A budding young cook – famed for his TikTok channel, Cooking with Carter – has teamed up with ALDI UK and a dietician to create a series of dishes designed to help more youngsters develop their love of healthier foods.

The easy-to-follow recipes, available on Carter’s TikTok channel and the supermarket’s website, include a veggie-packed lasagne, a simple and colourful chicken stir fry, and a refreshing banana, strawberry and mango smoothie.

The recipes come after a poll of 1,000 parents with children aged 4–10 found nearly a third (31 per cent) said their youngsters regularly refused to eat anything green.

“As any parent knows, getting kids to eat their fruit and veg isn’t always easy – mealtimes can be busy, stressful and sometimes a bit of a battle,” said Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at ALDI UK.

“With these new recipes we want to take some of that pressure off by making healthy food simple, affordable and something families can genuinely enjoy together.

“Because parents should feel supported, not judged, for trying to making it easier for children to grow up with positive habits around food.”

Feeding fussy eaters

The study also found 44 per cent of parents often struggled to come up with healthy meals their child was actually willing to eat, with 77 per cent of all parents concerned about how healthy their little ones’ diets actually were.

Around one in six (15 per cent) of parents reckoned their kids only ate their ‘five a day’ once a week, with some even less often. 

The top vegetables kids turned their noses up at were found to be mushrooms (39 per cent), onions (31 per cent) and spinach (31 per cent).

Dietician Lucy Upton, who worked with ALDI and Carter to develop the recipes, says kids are likely to try new foods like fruits and vegetables more willingly if they are involved in their preparation.

“These new recipes with Carter are designed with exactly that in mind – giving families simple, healthy and fun dishes they can enjoy making together,” she said.

Alongside Carter’s recipes, Lucy has shared a range of tips for parents struggling to get their children to try healthier foods, which are also available for parents to view here.

“Any parents reading this who struggle to get children to eat certain foods, please rest assured – you are not alone.  So often, feeding kids is a long game, and about small steps and progress over time.”