Easy Father's Day recipe ideas

Treat dad to something home cooked on Father's Day without spending all day in the kitchen.

Breakfast

A plate piled high with fluffy scotch pancakes, stacked with sliced strawberries, mascarpone and melted cinnamon butter… the perfect way to start Father’s Day for those dads who prefer their breakfast continental style. Serve with copious cups of tea or coffee.  

Make the flapjacks the day before, and this breakfast sundae will only take five minutes to put together in the morning. A real treat, it comes with mango, figs, blueberries and blackberries, and a honeyed Greek yoghurt to make everything go down smoothly. Swap the fruit around to include all of your father's favourites.

Delicious sausage, egg and bacon layers with onion and cheese. This takes a while longer to make but again if you get things ready to cook the night before. Put it in the oven at half-eight in the morning and it'll be ready when Dad wakes up after his lie-in. 

Dinner

Meatballs 'n' gravy might sound a tad stereotypical, but these little beauties are the Norwegian version made with both veal and lamb mince. They’re delicately spiced and recipe author Signe Johnansen says her grandfather famously ate 40 in a go once!

If your father is a veggie, he'll love this halloumi recipe. Crusted with panch phoran (a spice blend used in eastern Asia), it's got a lovely balance of salt and spice and is served with a homemade fig and pistachio chutney, which you can make ahead of time.

A simple handmade harissa-spiced and juicy lamb burger that takes very little effort to make. Fingers crossed for sun on Sunday, then you can barbecue these and stock the fridge with a few beers to enjoy in the evening. Serve with a raita sauce; simply mix together yoghurt, mint, lemon juice and cumin.

Speaking of barbecues, this sea bass is soaked in a margarita-inspired marinade and is perfect for grilling in the great outdoors. Simply leave it to soak in a mixture of tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, garlic and salt, then get your barbecue really hot and cook for a few minutes on each side. A green salad or creamy potato salad would go really nicely with this.

Sweet treats

Rocky road is a superb treat that really doesn't take long to put together, and sets within a couple of hours at the most. Requiring no baking, this is a good one for children to try (with some supervision), and the sweet strawberries that are now in season make it extra special.

Treacle gingerbread is another great option for younger kids to get stuck into. With a little help from their other parent, they should be able to present Dad with a box of delicious sticky gingerbread, either as a gift for his lunchboxes through the week or with a cup of tea on the day.

Here's a stylish pud to end your Father’s Day dinner. Dean Edwards’ baked blueberry cheesecake is simple, sophisticated and not overly sweet, with a spicy gingernut biscuit base. It only takes 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes in the oven, so you can spend more time at the dinner table.

This is a classic lovefood article that has been updated

Dad might also like:

The Hairy Bikers' roast belly of pork 

Jassy Davis' Beef Stroganoff

Melton Mowbray style pork pie