With the colder nights and heating on, there is no dish better to have to warm up your cockles like a big warming bowl of cheesy cottage pie and last week, I got up a little earlier than usual and made this ahead for our dinner, so all I really needed to do after a long day at work, following afterschool club activities I knew that Leanora and I were going to want a heart warming meal the minute we got home.
I made enough of this scrumptious cottage pie, to bring with me to work the next day and prepped the remaining half for dad too!! Scoring brownie points with dad, my birthday is coming up soon and I've got my eye on a few things, no matter how old I am you always gonna want a pressie from your parents lol! Nothing quite like cheesy meaty bribery an I right ha!
Ingredients
500 grams of beef mince
1 large onion
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp plain flour
150ml/5fl oz red wine
4 sprigs fresh thyme
300ml/14fl oz beef stock
100 grams of grated cheddar cheese
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 potatoes
115g/4oz butter
125ml/4½fl oz milk
Directions
Heat some oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onion and cook until softened. Once cooked set aside on a plate.
Return the pan to the heat and add the mince and cook until browned all over. Stir in the cooked onion and add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute. Pour in the red wine, scraping up any caramelised bits with a wooden spoon, and add the fresh thyme.
Add the stock and simmer for 45 minutes. Season to taste, and add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and mix until combined and then take off the heat and pour in your cooked mince in to your oven proof pie dish and set aside to cool.
Preheat the grill to high.
Meanwhile, for the mash, put the potatoes in a pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 12–15 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan, then place over the heat for about 1 minute to drive off any excess moisture. Mash well, then add the butter and milk, beating to form a smooth mash. Season to taste.
Spoon the mash over the top. Grill for 8–10 minutes, or until golden-brown.
No how easy was that! This dish, guaranteed will certainly warm up the coldest of hearts on the chilliest of nights
Don’t forget to follow for more tasty eats over on Instagram or by using the #LondonMummaEats tag, to show me what you are eating and made! And for more fun things to do check out our TikTok page!
Lindsey
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With Leanora settling back into school and me back at work, it can leave little time to cook, especially when you've got homework to do, get a load of washing on, tidy the house and sort the cat out, life can be manic, so I am all about a stress free evening when it comes to some tasty, delicious and healthy grub.
With the seasons changing, this 25 minute chicken Panang is super tasty, comforting and a total crowd pleaser! Whilst your saving on time, not on flavour.
Most Sundays we have a roast chicken, A great for left overs or B when on the school run I pass Sainsburys and I am able to pick up a rotisserie chicken, all whilst still making the 3:20pm pickup -boom! Now tell me that is not great multi tasking right there! With that said, there goes saving time on cooking the chicken as its cooked already, all you are really doing is serving it up with some lovely steamed.
Fast forward a few years later, the supermarkets are brilliant as they offer pastes to help you make these creations, saving your time in the kitchen as I imaging making these beautiful fragrant pastes will take a lot of time and love to make, during the week I just don't have that, so with different pastes offered from all over the world in your closest supermarket is great for busy people like me and you.
I have loads of staples that I always keep stocked at home, coconut milk, fresh chillies and fresh parsley and an obvious rice, be it brown or white, just depends on what I fancy on the day. These few key ingredients are all you need to make this 25 minute week night dish.
Now enough of the chit chat, lets get down to your new go-to week night meal.
Ingredients
- Ready cooked chicken enough to serve 4 (always need extra for tomorrow's lunch)
- 190 grams pf Panang curry paste
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 - 2 red chilies sliced for garnish
- a bunch of fresh chopped parsley for garnish
- Steamed rice for serving
Instructions
- Put your rice on and cook as per the packet instructions
- Heat a pot with a little oil on medium heat and cook out your paste for 3-5 minutes until fragrant
- Add your coconut milk and cook out for a further 3-5 minutes
- Add your ready cooked shredded chicken and stir to combine the sauce for a further 10 minutes
- Serve the chicken over your freshly steamed rice and add your chopped chilies and parsley as you desire
Don’t forget you can also follow me over on Instagram or by using the #LondonMumma tag to show me what you get up to or keep up to date on what’s new on the blog via Bloglovin!
Lindsey
These Lemon Pepper Chicken wings are mouth-wateringly sensational and jam-packed with flavour.
An important part for me to stay sane and get through this pandemic is by organising my days, be it homeschooling times, activities to do with Leanora and gardening, but most importantly lunch and dinner prep. We are all cooking a lot more, personally I think it’s great, my waist may not be feeling it, but we slot in our daily work out with Joe Wicks, so I don’t feel as guilty about all the bread and cake we’ve been making and I’ve been eating.
