Hello you lot…

I love nothing more than seeing people enjoying their food – I love it so much I’ve made a career from it! As a chef, it gives me a huge amount of satisfaction, as I go home at the end of the night, to know I’ve contributed to guests at the restaurant having a good time. Cooking and eating together is one of life’s great pleasures and, although it sounds a bit cheesy, I truly believe that making a meal to share is one of the best ways to show those around you that you care about them. It strengthen bonds and creates lasting memories.

Despite this, though, a few years ago I was stuck in a rut of bad habits, making poor choices about what, and how much, I consumed. Coupled with a hectic work life and long hours, this was doing me no favours at all. Missing breakfast, choosing high-sugar and high-salt ‘pick me ups’ during the day and alcohol-absorbing starchy carbs at night, I was massively overweight and had developed a routine of eating convenience food most days. I needed to make a lifestyle change – literally to save my life – and I wanted to be a good example to my young son, Acey. I now make it a real priority to set aside time each week to eat proper home-cooked meals as a family. It may not be every night, but it’s as often as we can and I know that it’s helping Acey develop a good relationship with food too.

We all know we should be eating less processed food and yet more of us than ever are regularly turning to ready-meals and takeaways instead of cooking from scratch. I get why: we’re busy, and convenience food is exactly that – convenient! But relying on it isn’t good for us. I want to show you that cooking your own food really isn’t as difficult as you might think. OK, so it might take a bit more effort than just bunging a ready-meal in the microwave and waiting for the ping, but your meals will taste so much better, I promise. And there’s the added bonus that you will have complete control over what goes into the food you eat.

Eat better, feel better

Although this isn’t a ‘healthy eating’ or ‘diet’ book, without doubt you’ll be encouraging better health for you and your family by cooking more of your own food. If you’ve got out of the routine of shopping for, and cooking proper meals, it can feel a bit daunting to get started again. Maybe you’ve fallen into the busy-life trap and after a long day you just don’t feel you have the time or energy to spend in the kitchen; or maybe you’ve never really cooked before and don’t know where to begin. Perhaps you just want to try something new, instead of turning to the same handful of dishes you make again and again. That’s where the recipes in this book come in. I want you to feel excited about cooking, so they have been designed to help you have fun in the kitchen and maybe even to kick-start a new, healthier you in the process.

I’m not asking you to spend hours whipping up restaurant-style food – good food needn’t be time-consuming. Just take it one meal at a time and build up your skills and confidence slowly. If you start out with dishes that use ingredients and flavours you’re familiar with, you’ll know how they should taste, and then, as your confidence grows, you can experiment more. The Prawn and broccoli rice noodles is a good recipe to start out with, as it’s both quick and easy. Or maybe you want to make homemade pizzas, chicken curry or a lighter version of bangers and mash? Turn to here, here and here for these family favourites.

Once you start having control over what ingredients go into the food you cook, you’ll find you become more aware of what you eat overall. In this book there are many lower-calorie recipes. I’ve also included plenty of vegetarian dishes, shown by the V symbol. Actually, there’s an entire chapter devoted to easy ways to get more veg into your diet. And as you become increasingly mindful of your food choices, you might well find you’re more interested in your health and fitness generally. Maybe you’ll even sign up for a 10K run! Personally, I don’t recommend obsessing over calorie counting, but I’ve listed the rough calories per portion on the recipes in case you are keeping an eye on your calorie intake because you have a bit of extra weight to lose.

I’d also encourage you to get all the family involved, whatever ‘family’ might mean to you – whether that’s the kids, your partner or housemates. Cooking and eating is one of the easiest and most pleasurable ways to spend time together, and the benefits go way beyond simply eating higher-quality food. So, instead of staying glued to the TV or phone, make time to prepare a proper meal together and eat it around the table.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not against all convenience food – it fulfils a need for many people. But it should be the exception not the norm. If you start to think convenience food is for every day, then that’s what it’ll become.

Habits start young for children and I think we should encourage them to have a healthy relationship with food as early as possible, so they grow up open to trying new things and less likely to become fussy eaters. Talk about what you’re doing while you’re chopping the veg or stirring a pot on the stove. Learn where your food comes from and try new ingredients. Go on a food adventure together! You can sample new flavours from different countries around the world from your own kitchen – how amazing is that?

