Grub includes starter of vegetables in batter (5)
I believe the answer is:
larva
'grub' is the definition.
(I know that grub can be written as larva)
'starter of vegetables in batter' is the wordplay.
'starter of' suggests taking the first letters.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'batter' becomes 'lara' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
The first letter of 'vegetables' is 'v'.
'v' placed within 'lara' is 'LARVA'.
'includes' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for larva that I've seen before include "Maggots" , "Wriggler" , "Caterpillar, for example" , "immature six-footer?" , "Volcanic outpouring" .)