Say yes to crudités

WHEN I HEAR governments being scolded for turning countries into nanny states, one of the things that springs to my mind is the call to ban advertising for certain “junk” foods during children’s programming. There are codes in place for responsible advertising, but an outright ban has not come into place and I imagine it would be a tricky one to legislate for.

The thought of restricting commercials for food that’s bad for our kids seems to be a good thing in principle. But I wonder if curtailing or outright banning of ads would stop the lure of junk food. I look at the ads that are centred around family shows such as X Factor and have to say that I never feel compelled to pick up the phone to order pizzas or go out and buy the same soft drinks that one of the judges may be subtly slurping. But perhaps that’s because fizzy drinks and commercial pizzas aren’t my cup of tea, or maybe I’m not the target market.

Surely kids are not that gullible and the choices they make are more to do with the habits they learn from their parents and what goes on the plate at dinner time in their own homes? Surely kids are a bit more savvy?

But, what if they’re not? If we acknowledge that certain images – regardless of whether they are subtle or subliminal product placement, right through to whopping big campaigns – have such a profound effect on our kids’ choices, what hope do they have against giant multinationals, where marketing budgets are monstrous? Children are sometimes entirely susceptible and powerless to resist images that appear on television and it’s naive to think that the conversion from mild interest to purchase is not a well thought out, cynical path of consumerism.

But I also believe that kids don’t go to the supermarket unaccompanied to do the weekly shopping. It’s easy to lay the blame for children’s obesity on advertising and junk food and the power of advertising and branding cannot be underestimated. But the greatest weapon we have is the parental voice of wisdom saying “No” and meaning it.

No one wants to make a 3-D film with Mr Apple and Miss Broccoli as the leads, so it’s up to us to provide some fruit and vegetable super heroes. I now declare that crudités are the secret weapon against unhealthy snacks. If you gather a big selection of colourful things to plunge into this delicious dip, such as asparagus, radishes, carrots, baby-gem lettuce, peppers, broccoli, cucumber and mushrooms, you’ll find the list is endless and the results are spectacular.

Walnut and garlic dip

200g walnuts, lightly toasted

2 cloves garlic

2 bunches parsley

1 bunch basil

375g yoghurt

Juice of two lemons

Salt and pepper

50ml olive oil

Toast the walnuts in a warm oven (150 degrees/gas mark two) for 10 to 15 minutes until they are lightly toasted all over, but not burned. Allow them to cool down and then blend in a food processor with all the other ingredients. Add the olive oil at the end.

Orange refrigerator brûlée

Makes four

This is a lazy person’s brûlée, no torching involved, perfect for summer when crème brûlées feel a bit wintry.

Zest of 1 orange

50g caster sugar

4 big oranges, squeezed (approx 600ml of juice)

6 egg yolks

250g crème fraiche

Sprinkle of demerara sugar

Heat the zest, sugar and fresh orange juice in a small saucepan and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces by half. Whisk the egg yolks and crème fraiche together. Add the hot juice and keep whisking gently. Rinse out the saucepan and then pour the mixture back in and heat it up, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, making sure it doesn’t get too hot.

The mixture will start to thicken, and when it coats the back of the spoon, take it off the heat, keep stirring, and strain it into a clean bowl. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then divide it between four ramekins or glasses.

When they have cooled to room temperature, chill in the fridge for at least three hours. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and leave it for another few hours for the sugar to dissolve. Serve with fresh berries.

Keep a look out for the balsamic vinegar from Belazu. It’s rich, thick and syrupy and, although it weighs in at more than €20, a drizzle goes a very long way