Brighten Up Your Day With Veg

Paint your plate and boost your nutrients with colourful veg! From cooking tips to what’s in season and our favourite veg-packed dishes, we’ve made adding more to your meal a real pleasure.

There’s a good reason we’re told to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables and that’s because each colour offers specific nutrients and health benefits. The more rainbow-like your plate looks the better chance of getting a range of these all-important nutrients.

Red veg are linked to good heart health, greens to muscle function, yellows and oranges support eye health and blues and purples may improve brain function. Find out more here.

With winter root veg on their way out and much of the new season’s crop not ready till May/June, March’s veggies can be a little thin on the ground, so to speak. This time of year is known as the hungry gap, but there’s still a good load of tasty veg to choose from.

You’ll find UK grown veg including beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, purple sprouting broccoli, spring greens, radish and more on offer alongside imported produce.

To pack the best nutritional punch, should veggies be cooked or left raw? That depends on the veg. Cooking tomatoes, carrots and asparagus helps release more of their beneficial properties while keeping peppers, broccoli and garlic raw helps preserve theirs.

However you like to eat them, there are extra ways to get the most out of your veg like choosing local produce, storing it correctly and prepping the veg just before you need it. Check out more tips in this guide.

Hit your five a day in one go with this vibrant Brazilian beef with sweet potato, pepper and black beans. With a side serving of kale or cabbage, this tasty pork and squash cobbler also delivers that magic number.

A showstopping pear, chicory and blue cheese salad is just the pop of colour you need on a dull day. And get your fill of reds and greens with this hearty veggie chilli dish, a perfect recipe for the slow cooker.

Tasty purple veg picks include this zingy Mexican street salad – a combo of crunchy cabbage, spicy chillies and zesty lime – and this super quick aubergine curry.

Go full rainbow with this clever clean-out-the fridge miso ramen or a bowlful of delicious Mediterranean veg stir fry (No ActiFry app? Get it here.

When veg looks this good, it’s hard to resist. Go get that rainbow!