Find out why these vegetables are nutritious and how to make them delicious below.
Click here for more details on each of these techniques.
Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, packed with flavour as well as nutrients. We should aim to have at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, and fortunately there’s more than one way to enjoy them at their best.
Boiling, steaming, blanching, roasting, stir-frying and griddling are all great ways to cook vegetables. Click on the vegetable to find out how these can be prepared and try it today!
Vegetables |
Nutritious |
Food facts |
| Red hot chilli peppers | Rich in vitamin C and vitamin A and a source of vitamin B6. | In season from May to September. A lot of the heat lies in the membrane that attaches the seeds to the pod. To remove some of the fieriness, slice the chillies lengthways and cut away the seeds and membrane. |
| Spring greens | Rich in vitamin C, folate and vitamin A and a source of vitamin B6, iron and calcium. | In season from March to September. To increase the absorption of iron, eat spring greens with vitamin C rich foods. |
| Spinach | Rich in vitamin C, folate and vitamin A and a source of iron and calcium. | In season from March to September. Avoid eating spinach with tea, as the naturally occurring tannins in tea decrease the body’s absorption of iron. |
| Curly kale | Rich in vitamin C, folate and vitamin A and a source of vitamin B6 and calcium. | In season from June to February. Curly kale would be perfectly paired to vitamin D rich oily fish - vitamin D increases the body’s absorption of calcium, which is important for strong bones and teeth. |
| Purple sprouting broccoli | Rich in vitamin C and folate and a source of vitamin B6 and calcium. | In season from January to December. |
| Carrots | Rich in vitamin A. | In season from August to May. Cooking makes it easier for our bodies to absorb vitamin A, as does fat - add a little vegetable oil to help this vitamin along. |
| Mushrooms, Chinese | Rich in vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamin and iron and a source of folate and selenium. | In season from May to September. A lot of the heat lies in the membrane that attaches the seeds to the pod. To remove some of the fieriness, slice the chillies lengthways and cut away the seeds and membrane. |
| Red peppers | Rich in vitamin C and vitamin A and a source of vitamin B6. | In season from March to September. |
| Brussels sprouts | Rich in vitamin C and folate and a source of vitamin B6. | In season from September to February. Brussels sprouts can have a bitter taste, which comes from the glucosinolates. These are bioactive compounds which protect the crop from disease. |
| Swiss chard | Rich in vitamin C, folate and vitamin A. | In season from March to September. |
| Radish leaves | Rich in vitamin C and vitamin A and a source of riboflavin, iron and calcium. | In season from March to September. |
| Watercress | Rich in vitamin C and a source of folate, vitamin B6, iron and calcium. | In season from March to September. |
| Savoy cabbage | Rich in vitamin C and folate and a source of vitamin A. | In season from June to March. Stir-fry cooking retains more of the vitamins and minerals than boiling or steaming. |
| Broccoli | Rich in vitamin C and folate. | In season from June to December. A 100g portion of broccoli contains the full daily requirement of vitamin C as well as counting towards 1 of your 5 A Day. |
| Yellow peppers | Rich in vitamin C and a source of vitamin B6. | In season from March to September. |
| Baby carrots | Rich in vitamin A. | Cooking makes it easier for our bodies to absorb vitamin A, as does fat - add a little vegetable oil to help this vitamin along. |
| Green peppers | Rich in vitamin C and a source of folate and vitamin B6. | In season from March to September. |
| Peas | Rich in vitamin C, folate and thiamin and a source of iron. | In season from May to September. |
| Baby sweetcorn | Rich in vitamin C and folate and a source of vitamin B6. | As their name suggests, baby sweetcorn is picked before it has matured into the larger Corn on the Cob. Unlike Corn on the Cob, these can be eaten whole, either cooked or raw. |
| Sweet potato | Rich in vitamin A and a source of vitamin C. | Absorption of vitamin A is increased with fats and oils, so roasting in a little vegetable oil, for example, is a good way to improve the nutritional benefit of sweet potato. They also have a low Glycaemic Index (GI) |
| January King cabbage | Rich in vitamin C and a source of folate, vitamin B6 and thiamin. | In season from October to February. |