Stephanie Alexander's philosophy is that there is no such thing as special food for children; if food is good, everyone will enjoy it regardless of age. Here are 120 recipes with simple instructions, a colourful layout and lots of fast, fun facts.

Stephanie Alexander's philosophy is that there is no such thing as special food for children; if food is good, everyone will enjoy it regardless of age. Here are 120 recipes with simple instructions, a colourful layout and lots of fast, fun facts. And while these recipes can be made by a couple of eight-year-olds in aprons - with a bit of adult supervision - the dishes are anything but standard kids' fare: alongside the muffins and slices are homemade pastas, Indian curries, Asian tea eggs and vegetable-rich winter soups. Kitchen Garden Cooking with Kids also tells the story behind the recipes - of the Kitchen Garden at Collingwood College, which Stephanie set up in 2001 in the grounds of a large inner-city school. This includes plans, activities and lists that together make up a blueprint that other schools may wish to follow. The program has already given thousands of primary-school children the opportunity to plant, grow, harvest, cook and eat the very best kind of food - freshly grown, organic, unprocessed and delicious.

For 21 years from 1976, Stephanie Alexander was the force behind Stephanie's restaurant in Hawthorn, a landmark establishment credited with having revolutionised fine dining in Melbourne. From 1997 to 2005 Stephanie, along with several friends, ran the Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder, a neighbourhood restaurant renowned for its specialist cheese retailing. In her recently published memoir, A Cook's Life, she recounts how her uncompromising dedication to good food has shaped her life and changed the eating habits of a nation. One of Australia's most highly acclaimed food authors, Stephanie has written fourteen books, including Stephanie's Menus for Food Lovers, Stephanie's Seasons and Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer's Tuscan Cookbook (co-author). Her signature publication, The Cook's Companion, has established itself as the kitchen bible in over 400,000 homes.