I’ve been craving for KFC, fried chicken is literally my thing, not all the time but I mean I’m more than happy to smash through a 15 box with Leanora. So as no KFC is open, I decided to bring some tied chicken to me. I wanted something fresh, fried chicken can be a bit heavy at times, so I decided why not cut through it with a bit of lemon. Never had we had it this way before, so with Leanora out in the garden playing and wanting to make one of our favourite dishes I decided to get to it.
I made these wings in advance from the night before, all set for frying the next day. If you can, always try to season your meat the night before, or if you can’t wait at least give the seasoning 30 minutes to an hour to marinade and absorb all that great flavour
Armed with a few fresh lemons, some oil for frying I got to making these Spring fresh crispy chicken wings.
Ingredients
1kg of chicken wings ( cut into wings and drummettes)
Zest of 3 Lemons
Juice of 1/2 lemons
3 tsp of crack black pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
2 cups of oil for frying
1 cup of flour
1kg of chicken wings ( cut into wings and drummettes)
Zest of 3 Lemons
Juice of 1/2 lemons
3 tsp of crack black pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
2 cups of oil for frying
1 cup of flour
Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken wings with the zest of 2 lemon, 2 tsp of black pepper and toss well. Set aside in the fridge over night, or leave for 30 minutes - 1hour for the marinade to blend. Once ready to fry take out of the fridge and leave for 20 minutes to take the chill off.
1. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken wings with the zest of 2 lemon, 2 tsp of black pepper and toss well. Set aside in the fridge over night, or leave for 30 minutes - 1hour for the marinade to blend. Once ready to fry take out of the fridge and leave for 20 minutes to take the chill off.
2. Pour enough oil to fry the chicken wings, I use a heavy dutch pan to fry. Heat oil up to 375F if you don’t have a thermometer, just drop in a small piece of bread or fresh herb, if it starts to fry and rises, you are good to go).
3. Get another mixing bowl or shallow dish, add the flour, 1 zest of lemon, 1 tsp of black pepper 1/2 tsp of salt.
4. Once the chill has come off from your wings and you are ready to fry, coat your seasoned chicken wings in the seasoned flour and add to your pot of hot oil. Do this in batches as to not over crowd the pot.
5. Fry for 3 - 4 minutes on each sides, once done place on a cooling rack or on a clean plate, lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
Serve up with some salad, fresh green beans or some fluffy rice and enjoy!
If you make this dish, let me know what you think in the comments or below or share your snap with me over on Instagram.
If you are looking for other recipe ideas, check out my recipes section.
Lindsey
Rich slow cooked steak pie, nothing better on a cold night when you need a little comfort. Pie is the best form of comfort food hands down, it’s melt in the mouth good and hearty for the soul.
When handled with love it’s pure bliss. I’ve only recently started making my own, my first go of it was with my humble chicken pot pie and since then I’ve not looked back and never bought a ready made shop one.
Only a few ingredients are needed to make his slow cooked steak pie and with the kids on half term, there couldn’t be a better time to make this feel good pie.
After a wet weekend we will be venturing out the house today finally, off to the movies to watch Sonic. So I know with today looking the same as this weekend I’m looking forward to coming back home to this delicious pie. Thinking ahead and trying to be organised this week I’m making this hearty pie now before we set off for our day, saving my time by doing all he hard work now, so when we get home, simply got to re-heat and cook some veggies, giving me a lot more time to put my feet up and relax and spend a bit more time with L.
What I love is he fact that you can tweak this recipe, even get creative and vegetables to it, or for something more robust I would even recommend putting in some potatoes, but I like all of mine on the side, give me all the mash and green beans on the side please.
Let’s get to it shall, after all we’ve a busy day ahead to let’s get cooking.
If you make this dish, let me know what you think in the comments or below or share your snap with me over on Instagram.
Ingredients
1kg diced braising steak
1 large onion diced
3 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 beef stock cubes mixed with 600ml boiling water
1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg yolk, beaten
Directions
- Pre heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Heat half the oil in a large pot over a medium heat, brown the meat in batches, then set aside. Add the onions a drizzle of more oil, then cook on a low heat for 5 mins until coloured. Scatter over the flour, stirring until the flour turns brown and comes together with the onions. Tip the meat and any juices back into the pan along with the ketchup and give it all a good stir.
- Pour over the stock, and bring to a simmer. Pour the filling into a pie dish place in the oven for about 2 hrs, until the meat is tender.
- Unravel the pastry, drape over the dish and use a knife to trim and press the edges against the side of the dish.
- Brush the pie with egg yolk. Make a few little slits in the centre of the pie and bake for 40 mins until golden. Leave to stand for a few mins before serving.