If you’re used to eating a lot of ready meals and packaged foods, home cooking can take some getting used to. It might even take a bit of time for your taste buds to adjust to those great new tastes. Start off with easy swaps: ditch your sugary cereal for the granola here, perhaps, or replace your regular week-night takeaway with one of my curries. Once you realise how good home-cooked food can be, you’ll never go back.

Be the boss in your kitchen

The first step towards cooking with confidence is to own your kitchen. Know where everything is and have the essentials within easy reach of the hob, so you’re not rummaging around at the back of a drawer or cupboard trying to find the wooden spoon or baking tray you need. Think of the place where you work – your desk, forklift truck, behind the bar. You know that space inside out and even if you’re not the official boss, you’re in charge. You need to feel the same way about your kitchen. Don’t be intimidated by it, make it your zone.

You don’t need to buy the fanciest kitchen equipment in order to cook really good food – a couple of decent pans, a sharp knife and chopping board, a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, a whisk, a roasting tray and a baking tray will do! If you feel like splashing out, then investing in a food processor will save you loads of time chopping and mixing, and it’s great for making quick sauces and soups. Also, make sure you have some storage containers for prepping meals in advance, keeping leftovers and freezing meals. You’ll easily save the money you spend on these by not buying takeaways!

Now that you’ve got your workspace in order, start thinking about what you’re going to cook. This is the fun bit. These days, many of us often leave the decision-making about what to eat that night until we’re on our way home from work and then we’ll dash into the supermarket and pick up something quick. But this can lead to some pretty poor choices. People used to work out what they were going to eat each day of the week ahead, and then do a big shop – supplementing it with a few extra fresh ingredients every few days. Let’s try and get back into the habit of doing that a bit more, as it saves time and money. Every bit of food you buy will be destined for a meal, so you won’t waste food, and you won’t be tempted to nip into the chippie as you pass it because you’ll have a delicious meal planned at home.

For many people, it’s actually time – or rather a lack of it – that is the real barrier to cooking your own meals from scratch. If your work schedule means you’re not home until late, I completely understand how something out of a packet, which takes just a few minutes to cook, can seem to tick all the right boxes. My working hours often mean I’m home late, after Acey has gone to bed. But because of that I make the times when I am home early enough for us to all eat as a family really count.

I know it can be tough. When I was growing up my mum worked in the evenings and so from an early age I was cooking for us – and it was fish fingers and waffles because they were easy. But my mum made the weekends matter. On Sundays we’d make a big lunch and she’d get us involved with peeling and prepping the veg, including the sprouts at Christmas. We’d go to pick-your-own fruit farms in the summer and see who could find the largest strawberry, or who could pick the most. These are some of my favourite memories as a child. Even though we weren’t able to sit down and eat proper meals together every night of the week, I still grew up with a connection to real food. Don’t put yourself under pressure, just do what you can and make it work for you.

This is where we return to forward planning. I’m a big supporter of cooking in big batches and freezing meals for later, so there’s a whole chapter devoted to ‘batch cooking’ in this book. If you have meals stashed in the freezer, all you need to do is defrost one and away you go. Your own supply of convenience food! It’s a great way of getting in control of your mealtimes, and means there are no excuses for ordering in. Every now and then, set aside some time for making meals for the freezer – why not try Italian turkey meatballs or a takeaway favourite like the Beef biriyani?

There’s also the common misconception that cooking from scratch is expensive. Some ready meals are cheap, but they tend to contain few fresh ingredients and less nutrients than freshly cooked food. I’ve come up with loads of easy, delicious recipes made with affordable ingredients for you to try. There are other ways to save money on food, too: frozen produce, such as fish, peas and broad beans, can be cheaper than fresh, for example. Batch cooking is a great way to bring down costs as well. In the long run, though, investing in mealtimes now will pay you back in the future – in terms of your family’s health. And, as you adjust your approach to food and shopping, you’ll find you don’t have to spend a lot to eat well.

Enjoy your food

Cooking and eating should be all about enjoyment, so have some fun with it. Don’t get hung up about creating restaurant-quality food – behind the scenes in a professional kitchen is a whole team working together! The goal here is to serve up tasty, home-cooked recipes for you and your family, and about spending some proper time together.

I’d like you to treat my recipes more as guidelines than instructions. Maybe I’ve suggested you use two garlic cloves but if you think you need five, then go for it! Once you’ve tried out one or two new recipes and mastered a few basic cooking techniques, you’ll develop your own preferences and I want you to feel free to experiment with the recipes. Puddings are a little bit different as the ingredients and quantities often play a scientific role, determining whether your cake will rise or your pudding sets, for example. But with stews and casseroles, mince dishes, soups and salads, go ahead and play around.

