Famous for it's fiery flavour, Mexican food can seem a bit grown-up for kids - but it doesn't have to be!


If you're cooking for little ones as well as the bigger kids in your midst, Mexican food can seem prohibitively spicy at times. All those chillies in all those varieties threaten to play havoc with children's sensitive palettes. And that's not to mention the close association Mexican cuisine has with margaritas, tequilas, and other such adult favourites.


But don't despair! There's so much that can be done with Mexican food that doesn't involve piles of explosive jalapeños - or any at all. Mexican cuisine is cheap, filling, covers all the important food groups, and is usually very healthy, provided you don't smother everything in masses of sour cream and cheese. Because of its strong peasant origins it has always been compelled to be cheap and filling as well as delicious, so it's actually the perfect family food.


As well as lots of colourful vegetables, Beans of various kinds feature in so many dishes, and are a very good source of protein as well as being one of your five-a-day - if you can get your kids to eat the non-sugary baked variety in tins you're onto a winner!


As well as being healthy, Mexican food is colourful and tactile, so it's great for grabbing the kids' attention, as well as getting them involved with their food. As annoying as it can be to clean up, children learn to appreciate food by playing with it - so what better way to help them learn than by having them make their own fajitas, burritos or tacos?


Lay all the ingredients out on the table in bowls - tortillas, rice, beans, peppers, onions, salsa, guacamole, grated cheese and chicken, beef or pork if you're using it - and let them see what goes into their dinner. Seeing the individual contents of their meal, and choosing their quantities accordingly, as well as the practical task of folding the tortilla, are all valuable learning experiences, and help encourage an enthusiastic attitude to food.


As for the spicy stuff, it really depends how old your kids are, how they respond to spicy food, and whether they already have experience of other cuisines which feature hot spices. If they're already eating chicken vindaloo one night and Thai green curry the next, you can probably risk throwing a few jalapeños into your Mexican dishes too. If not, just try removing the chillies from any of our Mexican recipes, and if you think they need a bit of extra flavour to replace the lost spice, perhaps try adding some paprika and tomato puree.