Easy Family Recipes

Tested on a family that complains. Loudly.

Family dinner ideas, newest first

Golden flattened roast chicken with lemons, green chilli Oliver with a carving fork and toast Erin with a plate

Updated 1 November 2026 9 min read

How to Spatchcock a Chicken - Flatten It, Roast It, Dinner in Half the Time

Snip out the backbone with kitchen scissors, press the bird flat, rub it with lemon, garlic and herbs and roast it in about 45 minutes. Crispier skin, juicier breast, and...

Lasagne slice with thin layers lifted from a golden baked dish by chilli Oliver, toast Erin waiting with a fork

Updated 1 November 2026 11 min read

Traditional Lasagne Recipe - The Bologna Way (and Why Yours Has a Lake in It)

Bologna's registered ragù made all-beef, six thin layers, a thin béchamel and a crisp Parmigiano top - plus the chef tricks that stop it sliding into a puddle when you...

Golden crumble bubbling purple at the edges, toast Erin with a spoon and chilli Oliver pouring custard

Updated 1 November 2026 8 min read

Apple Crumble Recipe - Crunchy on Top, Jammy Underneath (and No Coring Marathon)

Half Bramley, half eating apples, simmered for five minutes so they go jammy, under a cold-butter oat topping that actually crunches. Plus a blackberry version and the fastest way to...

Garlic chicken thighs in a casserole with forty soft cloves, chilli Oliver lifting the lid and garlic Eesha horrified

Updated 1 November 2026 8 min read

Forty Cloves of Garlic, One Chicken, Zero Vampires

Eight chicken thighs slow-cooked in one pot with forty unpeeled cloves, thyme, lemon and stock. The garlic turns soft and sweet enough to spread on toast. No wine, no cream,...

Double smash burger with melted cheese and crispy lacy edges, the pizza slice character eyeing it up

Updated 2 November 2026 8 min read

The One Time Squashing Your Burger Is Allowed

Thin beef patties smashed onto a smoking-hot pan for crisp, lacy edges. Stacked as doubles with melted cheese and a quick burger sauce, then wrapped in foil to rest.