What is the worst that could happen? You’ll quickly learn what works well together, and what is less successful, so enjoy the process! You wouldn’t just jump on a skateboard and start doing tricks immediately – you have to learn the basics first and probably fall off a few times. It’s the same with cooking, but you’ll be doing culinary kick-flips before you know it.

So, chuck that pizza delivery menu in the recycling bin, be brave and let’s give you and your family a fresh start!

Getting kitchen-comfortable

Cooking regularly from scratch can take a bit of getting used to, so I thought I’d give you some tips and suggestions to help you on your way. Putting together a good store cupboard will really save you time and money, for example, and I’m also sharing a few techniques I use to maximise flavour.

Basic ingredients

Keeping a supply of the basic ingredients you use most often will mean you’re only ever moments away from a nutritious meal, even on a busy week night.

Store cupboard

●Pasta, rice, lentils, noodles or quinoa are convenient bases for quick midweek meals. Those ready-cooked pouches of rice and lentils can be brilliant too – a neat little crossover convenience food.

●Tins of tomatoes, coconut milk, beans (such as kidney, borlotti and butterbeans), chickpeas, sweetcorn and tuna are great standbys. I use them regularly in pasta sauces, curries, stews and salads, and for making fish cakes. Jars of passata are also useful for quick sauces.

●Dried herbs and spices lift many dishes, so keep a nice range on the shelf. The dried herbs I use most often are thyme, oregano and bay leaves. Dried herbs are strongly flavoured so you won’t need to use as much as fresh herbs. (For more on fresh herbs, see below.)

●When it comes to spices, my favourites are fennel, cumin and coriander seeds, chilli flakes, ground turmeric, cumin and coriander, and hot and sweet smoked paprika. I also like cardamom pods, cinnamon and nutmeg, which all bring an exotic warmth to puddings and cakes, as well as savoury dishes. Ready-made spice blends are really great to have in the cupboard too. I like garam masala, Madras curry powder, ras el hanout and Chinese five-spice powder.

●Flaky sea salt and black peppercorns for grinding are essentials, of course – it’s so important to properly season your food. Always taste it before you season it, though, so you don’t overdo it, especially when preparing food for children. I also use fragrant Szechuan peppercorns in stir-fries.

●Onions, garlic and fresh ginger are always in my cupboard at home. They are versatile and add huge amounts of flavour.

●Olive oil is a must. I suggest keeping a mild olive oil for general cooking and frying, and a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for making salad dressings. For cooking at high temperatures and for Asian-style dishes, I prefer to use a flavourless oil, like groundnut or vegetable oil. I also keep sesame oil and chilli oil to add a powerful punch to dressings and for drizzling on finished dishes.

●Vinegar, including red and white wine vinegar and sherry vinegar, can provide the much-needed acidity to help balance the overall flavour of a dish. It will enhance other flavours, too. I generally use rice wine vinegar in Asian-style dishes like stir-fries.

●Other high-impact extras that I like to keep around are liquid aminos (which you can find in some supermarkets and online), soy sauce, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha hot sauce. You don’t need a lot of these powerhouse ingredients to make meals taste exciting.

●Honey and maple syrup are great natural sweeteners that I use in both sweet and savoury dishes, from cakes and ice cream to stir-fry sauces.

●Vanilla extract is wonderful for enhancing all sorts of puddings, and also for adding extra flavour to your morning pancakes (here). Make sure you buy the real thing, not synthetic vanilla flavouring.

●A selection of nuts and seeds add a healthy crunch to lots of recipes, from pasta bakes to salads and from porridge to loaf cakes. Pistachios, peanuts, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, black sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds are the ones I use the most. (For more on dry-frying nuts and seeds to bring out their flavours, see here.).

Counter-top

●Grow pots of your favourite herbs on your counter top or windowsill so you can snip some off whenever a recipe calls for them. Herbs are great for adding really fresh flavours: flat-leaf parsley, coriander, mint, basil, thyme and oregano are particularly useful. If you buy bunches or bags of fresh herbs instead, keep them in the fridge or in a jug of water.

Fridge standbys

●Have jars of anchovies, olives, capers, peppercorns and sun-dried tomatoes to add pockets of intense flavour to savoury dishes.

