Willy Wonka chocolate pops (above)
Mess is part of the fun here. You'll need lollipop sticks, or bamboo skewers with the sharp tip removed.
The Family Kitchen, Rob Kirby (Absolute)
Makes 18
100g milk chocolate
100g dark chocolate
100g white chocolate
100g dried cranberries
100g pistachios, peeled and chopped
Edible gold dust, for finishing
1 Melt the milk, dark and white chocolates in 3 separate bowls set over pans of simmering water, until silky and smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, for around 5–10 minutes.
2 Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the sticks on the sheet 7cm apart. Pour the melted chocolate into three piping bags (disposable ones are best) and trim the ends with a pair of scissors so the chocolate pours out in a thin, consistent line.
3 Repeatedly pipe chocolate discs over the end of each stick until you've got perfect lollipops. Make sure the sticks are in the centre of the circles and well covered with chocolate. You should be able to make at least six of each flavour. Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle with dried cranberries, chopped pistachios and edible gold dust.
4 Chill the tray of lollipops in the fridge. When they have set, gently peel the lollipops off the baking parchment and serve.
Honey bee biscuits
The honey bee decorations keep the sugar buzz high while these biscuits cool.
Let's Bake, Cathryn Dresser (Orion)
Makes 30 biscuits
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
65g icing sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 large egg white
150g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting
A pinch of salt
50g demerara sugar
To decorate
10g each of yellow and black fondant icing
A few flaked almonds
1 tsp honey or water
1 Line a baking tray with nonstick baking parchment. Beat the butter and icing sugar together in a large mixing bowl until pale and creamy. You can do this with an electric mixer or a spoon.
2 Add the honey and beat a little more, then add the egg white and beat again. Add the flour and salt to the mixture and stir gently until it comes together to form a dough.
3 Dust your hands with flour and very lightly dust the worktop too. Tip out the dough and form into a ball, then roll into a long sausage shape the size of a rolling pin (about 30cm long and 5cm wide). Sprinkle the demerara sugar over the dough and on the worktop. Roll the dough in the sugar untilcovered.
4 Cut the dough in half and wrap both halves in clingfilm. Cthen put in the fridge to hill for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.
5 Take the dough out of the fridge and unwrap it. Cut the dough into 5mm-thick discs. Place the biscuits on your prepared baking tray, leaving small gaps between each biscuit.
6 Put the baking tray into the oven and bake the biscuits for around 8-10 minutes. They should still be pale but firm to the touch. Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. While the biscuits are cooling, roll little ovals of yellow fondant icing, then roll thin black stripes to lie over the top. Finally, stick in flaked almonds as wings.
Roast lamb with peanut butter and jelly
Shredding slow-cooked lamb is perfect for little helpers, and they'll enjoy filling their own mini pitta breads with each component, too.
Andrew Turner, Cafe Royal, hotelcaferoyal.com
Serves 6
500g boneless shoulder of lamb
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
100ml maple syrup
80g crunchy peanut butter
2-3 sprigs rosemary
Juice of 1 lime
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ cucumber, deseeded and diced
½ head iceberg lettuce, shredded
2 tbsp mayonnaise
12 mini pitta breads, toasted
1½ tbsp redcurrant jelly
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Season the lamb, then brown the meat on all sides in a frying pan. Transfer to a roasting tray, add the rosemary and pour half the maple syrup over the meat. Seal the tray with baking foil and cook for 3½ hours, then remove from the oven and leave the meat to rest until cold.
2 Pull the meat into strips then mix in the peanut butter by hand. Add the rest of the maple syrup and the chopped rosemary.
3 Season the meat again to taste and return to a hot oven (200C/400F/gas mark 6) to caramelise, which takes around 15 minutes. Finish with the lime juice and keep warmuntilrequired.
4 Mix the tomatoes and cucumber with the lamb. Shred the crisp lettuce, season then stir the mayonnaise through it.
5 Fill each pitta with a little lettuce, add the lamb and tomatoes and1 tsp redcurrant jelly.
Borekitas
There's lots of mixing for kids to get involved with. You can also freeze these in batches for easy summer picnics or September lunchbox snacks.
