Tana Ramsay - Tana Ramsay’s Real Family Food - Delicious Recipes for Everyday Occasions

For example, ‘Breakfasts and Brunches’ has some very quick and easy ideas to put together during the week, as well as other more leisurely brunch options for lazy Saturday or Sunday mornings when you can’t be bothered to get out of your pyjamas. Similarly, ‘Food in a Flash’ is designed for frantic evenings when everybody is piling through the door and clamouring for dinner, your attention and general sanity. By contrast, ‘Laid-back Suppers’ is for those evenings when you have a little more time on your hands. Most of these take slightly more time to prepare, but once they’re in the oven you can usually leave them to take care of themselves.

Probably my favourite section is ‘Picnics and Treats’. My kids like nothing more than eating outside, and I’m pretty sure that some of their best food memories must be tied up in outdoor parties with family and friends.

Vegetables are arguably not an event in themselves, but I know that sometimes they can feel like one! Children have a tendency to dig in their heels over allowing one or two peas to fall on their plates, let alone finishing them up. My lot still need encouragement when it comes to eating their greens, but I’ve always tried to see it as a positive challenge and, with a bit of trial and error, I’ve found ways to make them think that vegetables are okay after all. Hopefully, they’ll go down well with your family too.

Whilst we’re on the subject of experimentation, the section of recipes called ‘Try Something Different’ is designed to let you and your family do just that. Again, it’s not, strictly speaking, organized around an occasion, but it’s designed to encourage your children to enjoy different food flavours so that if you go out for dinner, either to different styles of restaurant or abroad on holiday, they’re not fazed by what arrives on their plates.

For the days when you’ve got the in-laws descending on you in droves, the recipes in ‘Big Family Lunches’ should be able to help you stay calm amidst the general chaos. Most of these can be prepared in advance and then left in the oven or pot to cook, so you should end up having plenty of time to get ready yourself. Serve these with one or two of the vegetable side dishes in ‘Vegetable Temptations’ and follow up with one of the ‘Devilish Desserts’ and you can’t fail to impress!

Finally, you may notice that I’ve tended not to recommend what you should eat with what, for example which side dishes should be eaten with which main courses, or which desserts works best with which lunches (unless I have a real favourite). I’ve done this deliberately as I believe you should be able to eat anything you like in whatever combination you like. I think we’ve become too worried about doing everything right and getting everything officially perfect. Life’s too short! We need to relax and trust our instincts more. I think this is how we can learn the most about food and cooking, and it’s certainly how I learnt. Besides, if I worried the whole time about being perfect, then Gordon would never get fed at all!

So trust yourself, relax and enjoy bringing your family together again and again with simple, satisfying food. In years to come they’ll have all sorts of amazing memories tied up with the food you cooked and the times you shared together.

Weekdays always go past in a blur. If I’m not rushing out the door to get the kids to school on time, I’m trying to figure out where I’m meant to be next. By the time it gets to the weekend, there is nothing I like more than a long lazy morning.

The children have finally got the hang of lie-ins, so when we eventually get downstairs (still in our pyjamas of course) we’re all ready for a hearty breakfast. These are the mornings I treasure the most with my family.

Yoghurt and berry crunch

Porridge with almond roasted peaches

Oat and blueberry muffins

Pecan and bran banana muffins

Bacon and egg muffins

Grilled mackerel on toast

Avocado, bacon and roasted tomato sandwich

Cinnamon eggy bread soldiers with yoghurt, raisins and honey

Salmon and dill frittata

Smoked haddock pots

Croque Madame

Smoked salmon, cream cheese and scrambled egg bagels

Homemade bagels

I make these in little glass tumblers from Ikea as they tend to bounce when dropped and are fabulously childproof!

370g/13oz frozen berries

1 tbsp brown sugar

10 digestive biscuits

370g/13oz Greek yoghurt

1Place the berries in a small saucepan with the sugar and cook over a low heat until they become a soft, pulpy mess. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

2Crush the digestive biscuits with the back of a spoon.

3Place a 1cm/½ inch layer of crushed digestives into the bottom of each glass. Spoon 1cm/½ inch of the Greek yoghurt on top, followed by 1cm/½ inch of the fruit. Repeat this so you have 6 layers in total (2 of each). Serve immediately or refrigerate for later.

Makes:4 × 100ml/4fl oz tumblers

Prep time:15 minutes

Cooking time:10–15 minutes

TIP

To save time, cook the berries the day before you need them.

This is really easy to make before school while the children are getting dressed. Perfect for a winter morning pick-me-up .

25g/1oz butter

4 peaches, halved, stones removed

25g/1oz soft brown sugar

75g/3oz flaked almonds

100g/4oz porridge oats

600ml/1 pint whole milk

300ml/11fl oz water

1Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/GM4.

2Generously butter a small ovenproof dish and arrange the peaches in it, cut side uppermost. It should be quite a snug fit, with the peaches bumping up against each other. Place in the oven and set the timer for 7 minutes.

3Mix together the soft brown sugar and flaked almonds and put to one side.

4Put the oats, milk and water into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 7 minutes until the porridge is thick and creamy.

5When the oven timer beeps, sprinkle the peaches with the almonds and sugar and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

6Divide the porridge between 4 bowls and arrange 2 peach halves on top of each. Spoon over the syrupy almonds and serve immediately.