These recipes take 5 minutes or less to prepare, although they may need some time cooking.
Crushed roast carrots with goat's cheese and cumin
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 50 mins in the oven
Tzatziki salmon pasta
Start to finish: cook the pasta and then a minute to stir in the ingredients
Mackerel pate
Start to finish: a minute. No, really.
Jacket potatoes
Start to finish: 1 minute to prepare, at least an hour to cook
Spuds in a sack
Start to finish: 2 minutes to prepare, 25 to cook
Meatballs like mummy used to make (Mummy Waitrose, that is)
Start to finish: 5 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to cook
Burgers
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Pineapple and prawn curry
Start to finish: 5 minutes (add 5 mins if you use proper rice)
Marmite Welsh Rarebit
Start to finish: 5 minutes plus 5 minutes under the grill
Lifesaving, super-fast pasta
Start to finish: 3 minutes
Stir fry in 90 seconds
Start to finish: um, 90 seconds
Lime butter - a zingy addition to grilled or pan fried fish
Start to finish: 3 minutes for butter, plus time spent cooking the rest of the meal.
Slack mummy vegetable soup
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Shake and bake - chicken and sausage one pan dinner
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 2 hours + marinading (OPTIONAL!), one hour cooking
Better-than-Ginsters pasties
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 25 mins in the oven
Fish parcels - rainbow trout and pea packages of goodness that your children may or may not eat
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 10 mins in the oven
Bangers and mash for tired people
Start to finish: 5 mins plus 30/40 mins in the oven
Homemade beans
Start to finish: 5 mins
Leek tart
Start to finish: 5 mins plus 15 mins in the oven
Super-easy puff pastry tarts
Start to finish: 5 mins plus 15/20 mins in the oven
Slow roasted pork
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 12-24 hours in the oven
Ham and potato salad
Start to finish: 5 mins plus 20 mins cooking
Cucumber salad
Start to finish: 5 mins
Cranberry sauce
Start to finish: 1 min prep, 15 mins bubbling
Playdough - not technically food, but it's a good recipe
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Salt dough decorations - again, not strictly edible (altho' try explaining that to my 15 month old)
Start to finish: How long's a piece of string? 2 mins to make, hours to play with, 2 hours in the oven
PuddingsDulce de leche
Start to finish: just seconds to pop into a slow cooker, 8 hours slow cooking
Baked apple slices with cinammon creme fraiche
Start to finish: 10 mins prep, 25 mins in the oven
Blackberry frozen yoghurt
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 30 mins in the ice cream maker
Flap jacks
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 25 mins in the oven
5 minute chocolate cake in a cup
Start to finish: less than five minutes, really!
Saucy 5 minute chocolate cake in a cup
Start to finish: yup, you've guessed it
Strawberry ice lollies
Start to finish: 5 minutes plus freezing time
Slow roasted strawberries
Start to finish: 5 mins plus an hour in the oven
Custard lollies
Start to finish: seconds! And then a couple of hours to freeze.
Baked apples
Start to finish: 5 minutes prep, 40 mins in the oven
Coconut macaroons
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 15 mins in the oven
Baked aromatic plums
Start to finish: 5 mins prep, 1hour in the oven
Breakfast
Swiss Bircher Muesli
Start to finish: A minute, once you've soaked the oats for a minimum of 30 minutes
Eggy bread
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Drinks
Banana milkshake
Start to finish: 5 minutes
