Happy Kids and Happy Mealtimes

During the week the evening meal is for many families usually the one meal they are likely to eat together. In addition to being a place for the consumption of food, the meal table provides a social platform on which children and adults can share their news and views. The atmosphere at the table should be light and the interaction as enjoyable as the food served. The evening meal will take into account the adults’ tastes as well as appealing to children. Apart from very young children who are being weaned, all members of the family should eat the same food, if necessary with adaptations for children. It is not a good idea to start cooking separate meals for children, for once begun this will be a habit that’s difficult to break. Apart from it being a lot of extra work, a child is more likely to eat the food they are given, and thereby eat healthily, if they see their parents enjoying the same food.

As with all other meals, dinner will need to be visually appealing as well as nutritionally well balanced – that is, with protein, carbohydrate, some fat, and essential vitamins and minerals, as described in Chapter Eleven. After nearly thirty years of cooking dinner for children of all ages, many of whom were fostered and arrived with very poor diets, I’m passing on some suggestions for evening meals that I have found appeal to children of all ages, teenagers and adults. All the recipes in this chapter serve 4.

Top of my list must be spag bol. I always cook it when a child first arrives, as I can rely on children and young people liking it. Indeed, I haven’t yet met a child (or adult) who didn’t like my spaghetti bolognese. For vegetarians, replace the minced beef with soy protein granules.

Heat the oil in a large pan and add the minced beef. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes until browned. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, celery and herbs. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato purée. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the sauce is nearly done, cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. Drain it and tip into a warmed serving bowl.

Pour the bolognese sauce over the spaghetti and toss gently or serve on individual plates. Top with grated Parmesan if desired.

Coming a close second in my favourites list is cottage pie. This is sometimes also known as shepherd’s pie, although cottage pie traditionally uses beef, and shepherd’s pie uses mutton or lamb. For vegetarians use soy protein granules.

250g sweetcorn, tinned or frozen, or 1 large carrot, grated, and 1 stick of celery, finely chopped

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, herbs, and sweetcorn if using frozen. Simmer for 15 minutes and then add the sweetcorn if using tinned.

Turn the mince into a large ovenproof dish. Add the seasoning and brown or Worcestershire sauce. Stir through.

Top with the mashed potatoes and place in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Another dish that can be relied upon to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. As with all pasta dishes, you have the choice of making your own pasta and sauce or using shop bought. If your family is vegetarian, use soy protein granules instead of minced beef.

Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the minced beef and onion until brown. Add the garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms and herbs. Simmer for about 30 minutes until thoroughly cooked and the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat.

To make the béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour to make a roux (see here). Stir in the milk a little at a time and bring to the boil, stirring until the sauce has thickened. Add the grated cheese, salt and pepper.

In a large ovenproof dish layer the ingredients: meat sauce, lasagne sheets, béchamel. Make the last layer béchamel. There is no need to cook the lasagne first, as the pasta will absorb the moisture in the cooking.

Serve with a side salad, garlic bread, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if desired.

This was a great favourite of mine as a child. It is cheap and easy to prepare, and always a success with children and adults. Use meatless sausages if your family is vegetarian.

Pour the oil into the bottom of a baking dish and arrange the sausages in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes at the top of the preheated oven.

While the sausages are cooking, make the batter. Whisk together the eggs, flour and half of the milk until smooth. Gradually mix in the rest of the milk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Take the sausages from the oven and pour over the batter, making sure all the sausages are three-quarters covered. Return to the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the centre is risen and browned.

This thick onion gravy goes well with many meat dishes, including toad in the hole and sausage and mash.

Melt the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onions. Cover the pan with a lid and cook slowly until the onions are soft (this will take about 10 minutes).

Add the sugar and vinegar and stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the stock and boil gently, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

In a heatproof jug or bowl mix the flour with the milk until smooth. Pour on a little of the hot gravy and mix thoroughly.

Pour the starch mixture back into the gravy and boil for 10 minutes. This will thicken the gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I have found that even children with quite conservative tastes in food soon enjoy a mild curry with rice and plain naan when they see the rest of the family tucking into it. Curry, rice and naan have a unique appeal in taste and texture; if you fancy a curry nothing else will do. Half a million curries are eaten daily in the UK, so curry is probably now more of a traditional dish than roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Worldwide there are hundreds of thousands of different curry recipes, although many share the same basic ingredients of coriander, cumin, onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom and turmeric. Below is a basic curry recipe to which you can add cooked meat (500g), vegetables (approximately 500g) or soy protein (300g, cubed) for a delicious and satisfying meal.