●Mustard provides a great flavour kick. I often stir a spoonful through stews to add extra depth, use it in salad dressings or combine some with mayonnaise to spread in a wrap or a sandwich. Mustards vary quite a lot in heat and taste. To cover all needs, keep a Dijon mustard, a hot English mustard and a sweeter, milder one, like American or German.

●Tomato purée and tahini, harissa, curry, chipotle and tamarind pastes are easy ways to add complex layers of flavour to a recipe. These are each used in slightly different ways but achieve the same result of elevating simple ingredients to a rich and exotic finished dish.

Fresh ingredients

●Eggs are something I eat often, not just for breakfast. If you’ve got eggs in your fridge, you’ve got a meal, even if it’s just a simple omelette with fresh herbs on top. Try to use organic and free-range eggs where you can – they really do taste better. Most of the recipes in this book use large eggs. Bring eggs to room temperature before you use them, especially in baking.

●Meat is an ingredient I’m happy to use less often than I used to, but when I do eat it, I make sure I choose proper good-quality meat. Try to buy the best you can afford, ideally free-range and organic. I mostly use lower-fat mince (5% fat) and leaner cuts at home, trimming off most of the excess fat. Occasionally I will use a higher fat percentage mince (such as 10% fat), as the extra fat can help to bind the other ingredients together. Don’t forget to rest cuts of meat after you’ve cooked them, as this helps to make the meat nice and tender. For larger cuts, shoulder and leg joints, for example, I like to cook them low and slow in the oven, which allows the meat to become really succulent and tender, almost falling off the bone. And roasting meat in this way means you don’t have to worry about overcooking your Sunday lunch!

●Yoghurt has a wonderfully cooling and slightly acidic taste, which can instantly balance a dish. You can also add endless flavours to it – from tahini or chilli sauce to fresh herbs, chopped cucumber or capers – to make a savoury dip, or the base for a salad dressing. And I’ll happily have yoghurt for breakfast with some granola or fruit, if I’m in a rush. Its thick and creamy texture is also good for making a quick fruit fool, or a fresh-tasting icing for a cake. I generally use low-fat natural yoghurt or 0% fat Greek-style yoghurt, which has a creamier texture. Sometimes, however, full-fat yoghurt is essential for getting the texture right, for example in the pannacotta here.

●Stock is always best if it’s freshly made. It’s easy to cook up chicken, fish or vegetable stock yourself at home (it freezes well), and you can also buy it in most supermarkets or butchers. Using it is an easy way to introduce some really great flavour to your cooking. That said, good-quality instant stock cubes will do the job too.

●Lemons, oranges and limes are brilliant for introducing fresh-tasting flavours. Citrus juice is ideal for making simple dressings and brings a sharp tang to sweet and savoury dishes. If you intend to use the zest, buy unwaxed citrus fruit. The zest has a more gentle, complex flavour and is ideal for lifting savoury dishes and flavouring puddings. (See here for how to zest citrus fruit.)

Freezer

●Bags of frozen peas and prawns are endlessly versatile – I use them in everything from stir-fries and pasta dishes to risottos and curries, as well as simple salads and wraps.

●Frozen mixed berries can be blitzed to make smoothies, an effortless compote (here) or an instant ice cream (here).

●Frozen fish keeps really well and it can often be fresher than what you buy at the fish counter, as it will have been frozen at sea. Salmon, cod or haddock steaks are so easy to cook – just wrap them in foil and cook in the oven, or use them in a one-tray bake (here).

Flavour-plus cooking

As well as thinking about the ingredients you use, there are some clever, straightforward cooking techniques that can help enhance the flavour and texture of your food.

Grating garlic You’ll see that in most recipes I tend to peel and then finely grate garlic. You could crush or finely slice your garlic instead, but using a fine grater gently squeezes out all the natural oils so you get twice as much flavour from each clove, and the taste is a bit less harsh.

Caramelising onions Compared with regular frying, this is a slow process. You want the onions to cook gently over a really low heat until they start to become sticky, turn golden brown and are so soft they’re almost breaking down. To ensure they cook evenly, you’ll need to stir them fairly often. They will develop a sweet, almost toffee-ish flavour, which means you don’t need to add any extra sweetness later on. In the veggie bolognaise, the onion is cooked like this, along with some tomato purée. It works sort of like a curry paste, creating complex flavours that provide a solid base for the rest of the sauce.

