Oily Fish in a Child’s Diet
The importance of oily fish in a child’s diet is now very well known.
A healthy diet in the early years, influences behaviour, growth, development and educational attainment.
Oily fish provides some of the essential micronutrients that are so important for the development of a young child’s brain and nervous system.
The types of oily fish we serve are salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines.
Enjoyable meal times are such an important part of our culture at Willow Cottage. We prioritise time together where the children can learn about their food and how it is important for their growth and development.
At Willow Cottage the delivery of tasty, healthy food is a really important part of our commitment to the children and we know from experience that this not only influences their health, growth, educational attainment but also their longevity and future eating habits. Our children’s menus are based around the Mediterranean Diet; a diet rich in vegetables, sunflower and olive oils and moderate consumption of protein.
Here is the recipe for Mr. Willow’s tasty fish cakes. One of the meals we serve for lunch as part of our Four Week Rolling Menu. The children love to eat them, why not try and make them at home?
If you use fresh fish take great care to remove all the bones. For younger children we suggest using tinned fish since the bones are very soft and do not present a problem.
Tasty fish cakes:
- Finely chop an onion, a clove of garlic and one or two peppers.
- Cook gently in a pan with 2 tablespoons (or glugs) of olive oil.
- Drain a tin of sardines (or other oily fish) remove any bones and add the flesh, to the onion mix.
- Add some mashed/roughly chopped potato, and a finely chopped tomato.
- Season and mix well.
- Spoon out apple sized portions, flatten to about 1 cm thick and roll/pat on some plain flour.
- Dip in a beaten egg and then roll in breadcrumbs.
- Fry lightly in some olive or sunflower oil for about 3-4 minutes each side, or place on a Teflon liner on a baking tray and place in a hot oven 180*C for approximately 30 – 40 minutes until brown and crispy.
- Serve with a tasty small leafed salad or fresh vegetables.
At Willow Cottage our children’s menus are based around the Mediterranean Diet; a diet rich in vegetables, sunflower and olive oils and moderate consumption of protein. The Mediterranean diet was declared by UNESCO in 2010 as the “Intangible Cultural heritage of Humanity” and is still recognized today as one of the healthiest diets in the world as protection against obesity.
