Family Feasts
Sometimes it really is a pain to be cooking something for a toddler and then your own meal – these recipes are great for all the family, saving time, energy and money – you can spend what you’ve saved on wine instead 😉
Pop back here often, we add to this page every week so there is always something new to try
French Trimmed Lamb Cutlets with Multi-Colour Veg
This dish is aimed more at older children in the way we have cooked it, however we adapt this recipe so Baby Moo can also enjoy it – just see below for a great all rounder for all the family, the perfect Sunday roast option or a great dinner party classic with a twist
You need:
3-4 lamb cutlets for adults / 2-3 for older kids / 1-2 for small people
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
Large garlic clove
Rainbow carrots – 3 per person
Romanesco (a cross between cauliflower and broccoli, utterly delicious and looks like a crazy alien creature)
Fennel – 1 for 2 people – 2 for 4 people
2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 more tablespoons for the lamb
3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 large white potato for 2 people – 2 for 4 people
1 large sweet potato for 2 people – 2 for 4 people
Spring onion
Mint sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper
Splash of milk and dollop of butter for mash if required
***We purchased our meat from Cottage Farms Ltd who has a butchery at Polhill Garden Centre, alternatively you can shop online. All produce was purchased fresh from Polhill Farm Shop – again they offer an online service too***
Method:
1. Â Preheat oven to 180 degree’s
2. Â Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a small bowl. Peel the garlic, crush and add to the olive oil. Remove the rosemary leaves, chop and add to the mix (but reserve a teaspoon or so for the fennel) – season with salt and pepper as required
3. Â Add the lamb to the above mixture and leave to marinade while you do the rest
4.  Cut off the leafy part of the fennel, halve the bulb(s) lengthwise then cut them lengthwise again into 1-inch thick wedges
5. Â Drizzle a small baking tray with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, throw in the reserved rosemary then toss the fennel in the mixture and pop onto the bottom shelf of the oven for 45 minutes
6. Â In the meantime peel all the potatoes and cut into quarters, place into a pan of water and get them off to a good start by having them on max heat. Once they start to boil turn down to a little over a simmer
7. Â Leave the tops and tails on the carrots and scrub the skin with a vegetable brush. Place in a pan of water, turn onto max, get boiling then turn down a smidge so they still retain a little bit of a crunch
8. Â Treat the romanesco like you would cauliflower or broccoli. Cut the florets off and place into a pan of water – again just like the potatoes and carrots – up to hot then turn down to a simmer
9.  Toss the fennel and add to the top shelf so the edges can start to caramelise from the balsamic – if it’s not looking particularly roasted – turn it up 5 degree’s and that should do the trick! Keep an eye on it though 🙂
10. Â Slice the spring onion finely, ready to stir through the mash just before serving
11. Â Check all your veggies, turn up or down where required
12.  Add your mixture and lamb to a griddle pan and whack on high. Turn down as soon as it starts to sizzle but don’t move the meat if you want some rather pro-looking griddled lines across your meat 😉
We like our meat medium – so do the kids – 3 minutes each side. But for Baby Moo and those that like meat that little bit more well done, we cooked his slightly longer so no pink remained
13. Â Drain your potatoes. The moisture of the sweet potato once mashed should become a good consistency so you won’t require any butter or milk to mash however if required, feel free to add both – chuck in the spring onion, pop a lid on the pan and leave until you are ready to serve
TURN YOUR MEAT
14. Â Drain your remaining vegetables – the carrots and romanesco – and serve
15. Â Carefully take your fennel out of the oven, toss one more time to coat in any remaining oils and serve over the vegetables plated
16.  Spoon out the potatoes after one last stir and then plonk on your lamb. Serve with a dollop of mint sauce if that floats your boat. Utterly gorgeous. Roll on Sunday. Or any other bloody day 🙂
If you are cooking for little ones, as I do for my toddler, we ensure the meat is cooked through and cut into tiny tiny pieces.
You can then:
– Set aside some carrots (make sure you top and tail them after they’ve been cooked) and mash these with some of the potatoes – prior to adding the spring onions
– Mash in some of the romanesco with the above if you want, but be aware it doesn’t mash to the consistency of cauliflower or broccoli if it isn’t really boiled…
– I’d steer clear of the fennel for new little taste buds 😉
Chicken Toppers (with whatever you have left in the fridge)
The great thing about this dish is that you can use a whole chicken breast for the adults and for smaller appetites just butterfly the chicken and have half each for the kids.
