You've been tasked with making your kid's birthday cake this year and looking for some showstopping inspiration, well, you've come to the right place. 

From a no-bake train cake for those with a fear of ovens and soggy bottoms to a clever anti-gravity cake that will boggle your little ones' minds, we've got you – and your small party guests – covered with our range of statement cakes to stand proudly on your kid's party food table. And you'll be glad to know that all include top tips for making your kid's birthday cake that little bit easier.

There are ideas to suit everyone from total novice bakers to those who could give a Bake Off contestant a run for their money, all of which will be the star of the show amidst all the other party buffet food. And speaking of Bake Off, we've got cakes from the tent's most famous inhabitant, Nadiya Hussain, and another show winner, Jo Wheatley. 

We also spoke to expert baker, Sophia Butler, who makes cakes for children's parties at The Sugar Tea Room to get her take on making a kid's birthday cake; "Vanilla cakes are the easiest to bake and decorate," says Sophia. "A simple all-in-one recipe, with equal flour, butter, sugar, eggs, and a splash of vanilla extract makes the best sponge. Add some jam or buttercream in the middle and the cake will be perfect!" 

Here are our best kid's birthday cake recipes and ideas for you to recreate at home...

Birthday cake ideas for kids

1. Jo Wheatley’s rainbow vanilla sponge

Serves: 8-10 | Prep time: 45 mins | Cook time: 25 mins

This adorable and very fun cake comes courtesy of The Great British Bake Off winner Jo Wheatley (you'll need to cast your mind back as far as 2011 for that one). It's a great one for less confident bakers, as the sponge is a basic – and classic vanilla, and there's no fancy fondant work – it's just about ready-to-roll icing and Smarties. You'll need some blue food colouring for the buttercream. Making the rainbow is a little fiddly but not at all complex, and is secured in place with cocktail sticks, disguised with buttercream clouds.

Get the recipe: Jo Wheatley’s rainbow vanilla sponge

2. No-bake train cake

Serves: 6-8 | Prep time: 1 hour 

If you're not so hot on the old baking skills, you'll be on the right track (sorry) by putting together this showstopper made entirely from shop-bought cakes and biscuits you can find at any supermarket – or even in the corner shop if you're tight on time. It's a chance to exercise your creative skills without concerns for soggy bottoms or burnt sponges, and it's super fun to put together with the kids. The result is next level.

Get the recipe: No-bake train cake

3. Pink wafer ice-cream cake

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 1 hour, plus overnight freezing

Made from shop-bought strawberry and vanilla ice cream (though you could switch out for other flavours), this ice cream cake is simpler than it looks and will be a triumph with the kids. Best suited for a party at home, as it won't easily be transportable, make it the day before the big reveal, as it needs to be set in the freezer overnight. Great for summer parties.

Get the recipe: Pink wafer ice cream cake

4. Oreo layer cake

Serves: 12-14 | Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins | Cook time: 55 mins

Oreo enthusiasts will be utterly thrilled with this towering Oreo cake because it's not just topped with Oreos (that do indeed have sprinkles stuck to them, just when you thought they couldn't love them more), but also contains them crushed into the frosting. Delicious!

Get the recipe: Oreo layer cake

5. Stained glass cake

Serves: 16 | Prep time: 1 hour 20 mins | Cook time: 1 hour 10 mins

A stained glass window in cake form? Sure. This glorious design would work just as well for an adult birthday celebration. The almond sponge is a relatively simple one (note to self to check any nut allergies before serving) and the shards are made from melted boiled sweets – multi-coloured obvs – with liquid glucose. The best bit? Once set and cooled, smash them into shards to decorate the cake. 

Get the recipe: Stained glass cake

6. Nadiya Hussain's confetti birthday cake

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 35 mins | Cook time: 25 mins

Nadiya knows a thing or two about a special celebration cake (as the late Queen would have testified), and our favourite thing about this pastel wonder is that the colour isn't from artificial food colouring – the pink comes courtesy of using real strawberries. So, it's basically good for you, right? A simple bake perfect for amateur bakers. Just don't forget the sprinkles.

Get the recipe: Nadiya Hussain's confetti birthday cake

7. Digger cake

Serves: 6-8 | Prep time: 40 mins | Cook time: 20 mins

Make a simple cocoa sponge (or even buy one – bad bakers rejoice!) and transform it into this seriously impressive digger cake using chocolate fingers, crumbled Oreos, and your kid's favourite mini toys. The chocolate finger fence keeps all the 'rubble' in place. A bit of housekeeping – don't forget to give those toys a good wash and a soak in boiling water to sterilise them. Oh, and remind the little ones that they aren't actually edible…

Get the recipe: Digger cake

8. Chocolate fingers cake

Serves: 8 | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 25 mins

An absolute classic kid's birthday party favourite is this choc sponge, wrapped in a fence of chocolate fingers and topped with a ton of Smarties (don't be shy) and other sweets. Choose a selection – Maltesers, marshmallows, Dolly Mixtures, jellies, whatever takes your fancy – and they can either be compartmentalised into sections or just all piled on together for ease. Divine. 

