Last week we had quite a lot of quick and easy meals and for the most part the results were far greater than the amount of effort required to make them. The Bengali Chicken Korma was a particular highlight, both to make and to eat.

Honey & Paprika Glazed Chicken Traybake

Thursday dinner

https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/healthy/spanish-chicken-traybake/

I love a Traybake- they’re so low effort usually for a great result! This one was no different and the end result was sweet, smoky, salty chicken with crispy potatoes that was enjoyed by everyone. The potatoes could have done with a couple of extra minutes boiling at the start of the dish, as they ended up being slightly under. This wasn’t much of a problem for me but my husband found it a bit off putting as he hates even slightly underdone potatoes.

Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you’re low energy after a long day and you want something really easy, tasty and balanced to put on the table.

Verdict? 4/5

Baked Salmon with Pea Guacamole & New Potatoes

Saturday Dinner

Pan-fried fish with pea guacamole and new potatoes

This was a pretty traditional fish traybake- we chose to use salmon, which I think paired really well with the flavours of sumac and feta, but a white fish would have worked as well. It was pretty easy to make and enjoyable- the tang from the feta was particularly good.

Would I recommend it? Yes if you are looking for a quick and easy fish traybake.

Verdict? 3.5/5

Herby Broccoli and Pea Soup

Sunday Lunch

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/herby-broccoli-pea-soup

There are few things more suitable for lunch in the autumn than a hot bowl of soup. This one had three portions of veg and was quite literally a bowl of goodness. It was quite tasty but very intense and actually quite rich- I wasn’t able to eat an entire portion, even though it was very low in calories.

Would I recommend it? If you’re trying to stick to a low calorie diet or up your portions of veg, yes.

Verdict? 3/5

Bengali Chicken Korma

Sunday Dinner

Recipe from 30 Minute Curries by Atul Kochhar, available to buy here

I often turn to this cookbook if we want a curry and am yet to be disappointed. This was another winner. Extremely flavoursome even though it was mild as you’d expect from a korma. I was particularly pleased that it doesn’t contain nuts as so many kormas do, so it’s much more accessible.

Would I recommend it? Yes. This has gone into our family book as we enjoyed it so much. I would say ‘especially if you want to make a mild curry if you are catering for children or the spice averse’ but actually I’d recommend it even to people who like their curries a bit spicier, you could always up the amount of chilli powder if you really feel the need.

Verdict? A rare 5/5

Roast Chicken

Monday Dinner

Roast chicken is one of our favourite things. Having made many over the last few years, I’ve settled on a method which is an amalgamation of lots of different recipes.

This is roughly what I now do-

• Take it out of the fridge an hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature
• Preheat the oven to 220 fan
• Put some garlic and lemon in the cavity with whichever herbs you fancy (tarragon or thyme are good choices)
• Put about a tablespoon of butter cut into slithers and a pinch of salt between the skin and flesh.
• Put the chicken in the oven
• After half an hour lower the temperature to 160 fan, and cook at the lower temp for 25 minutes per 450g (so a 1.3kg Chicken would be in for an hour and a quarter after the initial half hour)
• Check the temperature with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the leg

I can’t really review my own recipe, apart from to say I’ve taken my favourite parts from so many different recipes over the years and I’m very happy with the results when I do it this way!

Warm Sourdough Crumpets with Crab, Chilli, Tomatoes & Rocket

Wednesday Lunch

From October’s Waitrose Magazine. The recipe isn’t on their website but the magazine is free to download in their app.

An excuse to have crumpets at lunchtime (or anytime really…)?!? Yes please! This was ready for lunch in less than ten minutes, was really tasty and just something a bit different.

Would I recommend it? Yes- and even if you don’t like crab, the idea of having crumpets as an open sandwich is quite fun and something to play with, especially if you need quick lunch ideas!

Verdict? 4/5