You can serve them butterflied open, or if you wanted you could fold them back over. Why not then wrap them in bacon for a stuffed chicken style dish? So versatile…
You need:
Large chicken breasts (enough as outlined above)
1 teaspoon of tomato puree OR cream cheese per chicken breast (of course HALF this if doing a half portion of chicken for small people
A ton of vegetables; chopped small – courgettes, mushrooms, peppers, onion, sweetcorn, tomatoes, leeks –Â anything you fancy
1/2 teaspoon mixed herbs (optional) – again if only using half the chicken breast make this 1/4 teaspoon
Mozzarella or cheese (if using)
Bacon (if using)
Method:
1. Â Preheat oven to 180 degree’s. Butterfly the chicken breast and cut in half any chicken breasts for smaller appetites
2. Â Squidge a dollop of tomato puree onto each chicken breast and spread to the edges
3. Â Add the herbs if using
4. Â Add half the cheese if using
5. Â Sprinkle over the chopped vegetables
6. Â Place chicken in a very lightly oiled baking tray
6. Â IF YOU ARE WRAPPING IN BACON – fold over the butterfly chicken breast and wrap the whole piece of stuffed meat with bacon. Brush with a little oil and add to baking tray. Cover the entire baking tray with foil and cook for 15 minutes covered and then 15 minutes uncovered until cooked through and no pink meat remains
IF YOU ARE ADDING ADDITIONAL CHEESE – place the chicken breast in the middle/top of the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the cheese. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted, lightly browned and the chicken is cooked through
IF YOU AREN”T ADDING CHEESE OR BACON – place the chicken breast in the middle/top of the oven and cook for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and no pink remains
***We like to serve this with spiralled courgette, sliced & fried white potato, sweet potato mash or a toasted walnut salad***
Hints & Tips: If your chicken breasts are quite small, butterfly them, cover with baking paper and bash with a rolling pin to make bigger so that you can top with the mixture easier
Traffic Light Pizza Baps
One bun makes two portions, below is the recipe for this so use as many buns as you need and simply add more for additional portions. For toddlers very finely chop the vegetables and for you, keep it chunky. I always use the faithful chopper for this. Every parent chef should have this in their cupboard!
You need:
1 bap / burger bun
A few dollops tomato puree
1/2 yellow pepper
1/4 green courgette
1 mushroom
1/4 red onion
80g cheddar cheese – grated (plus a chunk of mozzarella if you want to go crazy!
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
Method:
1.   Cut the bap in half and pop under the grill or in the toaster to lightly brown
2. Â Squidge a dollop of tomato puree onto each bap and spread to the edges
3.  Finely chop the red onion. Place over a medium heat in a pan and sauté. Once done to your liking lay out over tomato puree
4. Â Cut the veg into large chunks (keep like this for you) place the rest into the chopper so it’s super small and add to the baps
5. Â Sprinkle over the oregano and then add the cheese
6. Â Place under a medium heated grill until the cheese has melted and browned slightly. Scrummy and super easy for everyone. Cut into chunks or fingers for toddlers to self feed
Chunky Chilli Con Sausage
Yep, you read that right – mince and sausage. It works trust me. Not all kids like chilli but chuck some sausage chunks in and they love it so this is a great recipe for little ones. Gradually if you want to make it hotter, add a few more spices and a bit more chilli. Want to make it not so punchy? Dairy combats heat so stir in a bit of milk, sour cream or yoghurt
You need:
2 peppers
400g beef mince
150g sausages – basically 2-3 sausages
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion – chopped
1 white onion – chopped
4 cloves of garlic
2 cans of kidney beans – drained
1-2 red chilli’s – chopped
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 x 400g chopped tomatoes
250ml/9 fl oz red wine
3 tablespoons tomato puree
1 beef stock cube
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 stick of cinnamon
Splash of worcestershire sauce
1 bunch of coriander – finely chopped
Method:
1. Â Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid and fry the onion and garlic until softened. Increase the heat and add the mince, cooking quickly until browned and breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon
2. Â Heat some more oil and over a medium heat fry the sausages. Once they are browned add them to the browned mince
3. Â Add the tomato puree and stir in the tinned tomatoes, fresh chilli (or chilli flakes), cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and Worcestershire sauce, cocoa powder and crumble in the stock cube. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for about 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally until the mixture is rich and thickened
5. Â Blend half of one of the tins of kidney beans and add to the mixture. Add the other tin of kidney beans and fresh coriander. Cook for a further ten minutes, uncovered, before removing from the heat, adding any extra seasoning if necessary. Serve with rice, guacamole, sour cream, a big green salad
This recipe is suitable for 6-8 people. I like making big batches of this and then freezing the rest to have with a jacket potato another time. You can even make this in advance and store in the fridge for up to two days – all the flavours really come together and make it even more tasty
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Thai Green Curry with Chunky Veg
This dish is my kids favourite! They love it and they actually eat all the vegetables which is always a bonus. If you want more kick add some extra green curry paste or some chopped green chilli’s. Serve with thai crackers to dunk in the super tasty sauce
You need:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-2 tbsp green curry paste
6 chicken thighs – skin and bones removed, meat cut into chunks
400ml tin coconut milk
2 lime leaves (optional – if you can find them in your local supermarket)
2 tbsp Thai fish paste
1 tbsp sugar
handful of baby corn – cut into chunks
handful of mange tout
1 red pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1. Â Heat the oil in a wok over a high heat until smoking. Add the green curry paste and stir fry for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant
2. Â Add the chicken strips and stir until coated in the curry paste. Continue to stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, or until the chicken has browned on all sides
3. Â Add the coconut milk, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar and stir well. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering. Continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened
4. Â Add the peppers, mange tout and baby corn and continue to simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly, until just tender. Season with salt and pepper
5. Â To serve, spoon the rice into four serving bowls, then ladle over the Thai green chicken curry. Sprinkle over the coriander leaves and get dunking with your crackers
Chicken Saag Aloo Korma
Confused? You needn’t be, this recipe just combines two great dishes into one scrummy one; chicken korma and saag aloo. It’s quick and easy to cook and utterly delicious!
