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dedication

For Gordon. Thank you for being you.

contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Introduction

Breakfasts and Brunches

yoghurt and berry crunch

porridge with almond-roasted peaches

oat and blueberry muffins

pecan and bran banana muffins

bacon and egg muffins

grilled mackerel on toast

avocado, bacon and roasted tomato sandwich

cinnamon eggy bread soldiers with yoghurt, raisins and honey

salmon and dill frittata

smoked haddock pots

croque madame

smoked salmon, cream cheese and scrambled egg bagels

homemade bagels

Light Lunches

hearty winter soup

chilled cucumber and mint gazpacho

chicken skewers with sweet and sour sauce

red onion tarte tatin

ham and cheese roll-ups

salmon fishcakes

lamb samosas

mackerel salad with beetroot and horseradish dressing

warm potato, chorizo and parsley salad

Picnics and Treats

iced tomato soup

tarragon chicken

crab cakes

red rice salad with prawns and sun-dried tomatoes

chicken and mango salad

honey and mustard sticky chicken

broad bean, pancetta and goats’ cheese salad

mango fruit crisps

rhubarb tarts

mini party cakes

cinnamon apple turnovers

fruit salad tubs

fresh raspberry ice lollies

toffee apples

nutty chocolate balls

Food in a Flash

chicken escalopes with green pepper salad

asparagus and prawn risotto

pasta with mushrooms and bacon

salmon and vegetables en papillote

veal parmesan

grandma’s bones

nectarines marinated in honey and ginger

raspberries with orange

Try Something Different

calamari fritti

roasted garlic and lime aioli

crab and sweetcorn soup

sesame prawn toast

bang bang chicken

chinese chicken wings

chilli beef stir-fry

sweet and sour pork

thai-ish chicken soup

butter chicken

sausages with lentils

minced lamb curry

Laid-back Suppers

chicken and chickpeas

tuna steaks with roasted little gem lettuces, new potatoes and tomatoes

toad-in-the-hole with roasted shallots

lamb cutlets and minted potato salad

black bean chilli with chunky guacamole and soured cream

baked sea bass

roasted butternut squash spaghetti lasagne

orange chicken bake

russian fish pie

stuffed marrow

Vegetable Temptations

carrot and parsnip mash

roasted cauliflower and broccoli with fennel seeds

green beans with almonds

red cabbage with balsamic vinegar

puy lentils

garden peas with pancetta

spinach with cream

sweet red onions

carrots with star anise and orange zest

pan-fried courgettes with garlic and parmesan

steamed sugar snap peas with soy sauce

roasted butternut squash with red peppers and black olives

Big Family Lunches

marinated topside with jerusalem artichoke and potato mash

mini trout fillets with cucumber dressing

pumpkin soup

summer gammon with roasted pineapple and red onion and coriander salsa

slow-cooked moroccan leg of lamb with lemon couscous

baked sea trout

beef wellington

roast pork with fennel stuffing and simple apple sauce

Baking Adventures

tomato and basil focaccia

spelt bread

coconut ‘naan’ bread

marmite focaccia

chelsea buns

apricot and walnut bread

bakewell slice

double chocolate brownies

orange polenta cake

fruit cake

rock cakes

jam tarts

anzac biscuits

lamington cakes

Devilish Desserts

cheats’ summer pudding

tom’s bomb

lemon golden syrup steam puddings

raspberry ripple ice cream

cinnamon and nutmeg ice cream

children’s chocolate mousse

mango tart

lemon and vanilla cheesecake

lemon cake with roasted figs

rhubarb fool

strawberry meringue cake

profiterole mountain

Index

Acknowledgements

Copyright

About the Publisher

This book includes reference to nuts and recipes including nuts, nut derivatives and nut oils. Avoid if you have a known allergic reaction. Pregnant and nursing mothers, invalids, the elderly, children and babies may be potentially vulnerable to nut allergies and should therefore avoid nuts, nut derivatives and nut oils.

introduction

This year we celebrated Megan’s ninth birthday and, like many parents, Gordon and I couldn’t help wondering how so much time could feel like so little. Even our youngest, Tilly, is five now and she’s meant to be the baby of the family!

