Pots
Little extra pots
Main meal pots
Other savouries for a lunch box
Packed lunch desserts
Lunch at home
Jacket potatoes
Kids’ hash
Egg in a nest
Stuffed pepper
Quick cauliflower cheese
Sausage and rice pan casserole
Soups
Potato and carrot soup
Lentil soup
Cream of mushroom soup
Pasta lunch
Cheesy pasta
Macaroni cheese
Tomato pasta
Pasta bake
Spaghetti
Tagliatelle
‘Toast lunch’
Toasted sandwiches
Kids’ kebabs
Bubble and squeak
All-day breakfast
Lunchtime desserts
Fruit
Smoothies
Yoghurt
Other lunch dessert ideas
Drinks at home
Convenience food for lunch
Easy and popular main meals
Spaghetti bolognese
Cottage pie
Lasagne
Toad in the hole
Onion gravy
Curry
Plain naan
Casseroles and hot pots
Meat and vegetable casserole
Vegetable casserole
Hot pot
Fish and sweetcorn pie
Stir-fries
Simple stir-fry
Simple stir-fry sauce
Beef and baby sweetcorn stir-fry
Honeyed chicken and noodle stir-fry
Other stir-fry ideas
Meat and two veg
Roasting meat
Braising meat
Stewing meat
Grilling meat
Frying meat
Puddings
Apple crumble
Bread and butter pudding
Fruit pie
Rice pudding
Bread pudding
Sponge pudding
Cake in custard
Banana and honey whip
Cheesecake
Trifle
Convenience food for dinner
Introduction: Why happy mealtimes?
I am a foster carer, and as well as bringing up three children of my own, I have looked after other people’s children for over twenty-five years. Some of those children stayed with me for a few days, while others stayed for years. The reasons why children come into care vary – from a single parent having to go into hospital for a night, to a child being badly neglected and abused. While some of the children I’ve fostered had received adequate diets at home, the vast majority – over 95 per cent – had not, resulting in the children being under- or overweight, short in stature, with dull skin and hair, lacking energy, and often having difficulties in concentrating and therefore being behind with their learning.
One of the first changes I have to make when a child comes to live with me is to their diet, and they are often resistant to change. When the children have been used to snacking on whatever was to hand – usually crisps and biscuits – not only do I have to wean them on to ‘proper’ food but also I have to introduce them to mealtimes rather than having snacks in front of the television. Highly
