Tana Ramsay - Tana Ramsays Family Kitchen Simple and Delicious Recipes for Every Family

Suddenly I was responsible for everything that went into her tiny tummy. Gordon was working and it was up to me to cook for her. That was when I started to really care about what was in the fridge. I learnt how to cook as Megans diet became more interesting than vegetable pures. The fact that she was a good eater and showed excitement in what she ate, as subsequently did the other three, meant I actually enjoyed experimenting, too. So that is how I started cooking never seasoning or overcomplicating, just simple, family food.

I believe home cooking never needs to be any more sophisticated than this. Ive tried to keep the recipes in this book as real and accessible as possible. Ive included all of my favourites that I use to feed the family, which also means that they have been given the thumbs up by the children. Some of the recipes are more child-oriented like fish fingers, for example but most of them are for the whole family to enjoy. Ive also tried to include tips on how to adapt some of the recipes to make them more adult. A splash of wine or a bit of extra seasoning is often all it takes.

Not only does this save you the time and effort of cooking two different meals, but it also makes eating, especially at weekends, as much about being together as a family as eating good food. That for me is just as important. The recipes are organized with most peoples weekly routines in mind. In the Breakfasts section, for example, Ive included a mixture of quick and easy options for weekdays when you are rushing to get the kids to school as well as a few more leisurely recipes for weekends and holidays. The most popular with my children is probably the fruit gratin, so if you cant quite squeeze it into a busy weekday morning, do indulge at the weekend. Ive organized main meals into After-school Suppers and Weekend Lunches for the same reason.

I also thought a section on Cooking from the Cupboard was essential. If you are anything like me, sometimes you are just too busy, tired or disorganized to get to the supermarket and you end up staring at the contents of the fridge and cupboards trying to figure out what to feed everybody. I do try to keep a few staples in the house at all times, a few of which I have outlined at the beginning of that chapter. If you can get into the habit of keeping all of these in stock then youll find it actually quite easy to rustle up something delicious. I actually find cooking ad hoc makes me more creative as I match flavours and ingredients that I might not normally. With this chapter, if you dont have a particular item you can often substitute it for something else.

I have tried to include notes on how you could do this in a number of the recipes throughout the book. For example, I really enjoy cooking with pancetta, but if you cant get hold of it, you can substitute unsmoked streaky bacon or bacon lardons. Dont be afraid to experiment! Its how we all learn and more often than not itll go down well. This is also why Ive included a section on Trying New Tastes. Children and mine are no exception can have very fixed ideas of what they think they like and dislike, when quite often they only need a food presented to them in a different way or just as a sneaky aside to other things they know they already love. The recipes in this section are designed to be made in combination with each other so you can end up with a wide variety of flavours on your plates.

We tend to use our fingers for these informal pick and mix sessions and they always end up being great fun. The section I found the most fun to write was Party Foods. I think the children enjoyed it most too as I was testing the recipes to make sure they would work when I wrote them down! Ive tried to include ones that have worked well at my childrens parties. Most of them are very quick and easy to make and will help you cut as many corners as possible. There is always so much to think about when you have to organize a childrens party that I find every extra minute counts. Above everything else, I really hope you enjoy using this book.

From being a complete novice Ive come to love cooking for my family yes, even for Gordon! I also like to know that the children are getting all the nutrients they need. (Ive included a chart with basic nutritional information at the back of the book as I always find them handy.) When I was little it was such a comfort coming home to my mums cooking. I hope that my children and yours will grow up with the same feelings of love, comfort and satisfaction around food.

The children are all still fast asleep at 7 and have to be literally dragged out of their nice warm beds. Then we have one hour to get dressed, eat, clean teeth, wash faces, do several sets of plaits/bunches/ponytails, persuade my son to introduce his hair to a hairbrush and get out the door. I also have to make sure the beds are made and curtains open if it is a work day, as I dont want to come home to a mess in the evening. They do this themselves, but often need a reminder (or two or three!) a little treat is always a good incentive!