we tried those mesh things - once - she looked at it, threw it away, and cried til i gave her the food properly!

we didn't give her apple til a bit later, and no raw carrot til later either, but everything else she got in her hot little hand and loved it to bits

brocolli trees were a fave, peas (she'd chase them around the tray til she learnt to squish them) - she'd actively search through a pile of peas and corn to pull out JUST the peas... roast spud (we'd make sure there were no sharp bits), roast sweet potato and pumpkin

honestly, if you can, try to give her the same as what you're having for meals. she may not eat much, and you might feel you need to add some puree after her feed, but give her a chance at it. it is part of the nature of a baby to sample lots of things to learn about taste and texture (look at the stuff she was trying to eat at the playground the other week) - so if she is ready to explore, why not give her good healthy alternatives to explore kwim?