Enjoy.
Lindsey
Prawn dumplings are my jam, I eat them by the truck load and could happily do so every day. With the Chinese New year not far away, I thought why not make some myself, I was a little worried, but I took the plunge and made them and I did not realise how easy they were to make. Made with fresh raw prawns, tasty bamboo shoots and diced up water chestnuts and a dash of rice wine, these can be made for your Friday night dish instead of a take out, or over the weekend in time to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The best things about the dumplings,they are so easy to make and you can customise the recipe to your liking, not a fan of prawns, why not go for a veggie option or even a chicken version, if you are wanting some with meat. This weekend I think I will be making a selection of veggie and protein filled dumplings with Leanora, her small hands are ideal too.
You will never make a small batch of these dumplings, but don't worry they are ideal for freezing too, so when ever you fancy one you'll have some stored in the freezer, added bonus is that you can steam from frozen, or even fry straight on to the skillet.
If you fancy another takeout dish to make at home, perfectly accompanies with these dumplings are my Chinese sticky chicken wings. I am also in the process of refining a new recipes which will be out in time for the Chinese New Year, another takeout treat in the form of noodles, so be sure to come back Friday, to complete your Friday night at home takeaway.
If you make these prawn dumplings or sweet sticky wings, be sure to tag me on Instagram, so I can see your photos.
Lindsey
picture from @pinterest
The easiest way to stick to a budget and a plan, is meal prepping. Every Sunday I think about what we are going to eat and stick to it. Meal prep is a big and in thing and I absolutely love it, I know I’m guaranteed to eat fresh healthy food and something a little naughty at the end of the week, plus any left overs you can take to work for lunch, so need to think about spending that extra cash and struggling on what to eat come noon!
Left over chicken from your Sunday roast, turn the left over chicken in to a tasty pie. Make individual ones or a mammoth one to share with family and friends, perfect for those cold nights.
Come on, who doesn’t love a good pizza! This beauty takes no time to make, friendly on the pocket meat free and if you are mushroom love this is for you.
Wanting to go meat free and trick the kids, then this tasty spag bowl is perfect. I wanted Leanora and I to eat a little less meat and when I thought of this dish, I was hesitant and thought I’d get caught out, but no! She loves it and is none the wiser.
With these cold days and nights we are having we want something winter warming and this soup is simply heavenly, enjoyed curled up on the sofa with a good book, plus perfect to pack up for lunch.
Come Friday night, we love a takeaway, but we are all about saving money and why not make your own Chinese at home and make a batch of these sweet sticky wings! Trust me that they will last no time in the house, I always end up making to batches.
Do you enjoy meal prepping? What have you got lines up for the next few days?
Lindsey
It is the ultimate in comfort food, all the ingredients are sitting nicely waiting for you to cook’em up and when brought all together it’s like little angels singing the perfect hymn in your mouth.
The ultimate cheese sandwich screams comfort, perfect for a weekend brekkie in bed or a little naughty mid-week treat. Hands down you know you can not beat it, it's great and damn sure it can be eaten at any time of the day, I mean cheese a naughty wedge of bread a cheeky bit of butter what’s not to love!
I love cheese, the kids love cheese, you love it, well all freaking love cheese especially melted that bubbly molten golden silky cheeses gouda goo is a thing of wonders and this bad boy is jazzed ups or perfection.
With rain and cold weather about to grab us here on old Blighty and before you ask, no this is not an April fools joke, boy I wish it were, this toasted cheese sandwich is the perfect comfort food. Another one of my favourite comfort foods in my leftover humble chicken pot pie or my cauliflower cheese & pancetta soup, or if looking for something a little lighter but still comforting then you damn well gotta try my kale pesto pasta, after why not curl up on the sofa with a new book with my ultra tasty moon milk.
This version of cheese sandwich takes no time to make at all, and it's super versatile, I'll be trying it with a different cheese and maybe knock up super fresh pesto to go with it, but for now I certainly recommend that you guys try this tonight, a great meat-free dish, this would work also wonders as an accompaniment to my gazpacho dish or served with a salad too.
Ingredients - To make 2
4 slices of fresh bloomer bread (or bread of choice)
10 slices of Gouda cheese (or any other good melting cheese)
sprinkle of chilli flakes
2 large nobs of butter
sprig of thyme
1 clove of garlic
Instructions
1. In a small pot melt butter, with grated garlic and add a sprig of thyme.
2. whilst butter mixture is melting, heat up a frying pan with a small cube of butter to coat the frying pan. Cut your slices of bread. Once butter has melted brush over bread and then place bread brushed side down.
