half term recipes
Here's a collection of recipes from our weekly newsletters, and some lovely ones you've sent in. If you'd like more please have a look at our recipe index!
Fairtrade Banana Flapjacks
Herby Mini Goat's Cheese Burgers
Curly Carrot Crisps
Breakfast Sundae
Rosemary-Skewered Veg
Baked Apples
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These flapjacks are sugar free and full of Fairtrade ingredients. They’re super-easy to make, a great one to get the children to help out with. Pair with natural yogurt or a dollop of mascarpone. The parents can wash them down with one of our Fairtrade teas or coffee, the kiddies can opt for a freshly juiced Fairtrade mango! Makes 12 flapjacks.
- 100g unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp clear wildflower honey
- 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 375g jumbo porridge oats
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp sultanas
- 3 ripe bananas, chopped into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 170°C, gas mark 4. Line a square cake dish or baking tin with parchment paper, or use one with a removable base and just give it a little rub of butter to prevent sticking.
Put the butter and honey in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted.
Grind the sunflower seeds in a food processor (leave them whole if you like but ground is better for younger children as it’s easier for them to digest). Combine the oats, seeds, sultanas and bananas.
Pour the melted butter and honey over. Stir to combine. Spread the mixture out evenly to fill the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden in the centre and starting to brown at the edges.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the baking sheet. Cut into 12 squares and serve warm or at room temperature. Store in the fridge if you don’t eat it up within 24 hours.
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Adding oats to the mince makes these burgers really tender and soft, which is great for toddlers. It’s also a sneaky way of getting more healthy oats into their diets. Makes 10 mini burgers – or 12 smaller mini burgers. (or 4 extra-large adult burgers!)
- 500g lean mince
- 50g porridge oats
- 20g fresh mixed herbs, very finely chopped
- 1 small onion, very finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
- A pinch of sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 800g Farmhouse loaf
- 3 smallish tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 100 Abergavenny goat’s cheese
Mix the mince with the oats, herbs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Divide into 10 mini balls, and flatten into burgers. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the burgers in batches for about 5 minutes each side, until cooked through. Keep the cooked burgers warmed in the oven on a baking sheet as you cook the remaining burgers. Or, if you’re only cooking for a few, wrap each extra burger individually in parchment paper, seal well, label and freeze for up to a month.
Slice the farmhouse loaf into 1-inch thick slices. Then cut, using a scone or cookie cutter – or the rim of a glass, into bun-like circles. Try to get 2 circles out of each slice of bread. (Use the leftover bread to make bread and butter pudding – or to make breadcrumbs for coating fish or chicken.) Toast lightly, if you like, and use to sandwich burgers, along with slices of fresh tomato and a sliver of the soft and crumbly goat's cheese.
Avocado slices and homemade curly carrots crisps (for older children) make lovely sides.
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These make a lovely snack treat for the children – and it’s a great way to use up the carrots in your veg box. Makes about 2 adult handfuls.
- 4 medium-sized carrots
- 1 litre vegetable oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
- ¼ tsp Cumin seeds, ground in a pestle and mortar
Wash and peel the carrots. Then, using a vegetable peeler, create long, thin ribbons. Eat remaining bit from each carrot – or use in a soup, stew or salad. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan. Add the carrot ribbons in small batches and deep fry for 1-2 minutes until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Dust the crisped carrots with sea salt and ground cumin seeds (you can substitute these with black pepper, ground cardamom seeds or ground coriander seeds, if you prefer). Repeat until all the carrots are cooked. Serve warm.
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Get out some nice sundae or drinking glasses and a pot of natural yogurt. Measure out a selection of healthy toppings your child can sprinkle and drizzle over the yogurt: honey, ground seeds or nuts, chopped dates, raisins, grated apple, slices of banana, oats... Easy, delicious and healthy!
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"My three-year-old son loves making these," says our resident foodie, Rachel. "The great thing about using rosemary sprigs as skewers is they're safe and easy for children to use. Just make sure you pick out the firm, woody sprigs and pluck the leaves first."
For each serving, you'll need 2-3 firm rosemary sprigs, leaves torn off (save these as you can use them in another dish, or lay the kebabs on top of them and roast instead of placing them on a grill pan!).
Great veg to skewer:
- Brown mushrooms – halve or quarter
- Cherry tomatoes
- Squarish slices of red peppers
- Chunky slices of leek
- Courgette rounds
- Hunks of fresh pineapple
To get more flavour into the veg, chop it and marinade in a balsamic vinaigrette (balsamic vinegar, olive oil, freshly ground black pepper and a crushed garlic clove or two) or our honey mustard dressing for 20-30 minutes before skewering.
Roast or grill in a hot (200°C) oven for 10-12 minutes, until veg is tender, turning once.
Serve with rice, couscous or noodles. Yum!
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A lovely treat to make and eat! Preheat oven to 180°C. Wash and core the apple. Use a knife to make a thin (1/2-1cm deep) slit around the full girth. Let your child mix the filling: 1 tbsp raisins (or any chopped dried fruit – dates are nice), 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp apple or orange juice, orange zest if you fancy and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Help them fill the core. Pop into a shallow dish. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until apple is tender but still holding its shape.
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