When my first daughter was born, I was set on doing it all myself, and this included home-made baby food. Now that I have two under 3, my time is in short supply and I can use all the help I can get. Thank goodness there is Mother Hen Organics, with simple and gourmet options for baby right at my fingertips. I love that Mother Hen makes natural organic baby food. To be honest, I wish I had found them the first time around.
Mother Hen (La Mère Poule) is a Canadian success story.
Almost 20 years ago, in a small facility just outside Montreal, 4 employees worked to manufacture healthy, high quality baby food cooked just like at home. Now, with a team of over 30 employees and 30,000 sq.ft. of manufacturing space, the dream has grown to include other products that can be enjoyed by the whole family. All fruits and vegetables used in production are certified organic, and there are no preservatives, additives or high-allergy products (ie. gluten, dairy, soy, nuts).
My favourite part about the website is the video which shows the production facility. From start to finish I got to see just how my baby’s food was made, which is the next best thing to making it myself! The website also has loads of information from Mother Hen’s resident nutritionist, and a handy retail-locator which is great. Mother hen products are available in over 1750 outlets in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and BC including stores such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws and IGA.
The baby line includes Beginner (mostly one-ingredient purees) and Junior (more balanced meals with some texture). I was really excited to try the Junior formulations and couldn’t wait to crack open Lamb with Fruits. After a quick 2 minutes in the microwave, the BPA-free container of food was ready to stir and serve. I have to admit that it smelled a bit like cat food, but I think that is true whenever you puree meats. Regardless, it’s what it tasted like that counts. I tried it myself and found it pretty tasty – and the baby liked it even more! I liked that there is still some texture, with small chunks incorporated, which helps baby to transition towards table foods.
Our experience with the other flavours were similar – as long as she was hungry the cup was emptied in no time. On the days that she was not so hungry, I wish the packaging had instructions as to whether/how to store unused portions for the next meal. I found that Mother Hen is slightly more expensive than the jarred food on the shelves, but with my belief that quick-freezing is better than the canning process at retaining freshness and nutrients, it’s worth it. The European-style recipes are also something that I haven’t seen in other brands of baby food. A developed palette will hopefully keep my youngest from becoming too picky in future.
Overall I would recommend Mother Hen as an easy and well-received option – being a homegrown Canadian company also scores big points with me!
Mother Hen – Organic or Natural food, Homestyle – for your baby and the whole family!
Prize: A week’s worth of Mother Hen Baby Food in Free Product Coupons (7) ARV $50
Open to: Canadian Residents (must be age of majority in place of residence)
This giveaway is now closed.>
Congratulations to Mother Hen for receiving the prestigious PTPA seal of approval!
This post was written by Rene, a West Coast transplant living in Ontario with her husband, 2 girls (aged 3 years and 8 months), 2 dogs and cat. She is a certified car seat technician and Barbershop singer who loves to read, knit and paint, if only there was time! Having daughters that love to eat, explore and meet new people keeps her on her toes and out of the house while on parental leave.
Pingback: Helpful Nutrition Tips for Babies during Nutrition Month