This is our hand-picked collection of easy family recipes — the bakes, mains, sweet things and drinks we actually cook for our own family at weekends, on weeknights, and for the visits and occasions in between. Every recipe has been tested in a real kitchen, photographed in that kitchen, and updated whenever we change the way we make it.
Cooking for him this Father’s Day? Sunday 21 June 2026 — our Very British Father’s Day Gift Guide has Sunday-roast kit, Yorkshire-pudding trays and more for the dad who carves.
Below you’ll find family meal recipes for ordinary weeknights and weekend cooking projects, classic British bakes, traybakes worth keeping, and a small collection of drinks. Most are forgiving of substitution and most freeze well — important when “what shall we have for tea?” turns into “what’s actually in the freezer?”.
Cracking eggs for breakfast? Our free dippy egg timer and UK egg timer chart time it exactly, by egg size — dippy, jammy, hard or egg mayo.
Two cookery magazines worth a sub
The two magazines we keep coming back to for ideas are Hearst’s Good Housekeeping — every recipe is triple-tested in their Institute kitchen before it reaches the page — and Kelsey’s Kitchen Garden, which is strong on seasonal cooking and pairing what’s growing with what’s for tea.
In partnership with Hearst Magazines UK and Kelsey Media. We may earn a small commission if you subscribe through these links — it costs you nothing extra and helps keep our recipes free.
Bakes
Chocolate Birthday Cake Recipe
An easy, reliable chocolate birthday cake — a rich two-layer celebration cake with chocolate buttercream, that you can…
Mrs Robin’s Fruit Cake Recipe
Mrs robins fruit cake. This is a really quick and simple fruit cake using the boiled cake method.…
Yeomanry Pudding Recipe
Ask most people what a “Yeomanry Pudding” is and you will get a blank look, which is a…
Gypsy Tart Recipe
Gypsy tart is the classic Kent version of the school-dinner pudding that a whole generation half-remembers and can…
Drop Scones Recipe
Drop scones — Scotch pancakes, if you learned them the other way — are small, thick griddle pancakes…
Chocolate Concrete Recipe
Chocolate concrete is the classic school-dinner chocolate traybake — the one that got its name honestly. It is…
Cornflake Tart Recipe
Cornflake tart is the school-dinner pudding that people over a certain age still describe with something close to…
Yorkshire Parkin Recipe
Yorkshire parkin is a dark, dense treacle and oatmeal cake that has been baked across the county since…
Vegan Dutch Apple Cake
This cake was actually first created by Stem & Glory founder Louise’s daughter Daisy when she was 13,…
Vegan Upside Down Fig Cake Recipe
Recipe from Louise Palmer Masterton, founder of Stem & Glory: www.stemandglory.uk/ A recipe for autumn when figs are…
Vegan Classic Chocolate Cake
Recipe from Louise Palmer Masterton, founder of Stem & Glory: www.stemandglory.uk/ This is a really simple and delicious…
Can You Freeze Victoria Sponge?
By Linda Garrould · Updated July 2026 The quick answer Yes — a Victoria sponge freezes well, and…
An Easy Bread Recipe Anyone Can Bake (No Fancy Kit Needed)
A genuinely easy white loaf you can make by hand: one bowl, four ingredients, no machine, and about…
Topsy-Turvey Plum, Peach and Almond Cake
Topsy-Turvey Plum, Peach and Almond Cake recipe
Bubblegum Plum Panettone Pudding
Bubblegum Plum Panettone Pudding receipe
Mains
Nigella’s Spanish Chicken with Chorizo & Roast Potatoes
By Linda Garrould · Updated 31 May 2026 In short: Spanish chicken with chorizo and roast potatoes is…
Chantenay Carrots: What They Are, Whether You Can Eat Them Raw, and How to Cook Them
By Linda Garrould · Updated 16 August 2026 Chantenay is a variety of carrot, not a baby vegetable…
Herby pea soup
By Katy Beskow, from 15 Minute Vegan Comfort Food by Katy Beskow (Quadrille, £15) Photography © Dan Jones…
South African Roast Plum, Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad
South African Roast Plum, Sweet Potato & Quinoa Salad recipe.
