The Hogwart's diet may not outwardly appear to be the healthiest regime in existence but what the pupils are gaining is a hugely beneficial healthy attitude towards food and eating in general. This may well be fiction but we could learn a great deal from J K Rowling's dream dining experiences for her young charges. Let's take a closer look:

1) Nothing is forbidden. Limited, banned, not allowed. These words inevitably spark the beginnings of internal rebellion because in them we sense a restriction to our freedom. As humans it is a natural instinct to fight for our freedom at all times. Therefore if we place a total ban on a much enjoyed food in our diet (such as chocolate), it is only a matter of time before we succumb and make a break for freedom of choice.

2) There is a large variety of food on offer. Nobody suffers from cravings at Hogwarts – why would you?

3) Eating is fun (think chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans). Rowling instills a normal behaviour towards eating and loving food.

4) The pupils do not necessarily eat everything on their plates. They certainly don't eat food until they are so full they feel like they are going to burst or because there are starving children in other countries. I hear adults say many, many times that as children they had to eat everything on their plates otherwise their mother would not let them leave the table. Sometimes they were the only person left in the kitchen even after other siblings had done the dishes and left. The message is: 'if you don't clean your plate you will be punished'.

5) The food satisfies the senses. The drink Butterbeer pops up all over the Harry Potter books. Butterbeer, as Heston Blumenthal points out in his Tudor Feast, is not just Harry Potter's favourite tipple, it's also a Tudor recipe made from ale, sugar, egg yolks, nutmeg and butter. All deliciously childlike ingredients. If we can appeal somewhat to our emotional as well as our physical needs with food experiences, we will be far less likely to feel deprived and dissatisfied.

6) The food is just suddenly there, and it's always just what one is hungry for and then, when you're done...poof! the food is gone, the plates are clean, no follow-up chores! Now this would be really appealing - if you can make this happen – please share!

If there is one thing above all else that Harry Potter and his young friends at Hogwart's absolutely do not learn – it is the crippling fact that food equals guilt. It would be worth sending your child to Hogwarts for this lesson alone.