VEG SELECTOR
Welcome to the Veg Selector, designed to help you choose the next right veg to try to introduce to your child (or which one you should try next!), taking into mind individual preferences.
Welcome to the Veg Selector, designed to help you choose the next right veg to try to introduce to your child (or which one you should try next!), taking into mind individual preferences.
Choosing the best veg for your child.
Everyone has individual food preferences. Consider your choices: do you prefer certain brands, a hot lunch over a cold one, crunchy over soft veg, cooked over raw, or sweet over bitter?
Kids are the same and often have strong likes and dislikes. Keep a running dialogue with your child about their food preferences—texture, color, smell, temperature, and taste. When they say they love pizza, ask why. Is it hot, sweet, soft, or mild? Track their descriptions to identify veg that matches their preferences.
For example, if they like “crunchy” and dislike “slimy,” try raw cabbage. If they prefer “sweet” and dislike “bitter,” consider raw carrots instead.
For more tips and a planner to jot down these preferences and key words, sign up for our 100% free “Launch into Veg” course to get expert guidance on helping your child enjoy more veg!
Broccoli
Bitter, soft, green, warm/hot, strong (flavour), sweet (roasted/stems), dark
Butternut squash
Orange, sweet, strong (flavour), soft, smooth, creamy, buttery, warm/hot, bright
Cabbage (RAW)
Crunchy, bitter, strong (flavour), hard, smooth (white/red cabbage), rough (Savoy/crinkly cabbages), green/purple/white/red, cold
Carrot (cooked)
Soft, warm/hot, sweet, mushy, bright, orange, smooth, mild (flavour).
Cauliflower
Bitter, white, strong (flavour), sweet (roasted), soft, mushy, warm/hot
CUCUMBER
Crunchy (skin), soft (middle), mushy (seeds), seedy, green, mild (flavour), sweet, sour
PEAS
Green, sweet, creamy, buttery, mild (flavour), soft, smooth, small, light, bright
peppers (COOKED)
Soft, sweet, bitter (green), red/yellow/orange/green), mild (flavour), slimy (fried), slippery, warm/hot.
peppers (RAW)
Crunchy, bitter (especially green), sweet (especially red/yellow/orange), cold, red/yellow/orange/green, hard, smooth, strong (flavour)
sweetcorn
Yellow, buttery, creamy, sweet, cold (tinned), warm/hot, soft, small, smooth, light, bright, mild (flavour).
tomatoes (cooked)
Soft, mushy, smooth (blended/tinned/sauce), warm/hot, sweet, sour, red, dark.
tomatoes (raw)
Hard (skin), soft (inside), slimy (seeds), seedy, sweet (riper), bitter (less ripe), sour, cold, mushy, smooth, red, bright.
if you still can’t choose…
We suggest you go with carrots, sweetcorn, cucumber or peas as they are most children’s favourite vegetables.