Here’s ten healthy and cheap meals your children must master before they leave home — and inspiration for busy families

ARE your kids dab hands in the kitchen?

Mary Berry reckons all youngsters should know how to make ten cheap and simple meals before they leave home.

13

The former Bake Off judge slammed schools for failing to prepare kids for flying the nest, saying: “Every child, when they leave school, should be able to create ten dishes they enjoy that are healthy, aren’t expensive and are nutritionally good. But schools have let go of their home economics departments.”

We asked kids’ cookery writer Annabel Karmel to provide her top ten recipes for youngsters.

Then we roped in Tara Matthews, 45, from Romford, Essex, and her children Remi, 13, and Mason, 15, to try some of them.

Tara, who works in promotions and is married to surveyor Andrew, also 45, says: “I encourage my children to cook but busy families don’t always get time in the week.

13

“It’s really important for them to know how to cook a few recipes before they leave home and that they understand it’s cheaper to cook than getting takeaways.

“We’re lucky that Remi is doing a GCSE in cookery but that’s not possible in all schools. She’s good at shepherd’s pie, brownies and rhubarb crumble.

“My son is getting more independent and can do bacon sandwiches and pancakes.”

Annabel adds: “It’s important to remember that cooking from scratch doesn’t have to mean producing elaborate meals.

13

“Get your teen in the kitchen to help cook these foodie feasts and wait to see that wonderfully proud smile develop after they tuck into a meal they have prepared themselves.”

Here are ten recipes teens should be able to master — plus ratings out of five on how tasty and straightforward they are to make.

• FIND more inspiration and recipe advice at .

1. Chicken and veggie burgers

Ease: 2

Taste: 4

13

(Makes: 16 mini or 4 large burgers)

YOU NEED:

• 3½ tbsp sunflower oil
• 50g finely chopped leek
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 175g carrots, peeled and grated
• 175g courgettes, grated
• 500g minced chicken (breast and thigh)
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
• 1 chicken stock cube, finely crumbled
• 175g white breadcrumbs
• salt and black pepper
• a little flour, for dusting
• 16 mini bread buns or 4 ordinary burger buns

METHOD: Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Heat 1½ tbsp of oil in a frying pan and sautée leek, onion, carrots for three minutes.

Cool, then mix together with the remaining ingredients and chop in a food processor for a few seconds.

Form mixture into burgers using floured hands.

Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of oil in the frying pan and sautée the burgers for a few minutes each side until golden, then cook in the oven for ten to 15 minutes.

2. Tasty beef enchiladas

Ease: 2

Taste: 5

13

(Makes: 4 portions)

YOU NEED:

• 500g lean minced beef
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• ½ red pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 600g passata
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp fresh basil
• dash of sugar
• 6 small tortilla wraps
• 150g grated Cheddar cheese

METHOD: Heat a frying pan until hot. Fry the beef until browned. Drain on to kitchen paper.
Heat the oil in a wok. Add the vegetables and fry for two to three minutes. Add the browned beef and garlic. Fry for one minute. Add the tomato puree, 400g passata, herbs and sugar. Simmer uncovered for ten minutes.

Preheat the grill until hot. Put the wraps on a board. Divide the mixture between the wraps.

Top with 100g of cheese, then roll up. Arrange the wraps in a shallow ovenproof dish.

Spoon over the remaining passata and remaining 50g of cheese.

Place under the grill for five to seven minutes until golden.

3. Macaroni cheese

Ease: 4

Taste: 3

13

(Makes: 4 portions)

YOU NEED:

• 300g macaroni
• 150g small broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 200ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 250g creme fraiche
• 150g Parmesan cheese
• 100g tinned sweetcorn
• 50g Cheddar, grated
• 50g white breadcrumbs

METHOD: Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.

Add the broccoli florets for the last three minutes. Drain. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Add the onion and fry until soft. Add the stock, bring to the boil. Add the pasta and crème fraiche. Mix together. Add parmesan, stir, remove from heat, season and add the sweetcorn and half the Cheddar.

Pour into an ovenproof dish. Scatter over the breadcrumbs and remaining Cheddar. Place under a hot grill for about five minutes until brown and bubbling.

Leave to stand for five minutes before serving.

4. Sticky salmon & Chinese fried rice

Ease: 3

Taste: 2

13

(Makes 4 portions)

YOU NEED:

• 2 skinned salmon fillets (approx. 200g each) cut into 3 cm cubes

For marinade:

• 1½ tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp white wine or rice wine vinegar
• ½ tsp sweet chilli sauce

For Chinese fried rice:

• 200g basmati rice
• 65g carrot, diced
• 75g frozen peas
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 25g butter
• 65g onion, diced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced

METHOD: Mix the ingredients for the marinade. Add the cubes of salmon and marinate for 20 minutes.

Cook the diced carrot and rice in a pan of lightly salted boiling water according to the instructions on the packet. Four minutes before the end of the rice cooking time, add the frozen peas. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, beat the egg with a little salt and pour in the pan tilting it so that the egg coats the base of the pan. Cook until it sets as a thin omelette. Remove from the pan, roll up to form a sausage shape and cut into thin strips. You can scramble the egg after sauteing the onion in the same pan if you want to miss this step.

Preheat the grill. Place the salmon on a baking tray lined with foil, pour over the marinade and bake for five minutes, turning halfway through and basting occasionally.

While the salmon is cooking, add the butter to the wok and sauté the onion for two minutes.

Add the cooked rice mixture, the soy sauce and a little freshly ground black pepper. Stir fry the rice for about two minutes. Stir in the strips of egg and spring onion to the rice and heat through. Remove the salmon from the baking tin and serve with the Chinese fried rice.

