Contributor

Annabel Karmel

Family food expert, author

Annabel Karmel was born in North London in 1962 and is a mother of three children (Nicholas, 24; Lara, 23; and Scarlett, 20).
She studied at St Paul’s Girls’ School London and then continued her studies at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague and the Royal College of Music London. While studying music, Annabel regularly played the harp in London’s leading hotels such as The Savoy.
As a professional musician, Annabel went on to make a series of albums playing the harp and singing. She also appeared in a number of concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Festival Hall playing concertos.
As well as her professional musical career, Annabel also acted and appeared in a number of stage and TV shows.
1982, Annabel attended Le Cordon Bleu cookery school in London and her passion for food was fuelled.
Tragically, Annabel’s first child Natasha died at a very young age and her second child, Nicholas, was an extremely fussy eater. Annabel was desperate to get him to eat. ‘Bland food wasn’t what babies liked; they liked the food that tasted good,’ says Annabel. At the time, she was in a nursery group and the other mums all used to love her tasty recipes. They persuaded her to put them in a book. Annabel spent two years researching child nutrition and writing recipes and wrote the book 'Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner' which launched her career and has become the authoritative guide for feeding babies and toddlers. It has been in the bestseller lists since publication.
Last year, she celebrated the 20th anniversary of the publication of her first book which is a legacy to her first child.
Eating for Two (published June 2012) was Annabel’s first book aimed at mothers-to-be and provides a complete guide to nutrition during pregnancy and beyond. It included more than 90 mouth-watering recipes as well as lots of information about common misconceptions and old wives’ tales.
In June 2013, Annabel will be publishing her 27th book, Quick and Easy Toddler Recipes, to help busy parents rustle up a range of meals in minutes. This will include plenty of tips and tricks to encourage children to eat, from savoury to sweet, for breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner.