The site is run by Candy Delaney who aims to be your virtual 1950’s housewife by providing you with a free daily email with a recipe for your evening supper Monday to Friday. Each recipe has:

• No more than 550 calories
• No more than 10% saturated fat, but typically less than 5%
• A total preparation and cooking time of 30 minutes
• Wholesome ingredients, such that by the end of the week, you will have ticked off all nutritional guidelines

The best part is she sends you a weekly shopping list each Friday with the ingredients labeled by day of week so you’re extremely organised. Going out on Thursday? Don’t buy the Thursday items on the list. She also helps you sort out your kitchen from the get-go by giving you a list of “stock-up staples” – basics you should always have on hand.

Here are a few recent recipes to give you an idea of what you’re in for:

Pronto Prawn Paella

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
150g / 5 ¼ oz / ¾ cup paella rice
Pinch saffron
1 tsp paprika
400ml / 14 fl.oz / 1 ¾ cup vegetable stock (a vegetable stock / bouillon cube crumbled into 400ml of boiling water)
215g / 7 ¾ oz / 1 cup king prawns, cooked and peeled
100g / 3 ½ oz / ⅔ cup frozen peas
½ tbsp parsley

Method:
(1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, pepper and garlic and cook for 4 mins, or until the vegetables soften. (2) Stir in the paella rice, saffron and paprika. Combine well. (3) Pour in the stock and allow to simmer for 15 mins, or until the rice is tender. Add more stock or boiling water if necessary. (4) Add the prawns and peas for the last 4 mins of cooking time. Allow to heat through. Season to taste, stir in the parsley and serve up.

The Nitty-Gritty:
Serves 2
Average Calories: 491
Average Saturated Fat: 2.4g
3 of your 5-a-day

Moroccan Chicken Kebabs and Couscous

Ingredients:
1 ½ tbsp olive oil
10g / ⅓ oz fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, cut into chunks
300ml / ½ pt / 1 ¼ cup chicken stock (chicken stock / bouillon cube crumbled into 300ml boiling water)
100g / 3 ½ oz / ½ cup couscous
1 onion, cut into wedges and then flaked
1 courgette, sliced and quartered
½ aubergine, sliced and quartered
½ tbsp harissa paste

Method:
(1) Combine ⅔ of the oil with the parsley, garlic, paprika, cumin and the lime juice and zest in a mixing bowl. Then add the chicken chunks, cover well and leave to marinade for 15 mins. (2) Preheat the barbecue or grill. Thread the marinated chicken onto two skewers. Then grill for 10 mins, or until cooked, turning halfway. (3) Meanwhile, pour the chicken stock over the couscous. Leave to soak under a silver foil cover for 10 mins. Then fluff up with a fork. (4) Heat the remaining oil in a wok and add the onion, courgette and aubergine. Stir fry for 2 mins, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Then add the harissa paste and stir fry for another 2 mins. (5) Serve the Moroccan chicken kebabs with a side of the couscous and the harissa vegetables

The Nitty-Gritty:
Serves 2
Average Calories: 525
Average Saturated Fat: 2.5g
2 ½ of your 5-a-day

Raspberry, Prosciutto and Asparagus Salad

Ingredients:
300g / 10 ½ oz / 1 ¾ cup asparagus, tough ends trimmed
2 fresh peaches, stoned and thickly sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
125g / 4 ½ oz / 1 cup fresh raspberries
100g / 3 ½ oz / 3 ⅓ cups baby spinach
4 slices of prosciutto (parma ham), cut into thin strips
60g / 2 oz / ⅔ cup mozzarella, reduced fat, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 slices of wholemeal or rye bread

Method:
(1) Heat a saucepan of water and add the asparagus. Cook for 4 mins, or until tender but with bite. Then drain. (2) Dry-fry the peaches in a non-stick frying pan for 3 mins on one side, or until they look slightly charred. (3) To make the dressing, whisk the oil and vinegar together in a small bowl. Add a few crushed raspberries and then combine well. (4) Assemble the salad by placing the spinach in a salad bowl. Scatter over the raspberries, peach slices, prosciutto, mozzarella and warm asparagus. Drizzle the dressing over and gently toss everything together. (5) Serve up with a handsome hunk of bread and a refreshing glass of wine!

The Nitty-Gritty:
Serves 2
Average Calories: 398
Average Saturated Fat: 4.6g
3 of your 5-a-day

Maille® Honey & Mustard Prawn Skewers (snap right)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
12 raw and peeled tiger prawns
1 tbsp Maille® Dijon Mustard
Juice of a lime
2 tsp runny honey
Good pinch of chilli flakes
Potato salad and leafy salad for serving

Store:
Extra virgin olive oil

Method
De-vein prawns by slitting them down the back and removing the tract. Place in a bowl. Mix Maille® Dijon Mustard, lime juice, honey, and chilli flakes in a bowl and pour over prawns. Toss well, so all prawns are covered, then cover and leave in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Remove from fridge and load onto skewers – 3 per person.

On the barbecue, simply place them on the grill and turn after 1 minute. Don’t overcook. If it rains, heat oil in a non-stick pan and place skewers in. Cook around 1 minute each side – or until prawns turn pink.

Serve with potato salad and a leafy salad.

Maille® Fish in Foil (snap above)

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
16 spears asparagus
4 x 150g/6oz fillets of sustainable white fish
8 tsp Maille® Wholegrain Mustard
8 thin lemon slices
4 glasses dry white wine

Buttery new potatoes for serving

Method
First prepare the asparagus. Take each spear and snap off at the bottom end – it will break in the natural place where the tough stalk ends and the tender spear starts. Reserve.

Place a sheet of foil large enough to enclose each fish fillet in a parcel on a worktop. Spread each fish fillet with 2 tsp Maille® Wholegrain Mustard and place on a sheet of foil, top with lemon slices. Bring long sides of the foil up to enclose, pour in a glass of wine in each parcel then seal foil.

Place parcels on the barbecue turning half way through cooking (cooking time will depend on barbecue but check after ten minutes or so). Cook asparagus separately on the barbecue or steam.

If cooking in the oven, include asparagus in the parcel and place on a baking sheet in a pre heated oven Gas 6 / 200C / 400F for 30 minutes.

Serve either in the foil, so guests open it on their plates, or open the foil and lift on to warm plates. Spoon over juices and serve with buttery new potatoes.

I’ve been trying to research whether or not we are allowed to grill in the parks, Fortune Green in particular. I called Camden and after talking with three people one finally told me we are not allowed, based on the document A guide to Camden’s parks and open spaces. However a quick search of the document found no mention of bbq-ing in the parks.

Now, I’m not talking about hauling a massive grill into a public space. I’ve got my eye on this beauty:

Bodum’s new FYRKAT picnic charcoal grill is on sale for £30 (reg. £70). I am a wee bit obsessed with it to be honest! It’s just 39 cm x 39 cm x 36 cm  and comes in black, white, orange, yellow, green and blue. At the moment I’m leaning toward yellow…

If you know of the restrictions in Camden, please speak up! If not we may just go for it. Can’t harm, right?!

I’m willing to bet this is harder than it sounds. For example I can see it being a bit of a comedy show trying to get the boiling hot eggs into the ice water at precisely 1 minute 45 seconds but maybe that would just be me.

If you’re game, here is the recipe. From Waitrose.com to me to you.

Ingredients
10 medium eggs
450g Waitrose Premium Pork Sausagemeat Stuffing or 6 Waitrose Gourmet Pork Sausages, skins removed
1 heaped tsp thyme leaves (approximately ¼ packet)
45g French’s mustard
½ level tsp cayenne pepper
Seasoning
1 packet of chives, chopped
Plain flour
50ml milk
125g Cooks’ Ingredients Breadcrumbs
Ground nut oil, for frying

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190c, gas mark 5. Place 8 eggs in a large pan with enough cold water to cover them by 2cm and place over a high heat. As soon as the water starts to simmer, set a timer for 1 minute 45 seconds exactly. While the eggs are cooking, fill a bowl with cold water and ice and after the exact time has elapsed, take the eggs out of the saucepan and plunge them into the water to cool.
2. Place the sausagemeat in a bowl and add the thyme, mustard, cayenne pepper, seasoning, chopped chives and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix thoroughly and form 8 patties with your hands (dip your hands in cold water if the mix sticks). Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
3. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, gently remove the shells. Flatten each pattie into a circle and place an egg in the centre. Wrap the sausagemeat around the egg, pressing the edges in order to seal it but being careful not to press too hard.
4. Put the flour into a small bowl and season. In a second small bowl, beat the remaining 2 eggs and stir in the milk. Put the breadcrumbs into a third bowl. Roll each egg in the flour, gently tapping off any excess, then dip it in the beaten egg and finally, roll it in the breadcrumbs, making sure that all sides are coated
5. Heat a deep fat fryer to 190c or fill a saucepan with oil deep enoughto cover the eggs and heat to 190c. Fry the Scotch eggs 2 at a time for 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a drying rack over a baking tray. When all the eggs have been fried, place the tray in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Serve immediately while the yolks are still runny.Copyright Heston Blumenthal 2010

Serving tips
Make a mustard mayonnaise to dip the eggs in by stirring 1 tbsp of French’s mustard into 3 tbsp of mayonnaise.