Honey and Co, Itamar Srulovich andSaritPacker (Salt Yard)
Makes 20
For the pastry
150g butter, diced and chilled
150ml double cream
A pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar
300g plain flour
1 egg yolk
For the filling
100g baby spinach, washed
1 egg
40g feta, crumbled
40g kashkaval cheese (or pecorino), grated
2 tbsp chopped dill
3 sprigs of thyme, picked
Beaten egg or milk, to glaze
Sesame, nigella or poppy seeds, for decorating (optional)
Salt and black pepper
1 Combine all the pastry ingredients, using the tips of your fingers to bring it together into a dough (or use a mixer with a paddle attachment). You want small flecks of butter to remain visible – when you come to bake the pastry dough, they will melt and fluff up the pastry during baking. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and rest it in the fridge for at least 1 hour. You can prepare the dough up to 2 days in advance of baking – just keep it wrapped in clingfilm in the fridge until you need it.
2 Wilt the spinach in a pan over a high heat for 1-2 minutes – it should have lost its shape, but not its colour.
3 Mix the other filling ingredients together in a bowl. Once the spinach has cooled down a little, press it with the back of a spoon to squeeze out any excess liquid, then chop roughly. Stir the spinach into the filling mixture and season (but remember that the cheese is salty, so don't go overboard).
4 Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/gas mark6. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible on a floured work surface. Cut out circles of dough and put them on a lined baking tray as you go. Re‑roll any scraps so that you can keep cutting out shapes, but be aware that the more times you roll it, the less flaky it will become. I discard any leftover pastry dough after rolling it out three times.
5 Pop 1 tsp filling in the centre of each piece and fold over to cover the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together tightly to seal. If you want to freeze any to bake another day, this is the time to do so – lay the filled pastries on a flat tray with a little space between each one and place in the freezer. Once they are fully frozen you can pack them in a container or freezer bag. They will keep like this for up to a month. All you need to do is take them out of the freezer to thaw at room temperature for about an hour before baking.
6 Brush the borekitas with beaten egg or milk to glaze and sprinkle them with a few seeds (if preferred – they are more for the look than the flavour). Bake in the centre of the oven for 15‑20 minutes or until golden. These are best served warm and eaten on the day of baking.
Pecan, dried apricot and orange balls
These healthy treats can be whipped up in minutes, and are pip squeak for younger children to roll into small balls.
Jordan Bourke, jordanbourke.com
Makes around 14-16
100g pecan nuts
100g dried apricots
Zest of ½ orange, finely grated
A pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Roast the pecans for 3-4 minutes, until a shade darker and aromatic, being very careful not to burn them. Leave to cool completely.
2 Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until the pecans and apricots are finely chopped and everything sticks together. To test, a small amount pressed between your fingers should stick together.
3 Take 1 tbsp of the mixture at a time and squeeze and shape it into bite-sized balls, or whatever shapes you like. They will last for a couple of weeks in the fridge in an airtight container. They also freeze very well.
Potato bundles
A simple but winning combination of carbs, cream and seasoning in a little foil parcel. What's not to love?
Ree Drummond, thepioneerwoman.com
Serves 8
6 russet potatoes, diced
½ onion, diced
100g butter
100ml double cream
Salt and black pepper
Paprika
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Divide the potatoes and onions between 8 square sheets of baking foil. Add 2 tbsp butter and a splash of cream to each pile. Then sprinkle onthem with salt, paprika and black pepper. Sprinkle the chopped parsley evenly over the top of each.
2 Wrap the bundles tightly and bake for 45 minutes, or until they have become very tender. Serve as they are, on plates.
Turkish-style sunshine toast
This family favourite is given a twist witha lightly spiced tomato sauce andgarlicky yoghurt.
