Fresh Dips are just Child’s Play

Making meal times fun is a great way to encourage children to be more adventurous with food and to eat more healthily.

They love the informality of finger foods, so pots of fresh dips are ideal, especially as you can serve them with a rainbow of healthy crudités and toasted wholemeal pitta fingers.  But why not be more adventurous and ask them to help you make a picture with the slices of vegetables and dips, before serving them up. There’s nothing more fulfilling than watching a child tuck into something they helped prepare themselves.

A simple bagel can be turned into a Bagel Snake with Houmous and Sliced Veggies. Simply slice the bagels in half and then cut each half down the centre to form a semi circle.  Cut out the head of the snake from one of the pieces of bagel and the tail from another.  Spread the bagels with Houmous and decorate with strips of cucumber, chives and halved cherry tomatoes.  Finish off by using a sliced olive as an eye and a carrot stick as a tongue.  

The tortilla wrap is another kiddies’ favourite and so quick and easy to make.  Lay the wrap flat and spread a dollop each of Guacamole, Salsa and Sour Cream.  Top the wrap with sliced red and yellow peppers and strips of cooked chicken. Roll it up, slice in half and serve.

Dips are great for children’s lunch boxes too, especially the mini pots, and will help them on the way to five-a-day.

Houmous is made with healthy chickpeas and sesame seed paste, rich in fibre, protein and a range of vitamins and minerals; avocado (which is the main ingredient of Guacamole) is a delicious source of vitamin E; Salsa which is made from tomatoes, onions and chillies is a great provider of antioxidants such as lycopene (which give tomatoes their red colour) and quercetin, a flavonoid antioxidant; Tzatziki is made using Greek yoghurt containing bone friendly calcium; and almost all fresh dips contain vegetable, rapeseed or olive oils meaning they are high in beneficial unsaturated fats and light on unhealthy saturated fats.

With a huge variety of flavours available in different pot sizes - from large family size to mini pots and various multi pot options - you’ll find a dip to suit every occasion.  Ideal for afternoon snacks and even as a sandwich or recipe ingredient, dips are tasty and versatile.

It’s important for children to have a good relationship with food and develop a healthy eating pattern, as it often sets their dietary pattern for life.  Carola Weymouth, who runs a children’s cookery school in London, says: “I find one of the best ways to enthuse children about their food is to get them in the kitchen.  Dips are a great way of introducing young children to new flavours and textures, and they are ideal for fuss free kiddies’ recipes.  From houmous bagel snakes and green guacamole muffin monsters to Tex Mex butterfly sandwiches and dippy crudités art - the kids will love creating these fun mouth watering masterpieces.”

So whether you’re entertaining the kids at home during the school holidays or looking for lunch box inspiration for their return to school - look no further than these dippy solutions.