Forget restaurant inspectors, newspaper food writers, or even Gordon Ramsay. The most fussy and scathing food critics on the planet are children.

A child will not spare the cook's feelings, but will look you square in the eye and tell you what you have lovingly prepared is "gross". The easy way around this is to offer them something that usually comes fried, or in a bun, or with chocolate sauce poured on it.

And here lies the problem for Britain's (non-fast food) restaurants. A huge portion of Britain's restaurant-going public are parents. But most don't want to feed their children burgers and fries on a regular basis. So if restaurants want to tempt them in, they have to come up with a menu that keeps mum and dad happy, but also tempt even the most hard to please anklebiters.

That's why I thought Tootsies and Dexters were pretty brave, when I heard they'd unveiled a new kids menu created by children's food guru Annabel Karmel, who has written books on healthy children's food and has her own food range in supermarkets. Could her new menu meet the demands of my three little critics? Be afraid, be very afraid...

SO WHAT HAPPENED?

The children were initially impressed by Tootsies, which is part of the Oxford Castle development, largely because it is opposite a former prison. When we arrived, there were balloons on the table, plus colouring sheets and crayons. The children were given their own menus which they and I studied intently. The Tootsies Junior Menu had a good selection of dishes, from a healthy burger to stir fried noodles with chicken and vegetables (£4.95).

The Tiny Tootsies Eat Fussy range included Mummy's Salmon & Cod Pie, with pieces of fish in a cheesy sauce topped with fresh mashed potatoes (£4.25).

The two older girls got stuck over a few things they fancied, although Georgia eventually chose her favourite, spaghetti bolognese. Millie went for macaroni cheese with ham, and for Lexie I chose shepherd's pie from the separate Tiny Tootsies menu.

The two oldest turned down the healthy fruit smoothies on offer in favour of Coke, but I wasn't about to push it at this stage. After a few, inevitable "When's it coming?" questions, the food arrived.

AND THEN ...

The children were impressed by the presentation; the food was in a little bowl, on a plate, with a side salad separate, which made them feel quite grown up. I was also impressed by the special child-friendly cutlery and the attentiveness the staff showed the children.

For pudding, the children ordered fruit with chocolate dipping sauce (£2.95) and while the portions for the main courses were quite small, the selection of fruit they received was huge, with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and raspberries.

A trip to the loo afterwards revealed it was down two small flights of stairs - not a problem for the two eldest, but a bit of a pain when you've also got a baby in your arms.

But this was the only fault I could find with the restaurant itself. The prices were reasonable, the surroundings were lovely and I didn't feel like a pariah for having small children with me.

When we left, the children - carrying their balloons - told me I could: "definitely bring them to Tootsies again". Praise indeed.