I'm thinking wow I wish both my boys ate that much at the toddler stage...actually even my preschooler is only eating about that much variety.
Food rule in our house.
This excludes Breakfast which they pretty much eat the same thing.
Food gets put on the plate 4-5 things different colours & shapes & includes 1 will pretty much always eat, one sometimes eats, 1 new & 2 what ever I have to fill up the quota.
Then what ever gets eaten gets eaten... "it is the parents job to provide healthy nutritious food, it is the childs job to decide if & how much they will eat"
If they are hungry say between Lunch & Afternoon tea, they get offered any leftovers from lunch or if their arent any, fruit, which would be part of afternoon tea.
Yep I have wastage, but no we don't have dramas.
BTW neither of my boys let me feed them AT ALL, so trying to hide something on a spoon or force feed wouldn't work
Also I apparently on ly ate, peas, custard, cheese, sausages, mash, bread & butter/toast & fruit when I was a toddler... now I pretty much eat everything (not big on peas, mash or sausages now though
)