Ask our expert: I'm concerned about taking my kids to Burger King in case they get hooked but they really want to go because of Indiana Jones freebies - can you help? Susie Catt, Leicester

Beverley Glock writes: Merchandising tie-ins with major film releases are big business and the pester power for the plastic toys is extremely strong. Personally I think that a one-off trip to Burger King isn’t going to do your children much harm. If you are taking them on a weekly basis it’s a different matter.

If you would like to know the calorie and fat content of burgers and other foods from big fast-food outlets then have a look at US website http://www.fatcalories.com where you can see exactly what you and the children are eating. My children love the idea of fast-food takeaways or, more to the point, love the plastic toys.

They admit that they really don’t like the food and realise that the toys won’t last very long. In fact, it’s pretty unusual for the toys to survive the journey home before falling to bits.

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Alternatively, you could try to negotiate a healthy, home-cooked version and your very own Indiana Jones party. Lots of film-themed toys are available in the shops - OK, probably not the same ones as they offer in Burger King - but you could let your kids choose one each, within a strict price bracket. Then get everyone to dress-up as characters from the film and make an Indiana Jones meal at home together with the children. It will probably taste a lot better than Burger King’s version and be much more fun.

Make some homemade Indiana burgers using good quality lean mince (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, Quorn for a veggie option or roasted peppers and cooked borlotti beans works well whizzed in a liquidiser and shaped) mixed with a finely grated onion and a carrot, a generous pinch of salt and black pepper and an egg to bind it all together.

Get the children involved with this, just make sure they wash their hands thoroughly after touching raw meat. Shape them into burgers of whatever size you fancy and grill, bake or dry fry them in a non-stick frying pan until they are well cooked and have no pink bits in the middle.

You can vary the taste by adding grated cheese to the mix, chilli sauce (if you like them spicy), sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, olives and basil. You could place a small ball of mozzarella in the middle of the burger so that when they are cooked the cheese melts from the inside out.

Place them in a bun or a ciabatta roll with some slices of tomato or good quality tomato sauce, or melt some blue cheese over the top. Lamb burgers are lovely with tzatziki and chicken burgers go really well with sweet chilli sauce.

Serve them with some baked potato wedges instead of chips, corn on the cob and vanilla ice cream with strawberries to finish.

Got a question about children and food? Use the comment box below to post your question for our children's food expert Beverley Glock

For more information visit: www.splatcooking.netand www.beverleyglock.com

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