With mangoes now available all year round, it’s no wonder that the delicious fruit is becoming increasing popular with parents for their young children and babies.

Offering an amazing aroma when ripe and a colourful soft fleshly texture, using mangoes can be a great way to introduce your baby to fresh fruit or encourage young children to eat more fruit.

Sara Stanner, senior nutrition scientist for the British Nutrition Foundation says: "Mangoes are an excellent weaning fruit as they are sweet, easy to digest and puree well. They contain lots of nutrients that are good for children's health, including vitamin C and beta-carotene.

To help parents make the most of mangoes, The Mango Association has developed a simple, easy to prepare recipe, which is perfect for babies five months and over.

Ingredients
1 large ripe mango
500g (1lb 2oz) pack frozen summer fruits
Baby rice to thicken

1. Purée the mango flesh with a hand blender or push through a sieve.

2. Place the summer fruits, along with the juice into a heavy based saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 2 minutes.

3. Purée the summer fruits, then strain through a fine sieve to remove all traces of pips.

4. If a thicker consistency is required, remove 2-3 tablespoons of the fruit mixture, mix in the same quantity of baby rice, then add to the rest of the fruit purée. This will prevent lumps from forming.

5. Freeze the mango and summer fruit purées separately in ice cube trays, then simply defrost the required amount and swirl together before serving.

These purees are also lovely served as a healthy topping for fromage frais or yoghurt (for mums and dads too!).