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YOU

Britain’s most popular woman’s magazine

Beauty

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Life

Food & Drink

Rob Hobson

Chiang Mai noodles with prawn and pak choi

Slurpy noodle soup? Yes, please! This super-satisfying meal is perfect for the whole family. The red curry sauce in the recipe is milder than shop-bought versions, making it ideal for sensitive palates, while the broth boasts a delicious blend of sweet and savoury flavours. Get everyone involved by setting out a variety of garnishes so they can personalise their bowls. Batch-cook the broth and freeze it in single servings for a quick and tasty Asian soup that’s much healthier than those dry versions with flavour sachets. Just defrost in the microwave, add noodles and enjoy!

Rob Hobson

Simple Thai red curry paste

Rob Hobson

Paneer tikka kebabs with mango salsa

A budget-friendly source of protein, paneer has a texture that’s perfect for skewers, and absorbs flavours brilliantly. The tandoori spice mix here is free of the extra salt in many bought sauces and pastes, while the dish will appeal to younger palates with its sweet salsa, devoid of the sugars in processed versions.

Rob Hobson

Bombay potato and spinach frittata

Eggs and potatoes can be combined in various ways to create a nutritious, cost-effective meal, and this Indian spiced frittata is a perfect example. Eggs absorb Indian spices well, as shown in the Indian spiced scrambled egg recipe on page 33. If you have kids with big appetites, consider keeping a frittata in the fridge on a weekly basis for convenient snacks or after-school meals. This frittata pairs well with mango salsa or mango chutney.

Rob Hobson

Smoked haddock risotto with poached egg

Everything tastes better with an egg on top, and this rich risotto is no exception. The creamy yolk perfectly complements the smoky flavours of the rice. Risottos are an excellent choice for feeding a large family as the rice stretches to accommodate many servings and pairs well with frozen vegetables, like peas, and more affordable frozen fish and seafood. Haddock is particularly beneficial, providing a good source of B vitamins, which help convert food into energy, and iodine, which supports thyroid function and is crucial for normal growth and development during puberty. Many teenage girls are lacking sufficient iodine in their diets.

Spinach and basil pesto sauce

Pesto is a store-cupboard staple these days, offering a quick and easy way to create delicious meals. This vegan-friendly version uses cashew nuts and fresh basil for a slightly fancier twist. The cashew nuts blend into a silky-smooth texture leaving you with a nice and creamy pesto. You can enjoy it simply with pasta and toasted pine nuts or combine it with cooked chicken or salmon and stir through pasta for a more substantial dish.

Rob Hobson

Charred sweetcorn salsa

This recipe is perfect for batch-cooking. It will store in the fridge – and sweetcorn is a favourite among young ones of all ages. It’s a versatile salsa that can be served as a side dish, mixed into salads or used as a topping for wraps and jacket potatoes. It’s also a great snack for teenagers, especially when paired with homemade tortilla chips. Sweetcorn is an excellent source of B vitamins, which help convert food into energy, and it works well whether you use fresh, tinned or frozen corn.

Rob Hobson

Thai-inspired red-curry salmon traybake

This fragrant curry is a delicious way to get teenagers to eat oily fish, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids crucial for healthy brain development and function. Oily fish like salmon are also a great source of vitamin D, essential for calcium absorption, strong bones and a robust immune system. This recipe highlights the importance of a nutritious diet, which can’t be achieved by relying on ultra-processed foods. The homemade curry paste in this recipe is flavourful rather than spicy, making it perfect for younger palates, but of course you can always serve sliced red chillies on the side for those who like things a little spicier.

Rob Hobson

Caribbean chicken and pineapple

I always think tropical fruits such as mango and pineapple work well with chicken - and these flavours are particularly popular with kids thanks to their natural sweetness. Although the jerk spice rub requires some preparation and a variety of spices, the dish itself is very easy to make. Teenagers are often drawn to takeaway fried chicken, which is high in saturated fat and loaded with spices and salt that can make healthier dishes seem bland and boring. This homemade chicken dish is a flavourful, much healthier alternative for the whole family.

Rob Hobson

Easy cheesy fish pie

This fish pie is one of my favourite comfort foods and is always a hit at family mealtimes. There’s no need to remove the skins from your potatoes as they are packed with fibre. Many ready-made fish pies have an overly thick or thin consistency and can sometimes taste synthetic - and that’s without mentioning the lack of fish. This homemade version has a rich, cheesy sauce and tender leeks that make it irresistibly tasty. Oily fish such as salmon provides one of the few dietary sources of vitamin D, which is essential for strong bones and a robust immune system. It’s a nutrient that is especially important during the darker months when sunlight is lacking, making this dish perfect for cold winter evenings.