How to cook Carrots

Add a couple of carrots to mashed potato for extra flavour and colour, use in soups, shred into salads or roast whole. Grate, slice or shave carrots raw, or you can steam, boil, roast or stir-fry them. Carrots are typically used alongside onions, celery and leeks as a base for soups, sauces and casseroles. Carrots can even be shredded and used in cakes. The small leaves are also delicious tossed through soft salad leaves or used as a garnish.

HOW TO PREPARE CARROTS

READ: Cooking with kids: crunchy carrot pittas

WHAT ARE CARROTS?

Carrots are a root vegetable. They are part of the plant family called apiaceae, which includes parsley, coriander and celery. The first cultivated carrots were purple, not orange, but you can also find yellow, pink, white, red and even black carrots, too. The wild carrot is called Queen Anne’s Lace. This is because the crop produces beautiful flowers, which look a bit like intricate lace. Did you know that carrot seeds have a wonderful smell? Go on, open a pack of seeds and give them a sniff!

WHEN ARE CARROTS IN SEASON?

Carrots are available all year round.

HOW TO STORE CARROTS

Removing the leafy tops preserves carrots for longer, so trim them off if you’re not planning on eating the carrots straight away and store in the fridge.

What are the health benefits?

Carrots are a great source of vitamin A. Vitamin A helps us to see properly and even helps us to see more clearly in the dark. Three heaped tablespoons of carrot count as one of your 5-a-day (one portion of veg or fruit is 80g raw weight).