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan. Add the onion and fry for 6–8 minutes, until pale golden. Add the ginger, garlic, spices, sugar and salt, and cook for 1 minute, stirring all the time.

Add the tomato purée and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the curry sauce thickens. Then add the meat, vegetables or soy protein, mix well and cook until heated through. (Remember: if your curry is too spicy, add a tablespoon of plain yoghurt to calm it down.)

Serve your meat, vegetable or soy curry with boiled or fried rice and warm naan. You can use any long grain rice, although basmati is especially good. Allow 60g rice per adult and 50g per child, and follow the instructions on the packet for cooking it.

Ready-made naan can be bought from most supermarkets and is best heated in a medium-hot oven (200ºC/gas mark 6) for 10 minutes. Or have a go at making your own. It’s not difficult but takes a little time and planning.

Mix the yeast with 1 tablespoon of warm water in a small bowl. Stir in the sugar and leave it to ferment in a warm place for 5 minutes.

While the yeast is fermenting, in another bowl mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and onion seeds, if using. Stir in the oil, yoghurt and milk, and then the yeast mixture, which should be foaming by now. Mix everything together to create a dough.

Knead the dough by making a clenched fist and pressing it repeatedly into the dough. Knead continuously for about 10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable. Leave the dough in the mixing bowl, cover it with cling film and put it in a warm place to rise for 10–15 minutes.

Divide the dough into four balls and place on a floured surface or board. Roll each one into a long oval shape about 0.5cm thick. Place the dough balls on a greased baking tray in the centre of the preheated oven for 10–15 minutes. They will be ready when they have puffed up a little. Serve hot, straight from the oven.

These are great when you are at home but need to get on with other things. You simply put all the ingredients in a large ovenproof pot and then leave it to cook in the oven. Traditionally a hot pot was topped with sliced potatoes but the distinction between casseroles and hot pots has now blurred. A stew is different in that it is cooked in a saucepan on the hob with the heat beneath, whereas casseroles and hot pots are cooked in the oven and therefore have the heat circulating around them.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, garlic and meat and sauté for 10 minutes, turning so that the meat doesn’t burn.

Tip the onion, garlic and meat into a large casserole dish. Add all the other ingredients and stir thoroughly.

Put all the ingredients in a large casserole dish and stir thoroughly. Cover with a lid and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes.

Variation Try making this with different vegetables to suit your family’s taste: swede, sweet potato, pumpkin, peppers, parsnip, turnip, cauliflower or broccoli florets. For variety try replacing the pearl barley with lentils, rice, beans or dried peas (dried peas and beans need to be soaked first, according to the instructions on the packet). And try replacing the stock with a can of soup for an entirely different casserole but with the same ingredients.

To create a traditional-style Lancashire hot pot, use the ingredients for the meat and vegetable casserole here. Peel and slice 400g potatoes and arrange them over the top of the dish. Drizzle oil over it and bake in a medium-hot oven (200ºC/gas mark 6) for 45 minutes with the lid on and then for 15 minutes with the lid off, until the potato starts to brown and become crisp.

This English hot pot should not be confused with the Chinese hot pot, sometimes also referred to as steamboat, which is more like a fondue.

Many children turn their noses up at the prospect of eating fish (other than fish fingers), and I think this is because of the strong smell and taste most fish has. A fish pie is a great way to get kids to eat fish, as the aroma and taste are diluted by the other ingredients. It is very simple to make and appeals to adults and children alike.

Poach the fish by placing it in a pan with enough water or milk to cover the bottom of the pan and simmering for 10 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for 1–2 minutes to form a roux (see here). Gradually stir in the milk to form a smooth sauce and then bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Using a fork, flake the fish, and add it to the cheese sauce. Add the sweetcorn, tomato or brown sauce and mashed potato and season to taste. Stir to combine the ingredients. Turn into a large ovenproof dish and top with the grated cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Serve with warm crusty bread or warm bread rolls, and an additional vegetable.

Fish pie variations As an alternative, choose different fish – for example, haddock, salmon or hake – and try adding a dozen peeled prawns. Also try replacing the sweetcorn with one or two of the following: baked beans, cooked kidney beans, or spinach, sliced leeks, chopped carrots, broccoli or cauliflower florets (all lightly cooked first). And instead of a cheese sauce try using a thick soup; cream of tomato or chicken works very well.

