Nutrition

Spinach is a good source of folate, a nutrient essential for making our red blood cells as well as iron, which helps our red blood cells to transport oxygen around the body.

Shopping guide

When picking up spinach on your food shop, look out for dark green leaves and check for wilting or yellowing leaves. 

Storage

Spinach should be stored in the fridge wrapped in a paper towel and kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To avoid your spinach going soggy, keep it dry by changing out the paper towel. Spinach can be easily freezed for up to 6 months, just wash and dry it thoroughly before freezing.

Serving suggestions

Spinach can be steamed, boiled or sautéed. It is the perfect addition to eggs for a veg powered breakfast or as a green veg booster to stir fry and pasta – you’ll be amazed how a big pile of fresh leaves wilts down to a spoonful or two of spinach. You could blitz it into a smoothie or pesto or even baked goods – it imparts little flavour and lots of colour so is great for colouring foods in a natural way. It’s flavour is completely different raw and cooked, so make sure to try both as many people who dislike it one way actually enjoy it the other!

Kids in the Kitchen

For a younger child, why not get them making a raw spinach salad as a side dish for tea? They could be in charge from start-to-finish, washing and drying the leaves, popping them in a bowl, topping with any extra flavours like nuts or seeds, crumbled feta or hard cheese, halved cherry tomatoes or avocado chunks, etc., and making a simple dressing by mixing half a teaspoon of mustard in a jar with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar and a good 6-8 tablespoons of oil, screwing the lid on the jar and shaking until it is well mixed!

For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to learn some simple cooking skills on a stove and watch the change between raw and cooked foods happening quickly. Show them how to wash the spinach and carefully place it with a splash of water in a hot pan, stirring until it wilts down.

Find more ideas for involving kids in the kitchen here.

Sensory

Try using a few raw spinach leaves to explore with your sense of sight. Ask your child what it reminds them of – does it looks like a tree leaf, a green teardrop, a thumbnail from a green giant? Encourage them to explore it and use their imaginations, using descriptive language. See if they are willing to give it a sniff, lick or even bite at the end (and make sure they see you trying it and describing its taste and texture, 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

Next time you make a meal that includes spinach, why not ask your child to help you with one small step in the preparation of the spinach (maybe washing or tearing it), then see if they want to help you serve it as “their” meal. Perhaps they could help lay the table and even create a fun centrepiece, maybe with all green objects to reflect the spinach’s colour?

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

Activities

Why not try making a 3D veg “picture” by using spinach leaves and a couple of other veg to create an image? Spinach leaves make great tree foliage, bushes or green raindrops!

Kids more interested in science? Why don’t you explore the colour and shape of the spinach together? How similar/different are spinach leaves to leaves you can’t eat that you see on trees? Can you see the veins if you zoom in on the leaves with a magnifying glass or zoom on a camera? Is it a different green colour to peas or broccoli?

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

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