Get the recipe: Chocolate fingers cake

9. Rainbow cake

Serves: 15 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 40 mins

Easier than it looks, the biggest challenge here is finding five cake tins to bake the different colour sponges (and remembering how to make colours from other colours, to not overspend on food colourings!). Stick the sponges together with a layer of lemon curd for a little tang and some extra sweetness, spread over the frosting, roll in sprinkles, and await squeals of delight.

Get the recipe: Rainbow cake

10. Birthday present cake

Serves: 8-10 | Prep time: 1 hour 30 mins (plus various chilling times) | Cook time: 25 mins

One for those who are a dab hand with the fondant, this impressive creation takes a bit of patience and skill. Still, the step-by-step hand-holding instructions mean even those with neither can give it a good go so, if you fancy channeling your inner Bake Off contestant, then knock yourself out. It's a labour of love and one that is well worth it.

Get the recipe: Birthday present cake

11. Polka dot cake

Serves: 16 | Prep time: 3 hours | Cook time: 35 mins

One for those with plenty of baking kit (think a cake pop-making machine) at their disposal, and a reasonable amount of time and skill, this stunning cake is well worth going the extra mile. After making the multi-coloured cake pops, they're added to the regular batter, for a brilliant polka-dotted sponge effect. Once cooled, the cake is covered in buttercream and circles of multi-coloured cut-out fondant. A spot of joy.

Get the recipe: Polka dot cake

12. Chocolate and marshmallow birthday cake

Makes/serves: 10 | Prep time: 40 mins | Cook time: 55 mins

An easy one that will be every bit as loved as a fancy, time-consuming bake, this choc cake topped with fresh cream and marshmallows won't keep long, but that's hardly a worry as the kids will likely snaffle it in record time. The sponge contains ground almonds so be sure to check in about the party guests' dietary requirements.

Get the recipe: Chocolate and marshmallow birthday cake

13. Giant chocolate cupcake

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 25 mins | Cook time: 50 mins

A cupcake for 12 you say? And why not? This recipe could be adapted for any flavour sponge and variety of toppings. The key piece of the kit is a giant cupcake mould (these can be bought on Amazon) – other than that, it's the same as prepping any other cake. Cover with a chocolate ganache and pipe buttercream on top and you're good to go. 

Get the recipe: Giant chocolate cupcake

14. Chocolate cola cake

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 30 mins

An excellent use for that flat bottle of cola in the fridge (or if you don't have a flat one, make sure you pour it out a while in advance to de-fizz a little), this basic choc sponge is livened up with a glass of iconic pop, giving it the edge over a bog standard chocolate cake. Decorate with cola bottles (feel free to add fizzy ones too) and other chocolates of choice. 

Get the recipe: Chocolate cola cake

15. Piñata cake

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 25 mins

If there's one thing a kid loves more than a piñata, it's a piñata in cake form. And, while this might feel complicated, it's essentially a regular sponge, hollowed out, filled with a mix of sweets, and covered in buttercream. Never mind the kids, we want one for our next birthday celebration, please.

Get the recipe: Piñata cake

16. Giant rainbow cupcake

Serves: 8 | Prep time: 50 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

Using a giant cupcake mould, this is a rainbow cake in a new guise. The recipe uses nine multi-coloured layers, but you could do less to save time and lessen the fiddly stuff. Sprinkle with Skittles and any other candies of choice (being colourful is the only stipulation) and stick a big candle with the birthday child's age on top. Delightful.

Get the recipe: Giant rainbow cupcake

17. Pick and mix chocolate and sweet cake

Serves: 8 | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

A choc finger cake turned into a pick and mix counter? The dream. Use chocolate jazzies, Love Hearts, white chocolate mice, and all the classics, to fill separate sections of the topping. Looks so effective, and tastes so good. Choose whatever sponge you fancy, though chocolate is always a winner. The kids will be more fussed about the toppings, so it's even ok to just buy the cake. Win-win. 

Get the recipe: Pick and mix chocolate and sweet cake

18. Rocky road cake

Serves: 6 | Prep time: 25 mins | Cook time: 55 mins

Didn't think Rocky Road could be bettered? It just was… This is a chocolate sponge but with all the added joys of smashed biscuits, choc chips, and raisins (feel free to add glace cherries too, and to swap the digestives for ginger nuts, amaretti biscuits or any other cookies of choice). Drizzle over melted white choc and decorate with mini marshmallows – and you've got yourself a sure-fire hit.

Get the recipe: Rocky Road cake

19. Anti gravity cake

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 45 mins

A clever-looking cake that requires very little cleverness as a baker. Make (or buy) a basic chocolate sponge, slather it in buttercream, pop some straws in it, and cover those in buttercream too, then stick on a very generous amount of M&Ms or Smarties. The kids will be mad about it and you'll feel like the most popular person in town, which is always nice. 

