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Peppers

Peppers, especially the sweeter red and yellow ones, are usually an easier veg to feed to kids. Raw, they are crunchy, sweet, and a perfect vehicle for delicious dips. Cooked, especially when roasted or fried until soft, they are at their sweetest (great for green ones!) and make a great base for stuffing with cooked grains, chillies, stews or other leftovers (halved and roasted) or to sweeten tomato sauces, baked eggs and other sauce-based dishes. Or opt for a stir fry or curry and keep them somewhere in between raw and softened, caramelising them slightly but still letting them keep their crunch power!
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The bell pepper or capsicum annum could be considered the non-spicy cousin to the chilli pepper. Did you know that peppers change colour as they ripen? They start green, then yellow, orange and finally, red. The longer they grow, the sweeter they become. Red and orange are sweet and tasty raw and in salads. All peppers are great on pizza, in stir fries, or roasted.

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Nutrition

Red peppers contain more vitamin C than an orange. They are also rich in B6, K, A and E and minerals including potassium and folate. These nutrients support our bodies in lots of ways including our vision, immune system and bone health.

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Shopping Guide

Look out for female peppers, with only three lobes at the bottom of the pepper – they are sweeter and better raw, whereas the male peppers have four lobes and are better cooked.

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Storage

Keep peppers in the fridge for up to a week. Once cut, wrap in kitchen roll to absorb moisture before putting back in the fridge. To freeze – slice and lay out on a tray in the freezer for an hour, then put in a container or bag and keep for up to 6 months. Frozen peppers will go mushy raw, so make sure to cook – perfect for pizza, chillis, stews or anything with a sauce!

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Preparation

Peppers sweeten as they grow. Red and orange are sweet and tasty raw and in salads. All peppers are great on pizza, in stir fries, or roasted. To prep, just slice open and remove the seeds.

WATCH: Tom Hunt’s guide to preparing peppers.

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Kids in the Kitchen

For a younger child, why not get them washing the peppers and tearing it into rough chunks with their hands.

For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to teach them some essential knife skills by practising the claw grip. As they get more confident, you could even challenge them to help you make a dip to serve with the peppers for snacktime!

Find more ideas for involving kids in the kitchen here.

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Sensory

Grab a couple of different coloured peppers and explore what they look like together – what do they remind you of? Encourage imagination, allowing them to explore with their senses, perhaps shaking, tearing, or sniffing it. Try cutting one lengthways and see what they think it looks like now – do they see a scary face or something else? Let them be curious and come up with mad ideas to keep it fun!

Watch our video from Ruth Platt for a visual guide to exploring peppers with your senses here. 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

Serving up some peppers and dip for an after-school snack? Why not get your child to serve it up by arranging on a plate or board? See if they can make an edible picture or funny face out of them!

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 pepper face mask a cut-out and colour pepper, or veg crown?

Or grab some of our free games & puzzles with peppers like our Shaun the Sheep – Amazing Pepper Chase (or our other Shaun-themed pepper activities), our Chop Chop pepper game or our Spot the pepper game?

Find loads more free pepper-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 peppers over later spring and early summer will get you the best flavour and price.

Coming In:

February

At Its Best:

March - October

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Your Food

Peppers are wonderful raw, just sliced and served with a dip for a snack. But if you want to bring more peppers into your meals and sides rotations, why not try some of our favourites…

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If You Like Peppers…Try

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

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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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