Mom of 4, even my little ones eat soup without mess. The secret is they drink it out of a cup so there's no issue with using a spoon. I never used to serve soup for the very reason you don't, but you can get so much additional nutrition into them through blending a soup so seems a shame not to serve it but obviously the mess with a bowl and spoon is insane. They love to drink it out of the cup and those who can use a straw without problems can have one which makes it even more of a novelty.

This menu plan is actually really mild on the flavour front because I am making some old favourites of mine and also to gradually introduce stronger flavours to the new ones joining me. My menu always has a curry dish, and I always consistently have different cuisines for them to try so that they become better eaters. I have never really had any issues with adapting a child's pallet through gradual introduction to different ethnic foods and flavours. If there has ever been a fussy child its not exclusive to me they are fussy at home too and with even the most popular junk food that their parents serve too. It tends to be more of an "I don't want ANYTHING", versus disliking certain foods.