Tana Ramsay’s Family Kitchen: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Family

25g/1oz butter

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp turmeric

250g/8oz basmati rice

450ml/16fl oz water

pinch Maldon sea salt

2 free-range eggs

450g/1lb smoked haddock fillet

125ml/4½fl oz milk

125ml/4½fl oz double cream

2 spring onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp coriander, chopped

Serves: 4 hungry children

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the spices and the rice. Cook this for approximately 2 minutes. Add the water and salt. Bring this to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

2 Place the eggs into a saucepan of boiling water and boil for 6 minutes, so they are not too runny in the centre, but not fully hard – you want them to have a lovely bright yellow yolk that is almost creamy in texture.

3 Meanwhile, put the haddock in a saucepan with the milk and cream and heat to a simmer. When simmering, cover and allow to cook for approximately 5 minutes.

4 When the eggs are ready, run them under a cold tap to stop them overcooking, then peel and put aside till ready to serve. Take out the haddock, remove the skin and flake the fish, carefully removing any bones. Put the flakes back into the milk and cream.

5 Stir the rice and add to the haddock, sprinkle in the spring onions, chop the eggs and add to the dish, gently stirring through. Sprinkle the coriander over the top and serve.

Tip

• This is also delicious if you add fresh peas.

lunch bites (#ulink_0c4fc2db-c30f-584c-91a2-4a08ec45d3b9)

Food on the go doesn’t have to be basic or boring. The challenge is to think of ways of incorporating healthy options. The only catch is, you want ideas which can be made the night before, or put together quickly, as we all need to rush out of the door on a weekday morning and none of us has time to fiddle around. Even being able to have sandwich fillings ready, or salads to spoon into containers, is a start.

The other important aspect to consider is choosing things that will satisfy – you don’t want your children to end up picking up a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar because lunch left them feeling hungry. You want to have energy and feel like you have had something healthy and filling – and a little different from the ordinary cheese sandwich.

ham and cheese muffins (#ulink_3dcd2bd0-4de0-57e7-8c73-493584982fd9)

Very basic, very tasty!

300g/10½oz self-raising flour

½ tsp mustard powder

½ tsp paprika

75g/3oz butter

6 slices honey roast ham, chopped into 1-cm pieces

185g/6½oz mature cheddar cheese, grated

1 egg, beaten

250ml/9fl oz milk

6 tbsp finely grated parmesan (to sprinkle on the top)

Makes: 12 muffins

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/GM5.

2 Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin (alternatively, use muffin cases in the holes – I prefer this).

3 Sieve the flour, mustard powder and paprika into a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until this resembles breadcrumbs. Add the ham and cheese, then stir in the egg and milk.

4 Spoon equal amounts of the mix into the 12 muffin cases and sprinkle a little parmesan on top of each.

5 Bake for 20 minutes.

6 Remove to a wire cooling rack.

Tip

• It’s a good idea to make these in bulk and them freeze the muffins individually. You can then take them out of the freezer the night before.

danish pastry pizzas (#ulink_7564b282-07e5-5d3b-90a3-6d761c743356)

These pizzas are just like savoury Danish pastries – hence the name! I like to make a batch and freeze them for packed lunches.