Packed lunch
search
a giant sausage roll fit for a Royal Wedding
Just one look at Prince Harry and you know he loves a sausage roll. I’m with him. Let’s hope Meghan has learned to love them too. A giant sausage roll is a brilliant party centerpiece. Let people cut a sliver or a wedge off with a bread knife. Add jars of mustard, pickle and a bottle...
recipe
flapjacks – the perfect treat for busy bees
In a world full of Instagramable baking (don’t get me started on unicorn cronuts), old school flapjacks can get a bit left behind. They have been knocked out of the way by granola bars and the recipes have been the subject of a lot of fiddling, ingredients wise, these last few years. There are so...
recipe
cheese and courgette muffins
These cheese and courgette muffins are a great grab-and-go snack. And are a great way to use a glut of courgettes (zucchini) in the summer months. I often pop one of these in my boys’ lunchbox along with some veggie sticks and a flask of soup when we’re going swimming after school and will be...
recipe
speedy spring tomato, corn and basil frittata
On Monday nights I have the combination of meat-free Monday and after school football (soccer) to shape my dinner plans. I’m usually trying my best to delay a trip to the supermarket so dinner is often a mad rush to make something from what is in the fridge and freezer. This speedy spring frittata ticks all...
recipe
chickpea salad with feta, herb and lemon
The most delicious chickpea salad with feta, herb and lemon First things first, the star of the show in this chickpea salad is, clearly chickpeas but if that is throwing you, they are known as garbanzo beans in the US. Now everyone is clear on that, let’s talk about why you need to make this...
recipe
banana bread – perfect to freeze for lunchboxes
When I posted a picture of this banana bread on social media this weekend I received a bonkers amount of comments. Loads of you sent me recipes for your favourite banana bread recipes. It seems I’m not the only one who is on a quest to find The One when it comes to banana bread....
recipe
Spanakopita – spinach, feta, egg and filo pie
Spanakopita is the correct name for this Greek pie made of filo*, spinach, feta and egg. However my boys have named it ‘green pie’ rather than Greek pie since they are a) very literal, and b) not the best listeners. Regardless of the name, they and I agree (for once) that it is the most...
recipe
three-way pea salad with feta and lemon
I posted this pea salad with feta and lemon on Instagram and Facebook a few weeks ago and everyone went crazy for it. So I wanted to immortalise it here, given that we all get memory like goldfish on social media. This recipe is a great one for packed lunches as it hangs around well....
recipe
baked stuffed potatoes
This baked stuffed potatoes is a very simple recipe but is a great, fast dinner. Especially if you plan ahead to have leftover baked potatoes in the fridge. My mum makes these for my boys whenever we arrive back at her house having flown in from California. She makes them a bowl of her lentil...
recipe
crispy date and chocolate bars
This is another of my mum’s recipes that I’ve tinkered with a little. These crispy date and chocolate bars – or ‘date slices’ as they were known in our family are easy and delicious. They are perfect for lunchboxes, picnics or after-school snacks. They require very little actual cooking and are a great thing to...
recipe
smoked salmon or smoked mackerel pate
Smoked salmon or smoked mackerel pate is such a great recipe to get under your belt. I make a scrumptious chicken liver pâté but when I fancy a change I make this smoked fish pate with salmon, trout or mackerel. I love the fact that most of the smoked salmon or smoked mackerel pate ingredients...
recipe
flapjacks for lunchboxes, teatime and road trips
I love a good flapjack. We never left home for a holiday when I was little without a tin of flapjacks and shortbread. Long before granola bars had ever been thought of, these were what my Mum packed for us. Like granola bars, they are a real treat but give you a bit of a...
recipe
homemade pâté
This is another of those dishes I probably never would have made had I still been living in England. It is so easy to pick up good pâté in the UK but I find it almost impossible to find pâté here in California. For me, it is such a nostalgic comfort food. The first bite...
recipe
easy shortbread
My mum’s easy shortbread recipe This easy shortbread recipe is one that has been a part of my family as long as I can remember. It was always in the biscuit tin when we went on holidays and my Mum made it for many a summer fair, various picnics and parties. We often made it...
recipe