I think it is the fun element in this meal that makes it appealing to children: they enjoy the large wok used for cooking and the chopsticks used for eating, although most children will also need a fork to help them eat. Many children who protest at eating vegetables will happily do so when the vegetables are in a stir-fry, especially if they have helped to prepare it by adding the bean shoots etc. to the wok. Stir-fries are nutritionally well balanced; in addition to vegetables they usually contain protein (meat, fish or soya) and carbohydrate – noodles or cooked rice. A word of warning, though: go easy on the soy sauce. Many children don’t like it and if you add it generously to the wok you may find a child refuses to eat the stir-fry simply because they don’t like the soy sauce. I tend to add a little sauce to the wok to flavour the ingredients and then leave the soy bottle on the table for family members to help themselves. Some children even like tomato sauce on a stir-fry, and what’s wrong with that?

Here are some of my favourite stir-fries, which I’ve found work well with children and adults, starting with the most basic. If you don’t have a wok, a large frying pan or saucepan will do the job.

This very quick stir-fry uses pre-packed bags of vegetables and noodles, which can be bought from all large supermarkets.

400g chicken, beef or other meat, cut into thin strips, or 200g soy protein chunks

Heat the oil in a large wok with the garlic and a few drops of soy sauce. Add the meat or soy and cook for 10 minutes, turning the ingredients all the time with the wok spoon.

Combine the ingredients in a jug and stir well. Pour the sauce over the stir-fry at the start of cooking.

Variations Try adding a teaspoon of curry powder or dried herbs to the sauce. Experiment with different combinations of spices and herbs to find your family’s favourites.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the garlic, carrot, sweetcorn, courgettes and pepper. Stir-fry for 4 minutes.

Add the remaining stock, sugar and soy sauce to the wok. Cook until slightly thickened.

Heat the oil in the wok. Add the garlic, onion and chicken and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Add the noodles and toss so that all the ingredients are coated. Stir-fry for 5 minutes and serve.

There are thousands of different stir-fry recipes, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Try replacing the meat in the recipes above with strips of boneless fish – for example, cod, haddock, tuna or monkfish – or add some peeled prawns. Try adding a handful of nuts to the stir-fry: cashew nuts or water chestnuts work well, but for young children cut the nuts very small or they can be a choking hazard. Mix and match the vegetables; most vegetables work well in a wok if sliced thinly. The ingredients for my stir-fries vary depending on what I have in the fridge. Try:

Many families enjoy a meal of meat and vegetables, arranged in little piles on a dinner plate with lashings of hot gravy.

Meat Popular meat for children includes beef, lamb, pork and poultry. Young children in particular often find a large piece of meat on their plate off-putting, as it requires a lot of cutting and chewing. It is therefore advisable to cut meat into manageable-sized pieces, which children can easily fork. The meat can be roasted, braised, stewed, grilled or fried (see the following recipes), but when giving children meat it should be well cooked, a little overdone rather than underdone, to eradicate all bacteria and make it more digestible.

Vegetables Many adults like their vegetables very firm, perhaps just blanched, but most children like vegetables to be cooked. However, don’t overcook vegetables, as this destroys many of the vitamins and minerals they contain. The best way to cook vegetables such as carrots, peas, broccoli, leeks, mangetout, cauliflower, spinach, etc. is to steam rather than boil them, as this will preserve many of the vitamins and minerals. You can easily steam vegetables without a steamer:

* Add the vegetables and replace the lid. Cook for 5 minutes without removing the lid. The vegetables will cook in the circulating steam.

Choose different-coloured vegetables for variety and to maximise nutritional value – different-coloured vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals.

Buy the best-quality meat you can afford, as it will be more tender and tasty than a cheaper cut.

Use a large baking tray and place the meat in the centre of a preheated oven. Baste every 30–40 minutes. The cooking times below are approximate and ideally a thermometer should be used to ensure that the meat has been properly cooked.

Roasting times (approximate):

Roast chicken 190°C/gas mark 5. Roast for 50 minutes per kg plus 10–20 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oven, cover with aluminium foil and allow it to rest for 20–30 minutes before serving.

Roast beef or roast lamb up to 5kg 220°C/gas mark 7. Roast for 30 minutes at 220°C/gas mark 7. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/gas mark 3 and continue to roast for 30 minutes per kg for medium or 40 minutes per kg for well done. Remove the joint from the oven, cover with aluminium foil and allow to rest for 20–30 minutes before carving.

