I’m a chef and new mum who loves to entertain.

Back before I had my darling daughter, Winter, (moment of silence for my free time) I would spend hours in the kitchen prepping to have friends and family over for a meal.

As a self-diagnosed perfectionist, it wouldn’t be abnormal for me to spend an entire afternoon tweaking one recipe until I knew it would be a crowd pleaser.

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Although I knew I would have to shift some priorities when I became a mum, I also knew that I wanted to keep cooking and entertaining as much as possible.

I now find myself leaning towards my quick and simple recipes - anything I can prep while Winnie is napping is a winner! I’ve also developed hacks that simplify my more time intensive recipes.

Whether you’re a new mum like me, short on time, or just not a natural in the kitchen - these recipes are simple, quick to put together, and always lead to empty plates at my dinner parties.

Read on for my crowd-pleasing favourites that will have your friends and family begging for more. I promise you’ll want to remake them time and time again!

Chicken Sandwiches

I make these when I have friends over, when I’m going to a picnic, or if I’m going anywhere that requires me to take something along (and even when it’s not required, because they’re delicious and any excuse will do to share and enjoy them).

They disappear so quickly, and never without at least one person asking me for the recipe.

This recipe makes around 20 sandwiches.

Ingredients:

For the aioli:

For the sandwiches:

Hack: ask for the bread sliced lengthways to save time on cutting crusts!)

Method:

1. To make the aioli, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of salt

2. Whilst whisking, slowly drizzle in oil

3. Taste and season, then whisk in water or lemon juice (to taste) until the consistency thins out a little

4. For the sandwiches, combine all ingredients, taste and season

5. Assemble sandwiches (butter one side), remove crusts, cut into 3 rectangles each. Try not to eat them all before your guests arrive

Bolognese

My Bolognese is kind of a big deal! A couple of simple steps along the way and it’s rich, it’s decadent, it’s hands down the best Bolognese I’ve eaten.

I can also say this having eaten Bolognese in Bologna.

I’m eating this most weeks, very often with minimal effort - defrosted from a weekend batch I’ve made and frozen.

Given the response I’ve received on my Bolognese from my Instagram followers, I can confidently vouch that it’s a recipe your friends and family will rave over and demand the recipe so they can recreate it at home.

Serves6-8 (it makes a big batch, because I know you’ll want leftovers to freeze)

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Roughly chop onion, celery and carrot

2. Process above vegetables in a food processor until very finely chopped

3. Mix beef mince with pork and veal mix in a bowl to combine

4. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat

5. In at least two batches, shape meat into 4cm-ish long pieces, add to a large pot and season with salt. Fry each side until brown (they don’t need to cook through, just brown on the outside - approx 2 mins per side). Once browned, transfer to a bowl

6. Remove oil and wipe out residue from the pot using a paper towel or sponge

7. Add pancetta and cook on medium, stirring often, until fat renders down and pancetta is crispy (5-10 mins)

8. Add vegetable mix and cook until beginning to lightly brown (5-10 mins)

9. Add beef and white wine, reduce heat to medium low.

Hack:If you have a stand mixer, right before this step, you can put the browned mince in with the whisk attachment and run it on the lowest setting, until the mince has been broken up to your liking.

10. Reduce wine by half, (10-15 mins). Whilst reducing, use a wooden spoon (or a potato masher) to break up the meat until it’s finely ground

11. Add tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, and nutmeg and cook, stirring often, until colour deepens (5 mins)

12. Add stock, tomato passata, and Parmesan rind and a good pinch of salt and pepper

Tip: store Parmesan rinds is in the freezer for use in Bolognese, soups and stews

13. Reduce heat to very low and cook, at barely a simmer, for at least 1½ hours (ideally 2+ hours)

14. Discard bay leaf, Parmesan rind, thyme sprigs

15. Stir through cream

16. Meanwhile, cook pasta in salty water, reserving ½ cup of pasta water

17. Strain pasta and add back to pot, spoon in Bolognese and toss through pasta

18. Serve with a green salad and more Parmesan

Mac and Cheese