As a parent, I want to make sure that my children are eating a balanced diet, because, eating well is so very important; they need to grow, develop and explore and eating well will help them flourish. No single food contains all the essential nutrients needed, and that’s why we need to make sure our kids are consuming foods from each of the main food groups.

It's easier said than done if you have a fussy eater and providing a balanced diet for your little one can be quite an uphill challenge. But, as long as they eat well most of the time, they will be getting plenty of nutrients and they will also slowly learn healthy eating habits.

Red meat has been in the spotlight recently, and experts fear that the nutritional benefits have been overshadowed by misleading negative views. To cut through the confusion, the Meat Advisory Panel, an independent group of health and nutrition experts, is partnering with BritMums to promote red meat in the diets of children.

Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist and mother, says: “Including a small portion of red meat in the diet a few times a week after weaning can help to bridge nutrient gaps and so help to maintain good health through childhood and beyond.”

Red meat provides a range of important nutrients that are often low in toddlers and children – including iron, zinc, and B vitamins, selenium and potassium.

We were challenged by BritMums to make a delicious family meal using red meat, thus, we choose Lamb - it's the kids favourite at the moment. Normally I buy a leg of lamb, but for the first time ever I bought a shoulder of lamb and it was delicious. 

Using the Jamie Oliver Rosemary and Garlic slow-cooked shoulder of lamb recipe:

Lamb:

• 2kg shoulder of lamb, bone in.

• 1 large bunch fresh rosemary

• Olive oil

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 bulb garlic, unpeeled, broken into cloves

• 2 tsp English mustard

• 6 red onions

• 4 tbs balsamic vinegar

• 1 tbs plain flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 200ºc.

For the rosemary mixture to cover the lamb: Place the rosemary leaves into a pestle and mortar and bash with a pinch of sea salt until broken down. Peel and add 2 cloves of garlic and bash again. Muddle in the English mustard and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Slash the lamb all over with a sharp knife, season with black pepper then rub the rosemary mixture all over the lamb.

Peel and thickly slice the red onions, then place in a large deep roasting tray with the remaining rosemary and unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and pour in 200ml of cold water.

Place the lamb shoulder on top and roast for 20 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven and cover tightly with a double layer of kitchen foil, then return to the oven, turn the heat down to 160ºc, and cook for 4 hours.

Remove the shoulder to a platter, cover loosely with the foil and leave to rest.

To make the onion gravy: Skim the fat from the tray, pick out and discard the rosemary, and squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins. Place the tray on the stovetop over a medium heat, stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.

Add 500ml of boiling water and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until thick and glossy.

Enjoy! we did.

The rosemary mixture was easy to mix and spread over the lamb.

The gravy, oh my gosh, everyone love the onion gravy...

Erm... fingers had got to the meat before I could take a photo of it, hence, why some of the meat has been pulled off. 

I shreaded the meat, it pulled apart very easily.

We added mash and some veg to our shoulder of lamb and onion gravy and everyone loved it, especially the kids! (they devoured their plates and the rest of the left over lamb, it was all gone by the evening) I've had to promise to cook it again for them soon.

This post is an entry for the BritMums #HealthyRedMeat, sponsored by the Meat Advisory Panel.