🧂 Vegetable stock
Allergen note
Vegetables rarely cause allergies, but stock often contains celery, a listed allergen in the EU, and cubes or powders may add wheat, soy, milk or mustard. Check labels carefully, or make your own so you know exactly what's in it.
How to serve
From around 6 months, use homemade unsalted stock to thin purees, cook grains and lentils, or soften mashed vegetables. Regular stock cubes, powders and cartons are very salty, so skip them before 12 months and use low-salt versions sparingly after that.
Preparation
Simmer chopped carrot, onion, celery, leek and a few herbs in unsalted water for 30–45 minutes, then strain. Cool it and refrigerate within 2 hours; keep it 3–4 days in the fridge or freeze it in ice-cube trays. Reheat until steaming, then cool to lukewarm before use.
Texture and choking risk
Strained stock has no pieces in it, but the vegetables left in the pot do: mash them or serve soft-cooked pieces cut to an age-appropriate size. Check that food cooked in stock is lukewarm, keep your baby sitting upright, and supervise.
Starting ages are typical guidance for healthy, full-term babies who show signs of readiness. Your paediatrician may advise differently, especially where there is a family history of allergy.
Recipes with vegetable stock
Track first tastes and reactions
Log when your child first tries vegetable stock, note any reaction and see it in the allergen tracker.
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