Roast pork 220°C/gas mark 7. Roast for 30 minutes at 220°C/gas mark 7. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/gas mark 3 and continue to roast for 50 minutes per kg. Remove the joint from the oven and check that the juices run clear, not pink, when you stick a skewer into the meat. Cover with aluminium foil and allow to rest for 20–30 minutes before carving.

Roast chicken, roast potatoes, peas and gravy Tip: for crispy potatoes and chicken which is not dry, start the potatoes on the second shelf of the oven and the chicken on the top, and then swap them halfway through the cooking time.

Roast lamb, roast potatoes, baby carrots and sweetcorn Tip: use boneless lamb and then roast with a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary. Serve with the onion gravy here.

Roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, broccoli and sliced carrots As beef is expensive, this dish is usually reserved for a Sunday treat. Tip: although topside is the cut of beef most often used, rib of beef can be more tender. Before roasting rub the joint with olive oil and crushed garlic to draw out the flavour.

Roast pork with crackling, baby roast potatoes and any root vegetable – carrots, turnips or parsnips. Tip: because pork works well with sweet flavours, root vegetables are ideal, as they become slightly sweet when roasted. Simply peel them, slice lengthways and arrange in the roasting tin around the pork. For crispy crackling, dry out the skin of the pork first by leaving the pork uncovered in the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking and then rub in salt. Score the skin with a sharp knife, which allows the fat to bubble from underneath, making the skin crispy.

Braise meat in a casserole or hot pot and serve with mashed potatoes: see the recipe here. Because braised meat is cooked for a long time on a low heat, cheaper cuts of red meat can be used: for example, brisket, shoulder (also known as chuck or blade steak), flank, ribs and rump. Tip: chicken can also be braised, but use chicken on the bone and leave the skin on for maximum flavour and rich gravy.

Stewing meat is another way of providing a meat-and-veg dinner. Ideal stewing beef is usually chuck, leg or brisket. If you are using lamb, choose middle neck or scrag end of neck, and if stewing pork choose belly, shoulder, rib, loin or chump end. Here is a recipe for a simple stew.

2 carrots, 2 sticks of celery, 1 large parsnip, 1 medium potato (or any other combination of vegetables to suit your family’s tastes), cubed

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the meat and brown. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until transparent.

Add the stock, herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add the vegetables to the pan. Cover and cook for 30 minutes on a medium to low heat, or until the vegetables are tender.

Chicken fillet, beef steak or a lamb or pork chop are best for grilling. As with all meat, grilled meat should be cooked right through for children, with no blood juices in the middle. If the adults like their meat rare, then simply remove their portions first and leave the children’s meat to grill a little longer. Tip: choose thin cuts when grilling meat for children; the adults can have a thicker steak if they wish.

If using a marinade, apply it 30 minutes before cooking; if not, rub a little olive oil and seasoning on to the meat just prior to grilling.

Line a grill pan with aluminium foil for ease of cleaning later. Arrange the meat on the grid of the grill. Place the pan beneath the grill, 5–7.5cm from it.

Turn the meat only once, halfway through the grilling time, to cook the other side.

Grilling times (approximate):

Chicken fillet, thighs or legs 5–6 minutes on each side.

Beef, sirloin or rump steak (approximately 2.5cm thick) Allow 1½–2 minutes on each side for rare; 3 minutes on each side for medium; and 4–5 minutes on each side for well done.

Beef, fillet steak (4cm thick) Allow 4 minutes on each side for rare; 5 minutes on each side for medium; and 6 minutes on each side for well done.

Lamb or pork chops Grill for approximately 10 minutes on each side.

Choose cuts of meat no more than 2.5cm thick for adults and 1.5cm for children. Chops are ideal for frying, as is ‘frying steak’. Tip: for a tender beef steak, lay it on a chopping board and hit it with a meat mallet or your fist about six times on each side. This breaks down the connective tissue and makes for a more tender steak.

Trim most of the fat off the meat, leaving on a little. If using a marinade, apply 30 minutes before cooking.

If not using a marinade, season with black pepper but leave seasoning with salt until just before serving, as salt can dry out meat in cooking.

Heat a frying pan until hot. Add a teaspoon of oil and heat until hot. Lower the meat into the pan, using a cooking utensil to press down on the meat so that the underside is in full contact with the pan.

Frying times (approximate):

Chicken fillet, thighs or legs 7–8 minutes on each side.

Beef, sirloin or rump steak 1½–2 minutes on each side for rare; 3 minutes on each side for medium; and 4 minutes on each side for well done.

