I love the combination of fruit and vegetables in salads so I thought I’d give it a go with my little man, Cooper. I figured a beetroot puree might not go down so well on its own and there’d be more luck if it was combined with his favourite pear and carrot purees. I was right…it worked a treat.

As Copper has a number of allergies I always introduce new foods in the smallest of portions and build up each day to see if there’s a reaction. Beetroots are a great vegetable to introduce to the diet. They have a unique group of antioxidants known as betacyanins. These pigments give beetroots their strong colour (note never make this wearing white!) and are the source of their medicinal benefits: supporting the liver, strengthening the heart, improving circulation and purifying the blood. Plus it’s highly anti-inflammatory.

For the first few months I peel the fruit and vegetables and then after a while I just keep the skins on where most of the nutritional value is.