I usually buy a bunch of rosemary or coriander for one recipe and then the rest goes to waste (for shame!) so the ideas here are a great reminder of how to use your herbs and not waste them!

Rosemary

* Throw some fresh rosemary on the barbecue. It creates a wonderful aroma which will make your mouth water.
* Chicken is a perfect partner for Rosemary, so lay a sprig on your chicken pieces on the barbecue.
* Jazz up a tub of fresh olives by combining them with fresh chopped rosemary (discarding the woody stem first), finely chopped sundried tomatoes and a little olive oil.

Coriander

* To make a tasty marinade for the barbecue, combine two tablespoons of fresh chopped coriander with the juice of one lime, one tablespoon olive oil and crushed garlic clove with freshly ground black pepper. Use to marinade chicken or mushroom and halloumi kebabs either as a vegetarian option or side dish.
* Add a taste of the Mediterranean to your summer dishes by making a vibrant salsa. Take four large ripe chopped tomatoes, add two tablespoons chopped fresh coriander, half a red onion, two de-seeded and chopped green chillies, the juice of one lime and a pinch of sugar and season.
* Add a taste of Mexico to your summer barbecue by combining coriander with green chillies, garlic and lime juice to make a dressing for vegetables.

Chives

* For a tasty and indulgent side dish, bake your potatoes and when cooked, cut in half and carefully scoop out the insides without damaging the skins. Mix in a bowl with a dash of cream, butter, a handful of chopped chives and some grated cheese. Scoop back into the shells and place under a hot grill for a few minutes until browned.
* To add a personal touch to your summer salads, just add a handful of chopped fresh herbs. In addition to making your salad look spectacular, chopped chives, parsley, coriander and basil all add wonderful taste and texture.
* Snip chives into sour cream to create a home-made sour cream and chive dip.

Mint

* Fresh mint is the staple of the British summer. Keep it to hand to add to Pimms, decorate sorbets and desserts and to make refreshing mint tea by simply steeping a handful in hot water.
* Mint is also delicious in a mint, lime and yogurt marinade, using two tablespoons low fat plain yogurt, half a tablespoon of chopped fresh mint and the finely grated zest and juice of half a lime. The marinade is delicious with lean lamb leg steaks cut into cubes as a kebab.
* Pop some sprigs of mint on the saucepan when you’re boiling new potatoes. It gives them a fresh but subtle flavour. Discard the leaves when you drain the potatoes, but garnish with more mint just before serving.

Basil

* The refreshing flavours of mozzarella, tomatoes and basil are a classic combination which make the perfect accompaniment to barbecued meat. Simply slice beef tomatoes and mozzarella lay them on a plate, each disc overlapping and garnish with lots of torn basil leaves. The vibrant colours are sure to impress your guests and brighten up the table.
* Liven up garlic bread by adding some basil. Chop a handful of basil leaves and combine with two tablespoons butter and two garlic cloves. Spread the butter mixture on ciabatta (sliced lengthways) and grill for 2-3 minutes.
* Make the most of summer flavours by roasting tomatoes in a little olive oil and garlic. Add a few handfuls of torn basil and serve with crusty bread

Parsley

There are two varieties of parsley – curly or flat leafed. Flat leaf is used widely in Mediterranean cooking and has a stronger, sweeter flavour than curly.
*Fresh chopped parsley is delicious stirred through pasta with a little olive oil, for a simple, but tasty dish.
*For a light summer lunch, add chopped fresh parsley to a cheese omelette
*Add chopped fresh parsley to homemade croutons.

The best way to store cut herbs is to either place the bag in the salad drawer of the refrigerator or for maximum freshness, cut 2cm off the stalks and put in a cup of water in the refrigerator. Try to avoid submerging the leaves in the water.

We picked strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, tayberries (apparently a blackberry-raspberry hybrid) and then headed to the veg patch for courgettes, beetroot and french beans. Blackcurrents were also in season but a bit picked over and onions, spinach and swiss chard were available too.

Here is a picture of our haul:

We started out by accidentally picking off-limits strawberries (I guess they’d just been sprayed with pesticides–eek!) so we got some REALLY nice ones. Otherwise the strawberries were a bit picked over. Blackberries had literally just come in season today so we got lucky on that. We were told the best day to go is Tuesday because the farm is closed Monday.

This really is such a brilliant thing to do with your kids. Every query of “shall we pick some (insert vegetable)?” was met by “I love (insert vegetable)!” and finding ripe raspberries was like a treasure hunt. It was really fun. Maybe I had the most fun!

Afterward we went home to make jam. I’ve never made jam but this recipe by Jamie Oliver looked super-easy and they sold jam sugar at the farm. I’m just not sure we cooked it all long enough because nothing is quite firming up. The jars are all in the fridge now so we’ll see…

Here are our lovely clean strawberries.