Claire Thomson, 5oclockapron.com
Serves 4
1 red onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red or green pepper, finely diced
1 400g tin of plum tomatoes, drained
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
2 bay leaves
4 eggs
8 slices of bread
Olive oil
100g plain yoghurt mixed with ½ clove of minced garlic and a pinch of salt
1 tsp Turkish (Aleppo) chilli flakes, to serve
2 spring onions, thinly sliced, or a small bunch of parsley, chopped to serve
1 Sweat the onion, garlic and peppers in a little olive oil in a pan over a moderate heat. When completely soft and tasting sweet, add the drained tomatoes, salt, cumin and bay leaves and cook for 8–10 minutes, until the mixture has thickened.
2 Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Pair up the bread slices, then use a pastry cutter to make a hole in their middles. Spread the tomato mix between the slices of bread and sandwich together.
3 In an ovenproof frying pan, fry each sandwich over a moderate heat on one side for a minute or two until golden. Turn over the sandwich and crack an egg into the hole.
4 Place the pan in the oven and cook for 6-7 minutes, until the yolk is cooked to your liking. Serve with the seasoned yoghurt spooned over the egg, a sprinkle with chilli flakes, spring onions or parsley.
Catch-up chicken
One for ketchup lovers, and easy peasy to make too. Try serving with the potato bundles (above).
Balaboosta, Einat Edmony (Artisan)
Serves 4
240g ketchup
120ml apple juice
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1.5kg bone-in chicken pieces, skin on
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Combine the ketchup, apple juice, salt, cumin, and paprika in a large lidded casserole dish.
2 Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Add the chicken, onion and tomatoes to the casserole and toss everything together to coat evenly. Cover and cook for 45-55 minutes, until the juices run clear from a cut between the thighand leg.
Banana choco dip ice lollies
You'll need to buy some ice-lolly moulds for this, but the whole family will soon see these are a worthwhile investment.
Ice Kitchen: 50 Lolly Recipes, Cesar and Nadia Roden (Quadrille)
Makes 8-10
3 medium bananas
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
150ml double cream
175ml whole milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp maple syrup or honey
100g milk or dark chocolate
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Put the bananas, lemon juice, cream, milk, vanilla, and maple syrup or honey in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2 Pour the mixture into your lolly moulds, leaving a 5mm gap at the top to allow the mixture to expand as it freezes. Insert the lolly sticks and freeze.
3 Put the chocolate and vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir the chocolate until melted and smooth. You can also stir in chopped nuts or coconut or flavourings, such as orange zest if you like. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. To coat a lolly in chocolate, make sure the lolly is frozen hard before dipping it in the melted chocolate. Refreeze it on waxed paper until firm, or eat it straight away.
Baked broccoli fritters with avocado dip
This gluten-free dinner does away with any battles over eating greens. Try adding little chilli to the dip for older children.
The Art of Eating Well, Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury)
Makes 30 small fritters
2 large broccoli, stalks and heads (about 90g)
2 large spring onions or 1 small onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 tsp lemon zest
100g ground almonds, or more if needed
80g parmesan, grated
A large handful of fresh coriander, parsley, dill or basil, chopped
¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
Black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin, chilli, or smoked paprika (optional)
1-2 eggs
Coconut oil or ghee, for frying
Fresh herbs, such as coriander, for garnishing
For the dip
2 large avocados
4 tbsp lime or lemon juice
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp full-fat probiotic natural yoghurt
2 spring onions, handful of fresh chives or 1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp water
Cayenne pepper or chilli, to taste
1 Preheat the oven to 180/350F/gas mark 4. Coarsely grate the broccoli or blitz in a food processor. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine the fritter ingredients (except the egg) in a large bowl, making sure not to overmix as the mixture can become too wet. If that happens, add more ground almonds. If too dry, crack another egg, whisk it and add a little to the mixture as needed.
2 Take a spoonful to make a test fritter and fry in a little ghee or coconut oil for a few minutes on each side. Try this one for flavour, then adjust the mixture's seasoning, if necessary.
3 Shape the mixture into about 30 patties 4cm in diameter and spread over two baking trays. Bake for 2-25 minutes until firm and brown.
4 Blend all the dip ingredients together, slowly adding cayenne pepper or chilli to taste. Garnish with some fresh herbs and serve with fritters and a salad.
