Eating out with children can fill the most professional parent with dread and horror -- particularly with five of them to contend with.

However, it is well-documented that the mere mention of a trip to the hallowed Golden Arches should induce impeccable behaviour in the most boisterous of children, and having experienced the culinary delights of McDonald's with a team aged between two and eight, I have to agree.

McDonald's has not been without a certain amount of controversy over the years and has been accused of everything from encouraging obesity to not making its fries out of potatoes. Yet its restaurants serve three million customers a day in the UK.

The convenience food giant has been making huge efforts recently to incorporate a few healthier options on to its menu. So, on arrival at the sacred eatery in Ruscote Avenue, Banbury, instead of gorging on beefburgers, we tried all the healthier options on the menu, from vegeburgers to the new fruit bags, salads and yoghurt. The question was, how would my team of five fast food freaks fare, and would I survive the experience?

First up is the vegetable deluxe burger (£3.39 with fries and a coffee). This is a selection of vegetables, such as peas and carrots, that have been squished to within an inch of their life, then coated in breadcrumbs, presented in a sesame seed bun with crispy lettuce and drowned in some white sauce claiming to be mayonnaise.

I ate this, but not without difficulty, and as my friend so kindly pointed out, you do need to open your mouth quite wide so there really is nothing elegant about eating it. However, despite it falling apart in my hands and sticking to the roof of my mouth, it was OK. I decided that as I had only eaten an apple since breakfast, the vegetable deluxe wasn't bad at all.

Thomas, eight, was quite delighted with his and claimed it to be "very good".

The fries were proclaimed to be "too salty" by Arran, eight, who announced: "I prefer my mum's cooking actually, but my burger was OK." In fact, to make sure he really did like his burger, he ordered a second one. Sam, also eight, declared that he was "quite full" after his meal and had enjoyed it.

Tom, two and a half, and Joe, four, were too busy pinching other people's fries (99p) and playing with their Happy Meal (£1.99) toy to care much, but they both ate reasonably well.

The fruit bag of sliced apple and grapes (59p) went down well and was declared "crispy and tasty" by all who had some. However, the newly-introduced yoghurt burst (35p) was not so well received with three out of five of the children giving it the thumbs down.

Pasta salads are also available and we chose the chicken and pasta salad with honey and mustard dressing (£1.99), because this was the only one available.

Among the other delights were the coffee which, as any parent will tell you, is the saving grace of McDonald's. It is always good, hot, and if you buy a meal, then you can have free refills --essential for stressed-out mums. The milkshakes were deemed a bit too sweet.

As for the budget, we fed eight people for under £26, which cannot be bad, and the staff were incredibly helpful and friendly, despite a bunch of unruly children and a large strawberry milkshake slick to contend with on the floor at one point.

I would not choose to go to McDonald's, but my children and their friends really enjoyed their after-school treat, giving it an average score of eight out of ten.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating and they pretty much ate everything, which means that perhaps fast food is not so awful after all.

In moderation and as a treat or quick emergency meal, McDonald's is fine. However, despite all the information about what each food product contains and reassurances about food safety, hygiene and preparation, raising your children on burgers and milkshakes is not exactly going to make for a healthy lifestyle.

It also means they could miss out on other foods and tastes, which would be a tragedy.