With the children getting older, I’ve noticed that what I cook for them has become more grown up too. Although I still add very little salt to my cooking and hold back on hot spices, what I cook the children for tea will nearly always work later as dinner for Gordon and me. This is why I’ve tried to make the recipes in Real Family Food as tempting for adults as they are for children. It also has the added bonus of only having to think about one dinner in the evenings, not two (I call it convenience, not laziness!).

When you think about it, ultimately we only need to eat to refuel and keep ourselves going throughout the day. Even so, I believe that food can play another, almost more important, part in our lives. It can bring us together, slow us down and let us catch up with each other as we rush through the week. Some of the happiest moments of my life have been around the table sharing good food, and the times I treasure most with my family are when we are all together doing just that. This must be why I associate certain foods and dishes with different people and places. For example, blueberry muffins always make me think of my sister as she’s so addicted to them, calamari bring back memories of baking hot holidays in the south of France, and the smell of Moroccan lamb cooking takes me right back to Sunday mornings in the kitchen with my mum. It’s memories like these that make me smile. It’s a bit like a song making you think of someone. I’m willing to bet that different foods conjure up different memories for you too.

Food brings people together, especially families. The more we can get together around the table and share each other’s company, the closer and more strongly knit we can become – even on the days when nobody can agree on anything!

With this in mind, I’ve tried to organize the recipes in this book around everyday social occasions – from hurried weekday breakfasts and leisurely family get-togethers to picnics in parks and casual lunches with friends.

For example, ‘Breakfasts and Brunches’ has some very quick and easy ideas to put together during the week, as well as other more leisurely brunch options for lazy Saturday or Sunday mornings when you can’t be bothered to get out of your pyjamas. Similarly, ‘Food in a Flash’ is designed for frantic evenings when everybody is piling through the door and clamouring for dinner, your attention and general sanity. By contrast, ‘Laid-back Suppers’ is for those evenings when you have a little more time on your hands. Most of these take slightly more time to prepare, but once they’re in the oven you can usually leave them to take care of themselves.

Probably my favourite section is ‘Picnics and Treats’. My kids like nothing more than eating outside, and I’m pretty sure that some of their best food memories must be tied up in outdoor parties with family and friends.

Vegetables are arguably not an event in themselves, but I know that sometimes they can feel like one! Children have a tendency to dig in their heels over allowing one or two peas to fall on their plates, let alone finishing them up. My lot still need encouragement when it comes to eating their greens, but I’ve always tried to see it as a positive challenge and, with a bit of trial and error, I’ve found ways to make them think that vegetables are okay after all. Hopefully, they’ll go down well with your family too.

Whilst we’re on the subject of experimentation, the section of recipes called ‘Try Something Different’ is designed to let you and your family do just that. Again, it’s not, strictly speaking, organized around an occasion, but it’s designed to encourage your children to enjoy different food flavours so that if you go out for dinner, either to different styles of restaurant or abroad on holiday, they’re not fazed by what arrives on their plates.

For the days when you’ve got the in-laws descending on you in droves, the recipes in ‘Big Family Lunches’ should be able to help you stay calm amidst the general chaos. Most of these can be prepared in advance and then left in the oven or pot to cook, so you should end up having plenty of time to get ready yourself. Serve these with one or two of the vegetable side dishes in ‘Vegetable Temptations’ and follow up with one of the ‘Devilish Desserts’ and you can’t fail to impress!

Finally, you may notice that I’ve tended not to recommend what you should eat with what, for example which side dishes should be eaten with which main courses, or which desserts works best with which lunches (unless I have a real favourite). I’ve done this deliberately as I believe you should be able to eat anything you like in whatever combination you like. I think we’ve become too worried about doing everything right and getting everything officially perfect. Life’s too short! We need to relax and trust our instincts more. I think this is how we can learn the most about food and cooking, and it’s certainly how I learnt. Besides, if I worried the whole time about being perfect, then Gordon would never get fed at all!

So trust yourself, relax and enjoy bringing your family together again and again with simple, satisfying food. In years to come they’ll have all sorts of amazing memories tied up with the food you cooked and the times you shared together.