3. Add on top of the non buttered side of your bread 3 slices of cheese, sprinkle some of your chilli flakes on top, add the last two pieces of cheese on top, then place non brushed side down of your bread and place on top something heavy (tin of beans to press down the bread.
4. After 3/4 minutes turn over your toasted cheese sandwiches and fry on the other side.
5. Serve immediately, works great with a side salad, or if feeling extra naughty a few slices of Proscuitto ham.
Lindsey
For more recipes, click here, or follow me on my Pinterest or Bloglovin page!!
This polenta with roasted mushrooms is an all-time favourite of mine
in the winter. It’s warming, indulgent and ever so comforting, great for lunch or a weeknight dinner.
This dish I normally save for myself when I’m home alone, one because
I hate to share and secondly, Leanora is not a fan of mushrooms, so
more for me in my tummy, another bonus is, it takes no time at all to make
after a long day at work no one wants to be in the kitchen slaving away.
January calls for something healthy, I have even decided to start growing my own vegetables and I’ve just purchased my first ever bag of seed potatoes, I’ll let you know how it goes!
Whilst this dish is somewhat a little bit naughty with all the cheesy goodness in the polenta, the vegetables totally balance's out the healthy vs naughtiness ratio, well in my eyes anyway.
INGREDIENTS
Polenta
Parmesan
Salt
Pepper
Chestnut mushrooms
Fresh thyme
Bullion (vegetable stock)
Butter
DIRECTIONS
- Line a baking tray with some parchment paper and lay out your chopped mushrooms, add 4 cloves of garlic a few sprigs of thyme, season with salt and pepper, 3 tbsp of olive oil, enough to cover but not saturated the ingredients and toss gently and make sure all ingredients are coated and mixed together and place in on middle shelf of the oven at 180c
- Boil the kettle and grab a saucepan add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water to pan once bubbling add your bullion.
- Add into your pan the polenta and stir until all lumps are out. Stir in 150g of grated Parmesan and a small bun of butter to make extra creamy. Once it all comes together season if desired with pepper.
- Take out your roasted mushrooms and plate up on top of your polenta.
Bon appetite.
Super quick and easy to make. A truly indulgent dish which I like to have with a nice glass of red wine enjoyed on the sofa with a few candles burning and my fave podcast in the background.
Let me know if you make this polenta with roasted mushroom dish and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
For more tasty recipe inspiration, look to our Pinterest, food board here!
Don’t forget you can tag me on Instagram or find me on Bloglovin!
Lindsey xx
One of the many things I love about the cold is the cosy dishes I get to make, but eat! We are big fans for years of pie, but I’ve never made my own until now and this chicken pot pie is delicious, full of flavour and our new and hopefully your new favourite, plus it makes your home smell divine.
Monday’s are normally leftover day's, we make a roast chicken on a Sunday and then the chicken left over normally goes into a stir fry for dinner or used for our lunch in sandwiches, but this Monday we will be having it in a pie loaded with vegetables, fresh herbs and tender chicken bursting with flavour and truly scrumptious.
This buttery rich humble pie is perfect for the family weeknight dinner and takes no time at all to make.
INGREDIENTS
- Leftover chicken shredded
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 1 cup of petit pots
- 1 clove of crushed garlic
- 2 leeks chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 knob of salted butter
- 50g of plain flour
- 600ml of vegetable stock (or chicken)
- 1/2 a bunch of fresh thyme
- 1 medium egg beaten
- 1 sheet of chilled puff pastry
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
- In a large frying pan, add the olive oil, diced carrots, leeks, onion, garlic and half of your thyme and cook until soft, stirring often. Cook for about 10 minutes until golden.
- Next, add in the chicken, butter, flour and stock into the pan then stir until melted and all comes together then add the remaining herbs and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour your filling into your pie dish and take your pastry and place it over the pie. Take a sharp knife and trim the edges, make sure to leave about 1cm over the dish and press slightly so that it sticks, then pinch with your fingers or take a fork and push down around the sides.
- Egg wash your pastry and then bake in the oven until pie lid is golden, then serve with some steamed seasonal vegetables.
Nothing too hard to make, a simple and delicious humble pie.
Let me know if you make this pot pie and what you think in the comments below, don't forget you can tag me on Instagram as well as for more recipes you can find them over on Bloglovin!
London Mumma
Cosy and comforting, mushroom and lentils make for a simple supper the whole family will love! We've been cutting down on our meat intake and we have felt great and found we've had more energy, thanks to this hearty meal, with fresh herbs, loads of veggies and of course lashings of melty cheese and pasta.
