If you have a children's special occasion to attend and you're required to bring a plate, we have some great ideas to ensure your contribution is a hit on the day.

Obviously the time of year and age of children concerned will influence your offering. In Summer, stick to light or fruity dishes, taking advantage of fresh ingredients and seasonal produce. In winter, tasty and hearty morsels are always well received, and will help keep everyone feeling warm and well-fed.

For parties with younger children, stick to simple finger food, and steer away from anything too hot and spicy. Older children will be able to cope with more fiddly food and complex flavours, but bear in mind that they do enjoy grabbing food on the go.

Finally, it's easy to overdose on sugar at such occasions, so more wholesome food options are often well-received by those trying to keep little tempers in check.

If you're stuck for ideas, the following should provide some party plate inspiration…

Summer
Fruit platters, fruit skewers (drizzled with chocolate), or chocolate-dipped fruit
Fruit jellies (small individual jellies, or a large fruit jelly cake)
Fresh spring rolls
Savoury muffins (served warm or cold)
Antipasto platters - mild cheeses, colourful dips, vegie sticks, yummy crackers, grapes, dried fruit etc
Toffee apples
Apricot and sultana balls
Chocolate, ricies or cornflake crackles
Gingerbread men or marshmallow people
Shaped fairy bread
Colourful cupcakes

Winter
Mini meatballs or chicken nuggets with dipping sauce
Homemade sausage rolls
Zucchini slice
Savoury muffins or mini quiches
Risotto balls
Samosas, dim sims or pastizis

Last but not least, if you are a close friend or relative of the party hosts and you're keen to do something special, offering to bring a cake is often the greatest contribution one can make on this fun-filled, yet sometimes stressful day.

For links to some of our favourite kids' recipes, click here