5. Cherry tomato frittata

Ease: 4

Taste: 3

13

(Makes 1 frittata)

YOU NEED:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 small onions, sliced
• 8 new potatoes, cooked and sliced thickly
• 30g mature cheddar, grated
• 5 medium eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp milk
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped

METHOD: Pre-heat the grill. Heat the oil in a 7in or 8in non-stick omelette plan.

Add the onion and gently fry until soft. Add the potatoes, mix together and season.

Add the cheese and milk to the eggs, then season and pour into the pan. Gently heat until set around the edges. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up on top of the egg and sprinkle with chives. Place under a hot grill for about five minutes until lightly golden and set in the middle. Slice into wedges and eat hot or cold.

6. Tasty chicken & potato pie

Ease: 2

Taste: 4

13

(Makes 4 portions)

YOU NEED:

• 500g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 25g butter
• 100ml milk
• 50g Cheddar cheese, grated
• 25g butter
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 1 large or 2 small shallots, finely chopped
• 25g plain flour
• 300ml chicken stock
• 100ml double cream
• 300g shredded cooked chicken
• 75g frozen peas
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas 6. Put the potatoes in cold salted water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for ten to 15 minutes until tender.

Drain and mash with butter, milk and the grated cheeses.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the leek and shallots gently for eight to ten minutes until soft but not coloured.

Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, then stir in the stock a little at a time, to make a smooth sauce – you may find it easier to do this off the heat. Stir in the cream, then cook, stirring until the sauce just comes to the boil.

Stir in the chicken, peas and parsley, then remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and season to taste. Spoon into a 1.5-litre dish and top with mash.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes and then finish off for a few minutes under the grill until golden brown.

It’s a good idea to place the dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips.

7. Fruity chicken curry

Ease: 4

Taste: 4

13

(Makes: 2 portions)

YOU NEED:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion peeled & chopped
• 1 small carrot cut into matchsticks
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 medium apple, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 tbsp korma curry paste
• ½ tbsp mango chutney
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 100g frozen peas
• 150ml coconut milk
• 1 chicken stock cube, dissolved in 150ml boiling water
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD: Heat the oil in a wok and sauté the onion and carrot for three minutes. Add the garlic and saute for half a minute. Add the apple and stir fry for three minutes. Add the chicken and stir fry for four minutes.

Add the curry paste, mango chutney, tomato puree, frozen peas, coconut milk and chicken stock and simmer for about ten minutes. Season to taste.

8. Mighty meatball pasta bake

Ease: 5

Taste: 5

13

(Makes: 4 portions)

YOU NEED:

For the meatballs:

• 350g lean minced beef
• 50g white breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp thyme, chopped
• 50g parmesan, grated
• ½ apple, peeled and grated

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
• dash of sugar
• 200g fusilli pasta
• 2 tbsp basil, chopped
• 50g cheddar cheese, grated

METHOD: Put the meatball ingredients into a food processor. Whiz until combined, then shape into 25 balls. Chill in the fridge. Heat the oil in a saucepan.

Add the onion and garlic and fry until just soft.

Add the tomatoes, paste and sugar. Season and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for ten minutes.

Heat a frying pan until hot and add 1 tbsp of oil. Fry the meatballs until lightly golden on all sides. Add to the sauce, cover and simmer for ten minutes.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Drain then add to the meatballs. Add the basil and spoon into a shallow dish.

Sprinkle with cheese. Grill for five minutes until bubbling and the cheese has melted.

9. One-pot noodles

Ease: 5

Taste: 2

13

(Makes: 1 portion)

YOU NEED:

• 70g fine Chinese-style dried egg noodles or straight-to-wok thread fine noodles
• 125ml chicken stock
• 1½ tsp dark soy sauce
• 25g frozen peas
• 35g drained tinned or frozen sweetcorn
• 50g chicken, cooked and shredded
• ½ tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp cold water

METHOD: Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions – if necessary. Drain and set aside.

Put the stock, soy sauce, peas, sweetcorn and chicken in a saucepan over a medium heat.

Bring to a simmer and cook for two minutes.

In a small cup, mix the cornflour with the water. Add to the pan and stir over the heat for one minute, until the liquid thickens slightly. Add the noodles and mix everything together. When the noodles are heated through, transfer to a bowl to serve.

MOST READ IN FOOD

CHEAP DATE

Grab a Valentine's supermarket dine-in deal on your way home from just £10

MAGIC TWIX

Chocolate fans are only just spotting the meaning behind the Twix logo

FOOD VOICE

Top 30 food sounds revealed including sizzling eggs and the snap of a biscuit

BERRY GOOD

Fruit & veg will last 3 times longer if you do key step after the supermarket

10. Apple crumble

Ease: 5

Taste: 4

13

(Makes: 4 portions)

YOU NEED:

For apple base:

• 750g sweet eating apples, peeled and cut into slices
• juice of 1 orange
• 25g butter
• 2tbsp caster sugar

For crumble topping:

• 100g plain flour
• generous pinch of salt
• 75g cold butter, cut into pieces
• 60g demerara sugar
• 40g ground almonds

METHOD: Preheat oven to 180C/160F/Gas 4.

Put the apples into a bowl and pour over the orange juice. Melt the butter in a large pan, drain the apples, reserving the orange juice, and saute the sliced apples with the sugar for about eight minutes.

Then stir in 2 tbsp of the reserved orange juice.

Meanwhile, to prepare the topping, whiz the flour, salt, butter and sugar in a food processor for a few seconds until it resembles breadcrumbs and then stir in the ground almonds.

Alternatively, mix together the flour, salt and sugar and then rub in the butter using your fingers.

Spoon the cooked apples into a 20cm/8in round glass ovenproof dish and cover with the crumble topping.

Bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Alternatively, you could make four individual portions in ramekins.