Anna Stanford’s recipes take the mystery out of everyday cooking and make life easier for busy families. Everything works, everything is approachable for any level of cook, and everything tastes wonderful. There is no trend chasing here, only honest and balanced food that feels good to make and even better to eat.

Each recipe comes with smart ideas for swapping ingredients, which means you can cook one meal that suits everyone at the table. A curry can shift from chicken to tofu to fish without missing a beat. Quick quiches come with five flavour ideas. Stir fries welcome whatever vegetables you have waiting in the fridge. With simple substitutions built right into the recipes, feeding a family becomes far more flexible.

Here is what you will find inside

Light Bites and Lunchtime Saviours
Spiced chickpea flatbreads, peanut noodles and simple midday favourites

Weekday Wonders
Chili two ways, Thai style fishcakes and dinners that fit into real life

Speedy Pasta
Creamy smoked salmon and asparagus spaghetti, mushroom parpadelle and quick comfort bowls

Fakeaways
Biryani three ways, Vietnamese pork traybake and other takeout inspired meals you can make at home

Weekends and Gatherings
Smokey beef brisket, Spanish chicken pot roast and generous dishes meant for sharing

Side Orders
Maple roasted root vegetables, black bean and edamame salad and easy additions that round out any meal

Half of the recipes are vegetarian or can easily be adapted, and everything uses minimal equipment. Many dishes rely on a single tray or pan, which means less clutter and far less washing up.

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Vietnamese-style Pork

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 1 hour 50 minutes | Serves: 4

This Vietnamese-inspired dish has a slightly sweet and sour tang (thanks to the brown sugar or honey combined with sriracha, soy sauce and fish sauce) but isn’t sickly sweet like some sweet and sour dishes. With a mild chilli hit, it’s family-friendly too.

800g (1lb 12oz) pork belly strips

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

1½ tablespoons sriracha (or chilli sauce)

1 tablespoon rice wine (mirin)

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh root ginger

2 star anise

100ml (3½ fl oz) chicken stock

TO FINISH

2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

100g (3½ oz) sugar snap peas, thinly sliced

4 spring onions, sliced

1 tablespoon unsalted peanuts, chopped (optional)

1 red chilli, chopped and deseeded (optional, for extra heat)

juice of 1 lime

Preheat the oven to 140°C Fan/160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3

Chop the pork belly into 4cm (1½ inch) pieces, trimming off any excess fat, but don’t go mad – belly is a fatty cut.

Combine the pork, soy sauce, sriracha, rice wine, garlic, ginger and star anise in an ovenproof pan. Place on the hob on a medium heat, and once the meat starts to take on colour (after about 10 minutes), pour over the stock.

Transfer the pan to the oven, then cook for 1½ hours.

Return the pan to the hob. Add the brown sugar or honey, the fish sauce and sesame oil and cook on a high heat until the liquid reduces and the pork starts to look sticky, about 5 minutes.

Add the sugar snap peas and cook for another 2 minutes, finishing with the spring onions, peanuts and the chilli if you want more heat.

Squeeze over the juice of the lime for extra tang, then serve.

Recipe published with permission from Octopus Books Ltd.