Discover our most popular dishes of all time. From sweet treats such as banana loaf and brownies to hearty mains like cottage pie and spaghetti Bolognese.
Easy pancakes
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Put 100g plain flour, 2 large eggs, 300 ml milk, 1 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt into a bowl or large jug, then whisk to a smooth batter.
step 2
Set aside for 30 mins to rest if you have time, or start cooking straight away.
Step 3
Set a medium frying pan or crêpe pan over medium heat and carefully wipe it with some oiled kitchen paper.
Step 4
When hot, cook your pancakes for 1 min on each side until golden, keeping them warm in a low oven as you go.
Step 5
Serve with lemon wedges and caster sugar, or your favorite filling. Once cold, you can layer the pancakes between baking parchment, then wrap them in cling film and freeze them for up to 2 months.
Best Yorkshire puddings
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/gas 8.
step 2
Drizzle a little sunflower oil evenly into two 4-hole Yorkshire pudding tins or two 12-hole non-stick muffin tins and place in the oven to heat through.
Step 3
To make the batter, tip 140g plain flour into a bowl and beat in 4 eggs until smooth.
Step 4
Gradually add 200ml milk and carry on beating until the mix is completely lump-free. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 5
Pour the batter into a jug, then remove the hot tins from the oven. Carefully and evenly pour the batter into the holes.
Step 6
Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned.
Step 7
Serve immediately. You can now cool them and freeze them for up to 1 month.
Chilli con carne recipe
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Prepare your vegetables. Chop 1 large onion into small dice, about 5mm square. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half from root to tip, peel it and slice each half into thick matchsticks lengthways, not quite cutting all the way to the root end so they are still held together. Slice across the matchsticks into neat dice.
step 2
Cut 1 red pepper in half lengthways, remove the stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop. Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
Step 3
Start cooking. Put your pan on the hob over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot (a little longer for an electric hob).
Step 4
Add the onion and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft, squidgy, and slightly translucent.
Step 5
Tip in the garlic, red pepper, 1 heaped tsp hot chili powder or 1 level tbsp mild chili powder, 1 tsp paprika, and 1 tsp ground cumin.
Step 6
Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 7
Brown 500g lean minced beef. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince.
Step 8
Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
Step 9
Make the sauce. Crumble 1 beef stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the minced mixture.
Step 10
Add a 400g can of chopped tomatoes. Tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram, and 1 tsp sugar, and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
Step 11
Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to a boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes.
Step 12
Check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist, and juicy.
Step 13
Drain and rinse a 410g can of red kidney beans in a sieve and stir them into the chili pot. Bring to a boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry.
Step 14
Taste a bit of the chili and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think.
Step 15
Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chili to stand for 10 minutes before serving. This is really important as it allows the flavors to mingle.
Step 16
Serve with soured cream and plain boiled long-grain rice.
Banana bread
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
step 2
Butter a 2lb loaf tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
Step 3
Cream 140g softened butter and 140g caster sugar until light and fluffy, then slowly add 2 beaten large eggs with a little of the 140g flour.
Step 4
Fold in the remaining flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and 2 mashed bananas.
Step 5
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 50 mins, or until cooked through. Check the loaf at 5-minute intervals from around 30-40 mins in the oven by testing it with a skewer (it should be able to be inserted and removed cleanly), as the time may vary depending on the shape of your loaf tin.
Step 6
Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove to a wire rack.
Step 7
Mix 50g icing sugar with 2-3 tsp water to make a runny icing.
Step 8
Drizzle the icing across the top of the cake and decorate with a handful of banana chips.
The best spaghetti bolognese recipe
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
step 2
Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
Step 3
Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
Step 4
Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
Step 5
Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
Step 6
Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
Step 7
Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
Step 8
When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
Step 9
Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.