Cooking and playing with these colourful, exciting ingredients will help children build their knowledge of different tastes, says Marianne Sargent.

Young children are drawn to the vibrancy of spices. They love to smell them, dip measuring spoons into the colourful powders and sprinkle them into dishes. My son very much enjoys emptying the spice rack in our kitchen and asking me to read out the names while he shakes and examines them.

Spice is what makes food exciting and it is never too early to introduce the concept of adding flavours and adapting recipes. Cooking and playing with spices will help children to build their knowledge and understanding of the different tastes they can create and hopefully help them to become more confident future cooks.

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