Beef fillet steak 4 minutes on each side for rare; 5 minutes for medium; and 6 minutes for well done.

Lamb or pork chops Sear first – 2 minutes each side – and then cook for 5 minutes on each side.

Remember: whatever the type of meat and the method of cooking, meat for children should be well cooked and cut into manageable chunks. Meat given to very young children should be minced or flaked, and puréed when weaning.

Dinner would not be complete without a pudding, also known as a sweet or dessert. All children love a pudding, and while puddings tend to be high in sugar and fat, as part of a nutritionally well-balanced diet they can be enjoyed, and also provide children with the calories they need for growth and energy. However, as many children have a ‘sweet tooth’, preferring sweet foods to savoury foods or vegetables and fruit, parents or carers need to serve puddings cautiously and ensure that children don’t eat pudding when they have left the main course of the meal. We have a rule in my house that you don’t have a pudding until you’ve eaten most, if not all, of your main course. It’s not unkind but it is so important that children get all the nutrients they need, including protein, vitamins and minerals, which are usually present in higher quantities in the savoury part of the dinner than in the pudding.

The pudding you serve will need to appeal to the adults in the family as well as the children. While a ‘Yogi Bear’ yoghurt might be satisfying for little Emily or Jason, it is unlikely to satisfy the man of the house or older children and teenagers. Here are some of my all-time favourite puddings, which I must have served hundreds of times over the years and which everyone finishes, leaving a clean bowl and requesting second helpings. You could also choose a pudding from the lunch dessert suggestions given here.

Top of my list of favourite puddings has to be apple crumble. Delicious, satisfying and wholesome, it is very easy to make. Other fruit apart from apples can also be used: try pears, rhubarb, cherries (stoned), blackberries or gooseberries. Or combine two or three fruits for a seasonal fruit crumble. Fresh fruit is best; canned fruit can also be used but strain off the juices first.

Peel the apples and cut into quarters. Remove the core from each quarter and slice. Put the apple slices into an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the cinnamon and 50g of the sugar evenly over the apples.

To make the crumble topping, place the butter or margarine in a mixing bowl. Add the flour and the remaining sugar (120g) and mix, using your hands, a fork or an electric mixer, until the mixture is like breadcrumbs.

Spread the topping evenly over the apples and bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 30–40 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Serve hot with custard, cream or ice cream. Before eating check that the fruit is not too hot for young children.

Another classic British recipe that is a great favourite with children of all ages, and adults of all ages too. Day-old white bread is best but you can use brown bread if you prefer.

Spread each slice of bread with butter on one side and cut into triangles. Grease a 1-litre pie dish with a little butter or margarine. Arrange a layer of bread, buttered side up, in the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of sultanas and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.

Repeat the layers of bread and sultanas, sprinkling with cinnamon, until you have used up all the bread. Finish with a layer of bread.

Heat the milk (and cream, if using) in a pan but do not allow to boil. Beat the eggs with 20g of the sugar until the mixture is pale. Slowly pour the warm milk over the eggs, stirring all the time.

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top. If possible, leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and the pudding has risen.

Many people are put off making pies because of the thought of making the pastry. If you make your own pastry, great, but if you don’t you can still produce a fantastic ‘homemade’ fruit pie using ready-made pastry. Pastry – both shortcrust pastry and puff pastry – can be bought from all large supermarkets and comes in ready-to-roll blocks, sheets and cases. I always keep some in the freezer just in case. I’ll confess now that the pies mentioned in my fostering stories are usually made from bought pastry, although the ones we enjoy at my mother’s are all her own work.

Line the base of a pie dish with one of the pastry sheets. Trim off any extra pastry and save it.

Arrange the fruit on top of the pastry. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over it.

Cover with the other pastry sheet, pressing to seal the edge. Trim off any excess pastry and use this, together with the trimmings from the bottom pastry sheet, to decorate the top of the pie with twists of pastry or pastry shapes. Brush the top with a little water and add a sprinkling of sugar.

Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Nothing beats the rich creamy taste of homemade rice pudding. Loved by children and adults, it bears no relation to the lumpy rice pudding many of us remember from school dinners, and little relation to the canned shop-bought variety. Making rice pudding is ridiculously easy but it does need some forward planning, as it requires a long slow cook – 2 hours.

Wash the rice and drain it. Butter an ovenproof baking dish. Place the rice, sugar and milk in the dish and stir thoroughly. Sprinkle on the nutmeg.

Place in the centre of the preheated oven and cook for 2 hours, stirring after 30 minutes and then again after 1 hour.

