Couscous

That’s the basic, baldest method. Mostly I tend to bolster couscous with vegetables and use stock rather than water: my regular standby involves chopping 1 carrot in the baby processor until it is in tiny cubes and shards, and then boiling it for 2 minutes in a pan of bubbling water to which I have added some Marigold vegetable bouillon powder. I then shake in some couscous, bring it all back to the boil, take the pan off the heat and cover, leaving it for about 10 minutes. You can fork in some olive oil or butter, as you wish, but I think you do need some fat; small children find it easier to eat when the sémoules are sticking together rather than fluffily, and otherwise desirably, separate. You are not making couscous a Moroccan would be proud of, I admit, but nor are you setting out to. If you want to be really brazen and British you can use frozen peas and sweetcorn in place of the carrot. Drained, canned chick peas are the easiest option. Consider cracked wheat also: my daughter loves tabbouleh (and see here) as well, astringent and onion-hot as I make it.