Another post re: fussy eating

My Ella went through a stage similar to what you describe. I absolutely despaired of her ever eating anything and wasting away due to my inability to get her to eat anything other than plain biscuits!
I tried all suggestions on offer with little success. In the end, I just let it go. I felt that it was affecting our relationship too much and not getting us anywhere to keep making food an issue. I kept on offering a selection of foods at every meal and snack time and just let her eat what she chose from the plate.
I made sure I included at least one thing she had liked in dinners and let her decide whether she wanted to eat it.
We cheered her on when she ate well and didn't make a fuss of it when she didn't. We also stopped asking her to try things or have a little more of things, removing all pressure on her.
She was SO much happier when she had control of her choices and I was happier for seeing her happy.
When she did start trying things, it was quite random and she'd go backwards and forwards. What was a success one week might be tossed aside the next.
It seems to be an ongoing process with her and dinner is still a work in progress but she is a hundred times better than where she was at 2 years ago.
My method might not be the most advisable, but the way I saw it, she wasn't any worse off than when she was refusing things before we removed the pressure and we were all a lot happier.
I should add that Ella also went through periods of constipation and really went off her food when she was backed up. It never went longer than 3 - 4 days though.
Good luck Fiona.

Mel - Any chance of me borrowing that book to have a sneaky photocopy?

Nope, she won't eat chicken nuggets etc. She will eat McDs fries but if I make my own shoe string chips (I can't taste the difference) she won't eat them! Such a madam.

I hide veges in everything but it doesn't make her more or less inclined to eat.

I even made her mini star, heart and teddy shaped piklets on the weekend and she wouldn't even eat those!

Kaia is often like this, she sounds very similar to Elle in terms of being quite stubborn and strong willed.
I tend to just let it slide, I offer food often which she oftens turns her nose up too. I just let her decide. But I am quite strict on what she is allowed to eat when she does decide to. For example, Andy seems to think eating something is better than eating nothing so will offer her whats she likes. I prefer to think that she is getting the good stuff so will not offer her biscuits etc just so she will eat.