Serve the rice pudding by itself or with a teaspoon of jam or fruit. Don’t forget to scrape off the crispy caramelised skin from around the edge of the dish, which you will need to share out fairly as it is so scrumptious.

Leftover rice pudding can be successfully reheated in the microwave or enjoyed cold.

Not to be confused with bread and butter pudding (see here), which has a very different texture and taste. This is more of a cake than a pudding, and children love helping to prepare it, as you use your hands and can get very messy.

Tear up the bread into smallish chunks and place the pieces in a large mixing bowl. Add the dried fruit and spice, and pour in the milk. Using your hands, scrunch up the mixture until all the ingredients are mixed together and form a soggy dough. You can use an electric mixer if you wish.

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs. Add the eggs and sugar to the bread mixture and mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes to soak.

Grease a 20cm non-stick square cake tin and add the mixture evenly. Sprinkle the top with a little extra sugar.

Place in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 1½ hours until firm and golden. Turn out of the tin and cut into squares.

I guarantee this is the quickest and easiest sponge pudding you will ever make. Loved by adults and children of all ages, it is like a steamed pudding but much lighter.

Thoroughly cream together the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat the egg and milk together and gradually add to the butter and sugar. Add the flour and fold in gently.

Put 2 tablespoons of jam, treacle or syrup in the bottom of a microwave bowl. Pour in the batter and cover.

Serve with custard, cream or ice cream. Children’s servings should be allowed to cool slightly so that the jam, treacle or syrup topping doesn’t burn them.

A naughty but nice pudding which is fine to have occasionally as part of a well-balanced diet. Very quick, very yummy and loved by children and adults alike. Not to be confused with custard cake, which is entirely different. Simply add a couple of slices of plain cake to individual bowls of hot custard and, using a spoon, submerge the cake in the custard. Choose a plain cake; Madeira is ideal or any plain sponge. This recipe is good for using up cake which is a day or so old and perhaps a little dry. Serve as it is or top with a spoonful of cream, ice cream, plain yoghurt or hundreds and thousands.

Easy to prepare and requires no cooking. Children love to help make this satisfying summer or winter dessert. Tip: don’t prepare it too long in advance, as the bananas will discolour once peeled.

Whip the cream in a bowl until light and fluffy. In another bowl slice the bananas and mash well with a fork.

Stir the yoghurt, honey and lemon juice into the mashed banana. Fold this mixture into the whipped cream until blended. Spoon into individual serving dishes.

Serve as it is or top with whatever you fancy – for example, finely chopped nuts, dried or fresh fruit, flaked chocolate, hundreds and thousands, mini marshmallows or ice-cream sauce.

Another nice but naughty dessert. This recipe is the simplest cheesecake recipe you’ll ever find, but it needs to be prepared 2 hours in advance to allow time for it to set.

Crush the biscuits in a mixing bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add to the biscuits. Mix well. Spoon the biscuit mixture into a 20cm loose-bottomed baking tin. Press the mixture down firmly, using a metal spoon. Chill in the refrigerator until set – this will take about 1 hour.

Mix together the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl. Fold in the cream and mix well.

Spoon the cream mixture evenly over the chilled biscuit base. Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator for another 1 hour until set.

This classic trifle recipe (with juice instead of sherry) is usually reserved for a Sunday treat. There are many variations on this all-time favourite. Try using different fruits, tinned and fresh: for example, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, pineapple chunks, sliced bananas or kiwi. Try using blancmange or jelly instead of custard, and different decorative toppings, for example chopped toasted nuts, flaked chocolate, fruit segments or hundreds and thousands.

Arrange the sponges evenly across the bottom of a large glass serving dish. Pour the fruit juice evenly over the sponge. Arrange the fruit over the moist sponge. Pour on the custard and leave in the fridge to set – for about 1 hour.

Once the custard has set, spread the whipped cream over the custard. Top with the almonds or another decorative topping of your choice. Keep in the fridge until just before serving.

This could be anything from a complete ready meal to a packet of dried seasoned couscous or a fast-food takeaway. Compared with fresh food, convenience food is high in calories, fats, sugar and salt and is often low in essential vitamins and minerals. But if used occasionally (no more than once or twice a week) and as part of an otherwise nutritionally well-balanced diet, convenience food can save a busy parent time, as well as providing a dish that you might not have made, for example moussaka or samosas. I usually keep a couple of ready meals in the freezer for emergencies. For meals that appeal to children, check out the chiller counter for: