After many requests for recipes, I’ve decided to include some on the blog. Please let me know if you’ve found any useful/tasty/terrible, your feedback is really appreciated. I can include lots more if this proves popular ( and quietly delete this page if its not !)

I usually plan our meals every week and make a shopping list based around what veg has been sent in our delivery. I try and include the children as much as possible in the planning, shopping, preparing and cooking of our food.

Every recipe serves a hungry family of 4

10 minute meals

Chilli Non-Carne

( adapted for families from Ella’s book ) If your children are sensitive to spicy food ( as ours’ are), omit the chilli flakes and just put a little chilli oil over the adult meals. This sauce freezes well so I often make double.

Ingredients

2 grated carrots

2 cloves of chopped garlic ( or use the press if you must, personally I can’t be bothered to clean it out)

large jar of passata ( approx 670g or 600ml)

60 g of tomato puree or two tablespoons

3 tins/cans of beans ( you can use any, we usually use 2 tins of blackbeans and 1 of kidney beans, but tins of mixed beans work well too)

chilli oil or dried chilli flakes

2 tbs light olive oil

basmati rice- enough for each person– if you use white, it cooks in 10 minutes

• Put the kettle on to boil. Rinse the rice in a sieve, place in a saucepan and add about twice as much water as rice.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pan, gently fry the carrot and garlic.
• Drain the beans and add them to the pan, along with the rest of the ingredients.
• Cook for about 10 minutes.
• Put the rice on the plates and spoon over the chilli sauce.

Spaghetti with tomato sauce and pine nuts

Great for a speedy, storecupboard meal.

Preheat the oven to 160C

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

2 cloves of chopped garlic

1 tin of tomtoes

fresh basil

spaghetti ( or any other pasta)

• Place the pine nuts on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes
• Boil the kettle, pour over the pasta, cook the pasta for the required time- ( we often use pasta stars which cook in 6 minutes)
• Gently fry the garlic in a pan, add the tinned tomatoes( or passata) and basil, simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
• Put the pasta on the plates, spoon over the sauce, sprinkle on pine nuts.

15 Minute Meals

Pad Thai

4 blocks of rice noodles

1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets and stem chopped down to the bottom 1 inch

2 tbs sesame oil

2 shallots or 1 onion – chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into chunks

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin strips

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

A block of Tofu– chopped into cubes

Chopped peanuts- to garnish

Wedges of lime- to garnish

For the sauce

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs sweet chilli sauce

1 tbs vegan fish sauce

• Boil the kettle, fill a large saucepan with water and put in the broccoli, add the noodles 5 minutes before the end, drain and set to the side.
• Heat the sesame oil and gently fry the vegetables in a wok or large frying pan.
• Add the sauce ingredients, noodles, broccoli and tofu, gently heat to warm.
• Serve with a sprinkle of peanuts and a wedge of lime.

30 Minute Meals

Bolognese sauce/Shepherd’s pie filling

This super-tasty sauce will make at least 3 meals worth, its delicious over pasta and , if you top it with mashed potato and pop it in the oven for 25 minutes at 180C, makes a great shepherd’s pie.

Ingredients

1 large packet of frozen soya mince

2 tbs olive oil

2-3 onions, peeled and chopped

2-3 sticks of celery, chopped

2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

3 cans of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp fresh/ dried thyme

1 tin of tomato puree

pasta/ potatoes to serve

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the vegetables for 5 minutes.
• Add the soy mince and gently fry for 2 minutes, add some water if its looking a little dry.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 15 minutes.

If you are making a shepherd’s pie, place the sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish and top with mashed potato. Cook in an oven for about 25 minutes at 180C.

Very Simple Blackberry/ frozen berry Sauce

This is a really easy way to use your freshly-picked blackberries to make a delicious sauce. It can be frozen for later use.

Ingredients

Blackberries/ frozen berries ( any quantity will do)

Maple syrup ( or two tablespoons of sugar)

-Place your blackberries in a large saucepan with two tablespoons of honey or sugar.

-Heat gently until the blackberries begin to simmer. Remove from the heat and serve hot or leave to cool

Recipe For Simple Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

Splash of vegetable oil

A selection of root vegetables in any quantity

A tin of tomatoes ( optional)

2 Litres of Vegetable Stock

2 or 3 bay leaves

– Chop your vegetables roughly; (you could use a food processor but sometimes I like to chop by hand and listen to music.)

– Heat your oil gently

– Gently sauté your vegetables for around 2 minutes, then place a lid over your saucepan and let cook until your vegetables begin to soften ( about 10 minutes)

– Add the stock and tomatoes ( if using) and simmer gently for around 20 minutes.

– Remove from the heat and blend using a hand blender ( or use a potato masher to squish the vegetables to a rough pulp)

Delicious !