Aubergine, olive and butter bean cassoulet Recipe (Vegan)
By Katy Beskow, from 15 Minute Vegan Comfort Food by Katy Beskow (Quadrille, £15) Photography © Dan Jones…
Easy One Pot Meals for Minimal Washing Up
Easy one pot meals for minimal washing up - the fundamentals, liquid ratios, dishes by pot, pan and…
Easy Traybake Recipes: One Tin, Minimal Effort, Maximum Flavour
Easy traybake recipes for one-tin dinners and sweet bakes. Chicken, sausage, salmon and veg traybakes, plus how to…
Jamie Oliver Weekend Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
By Linda Garrould · Updated June 2026 This is our own weekend shepherd’s pie: rich, savoury beef under…
Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole: A Hearty Family Favourite
A hearty, hands-off slow cooker sausage casserole - browned sausages in a rich tomato sauce, cooked low for…
Sausage Traybake Recipes: One-Tin Dinners for Busy Nights
Five sausage traybake recipes plus the one-tin technique that actually works.
Easy Tuna Recipes for Quick, Storecupboard Suppers
Seven easy tuna recipes from a tin, each in UK quantities, plus which tin to buy and the…
Easy Prawn Recipes for Quick Family Suppers
Seven easy prawn recipes for quick family suppers — garlic butter prawns, prawn pasta and a mild curry…
Jamie Oliver’s Easy Family Lasagne (Healthy & Budget-Friendly)
By Linda Garrould · Updated 31 May 2026 In short: this is Jamie Oliver’s easy family lasagne —…
Weekend Family Roast Lamb with Thyme and Spring Vegetables Recipe
Roast Lamb with Thyme and Spring Vegetables If your family fancy a change this weekend, how about serving your…
Weekend family Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary Recipe
Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary, coated with Honey and Mustard Sunday lunch traditionally is a time…
British Asparagus Risotto with Crispy Fried Soft Boiled Egg
Make the most of the Asparagus season with British Asparagus Risotto with Crispy Fried Soft Boiled Egg
South African Peach & Parma Ham French Toast
South African Peach & Parma Ham French Toast recipe
South African Plum & Pork Stir-Fry
South African Plum & Pork Stir-Fry Receipe
Quick & Easy Bruschetta
How to use up left over salad to create a Quick & Easy Bruschetta.
Chicken and Chantenay Carrot Bang Bang Salad
Making the most of Chantenay Carrots I love carrots, raw, roasted, boiled, mashed, you name it! They add…
Sweet
Best Rice Pudding Recipe UK — Stovetop & Oven Methods
Indulge in the comfort of homemade oven-baked rice pudding. Our recipe guides you through creating this classic, creamy…
Microwave Steam Pudding Recipe
A lovely little recipe for a microwaved steam pudding which is quick, cheap and easy to do and…
Allotment cobbler – Vegan Recipe
By Katy Beskow, from 15 Minute Vegan Comfort Food by Katy Beskow (Quadrille, £15) Photography © Dan Jones…
The Easy Pancake Recipe You’ll Use Every Shrove Tuesday
The classic British thin pancake recipe: 100g flour, 2 eggs, 300ml milk for 8. Method, resting, the first-pancake…
Simnel Cake Recipe: A Traditional Easter Cake
A traditional Simnel cake: a light marzipan fruit cake with eleven balls for Easter and Mothering Sunday. Full…
Hot Cross Buns Recipe: Soft, Spiced and Traditional
Traditional hot cross buns from scratch: a soft, spiced, fruited dough with a flour-paste cross and apricot glaze.…
Peachy Chocolate Mascarpone Tart
Use juicy South African peaches or nectarines to create this yummy tart – it’s simple and sensational! Serves…
Mango & Candied Chilli Tarte Tatin by Paule Beke, Chef at Douceurs D’ivoire
For more information about Paule Beke, Chef at Douceurs D’ivoire, see: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paule-beke-6025479a https://www.facebook.com/douceursdivoire https://www.instagram.com/douceursdivoire Popular right nowHow Many…
More
Stone Cream Recipe
Stone cream is one of those dishes that has quietly dropped out of the national repertoire without anyone…
Simple Homemade Organic Hummus (Make a Batch, Freeze Half)
By Linda Garrould · Updated June 2026 At a glance Makes about 600g (serves 6–8 as a dip)…
The Perfect Yorkshire Pudding Recipe: Tall, Crisp and Foolproof
Tall, crisp, foolproof Yorkshire puddings every time: the classic ratio, the five rules, a troubleshooting table, plus make-ahead…
How to Cook a Gammon Joint: Tender, Glazed and Delicious
How to cook a gammon joint: simmer 20 minutes per 450g plus 20 minutes, then glaze-roast for 30…
Sausages in the Air Fryer: How to Cook Them Perfectly Every Time
Cook sausages in the air fryer at 180°C for about 12 minutes, turning once. Exact times for chipolatas,…
Kitchen timers
Dippy Egg Timer — soft-boiled eggs & soldiers
6 minutes for a large fridge-cold egg — the interactive timer plus the full UK boil-time chart, from dippy to egg mayo.
