I must admit, I struggled to get my 3 year old to eat this, I think it’s a texture issue as Moussaka can have a bit of a ‘sloppy’ texture, so I bribed him with garlic bread and he gave it a bit of a bash – result! I’ll never force them to complete any meal but I always insist they try everything

To make the moussaka, first slice a large aubergine into 1cm disc, sprinkle with some salt and set aside. 

Next, dice one large onion and fry in a large heavy based pan along with 500g of mince lamb, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of dried mint, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 bay leaves and cook for 10 minutes, next add 1 tablespoon of plain flour, stir and then add 200ml of red wine, a tin of chopped tomatoes,a tablespoon of tomato purée and some seasoning and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile rinse and pat dry the aubergines then shallow fry in some olive oil for a couple of minutes each side, remove and place on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil. 

Now, preheat your oven to fan 170

Next, make your white sauce. Add 50g of butter to a pan and when melted remove from the heat and add 50g of plain flour and stir until combined. Return to the heat then slowly add 400ml of milk stiring continuously, slowly bring to the boil and when it starts to thicken remove from the heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of grated nutmeg, 15g of grated Parmesan and some seasoning. Stir then whisk in 1 large beaten egg and set aside. 

Next, peel approx 4 potatoes and slice in to 1/2cm disc. 

Finally assemble the moussaka by first adding a layer of mince meat (approx a third of the mixture), followed by a layer of potatoes followeed by a layer of aubergines, repeat another two times so you have 3 layers with aubergine at the top. Pour over the white sauce and ensure you have an even coating on top then sprinkle with a little more Parmesan and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes – you might need to bake a little longer depending on how thin you were able to slice your potatoes.