YOUNGSTERS visiting Rick Stein's Sandbanks restaurant can now enjoy food for thought - following a collaboration with the charity BookTrust.

The Rick Stein group will be giving away special editions of the book, A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea, in all 12 of its restaurants.

A group spokesman explained: "We are delighted to be giving away copies of the children's book.

"We know how important reading and stories are for children, and we are delighted so many more families who visit our restaurants will have the pleasure of reading this magical story over their family meal."

Children’s reading charity BookTrust, supported by Barefoot Books, initially gave away over 450,000 copies of the book - written by Jessica Law and illustrated by Jill McDonald - as part of National Bookstart Week in June 2016.

National Bookstart Week is an annual celebration of BookTrust’s flagship reading programme, Bookstart, which gives every child in England and Wales a free reading pack in the first year of their life and again when they are three or four years old.

The aim of the programme is to remind families of the importance of reading for fun, even with babies.

BookTrust CEO Diana Gerald said: "Family time is so important, especially in this time-poor world but having young children and enjoying a peaceful meal out do not always easily go hand in hand.

"We've joined forces with Rick Stein to help take the pressure off parents to entertain kids at the table and encourage them to grasp those precious moments of reading together.

"Reading is such a portable activity and can be done anywhere. The National Bookstart theme was ‘Under the Sea’ so it’s a perfect pairing with Rick Stein's seafood offering."