Broccoli
Do you know which vegetable was voted the most loved vegetable in the UK last year? You’re thinking peas, or maybe carrots – everyone loves carrots. The answer, of course, is broccoli. Us Brits love these little miniature trees.
Nutrition
Broccoli is a great source of a range of micronutrients including vitamins A, C, E and K, some of the B vitamins such as folic acid and minerals like iron, potassium, calcium, selenium and magnesium. These vitamins and minerals are brilliant for supporting our immune system and bone health. Studies have linked the consumption of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli to heart health and due to its vitamin K and fibre content.
Shopping Guide
When shopping for broccoli look out for dark green or slightly purple florets, these are richer in nutrients like vit C and beta carotene. If buying early season broccoli, make sure to use it up quickly as it doesn’t last as long!
Storage
Broccoli keeps fresher for longer when stored in the fridge and loves water. Storing your broccoli stems in a jar of water and covering the tops with a plastic bag will help your veg to stay fresh and crunchy. You could try spraying your florets with water and wrapping them in a damp cloth or tea towel, this will help them stay fresh for up to a week. If it’s there beyond that, turn it into soup by boiling in stock and a dry herb of choice, perhaps even with some creamy Stilton stirred through. You can freeze broccoli by blanching in boiling water for just 2-3 mins, letting it cool and then freezing laid out on a tray in the freezer for a couple of hours before storing in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 6 months.
Serving suggestions
Simply cut or tear the florets from the trunk and then steam or boil them until soft, but not soggy. If you really want to rock the broc – steam or boil for only 3 mins then toss the florets into a frying pan on a medium heat with chopped garlic and olive oil, sauté for 3-5 mins then sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and devour them. The stem of broccoli is rich in the good stuff like vitamin C. Rather than throwing it away try grating it into soups, stews or coleslaw.
Seasonality
Buying veg in season is not only great for the planet, it can be good for your wallet, too! Seasonal veg are often cheaper and frequently taste better, so can be a better time to try with a child as the often sweeter, riper taste is more enjoyable.
Coming In:
June
At Its Best:
July - November
Engage
Here are some of our favourite ways to engage kids with broccoli:
Arts & Crafts
Start simple with some non-food based engagement. This is especially helpful for a fussier child or those with sensitivities around food.
DOWNLOADS:
Make you own broccoli face mask
Colour and wear your broccoli veg crown
Puzzles & Games
Puzzles and games are all about fun and centering them on veg brings a positive association with it. Like arts & crafts, this is great for those who aren’t yet ready to interact physically with the veg, but it can still be fun for all!
DOWNLOADS:
For broccoli, have a go at our Eat Them to Defeat Them Veg Surveillance game.
Science
Science allows for curiosity, play and hands-on experiments. It helps kids to become fascinated with veg – how it looks, reacts, smells, cooks and more. Finding fun and simple experiments to allow kids to play with their veg makes them curious about it and helps them approach it in a positive way.
For broccoli, why don’t you explore the colour and shape together? Did you know that a head of broccoli is actually an unopened bunch of flowers? Can you see the tiny buds if you look closely with your eyes or a magnifying glass? If you cut through the middle of the broccoli and remove the base, can you see the “branch-like” network in the centre connecting all the florets?
Sensory
Sensory exploration can be a wonderful introduction to physically interacting with veg. Turn it into a positive, pressure-free experience by starting off with the golden rules of “You don’t need to try and you don’t need to like.” Reassuring a child that, while they have a chance to taste a veg, they don’t have to, and are not expected to like it if they do, can make them more happy to engage with it.
Why not explore what broccoli feels and looks like when prepared in different ways? Get a few florets prepared in different ways for them – raw, frozen, boiled or steamed, roasted… Ask your child what they remind them of in different forms, and encourage them to touch and smell them to see if they feel and smell different to each other, too. If they feel up to it, they could even try a little nibble or lick of the different ones to explore the varied tastes and textures, and see which one is their favourite!
WATCH:
Kids in the Kitchen
Children who help to prep and cook veg are more likely to eat it. If you feel your child is ready to help and could benefit from it, keep the stress and mess to a minimum by choosing one simple task for them to do as part of the prep, meaning they can be involved and feel like the recipe is in part ‘theirs’, but also not make the process too much longer or more complicated.
For a younger child, why not get them breaking apart the broccoli florets with their hands and washing them for you?
For an older child, maybe they could grate the broccoli stalks (and/or florets) with a little help and mix with some yogurt or mayonnaise and lemon juice, salt and pepper to make a simple broccoli slaw as a side to dinner.
DOWNLOADS:
Use our Kitchen Ninja chart and videos to find simple ways for kids to help in the kitchen.
Your Food
Find your go-to meals in our family favourites section and see what veggies work best with them.
Find out how to add more veg to your suppers here.
Recipes
If You Like Broccoli…Try
Does your child enjoy peppers? That’s great! Peppers are usually crunchy and fairly sweet, so why not try a similar texture and/or taste…
Serving
The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it!
The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it!
The first thing to do is remove the pressure. If the veg doesn’t get eaten, it’s not the end of the world. There will be other days, other dinners, other chances. Fun is key here – try not to worry about mess, perfect table manners, or playing with food. Instead, focus on making the process of getting the food to the plates, readying the table, and the actual eating relaxed.
The best principles for success here are the Three Rs (role modelling, rewarding, re-offering) which you can read about here.
But there is one more way you can serve for success, and that is giving your child a role. You don’t have to do this every time, just encourage them in their strengths through it when you can.
Here are some of our favourite ideas:
Design a menu
Come up with a silly name or story for a dish
Help with making a meal plan and choosing veg for dinners or snacks
Help to serve up the meal on dishes, lay the table or create a centrepiece to be involved in the physical ‘serving up’ process.
The Wonderful World of Veg
Check out our vegepedia. When to buy in-season. How to store them to keep for longer. How to engage children with each veg, and simple ideas of how to prepare and cook them for maximum taste and minimum waste. Select a veg…