With the holidays finally here, we all tend to eat a lot more and indulge, and I'll be the first to admit that I indulge big time, so it is nice to have something healthier and with the cold weather a hearty meal with pasta is the way to go. I am a big fan of pasta, but I've noticed that as soon as I have been eating it of late, I've been left feeling bloated and very uncomfortable, so I decided to try gluten free pasta and oh my gosh, it has been totally life-changing, the bloat has gone and I feel great after eating it! I may have been a bit naughty and had seconds, ok maybe a cheeky third's, but I have to say gluten-free is the way for me and my family and for those that feel bloated after eating a starch pasta dish, I recommend trying gluten-free pasta.
Leanora loves bolognese, so at first, I was a little worried about this dish but it was a hit and she did not even notice that it was jam-packed with vegetables, especially vegetables that she normally does not eat (mushrooms), she scoffed the whole lot and asked for another helping. This is the perfect cosy and hearty vegetable filled dish for the family, a smashing way to sneak in the 5 a day for the kids, plus it's a great way to get them to try new things such as lentils.
Growing up and now in my adult life, I never tried lentils so was a little bit worried about cooking them, even myself liking them, most likely due to fear of the unknown, but that is what is great about stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a risk and trying new things as it can pay off and it sure did.
I always thought you had to soak lentils, like some pulses you have to, but it is so easy to cook and popped it all into the same pot to cook out. I went for green lentils for this dish as I found that they have a more earthy stronger flavour and remain firm once cooked, therefore giving this dish a more meatier texture.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 carrot
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 sticks of celery
- 1/2 a bunch of fresh time
- 250g chestnut mushrooms
- olive oil
- 100g of green lentils
- 2 tbsp of tomato puree
- 1 tin of plum tomatoes
- 400ml vegetable stock
- parmesan cheese
- 400g of gluten-free pasta
DIRECTIONS
- Peel the onion, carrot and garlic. Trim the celery and roughly chop all veg. Heat up the oil in a large frying pan. Add all the vegetables, along with the time and cook for 10-15 minutes until soft.
- Blitz the mushrooms in a food processor or roughly chop into small pieces, add to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stir and add the green lentils, tomato puree, plum tomatoes, and vegetable stock and pop on a lid and cook on a medium heat for 30 minutes until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.
- When the lentils are almost done cook pasta as per instructions on the packet.
- Drain the pasta once cooked, saving a little of the water it was cooked in, into a cup.
- Stir in the bolognese into the pasta and a little of the hotter saved in the cup to help it to stop sticking together. Sprinkle in the parmesan and if you like roughly chop some parsley and serve it on top of your bolognese.
This bolognese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
London Mumma
I am not really a dessert person, but every now and again I do like a sweet treat, I am currently eating one as I write about it! Nothing feels better than a little indulgence, especially one that has the warming taste of pumpkin, besides just look at these pumpkin spice rolls, they are the ultimate Autumnal treat.
With Autumn firmly here and the leaves turning beautiful shades of brown and red I am always searching for a little snack that is a little bit naughty and comforting, to enjoy no matter the time of day.
This recipe is super easy and takes no time at all to make and whip up, similar to my pumpkin spice biscuits. With the kids half term fast approaching these would be great to make with them or for them and taken out for any of your days out planned, or if no kids, then they will totally score you brownie points with your colleagues at work.
Once your rolls are cooked, the house smells truly divine, like a little bakery nestled in your abode, plus these will have you feeling like a true domestic goddess, well to your kids and friends anyways, that is if you plan on sharing these.
What is great about these pastry rolls, they are perfect for breakfast, or a treat throughout the day and can be eaten cold or warm, so great to pack in a lunch box and gobbled at your desk.
These pastry rolls are rich but not overly sweet and the warm pumpkin spices, make you just want to curl up with a cuppa and leave you feeling super cosy.
Ingredients
2 pack of ready made puff pastry
50g of butter (room temperature)
50g muscavado sugar
2 tbsp of pumpkin spice mix (or cinnamon)
1 egg (beaten)
Directions
1. preheat your oven to 180°c and grease your 8inch round 2tin lightly.
2. Mix together your softened butter, sugar and spice mix until all comes together.
3. lightly dust your surface with flour then roll out your ready made puff pastry, then spread over your pumpkin spice filling all over the pastry leaving a 1cm gap at the edges.
4. Roll your puff pastry gently into a roll, then cut into sections about 2cm thick and place into your tin until filled, leave a little space between each as they will expand when cooking.
5. Take the beaten egg and give them a light brush and place in the oven for 2-30 mins, or until golden brown on the top, then leave to cool for 15-20 minutes, if not devour immediately, great served hot with a cuppa.
A simple dish to share with loved ones, they know how you roll.
London Mumma
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