Dad's Cuisine

Lentil and coconut soup Great for cooler evenings, this comforting vegan lentil and coconut soup will warm you up, inside and out. We're about to enter our fifth week of lockdown, and we're now used to this new normal. Who knew there were so many hours in the day? We have so much time! I think the thing I've noticed the most is the amount of meals we get through. Usually - in what we now refer to as the olden days - we'd share one evening meal, gathered around the table hastily telling each other about our days' ups and downs. I'd often make dinner 24 hours in advance, so I could just chuck it into the oven to heat up - a great time saver when you're in a rush, but it does make the evenings stretch out.  I no longer start my days gulping down a quick coffee and nagging the kids to hurry up or they'll be late for school. Lunch is no longer a hasty sandwich at my desk. We can no longer have cheat nights and order a takeaway for dinner. Everything

Cheese and asparagus pastry pockets Spring is in the air. Celebrate the changing of the seasons with these cheese and asparagus pastry pockets. Cheese and asparagus pastry pockets April heralds the beginning of asparagus season, which is one of my favourite vegetables. I usually just roast them in the oven with some olive oil, salt and pepper, but lately I've had to get a bit more creative in the kitchen. Like most of you, I've been staying indoors over the past few weeks, keeping myself and my family as safe as I can. It means I can't see Dad, which is difficult for all of us, but we're keeping in touch every day and I send him some home-cooked meals a couple of times a week, much to his delight.  Spending all this time with my husband and kids (while working remotely full time and homeschooling two very energetic boys) has, beyond all expectations, been a real treat. But having to prepare three meals a day for four hungry mouths means that I hav