Inspirational cooking for children with Goodstart recipe release

Goodstart Early Learning has released a second seasonal recipe collection, Good Taste Winter Warmers, a collection of recipes created by chefs and cooks in Goodstart centres around the country.

Popular choices include Moroccan spiced chicken cous cous, chickpea and vegetable curry, mini quiches and vanilla and berry loaf. The 28-page cookbook includes recipes that have been quality controlled by the more than 70,000 children who access early learning education and care (ECEC) services through the Goodstart network.

Goodstart Pedagogy and Practice General Manager Sue Robb said the recipe books were created because of the rising issue of childhood obesity in Australia, and because of research showing more than 70 per cent of children are not eating enough fruit and vegetables a day.

Ms Robb said the scale of Goodstart operations places them in a unique position to affect genuine change, and influence nutrition outcomes for a large cohort of children.

“It’s really important that we are providing the best quality nutrition and food in our centres because it’s such a core component of early childhood development. That’s why we’ve created the recipe book – a lovely way to share our meals and recipes with our families,” Ms Robb said.

Western Australian State Manager Todd Dawson pointed to research showing the role that sound nutrition plays in supporting children to self regulate, and achieve success in the early years and beyond.

“When children eat well, they behave better and are able to listen well and concentrate for longer,” he said. “Providing the necessary nutrients for optimum brain function, growth and development is just one of the many things we can do to achieve the best outcomes for children.”

Through a partnership with Nutrition Australia, Goodstart have turned the recipes featured in the book, alongside others, into a rejuvenated winter menu plan for their centres around Australia. A spokesperson for the organisation said the recipe book compliments other work being undertaken through the network to promote healthy eating, such as breakfast clubs, Jamie Oliver food programs and planting community gardens.