A mother of two has gone into business selling organic frozen food for babies who refuse to eat out of a jar.

Emma Treasure buys fruit and vegetables from a wholesaler and turns them into purees at her home in Dial Post, near Horsham.

The cordon bleu cook freezes the food in disposable ice trays which are packaged, sold and home-delivered.

So far, Easy Freezy has proved popular with professional mums who do not have time to prepare fresh food themselves.

Emma, who used to work for a London PR company preparing food for clients, got the idea from her second son, Bertie, two.

She said: "He refused to eat anything out of a jar, so I ended up making everything and freezing it. It was such a hassle, I thought there must be a market for it."

Emma, 33, is passionate about introducing children to healthy, balanced diets as early as possible to prevent them developing bad habits.

She said: "The thing about baby food in jars is they have to have some sort of preservative in them, whereas frozen food does not.

"When I buy vegetables they are cooked and frozen within 24 hours so all the goodness is still there.

"Easy Freezy is split into specific age groups so they won't be in someone's freezer for more than three or four months anyway."

She added: "Lots of people I know simply don't cook. It's easier for them to take the kids to a fast food restaurant than it is to make shepherd's pie.

"It's all to do with busy lifestyles and wanting convenience. But if children eat properly from the start, they don't get into bad habits."

Emma is keen to expand the business and is about to start selling through farmhouse shops and specialist food retailers in Sussex and London.

She plans eventually to move Easy Freezy out of the family home and into an industrial unit and employ people to help her cook and distribute the food.

Easy Freezy will feature at Horsham District Food and Drink Festival's opening event, The Big Nibble, at Drill Hall, Horsham, tomorrow.

Friday September 10, 2004