Pre-roasting mince Browning mince in the oven, before you introduce it to the rest of your recipe, allows the outside to caramelise, adding an extra, subtle sweetness and richness to the final dish. Pre-cooking mince in this way has the added bonus of cooking off some of the fat, making it healthier too.

Toasting nuts and seeds Gently toasting or ‘dry-frying’ nuts and seeds enhances their flavour. Use a small non-stick pan over a medium heat, swirling the pan every now and then until they start to smell delicious and turn golden brown. (‘Dry-frying’ just means without any oil.) I add toasted nuts and seeds to salads or scatter them over the top of almost anything else for a lovely layer of tasty crunch. To add flavour to oats for making porridge and flapjacks, I toast the oats in the oven first.

Julienning vegetables Preparing vegetable ‘julienne’ is basically just cutting them into evenly sized matchsticks. If you are cooking veg prepared like this, the uniform size helps them to cook evenly.

Zesting citrus fruit Buy unwaxed fruit and use a fine grater to remove the zest, making sure you don’t get any of the bitter white pith underneath. Grating the zest releases all the lovely citrusy oils.

Cooking pasta Always add salt to the boiling water before cooking pasta. This is the only opportunity the pasta gets to be properly seasoned. And be careful not to overcook your pasta either – no one likes it mushy! Carefully lift a piece from the pan and try it. It should be al dente: softened, but still with a little ‘bite’ or firmness.

Blowtorching This may sound a bit cheffy, but a cook’s blowtorch won’t cost you much and it’s a great way of adding a smoky, barbecued flavour to dishes, or to create a caramelised or charred effect without having to use lots of oil. To use a blowtorch safely, don’t touch the flame and always check the gas has been switched off afterwards. Place the food on a metal tray and make sure there is nothing flammable nearby, like alcohol. Always light the blowtorch before putting it near raw food, or you run the risk of getting fuel on the food. I find that the best technique is to use a gentle waving motion, so the flame goes slowly back and forth across the surface of the food to evenly ‘scorch’ it. Don’t concentrate too long on one area, or the food may burn. I use this method on the trout with beetroot and orange. Trout is a delicate fish that you would struggle to barbecue conventionally, so this allows you to introduce all those delicious flavours without the risk of it getting stuck to your grill. Blowtorching also adds an amazing caramelised flavour to the Orange, cardamom and polenta cake.

Making friends with your oven

Ovens vary more than you’d think. If you turn the dial on your oven to 180°C you might actually find it’s up to 20°C hotter or cooler than it should be – and it’s generally hotter near the top than the bottom as that’s where the heating element usually is. In some recipes I specify that you should use the top shelf (best for browning) or bottom shelf (when slow cooking, for example). It’s a good idea to get an oven thermometer, so you can work out exactly what temperature your oven is cooking at, and whether that varies, top to bottom.

Most ovens these days can be operated as either fan or conventional ovens. Using the fan means the heat is circulated throughout the oven more evenly. The fan oven setting is more often used, but if you’re an experienced cook you might prefer to cook cakes and delicate meringues using the conventional option, as the fan-assisted heat can cause them to dry out or cook too quickly on the outside before they’ve had a chance to cook properly inside. Sophisticated ovens can have even more options to choose from, such as using top or bottom heat with or without a fan, and most ovens now have an integral grill.

Freezing extra food

If lack of time is holding you back from making home-cooked meals, get your freezer to work hard for you. Many of the recipes in this book are particularly well suited to freezing and reheating later, and I’ve given instructions for how to go about it wherever you see this symbol: ❄

Invest in some good-quality freezable containers – two-person portion sizes are very useful, as well as re-usable freezer bags. A range of rigid plastic or glass containers, and foil trays with cardboard or foil lids, are great for freezing your own meals.

Make sure you let your food cool properly before you freeze it. If you don’t, it can partially defrost the other food in your freezer and force your freezer to work twice as hard. And don’t forget to label and date the contents!

When you want to eat something from the freezer, defrost it fully in the fridge overnight before reheating it in the oven (or on the hob) until it’s piping hot all the way through.

Relax and have fun

One of the best ways of enjoying food is to share it with others. So invite your mates round, get the conversation flowing and serve up some simple tasty food for everyone to dig into. Don’t get stressed about it, or worry about how you’re going to present your food – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Set big sharing platters in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves. If it’s a lasagne or tray bake, I’ll often put the baking dish directly on the table (on a heat mat) with some serving spoons, rather than plate up everything individually. Just sit back and enjoy!