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A new survey by children’s cookery expert Annabel Karmel has revealed that 8 out of 10 parents are still giving their children unhealthy snacks in their lunchboxes.

The survey also found one out of five parents under pressure are more likely to give their children sugary cereals, rather than healthier foods, like porridge and wholegrain cereal.

Other key findings include:

• Over half (51%) of parents surveyed said their children prefer international cuisine, with 35% saying they enjoy Italian food and one in four (14%) preferring curry. 4% of children are eating vegetarian cuisine.

• One in three children (31%) named mushrooms as their least favourite vegetable above spinach (18%) and broccoli (17%).

• Nearly half (44%) of parents hide vegetables in pasta to get their children to eat them. Other tricks include bribing methods of offering a sweet treat if they eat vegetables (7%), offering finger food portions of vegetables (29%) and pureeing the vegetables (14%).

• Pasta is children's meal of choice with one in four (39%) choosing it as their favourite.

• Children's top three snacks are cheese, crisps and fruit with over quarter (27%) of children choosing crisps as their favourite snack.

• 43% named Spaghetti Bolognese as their favourite dish.

Karmel commented on the findings:  "More parents start out with good intentions but at busy times of the day, they may opt for an easier life and give into their child even though that food isn't healthy.

"It's interesting that children's tastes are more sophisticated than many parents would imagine with over half the parents saying that their children would prefer international cuisine such as Italian and Indian cuisine to burgers, chicken nuggets or pizza; with curry becoming a more popular dish with little ones.

"Pasta is still children's No.1 choice particularly Spaghetti Bolognese and for fussy eaters, it seems parents resort to disguise by blending vegetables into tomato sauce for pasta."