With the summer holidays finally upon us, it can seem like Mission Impossible to keep the kids entertained for six long weeks, especially if the typical English summertime weather is making playing outdoors an unrealistic option.

However, with a little imagination and forward planning, you can easily transform the hub of your family home, the kitchen, into a world of great fun and creativity for your kids, no matter how old they are.

If your kids are above a certain age, the recipe ideas suitable for them are truly endless. Cooking a pizza from scratch, making one of a range of simple pasta recipes or Greek recipes, or perhaps baking a simple sponge cake are all more than achievable options in the kitchen, but if your child is younger and a little less confident with an oven or a hob, something a little simpler may be the order of the day.

Something as basic as icing biscuits can keep kids entertained and happy for hours. There’s no need to bake the biscuits yourself; simply pop down to the local supermarket and pick up a packet of shortbread biscuits, making sure that the texture of the brand you pick isn’t too crumbly.

Making an icing topping for shortbread biscuits really couldn’t be easier. Simply combine around 400g of icing sugar with 4 tablespoons of cold water until you’re left with a smooth mixture. If you want to make your biscuits look a little more exciting, add in a few drops of food colouring.

Allow your child to spread the icing on top of the biscuits before the mixture hardens and, while the icing is still runny, sprinkle over hundreds and thousands, or adorn with small chocolate drops or sprinkles. Chocolate buttons and Maltesers also make excellent toppings, as do jelly beans, so let your child’s sweet-dominated imagination run wild!