Top five meals the whole family will love

Advertisement Feature

When it comes to feeding a family, it’s hard to please everyone. Think back to your childhood, though, and you may well be able to remember dishes that were served to you regularly that remind you of growing up: great recipes that taste like home. It might be your Mum’s mashed potato, or your Dad’s Yorkshire puddings - if your Dad ever went near the kitchen back in those days!

Nowadays, of course, Mum and Dad are much more likely to share the cooking, but while our domestic roles may have changed there are some tried and tested recipes that have stood the test of time. Easy and economical to prepare, comforting and enjoyable to eat, here are five ideas that’ll always have the kids asking for seconds.

1. Cottage Pie

A quintessential British classic, a Cottage Pie has all the right ingredients to please most palates – minced beef with delicious brown gravy, topped with freshly mashed potatoes. All you need is some peas on the side and you have a perfect family meal. Don’t forget to use a fork to score the mash on top!

2. Macaroni Cheese

OK so it’s not the healthiest dish, but kids just love the combination of macaroni with a cheese sauce. Wait until they’re slightly older to start adding salty ham or bacon to the pasta.

3. Fish Pie

It’s best to get children used to the idea of eating fish as early as possible, and in fact they tend to love prawns once you get them to eat them. Similarly to Cottage Pie, marrying a fresh white sauce with fish and mashed potato is a time honoured traditional British dish. Some recipes include hard boiled eggs at the bottom of the pie, the question is: do you?

4. Meatballs and Spaghetti

This could just as easily be spaghetti Bolognese, but let’s face it the kids love meatballs! A classic tomato sauce is the perfect pairing for pasta, and goes perfectly well with a glass or two of red wine for Mum and Dad!

5. Ice Cream

Well we couldn’t go through five family favourites without mentioning a pudding, could we? Most children simply adore ice cream, and as long as it’s part of a balanced diet it’s not harmful once in a while. Serve it with fruit just to put your mind at rest!