Family recipes
Free family recipes, from weeknight fakeaways to Sunday roasts and proper puddings: each with the full method, and how to adjust it for vegetarians, allergies and fussy eaters.
- Lentil and mushroom cottage pie: A hearty meat-free pie with earthy lentils and mushrooms under creamy mash.
- Liver and onions with mash and gravy: Thin slices of lamb's liver flashed in a hot pan so they stay tender, on a pile of slow-cooked sweet onions in gravy, with creamy mash. Old-...
- Loaded potato wedges: Crispy paprika wedges topped with melted cheese, bacon, soured cream and spring onions. Pure fun.
- Locro: Peruvian squash and sweetcorn stew with feta and eggs: A golden, comforting Andean stew of squash, potatoes and sweetcorn, finished with milk and crumbled cheese and topped with a fried egg. Peru...
- Lomo saltado: Peruvian beef and chip stir-fry: Peru's much-loved mash-up of Chinese wok cooking and local flavour: sizzling beef, onions and tomatoes in a tangy soy sauce, tossed with chi...
- Mac and cheese bake: Creamy cheese sauce, soft macaroni and a crunchy golden top. A proper hug in a dish.
- Mapo tofu: A fiery Sichuan classic: soft tofu in a glossy, chilli-red sauce with a little pork and the tingle of Sichuan pepper. Serve with plenty of p...
- Marinated chicken with air-fryer wedges: Shop-bought marinated chicken, crispy wedges and peas. Barely any washing up, and lovely.
- Massaman beef curry: A rich, mellow Thai curry with Persian and Indian influences, warmly spiced with cinnamon and star anise, with meltingly tender beef, soft p...
- Matar paneer with jeera rice: A much-loved North Indian home curry: golden cubes of paneer and sweet peas in a gently spiced tomato sauce, with buttery cumin rice.
- Meatball subs with melted mozzarella: Juicy beef meatballs simmered in a garlicky tomato sauce, piled into crusty rolls and grilled under molten mozzarella. Messy in the best way...
- Mexican picadillo with rice: A homely Mexican hash of beef mince, potatoes, carrots and peas simmered in a light tomato sauce. Every family has its own version; this one...
- Mild chicken korma: A creamy, sweet and very gentle curry that most children will happily eat. Grated apple does the sweetening.
- Mild meatballs in tomato sauce: Soft, gentle beef meatballs with a smooth tomato sauce. Spaghetti on the side, sauce optional.
- Mince and dumplings: Old-fashioned savoury mince with carrots and onion, topped with fluffy suet dumplings steamed right in the pan. Serve with cabbage.
- Mince and tatties: A Scottish teatime staple: savoury beef mince with onions and carrots in a rich gravy, served with a mountain of buttery mashed potatoes.
- Minced beef and onion pie with mash: A proper chip-shop-style pie at home: savoury beef and soft onions in a thick gravy, sealed in shortcrust and served with buttery mash.
- Misir wot: Ethiopian spiced red lentils with flatbreads: Velvety red lentils simmered with slow-cooked onions and warming berbere spice, as served all over Ethiopia. Tear off flatbread and scoop it...
- Miso-glazed aubergine with tofu and rice: Inspired by Japanese nasu dengaku: aubergine roasted until silky, then grilled under a sweet, savoury miso glaze, with tofu, rice and garlic...
- Miso-glazed mackerel with sesame greens and rice: Mackerel is cheap, full of omega-3 and loves a sweet-salty Japanese-style miso glaze that caramelises under the grill in minutes.
- Moqueca: Brazilian coconut fish stew: A sunny fish stew from Bahia in north-east Brazil: chunks of white fish gently poached in coconut milk with peppers, tomatoes and lime. Frag...
- Moroccan chicken tagine with apricots and couscous: Tender chicken thighs simmered with warm ras el hanout, tomatoes and sweet apricots, then scattered with toasted almonds. Gently spiced rath...
- Moroccan lamb and chickpea stew with couscous: Warmly spiced lamb with chickpeas, tomatoes and sweet apricots in the style of a Moroccan tagine. Make the whole pot and freeze half for a c...
- Moroccan vegetable and chickpea tagine: A big, golden pot of squash, carrots, courgettes and chickpeas in a fragrant Moroccan sauce, sweetened with apricots. Harissa goes on the ta...