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Parsnips

Parsnips are one of the sweeter root veggies (like carrots, sweet potatoes and celeriac), so great for kids who enjoy sweeter flavours. They can be prepped and cooked in many ways, but roasted or in soup are possibly the most popular. Parsnips are a perfect cheap British veg for the winter, although you can buy frozen pre-sliced ones year round to just chuck in the oven as a delicious sweet side for many meals.
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The Roman Emperor Tiberius was so fond of parsnips, he imported them all the way from Germany across the Alps to Rome. In fact, he loved them so much he accepted parsnips instead of gold as payment from the Germanic tribes.  Why did he love them so? Cos them parsnips are so sweeeeeeet. The frost turns the starch in the white roots into sugar.

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Nutrition

These sweet treats are high in folic acid which contributes towards mental alertness and reduces tiredness. 

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Shopping Guide

Try and look out for bags of parsnips where the sizing is small to medium otherwise selecting larger ones may result in a woody or tough texture.

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Storage

To store, keep in a cool dark cupboard, or better yet, the fridge. They will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

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Preparation

The best way to prepare parsnips is to peel and cook them with a roast just like spuds or cut them into “Pars-chips”. Put the Pars-chip in a roasting tin, coat with a little oil and roast in a preheated oven at 220C/200C fan/Gas 7 for 30 mins.

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Kids in the Kitchen

For a younger child, why not get some frozen parsnip chunks and help them open the packet and lay out on a tray. Show them how to safely turn on the oven to preheat it and demonstrate safely putting the tray in and out of the oven. Get them to set a timer so they know when ‘their’ parsnips will be ready!

For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to learn some essential knife skills – why not use a couple of parsnips to help them learn the claw grip by slicing into rounds?

Find more ideas for involving kids in the kitchen here.

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Sensory

Explore parsnips with your sense of touch. Pop a parsnip in a clean(!) sock. Better yet, put a carrot in a different one. Without peeking, can your kids tell which one is which? Get them to describe what it feels like, what it reminds them of, what they think it might be. Then take them out of the socks and see if it was what they thought. Now they can see it, does it look different to what they expected? Does it feel different? What colours can they see?

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!

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Serving

Next time you make a meal with parnips, try to get your kids involved in small ways wherever you can – when serving it up, why not let your child help you plate it and see if they can come up with a funny name for the dish.

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

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Activities

Why not try making a parsnip face mask by printing our carrot one and changing the colour when colouring in?

Kids more interested in science? If you feel like taking on a silly DIY-confident science experiment, all you need is a drill, a large parsnip and a straw! Watch Stefan Gates’ carrot flute experiment and have a go using parsnips, it’s a giggle for kids to watch and play! You can find more at-home science fun with veg with our videos from Stefan Gates’ here.

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

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Seasonality

Buying veg in season is not only great for the planet, it can be good for your wallet, too! Buying parsnips over the autumn, and especially the winter will get you the best flavour and price (after the first frost they’ll even get sweeter!), so keep an eye out from September.

At Its Best:

September - March

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Your Food

It’s hard to go wrong with roasted parsnips! But did you know they are great mixed with potatoes in mash, thinly sliced in place of potatoes in a creamy gratin, or even diced in a stew. If you want to bring more parsnips into your meals and sides rotations, why not try some of our favourites…

Family Favourites

Sausage and Mash

Effort: 1
Complexity: 1
Cost: 1

Family Favourites

Roast

Effort: 1
Complexity: 1
Cost: 1

Family Favourites

Shepherd’s Pie

Effort: 1
Complexity: 1
Cost: 1

Family Favourites

Stew

Effort: 1
Complexity: 1
Cost: 1

Family Favourite

More Recipes

Leftover Veg Salad | Veg Power

Leftover veg curried salad

Effort: 1
Complexity: 1
Cost: 1

Claire Wright

Charlotte’s Turkey Sausage & Roasted Veg Traybake

Effort: 1
Complexity: 1
Cost: 2

Charlotte Radcliffe RNutr

Ian’s Roasted Veg

Effort: 1
Complexity: 1
Cost: 1

Ian Taverner

The Hairy Bikers’ Winter Vegetable Soup

Effort: 2
Complexity: 2
Cost: 2

Si King & Dave Myers (The Hairy Bikers)

Henry & Ian’s Winter Roots Salad

Effort: 2
Complexity: 2
Cost: 2

Henry Firth & Ian Theasby (Bosh!)

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If You Like Parsnip…Try

Does your child enjoy parsnips? That’s great! Peppers are usually chewy or soft and sweet, so why not try a similar texture and/or taste…

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…

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