Meal times become the perfect check points of many people’s days. In these challenging times when many of our favourite restaurants and coffee shops are closed, the opportunity is for us to adapt and find pleasure in cooking both for essential meals and also for discovering new tastes. As we adapt to our long days at home, we also have made this place not only our home but our work place too. With so much going on it is handy to have a few recipes to hand that are simple, quick, nutritious and divinely delicious that we can turn to in our time of need. Here are a few of our favourites for you to enjoy:

Asparagus, a great British vegetable that welcomes the arrival of Spring. These fresh crisp spears are perfect for sprucing up any bland salad to add texture, bite and an all-important earthy undertone:

Serves 4

Cooks full steam 3-5 minutes100C

Prep: 10 minutes

1kg asparagus

1 bunch rocket

300g cherry tomatoes

40g Parmesan

Salt

Salad dressing

1 tsp honey mustard

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp any light flavoured oil

Salt

Black pepper, freshly ground

Cut off the hard bottom part of the asparagus and cut them diagonally into thirds. Slide the universal unperforated tray into the steam oven, place the asparagus in the perforated tray above it and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until firm to the bite.

To make the salad dressing, stir together the mustard, vinegar and oil then season with salt and pepper.

Wash the rocket and drain well. Halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes, depending on size.

After steaming, place the asparagus in a shallow dish. Add 2 tbsp of the juices from cooking the asparagus to the salad dressing and drizzle the dressing over the asparagus.

Arrange the rocket and tomatoes on 4 plates. Place the asparagus on top and drizzle with the salad dressing. Use a potato peeler to make Parmesan shavings. Scatter them over the salad and serve.

A recipe that is not to be looked past. Ready made pastry will become a staple in your fridge. This easy lunch time fix is full of omega goodness and wonderfully creamy. These delighfully light tartlets are a perfect lunchtime treat.

Makes:12

Cooks 4dHot Air 160C for 20-25 minutes

Prep : 20 minutes

1 pack of ready made puff pastry

55g/2oz smoked salmon trimmings

6 asparagus spears

1 egg

250ml single cream

500ml / 1pt single cream

1 lemon zest and juice

Black pepper

Roll out the pastry and cut into circles to line a 12-cup muffin tray.

Cut the asparagus in half, length ways, and into 1.5cm / 0.6” pieces, retaining the spear head. Put the rest in pastry cases.

Add the smoked salmon, sharing between cases, then sprinkle with black pepper.

Mix the egg, cream, lemon zest and juice and pour into cases. Add the spears to decorate.

Bake in a pre-heated oven with Hot Air function at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot or cold.

We spoke earlier about satisfying our cravings for good food. This dish is devilishly moreish and will certainly please even the harshest lunch time critic. The secret ingredient to making a staple macaroni cheese is to use plenty of different cheeses. Mix it up however you please, but here is our winning combination below:

Serves: 4-6

Cooks full steam 100C for 30 mins

Grill to brown190C for 5-6m minutes

Preparation: 25 minutes

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

400g macaroni pasta

300ml cream

320ml full fat milk

320ml chicken or vegetable stock

100g grated Gruyere cheese

100g grated mozzarella

100g grated smoked cheddar

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Salt

Black pepper

100g extra grated cheese (a mixture)

In a large ceramic or glass baking dish place the butter, onion and garlic. Place the dish in the oven, select Steam 100⁰C and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven. Add the macaroni*, cream, milk, stock, cheeses, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Stir carefully to combine all ingredients. Return the dish to the oven, select Steam 100⁰C and cook for a further 25 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and stir the macaroni well. Check the pasta is cooked, the macaroni may require more cooking time. All liquid should be absorbed by the pasta, with some moisture still present. Flatten out the macaroni with the back of a spoon.

Remove excess moisture from the oven and then select Grill large area level 3. Sprinkle the extra cheese on top of the macaroni cheese. Return the macaroni cheese to the oven and grill until cheese is golden brown.

^{*If you do not have a steam oven, you will need to cook the pasta on the hob first.}

As the weeks go on, it is hard to establish one day from the next. The Friday night treats, the Sunday roast, or did you just roast your chicken on a Wednesday? It is all a little confused at the moment but that is not to say we should just continue with the same meals every day either. Get a routine, plan your meals for the week and look forward to these treats to come. Save your fancy dinners for Saturday or whether you need a bowl of macaroni cheese as a ‘pick me up’ on a Wednesday, that is fine also. Use this time to explore winning combinations or to even use up leftovers in your fridge. Pastas, salads and even tartlets can be cooked up in many ways. Whatever your style, just remember: keep it simple, keep it fresh and keep it quick.