic

Eurovision winner Paul Harrington earned five stars on TV’s The Restaurant, but as father of a three-year-old he now cooks for a very different audience

Paul Harrington in the kitchen with his three-year-old daughter, Molly. Photograph: Alan Betson

Paul Harrington
Fri Nov 4 2022 - 05:01

I was in the playground with my daughter recently when a lovely young mum asked, “Do you have many grandchildren?” I really wanted to say, “Oh yes, I have lots of them. I’m in the rock’n’roll business,” but of course I thought better of that and said, “No, I don’t have any. This is my beautiful daughter.”

Perhaps it’s just one of the hazards of being an older dad to a preschool child. When my daughter Molly was born, three years ago, I was, naturally, ecstatic, and proud as punch, but I was also apprehensive, as I knew there would be some challenges ahead for this older-than-average novice.

When I was growing up there were few dishes my mother cooked that could not be topped by her stew. As soon as you came through the hall door the smell would wrap itself around you

I blinked a couple of times, and then it was time for preschool – and preschool lunches. I love food, and I love to cook food, and something my wife and I decided, as soon as it was feasible, was to try to feed Molly the food we like to eat ourselves.

I think a varied weekly menu is important, not only because it gives us and her more choice but also because it provides more opportunities to taste, and sometimes reject, different foods and occasionally get to like the taste of a certain food over time. For me there is something even more important: it also helps to develop a young palate into a discerning one, which I think is a bit like a good education, in that it’s never a burden to anyone.

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That’s probably something that stems from my childhood and my own relationship with food and taste. When I was growing up there were few dishes my mother cooked that could not be topped by her stew. As soon as you came through the hall door the smell would wrap itself around you of a delicious beef stew with dumplings as light as a Michelin-star chef’s souffle. The original comfort food welcoming us home.

I was one of six kids, and my mother’s cooking was a daily occurrence, solid but often more like mass catering in a household of eight mouths to feed. My father, on the other hand, although he didn’t do much of it, had a very different instinct for cooking, liking to experiment. This always fascinated me, which is probably why it’s the aspect of cooking I’m most drawn to.

I always have Molly around me when I’m experimenting with food combinations, and I let her taste as much as I can, so she will at some point benefit from this exposure

It doesn’t always work, but I believe that blending and experimenting gives you another layer of understanding of the art. While I appreciate it is early days, I always have Molly around me when I’m experimenting with food combinations, and I let her taste as much as I can, so she will at some point benefit from this exposure. You’re right: I’m probably getting ahead of myself. But it’s okay to get carried away; I’m her dad.

Now back to the real world: getting your three-year-old to eat can be another matter altogether. Thankfully – and this is not a boast – we are truly blessed (for now) in this department. Whether it’s a chicken-and-broccoli bake lathered in Cheddar cheese sauce, a beef lasagne or gnocchi drizzled in olive and lemon oil with grated Parmesan, Molly polishes it off.

But a very important factor in all of this is portion size. I discovered early on that the portions must be proportionate to the plate (or lunchbox) size, and to her mouth and spoon. I used to serve her way too much, which resulted in more refusals than a bad day at Dublin Horse Show.

It’s not always plain sailing, and in my limited experience it seems that, no matter what path you try to take, you are influencing your child from the very start, all the time hoping you are doing the right thing.

At this stage it’s probably more important that Molly tastes all the food I cook, as I think that’s what creates the spark of desire to cook and enjoy food, from the simple to the gourmet

Thankfully, Molly is already showing a healthy respect for food. She’s still a little young for me to teach her how to cook, but she is observing, mixing and blending, as my number-one helper. At this stage it’s probably more important that she tastes all the food I cook, as I think that’s what creates the spark of desire to cook and enjoy food, from the simple to the gourmet. Having said that, she is only three, and my first priority is proper nutrition. But where’s the harm in it looking and tasting good too?

Am I making an impression on her? Who knows, but just the other day we introduced her to cranberry juice. After she had sipped it a few times, I asked what she thought. She replied, “It tastes nice, but it’s a bit sour at the end.”

I looked smiled with some satisfaction and said to myself, “That’s my girl.”

Paul Harrington’s live show, The Lyric’s the Thing, will be on tour in Ireland later this year and into 2023. A six-CD box set based on the series from The Pat Kenny Show, on Newstalk, is on sale now

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