Here they are mashed up on the stove.

And once they’ve been cooked up.

This is the mixed berry jam before cooking. I mean, YUM.

We made LOTS! I followed Jamie’s preserving method mentioned in the barbecue sauce recipe from the Jamie’s America cookery book. Submerge the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. The lids all popped down, so I’m hoping this won’t kill us later…

Finally, we made labels.

Highly recommend!

Taking kids to a farm and showing them how food grows is a great way to get them excited about eating healthfully. Not to mention it is GREAT value for money. You can expect to pay around £3.50-£4 per kilo for PYO strawberries (almost half what you’d pay in many supermarkets).

It seems like a brilliant coincidence that my Netmums Camden newsletter came with a link to a section on PYO farms. If you’re in Camden, here are Netmum’s closest recommendations. For everyone else, PickYourOwn.info offers a map of every farm in the country!

SummerActivitesforKids.co.uk also has some great ideas for getting kids excited about the day out, like planning a menu of what you’ll make with your fruit. It also offers a checklist of tips (don’t forget the sun cream!)

And if you can’t get out to a PYO this summer remember it’s not all about strawberries – you can pick other crops throughout the year–just check the websites for details.

Fruit
At its best: apricots, blackcurrants, blueberries, broadbeans, cherries, gooseberries, peaches, raspberries, redcurrants, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon

Coming in: figs, plums, peaches

Veg
At its best: asparagus, aubergines, basil, beetroot, cavalo nero, courgettes, fennel bulbs, garlic, globe artichokes, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, new potatoes, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, samphire, sorrel, spinach, swiss chard, watercress

Coming in: broccoli, cabbage, celery, sweetcorn

Meat
At its best: lamb

Coming in: autumn lamb, grouse

Fish
At its best: crab, halibut, salmon, tuna

Here are a few really lovely ice lolly moulds to help you do just that.

Set of 6 Umbrella Ice Lolly Moulds from Argos – £4.99

Funny Face Lolly Moulds from Lakeland – £7.99

Happymummy Rocket Ice-Lolly Moulds from BPA-Free Baby – £4.99

Zoo Pops Ice Lolly Moulds from Kitch’n'fun – £7.99

American strawberry shortcake – The classic American summer dessert. I’ve simplified this recipe from Waitrose.

Ingredients
250g self-raising flour
50g butter, diced
50g caster sugar
100-150ml milk

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Lightly butter a 20cm-diameter cake tin with a removable base. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and rosemary and stir in enough milk to draw the mixture into a soft dough. Knead briefly until smooth. Roll out lightly on a floured surface, and gently press evenly into the prepared tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until risen, firm to the touch and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Serve with heaps of sliced strawberries sweetened with caster sugar and whipped cream.

Strawberry jam – Try this dead-simple strawberry jam recipe from Jamie Oliver.

Ingredients
1 vanilla pod
1kg strawberries, washed and hulled
500g high pectin sugar (jam sugar)

Method
Slit the vanilla pod in half lengthways with a sharp knife and scrape down the length of each half to remove the seeds. Put the seeds in a bowl with the strawberries and the sugar. Mush up with the end of a whisk, making sure you leave some chunks of strawberry.

Pour the strawberry mixture into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off, skim any foam or scum off the top of the jam and leave to cool a little. Pour into clean jam jars and allow to cool completely before covering and placing in the fridge. The jam will keep for about a week.

Strawberry ice cream – Nigella’s recipe looks amazing!

Ingredients
500g strawberries
175g caster sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
500ml full-fat milk
500ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
10 egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

1. Hull and roughly chop the strawberries, put them into a bowl and sprinkle over the 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and leave them to steep and infuse with flavour.
2. Pour the milk and cream into a heavy-based saucepan, and add the vanilla pod, split down the middle lengthways. Bring the pan nearly to the boil and then take it off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.
3. In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and the 175g sugar until thick and pale yellow. Take the vanilla pod out of the milk and cream and pour, whisking the while, the warm liquid over the yolks. Put the cleaned-out pan back on the heat with the cream, milk, egg and sugar mixture and stir the custard until it thickens, then take it off the heat and pour it into a bowl to cool.
4. Purée the strawberries in a processor, and when the custard is cool fold in the lemon juice and strawberry purée.
5. At this point you can either freeze the ice cream in an ice-cream maker, or in a plastic tub in the freezer. If you do the latter you should whip it out every hour for 3 hours as it freezes and give it a good beating, either with an electric whisk, by hand or in the processer. That gets rid of any ice crystals that form and that make the ice cream crunchy rather than smooth.
ADDITIONAL INFO – Before you begin making the custard fill the sink half full with cold water. If you think the custard looks like splitting at any stage, plunge the pan into the cold water and whisk like mad.