Fruit recipes the kids will love

Encouraging kids to enjoy fruit can be challenging. Holidays are a great time to experiment with recipes – these are bound to get thumbs up.

By Ren Behan

Finding new ways of encouraging the kids to enjoy fruit can be a real challenge. Whilst most kids will happily eat a banana, or graze away on a few slices of apple or pear, it can quickly get boring for them. The school holidays are a great time to experiment with some fruit recipes - here are a few that are bound to get the thumbs up.

Shun the sugary cereals and get things off to a fruity start in the mornings by making Frozen fruit smoothies. Simply add some oats, yoghurt, milk and honey to any frozen fruit, then whizz or blend in a jug blender. Experiment with lots of different types of fruit and the kids will be getting a great portion of fruit almost without realising it. We love mango, banana and berry combinations.

Stewed fruit is another good way of getting fruit on the menu at the breakfast table. The slightly softer texture of cooked fruit can be easier for little ones to manage and you can add it to porridge, cereal or yoghurt. You can stew almost any fruit, such as apples, pears or strawberries, sweetened with just a tiny bit of sugar or even honey. If you are using stone fruit, such as plums, apricots, or cherries, remember to take the stones out before you cook the fruit down.

Fresh fruit salads are perfect for the summer. Remember to throw in plenty of variety and colour to tempt any fussy eaters – give them a fork and let them pick away at what they like. Always try and go for fruit that’s in season, as it will be much riper and sweeter. Jamie’s Summer fruit plate with lime, mint & vanilla syrup is a lovely recipe that makes the most of almost any fruit. The vanilla syrup sweetens things up even more and even gives the fruit a little shine to make it all the more tempting to dig into.

A scoop of ice-cream or two will quickly cool down traditional crumbles, pies and tarts. In most cases, a recipe can easily be adapted to make use of any seasonal fruit on offer or even frozen fruit. Watch this quick video on How to assemble a fruit pie filled with apples and berries. Then grab yourself a pie dish, pile the fruit up high, bake and watch them all tuck in!

Ren Behan is a food writer and mum of two. Find out more at www.renbehan.com