Poached Egg Timer — pan, microwave & air fryer
About 3 minutes soft at a bare simmer — plus microwave-mug and air-fryer timings, from a timer that knows your wattage.
A few words on what we cook for
The recipes on this page lean towards Saturday-and-Sunday cooking — the kind of food a family eats together rather than the kind a single person assembles standing at the counter. That means a slight bias toward bakes that fill a cake tin, mains that scale up for visitors, and puddings that survive a journey from the kitchen to a picnic blanket in the garden. They are recipes worth keeping rather than recipes worth showing off.
If you’re looking for guidance on family eating decisions — sugar limits, lunchboxes, fussy eating, food-label reading — our companion family wellbeing hub takes the same hand-picked approach to nutrition: practical, UK-specific, parent-tested.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good family recipe?
Three things: it scales up or down without losing its soul, you can prep most of it ahead, and at least one component (a topping, a sauce, a swap) gives kids a way to take ownership of the dish. Every recipe on this page has at least two of those.
Are these UK recipes (with UK measurements)?
Yes. Quantities are in metric grams and millilitres with cup equivalents where they help, and oven temperatures in Celsius fan first. Ingredients name UK staples — plain flour, self-raising flour, demerara sugar, double cream, golden syrup.
Can I freeze most of these recipes?
Most bakes and mains freeze well for up to 3 months, and our scones guide covers the technique that applies to almost everything in the Bakes section: cool fully, wrap in two layers, defrost slowly. Pages that freeze especially well are flagged in the recipe intro.
What’s a quick weekend recipe for under 30 minutes?
From the list below, the microwave steam pudding and quick & simple healthy lasagne are both under 30 minutes start-to-eat. The fruit cake and rice pudding are longer commitments but mostly hands-off oven time, so they work well as Saturday-afternoon projects.
Do you have any guidance on family eating decisions and nutrition?
Yes — our sister hub at family wellbeing covers sugar limits, lunchboxes, fussy eating, food-label reading and the broader family-nutrition decisions alongside the cooking. It’s the parent companion to this recipes page.
Are these recipes child-friendly?
Every recipe here has been cooked with kids around (some by them), and we flag the ones with a hands-on prep step children actually enjoy — rolling, glazing, stirring. None of them require hard-to-find ingredients or specialist kit. Firm favourites with children are Jamie Oliver’s weekend shepherd’s pie and the easy family lasagne — both freeze beautifully for busy weeks.
What’s the best magazine for family recipes?
We rate Hearst’s Good Housekeeping for triple-tested classics and Kelsey’s Kitchen Garden for seasonal cooking with home-grown produce. Both are linked below as subscription options.
How are these recipes different from BBC Good Food or Hello?
We don’t run sponsored content, the photographs are taken in the same kitchens the recipes were tested in, and we update the page when a recipe changes — so the Best Rice Pudding Recipe shown today is the version we made last weekend, not the one we wrote in 2019.
Family days out worth doing, gardening jobs worth knowing, recipes worth keeping.