Stop horsing around with ready meals! Ditch the microwave, fire up the oven, and make your own comfort food instead. That way you'll definitely know what it is you're eating...
It all started three weeks ago, when traces of horsemeat were found in a Tesco frozen beefburger... but the latest twist of the tale is even worse - recent tests have revealed an up-to-100% horsemeat content in 'beef' lasagnes made by frozen food chain Findus. Unsurprisingly, there are now calls for a criminal enquiry into the scandal.
There is only one way to guarantee what ingredients go into our bodies: cook your own food! So ditch the microwave family favourites, and make them by hand instead. Every recipe below comes with a free, no-horsemeat guarantee.
Not a truly authentic bolognese, because it's made with strips of minute steak instead of mince... but Peter Sidwell's quick-as-a-flash main is still one of our favourites, because of its simplicity and freshness of ingredients. Roasted tomatoes add texture and bitterness, while fresh basil is used for aroma.
We love this classic cheeseburger recipe from Liz McClarnon. Make your patties from ground beef, seasoning and Worcestershire sauce, then make a well in the middle of each one and fill with about one tablespoon of grated Cheddar cheese. Fry on each side for an oozing finish, and stack in a bun with salad and gherkins.
Always trust a Mary Berry recipe. Shepherd's pie is the most comforting dish in the world, and you can make it and have it on the table in under an hour. Mary adds mushrooms, carrots, onion, garlic, beef stock and a little Worcestershire sauce to her minced lamb, then tops with fluffy mashed potato and bakes until golden.
"I can cook this dish with my eyes shut," says chef Lawrence Dallaglio. "This lasagne originates in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy, where my father was born, and has been handed down through generations of Dallaglios. You need nothing more than a mixed green salad to go with it."
A tasty way to enjoy one of your recommended weekly portions of oily fish (Lesley Walters makes it with salmon). Although this fish pie contains green beans and spring onion, you will need a further portion of veg to count as one of your 5 a day, so why not serve it with a side salad.
Welsh lamb expert Elwen Roberts lets the lamb mince speak for itself in this simple recipe. All you’ll need is fresh mint, seasoning, and crumbled feta to complete the burger mix; shape into six patties, cook for 12 or so minutes, and then assemble together with guacamole in a toasted ciabatta roll.
Italian chef Aldo Zilli makes his Bolognese with pork, not beef, which gives a lighter, tastier sauce. You’ll still need onions, red wine and chopped tomatoes, but this recipe calls for the addition of carrots and celery, too. As ever, finish with parmesan.
Leg of lamb, carrots, red wine, parsley, thyme, rosemary, pears, cranberries, orange, quine jelly… is there anything Lotte Duncan’s lamb pie doesn’t contain? It’s a real treat and takes a while to cook – perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. You could even leave the pastry out and serve with mash instead.
Made from the best beef money can buy, tomato ketchup, sweet chilli sauce… and that’s it. Mix it all together, then divide into patties, cook through, and serve in a floury bap, or on toasted ciabatta, with bean salad and a tomato dressing. Or chips with lots of vinegar, of course.
"This is a ball with plenty of flavour and texture," says chef Jez Felwick. "And I like to load up the chilli to increase the fire. The balls can take a good braise in any sauce, but I serve them in my spiced red onion and tomato version." This is the first meatball recipe that Jez sold to the public.
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