You need:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 large red onion – chopped
450g boneless, skinless chicken thighs – cut into bite size pieces
165g jar korma paste
2 garlic cloves – crushed
250g white potatoes
250g sweet potato
400g can of chopped tomatoes
100g baby spinach
Drizzle of double cream
Basmati rice and garlic and coriander naan bread to serve
1.  Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for about 5 mins until softened. Increase the heat slightly, add the chicken pieces and brown2.  Stir in the curry paste and garlic, cooking for 2 mins before adding 100ml water, the potatoes and chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 20-30 mins until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potato is tender – add a splash more water if it starts to look dry.
3. Â Season to taste and add the spinach, removing the pan from the heat and stirring until the spinach has wilted. Drizzle in a little cream. Serve with basmati rice and naan
7 hour ginger, honey & mustard gammon
Yes you did read that correctly. 7 hours this bad boy takes and it is the most succulent, delicious yumminess in the world ever. Trust me, I know, my friend Mills for the past 5 years (maybe more) has wanted me to up the stakes in the gammon world each time I make it to find the ultimate, and apparently according to the Ham connoisseur, this is it.
The main thing you need? A slow cooker, oh and the pig.
You need:
1.3kg gammon joint (unsmoked preferably and one without too much fat)
1 large red onion – chopped
10 cloves (but remember to either pick these out or warn your guests to keep an eye on them, alternatively add 3-4 tablespoons of ground cloves
1 carrot – peeled and left whole
1 celery stick – left whole or chopped in half
1 1/2 litre ginger beer
3 tablespoons ginger paste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons wholegrain mustard or English mustard if you want a kick in the face
3 tablespoons runny honey – add more for a sweeter taste just before popping in the oven
1. Â Â Cut the skin off the joint. Trim the fat and score criss crosses across the meat2. Â Â Mix the mustard and honey in a small bowl
3. Â Pour over the ginger beer and add the honey and mustard mixture and stir
4. Â Pop in the carrot, celery, onion and cloves
5. Â Add the gammon and cook on high for 30 mins to 1 hour (depending on how big piggy is
6. Â Turn down to low and cook for a further 5-6 hours – you want the meat moist but not on the verge of pulled pork so check every hour
7. Â Preheat oven to 180 C / gas 6 – remove gammon from slow cook and place on a baking tray. Cover with foil
8. Â Pour the remaining meat juices and the glaze into a saucepan, remove the carrot, celery and whole cloves (if you used them) then reduce down over a medium heat whilst continuously stirring. Add the brown sugar and stir until reduced by roughly half
9. Â Pour 3/4 of the glaze over the gammon ensuring you coat all of the meat
10. Â Roast in the over for 20-30 minutes uncovered. If you want a sticky glaze, every 5-10 minutes spoon some of the glaze that’s in the tray back over the joint
11. Â Keep the remaining glaze on a low heat warm on the hob
12.  Leave the joint to stand for 10 minutes before carving and serve along side the warm jus in a crusty warm bap or with some chunky roasties 🙂
13. Â Get some serviettes, load your plate up, start salivating and devour. Boom.
What Ya Likey Turkey, Veg & Potato Curry
This is a great one for near Christmas as it uses up all that extra turkey without having to suffer yet another turkey sandwich. You can even throw your leftover potatoes and veg into the mix
You need:
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 large onion – chopped
1 green pepper – deseeded and chopped
1/2 bag of spinach
Any leftover vegetables
2 tablespoons curry paste
2 garlic cloves – crushed
400g can chopped tomato
300g leftover turkey – diced
300g  – leftover potato – either boiled or roasted
2 tablespoons mango chutney
Small pack of coroner – roughly chopped
Rice or naan bread to serve
1. Â Â Heat the oil in a frying pan and over a medium high heat cook the onion and peppers until they soften and begin to brown2. Â Â Stir in the curry paste and add the garlic, cook for a further 2 minutes
3. Â Add the chopped tomatoes and 150ml water, bring to the boil and bubble away for 5 minutes
4. Â Turn the heat down and stir in the left over potatoes, vegetables and turkey and cook for a further 5-10 minutes
5. Â Add the mango chutney, sprinkle over the coriander and serve
Three Course Pancake Recipe
First things first, yes I did say a three course pancake meal. Yes, that means pancakes to start, pancakes for main and pancakes for pud. Don’t knock it until you’ve read it. It’s honestly DELICIOUS! There are a range of pancakes you can buy if you want to cheat. I like a bit of cheating… Read More Three Course Pancake Recipe