Ingredient: Carrots

The humble carrot should never be forgotten when it comes to your weekly shop. Sweet and earthy, they can be found all year round and cooked or prepared in a huge variety of ways. Being naturally sweet, they are a firm favourite with children and adults alike.

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a compound your body changes into vitamin A which helps keep eyes, gut and skin healthy. With potassium, vitamin K, and their generous supply of fibre, they are as kind to the gut as they are to the taste buds.

Blend steamed carrots into a velvety soup with coconut milk and ginger. Roast them whole with a little maple syrup and sprinkles of thyme, and they emerge golden, their edges caramelised to a sticky perfection. Cooked in stews, they transform to become wonderfully soft and even sweeter. Served with humous they make an easy crunchy after school snack. Shave them raw into ribbons for a salad, or grate and mix with grated beetroot – delicious. Or perhaps they find their way into a deep pan of lentils and spiced broth, their sweetness balancing the earthiness of cumin and coriander – do try them with bold spices. They even work in puddings, grate them into a cake batter laced with orange zest, cinnamon, and walnuts.

We often say eat the rainbow – and with carrots, this can be very easy to do too. Carrots are not just vibrant orange, you can now find purple and yellow heritage carrots in supermarkets, and these contain other polyphenols that help to build a healthy microbiome. Most children love carrots, and they find it fun to try the purple and yellow ones – this can be a brilliant first step when trying to expand a child’s vegetable intake.