Nutrition

Sprouts are great for getting in your fibre and rich in vitamin C, K and folic acid. This makes brussels a great source of folate which helps to reduce tiredness and improve alertness.

Shopping Guide

Look out for a bright green colour on your sprouts that feel firm to touch. Top tip: for a sweeter sprout go for the smaller or medium sized heads.

Storage

You can keep your Brussels sprouts in the fridge for a week when kept dry and in the freezer for longer. Blanch the sprouts in boiling water for 3 mins first, then leave to cool before laying on a tray and popping in the freezer for a few hours. From here you can throw them in a storage bag or container.

Preparation

You can boil, steam, or microwave sprouts with a small amount of water, however many kids prefer them less mushy and more caramelised by stir-frying or roasting. Just toss them in some olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and roast or frying until going golden and crispy on the edges. Serve as is or sprinkle over a little Parmesan or balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. If the shape and size bothers your child, finely slicing/shredding the sprouts and serving raw in a coleslaw or frying in butter (or maybe with a little bacon) until soft and sweeter, could be a better alternative.

Kids in the Kitchen

For a younger child, why not get them to help you peel the outer layer of leaves off so you can halve them, or toss some peeled and halved sprouts in a little oil and salt so you can roast them (the best way to bring out their sweetness and avoid mushiness from boiling them!).

For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to teach them the bridge grip for some essential knife skills. Show them how to take a whole sprout, peel the outer leaves off, then slice carefully through the middle. You could leave them halved and roast or fry in a little oil and salt, or a confident chopper could help you slice them finely to “shred” and eat raw in a slaw or fried with some butter and grated cheese!

Find more ideas for involving kids in the kitchen here.

Sensory

Try exploring whole sprouts and halved ones with your sense of sight, describing what you see. What do they remind you of? What colours and patterns can you see? Can you come up with an imaginative or funny description for them? If you can get hold of a “sprout stick” where they are still on the stalk (greengrocers and some supermarkets sell them in the winter), see what that reminds you of, too!

Find more sensory ideas, tips and videos here. If you get stuck and need a little help with describing words, we have a selection for you here, too!

Serving

Made some sprouts with a little help from your child (even if all they did was wash them or toss them in oil)? Let them claim all credit for the dish and come up with a fun name for it! Can they find a great pun or a play on their name or even a silly story for the dish they’ve helped make?

Find the best ways of involving your own child and their skills and interests on our Roles for Kids page.

Activities

For sprouts, why not try making a bowlful of playdough sprouts or drawing one up close? Pay close attention to the details – is it all one shade of green or are there different colours involved? Can you see the individual leaves? If you cut a sprout in half, can you see and draw or make the layers?

Kids more interested in science? You can find at-home science fun with veg with our videos from Stefan Gates’ here.

Find loads more free veg-themed crafts here and games here.