Mum's the word

Serving junk food at parties will be banished from Bahrain if a nutrition savvy entrepreneur has her way.

Health conscious parent Hebatallah Azmy has opened her kitchen to dish out tasty and healthy alternatives to the usual fast food fries and nuggets fare.

Mummy's Yummies, a 'home-made' catering service, started by Egyptian-born Heba as a helping hand for her working friends, has grown in popularity.

When mums of all nationalities starting calling her for bookings she decided to launch as a business venture with support from her banker husband, Samer El Kachouty.

Heba, 26, from Seef, said: "When I was pregnant with my daughter, Layan, I used to go out with my friends who had young children and soon noticed the party menu rarely changed. The young ones were always being fed fries and nuggets and if they were a little bit older a hamburger or cheeseburger. "It also appeared that many of these children were also sick all the time as they probably had a weak immune system as a result of all the fast food.

"After I had my baby and things started settling down I started catering for my friends. Initially, it was a favour for some of them who were working mums. It developed from there and grew simply by word of mouth.

"Now we are catering for approximately two parties a week. We try not to use anything with preservatives or artificial food colourings. For example, our burgers have to be 100 per cent meat and grilled, not fried in oil. The fries are home-made too. I don't buy frozen.

"We try to make children eat vegetables. We give them peas and carrots with cream cheese so the finicky eaters are not put off.

"Basically, I want to try and take them off the junk food routine as much as possible but not shock them. So, if children like burgers we give them a healthy alternative but we don't overdo it. We also have a whole section of healthy finger foods and sandwiches."

Heba works from her kitchen while her husband contributes by handling the delivery and negotiation with suppliers.

She also offers all sorts of options for vegetarians and children with food allergies and is currently researching on providing gluten-free and dairy-free products.

She is particular about serving clean and fresh food and has at times upset her suppliers with her impromptu inspections. She said: "We looked around different places to find out where we could get the best meat, chicken and bread. The most important thing for me is cleanliness. I was also careful to find out whether the food was fresh.

"For the bread, I arrived unannounced at bakeries and went inside their baking section. I made sure that the place was really clean and I looked at the products they used.

"They were a little angry that I had not given notice of my visit but I think it was for the best because otherwise they would have been prepared.

"My rules are simple; if it is good enough for my daughter to eat I will take it and if it is not, I won't.

"Children are building their bodies so they need good food.

"The idea is not to kill the fun but unhealthy snacks should not be the norm."

Heba can be contacted through Mummy's Yummies on Facebook, the social networking website, or email her on mummy.yummies@gmail.com