If you've been following my work for a while, you will know just how much I love using gelatin powder in recipes with my toddler - and encouraging parents to do the same.

The reason using gelatin and collagen powders regularly are a new craze (gelatin is the cooked form of collagen) is because we’ve changed the cuts of meat we typically eat. Traditional cultures would consume large amounts of gelatin through the nose-to-tail eating that they practiced (and that we are personally constantly striving for as a family), meaning that they cooked and consumed the entire animal which included gelatinous cuts, such as collagen-rich organs, like tripe and tendon, chuck roasts, shanks and bone broths for example. In our modern society, we don’t all eat gelatinous cuts as often anymore and some choose to supplement with gelatin or collagen powders to get the benefits. Regularly consuming gelatin provides benefits for our connective tissue, such as our skin, ligaments, bones and cartilage, and helps to heal and seal our gut lining, particularly helpful if you have ‘leaky gut’.

For our children, gelatin and collagen has incredible benefits too. In fact, Catherine Shanahan, M.D. talks about collagen-rich bone broth and says, “eating homemade bone stock in childhood has fantastic joint-strengthening and collagen fortifying effects that can last a lifetime.” And interestingly, in the early months of your child’s life they have openings in their intestinal lining, a normal state called open gut. This allows antibodies (protective proteins produced by the immune system) from mum’s milk to pass through their gut wall easily into their bloodstream, where they can protect your child. So by offering regular gelatin from 8 months, we are assisting our child’s gut lining to seal - incredible right? Finally, I must also mention one particular amino acid in gelatin, glycine, which has been shown to improve sleep quality - just in case you needed another reason to start incorporating it into your family’s diet!

Let's dive into the recipe.

First you want to decide which flavour you'd like on the top or on the bottom of the double decker gelatin gummies - mango or strawberry? The flavour you want on the bottom is the one you will make first.

I made mango on the bottom with strawberry on the top so let's go with that and you can adjust at home as you need to.

Mango Gelatin Gummies

1. So to begin with you want to bloom your gelatin powder. I like using the GelPro Organic Gelatin or Great Lakes Gelatin is also another brand I occasionally purchase. Because of the high enzyme content of mangoes, I tend to use slightly more gelatin than I would with some other fruits to ensure they still set. Bloom 3 heaped tablespoons of gelatin powder with 6 tablespoons of water until a smooth paste consistency is reached.

2. To a pot, or your thermomix, add 1 cup of mango pieces (I like fermenting my fruit before I add it, you can follow instructions here) and heat on a low heat until the mango is soft (if frozen).

3. Allow the mixture to cool slightly then add 2 tbsp of ghee (optional). Now you want to blend until smooth by either blending on high in your thermomix, or using a stick blender to blend until smooth.

4. Quickly whisk in 2 egg yolks (optional) so they don't scramble.

5. Stir in your bloomed gelatin until it has melted into the mango mixture and blend gently until smooth. Pour into the mould and fill halfway, leaving half for the berry mix. Put into fridge to set.

While waiting for the Mango Gelatin Gummies to set, we're going to make the strawberry layer.

Strawberry Chia Gelatin Gummies

1. To start here, you want to soak your chia seeds in water or bone broth. I do this really mathematically by filling an empty glass jar 1/3 of the way with chia seeds and then topping up with water or bone broth. Shake, shake, shake until the chia seeds have absorbed the liquid.

2. Bloom 3 heaped tablespoons of gelatin powder with 6 tablespoons of water until a runny consistency is reached.

3. To a food processor, or your thermomix, or a bowl with a stick blender, add 1 cup of strawberry pieces with 3 tbsp of soaked chia seeds and blend until a puree has formed.

4. You want your bloomed gelatin to be slightly runny so you can pour it through the strawberry mix and blend until it's combined. Blend well until you have no seeds left in the mix (or you can strain these out)

5. Check the mango layer has set enough to pour the strawberry flavour on top. Pour into the mould and fill to the top. Put into fridge to set.

6. Wait 30 min-1 hour then pop out and enjoy!

You can also use any leftover mixture to make more gummies in any other moulds you have.

Serving notes:

• For babies just starting on gelatin (I recommend around 8 months), you can make the gummies into more panna cotta consistency by reducing the gelatin quantity to 2 tbsp. For older babies, you can use the firmer gummies consistency in the recipe.

• You can cut the set gummies into strips for a baby-led weaning approach.

• If your child experiences constipation, you can swap the strawberries for cherries to include two constipation relieving foods at the same time as supporting your little one's gut health.

• Gelatin is not vegan or vegetarian friendly, there is an alternative you can use Agar, which is found in seaweed and offers a different range of nutrients to gelatin including iron, calcium and magnesium with low sodium. I can not guarantee the same results or consistency with agar.