How my fussy toddler spawned a baby food empire
Annabel Karmel is known for her baby and toddler cookbooks, but her success is rooted in catering for a fussy second child, months after a heartbreaking tragedy claimed her first
Children's food author Annabel Karmel is said to have transformed the way parents think about cooking for babies and children. But her food empire was born out of tragedy. After the death of her first child Natasha at just three months old, Annabel鈥檚 grief ran so deep, she ended up giving up a successful career as a professional harpist and made up her mind to create a meaningful legacy out of her daughter's death. When she had her second child, a son named Nicholas and a fussy eater, she began to explore child nutrition, experimenting with different flavours and her breakout book The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner was launched.
Ana茂s Bordier had no idea her identical twin sister was on the other side of the world until she saw a YouTube video of a woman who looked remarkably like her. It turned out to be American film actress Samantha Futerman. Ana茂s tracked her doppelg盲nger down, and they agreed to speak online. Turns out they were both born in South Korea and separated at birth. Ana茂s was adopted by a French family, and Samantha was adopted by an American one. They told Jo Fidgen what happened when they met in person. This interview was first broadcast in December 2018.
Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producers: Hetal Bapodra and June Christie
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Annabel Karmel standing at her kitchen worktop with lots of vegetables in front of her about to prepare a healthy meal. Credit: Ant Duncan)
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