Get the recipe: Anti-gravity cake

20. Reese's Pieces chocolate peanut butter cake

Serves: 16 | Prep time: 45 mins | Cook time: 45 mins

It goes without saying that this one needs an allergy warning but, now that we've got the non-fun stuff out of the way, let's crack on with celebrating this glorious cake. A rich chocolate cake covered in peanut butter flavoured buttercream, topped with a silky chocolate ganache, and topped with halved mini peanut butter cups in the ultimate celebration of America's iconic chocolate bar. Yes, please.

Get the recipe: Reese's Pieces chocolate peanut butter cake

21. Chocolate marble cake

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins

A somewhat sophisticated bake that could be best suited to older kids and teens. The cake is marbled with a mix of dark choc and white choc sponges, covered in Nutella buttercream and a chocolate glaze, and decorated with homemade marbled chocolate shards. And that's rather a lot of chocolate, not that there's such a thing as too much chocolate, of course.

Get the recipe: Chocolate marble cake

22. Giant peanut butter Kit Kat Chunky

Serves: 12 | Prep time: 25 mins, plus setting time 

A fabulous-looking 'cake' (ok, actually a massive biscuit) that requires zilch in the way of baking.  It just needs wafer biscuits (we recommend hazelnut flavour, but it's down to personal preference), smooth peanut butter, and melted milk chocolate. Oh, and some cookie cutters to write KitKat on top of the cake. Wonderful. 

Get the recipe: Giant peanut butter Kit Kat Chunky

23. Chocolate explosion drip cake

Serves: 8 | Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 20 mins

Perfect for older kids, teens, and, frankly, adults, this drip cake is a sophisticated showstopper. A choc sponge, covered in buttercream and chocolate ganache, the big appeal is the topper filled with a variety of chocolate bars. Choose a mix of shapes and sizes – think everything from Galaxys to Curly Wurlys, Kinder Buenos to Ripples, as well as individual treats like Rolos, Maltesers, and choc pretzels. 

Get the recipe: Chocolate explosion drip cake

24. Giant Rice Krispie cake

Serves: 28 | Prep time: 20 mins, plus chilling 

It's easy, serves a lot of kids (so perfect for one of those big whole-class parties), and is very cheap to make. Win, win, win there, then. The drizzled-over chocolate is made from melted Mars Bars and you have free rein to decorate in whichever way your child's heart desires. Choc buttons, mini marshmallows, sprinkles, there are no rules…

Get the recipe: Giant Rice Krispie cake

25. Chocolate ganache cake

Serves: 15 | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 35 mins

A three-sponge cake – with white, milk, and dark layers – is covered in a rich and silky ganache and topped with white chocolate stars. Of course, the topping could be switched out for whatever you like – crumbled-up Crunchie bars or Maltesers, choc chips, rainbow sprinkles, edible glitter – the choice is yours.

Get the recipe: Chocolate ganache cake

26. Nadiya Hussain's spiced pumpkin Halloween birthday cake

Serves: 20 | Prep time: 1 hour 10 mins | Cook time: 50 mins

An excellent one for an Autumnal birthday, but, really, this cutely spooky spider cake will go down a storm at any time of the year. The sponge features butternut squash or pumpkin (which if you're pulling a face, may we remind you how much you love carrot cake?) and the spiders are chocolate-covered Oreos with liquorice legs. Sweet, in more ways than one.

Get the recipe: Nadiya Hussain's spiced pumpkin Halloween birthday cake

For more birthday cake inspiration, how about trying to make your very own caterpillar cake or a masterpiece inspired by one of the best Frozen birthday cake ideas or Bluey birthday cake ideas. 

And don't forget to have a look at how to cut a birthday cake to make the most out of the cake and ensure everyone gets a slice in their party bags.

One of these tried and tested rainbow cakes could make a great base for your design too, or one of our tried and tested caterpillar cakes solves the dilemma without breaking a sweat.

We've rounded up the best Valentine's Day dinner ideas, from push-the-boat-out options like lobster with saffron mayo to a hearty coq au vin pie as well as delicious ideas for starters and desserts.

"With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I’ve been thinking about the perfect menu. Considerations are the time of year, who I’m cooking for, and what our favourite foods are," says private chef Michaela Hanna, who is opting for a crab linguine followed by a rhubarb crème brûlée - one of her best Valentine's Day desserts. 

"Any mealtime can be made to feel that extra bit special just by spending time preparing the meal – it really doesn’t matter what it is, time is incredibly precious, so if you are spending yours creating something tasty for the person you love, you're onto a winner. Make them something you know they enjoy or wouldn’t normally cook themselves. Keep it simple – good ingredients speak for themselves; we don’t have to overcomplicate things unnecessarily – seasonality and provenance will get all of us a long way."

Otherwise, it might be that you go for a Valentine's dine in for two deal, though cooking a meal from scratch can be cost-effective, too. Eating seasonally helps with the budget of creating a special dinner. "If we look for seasonal ingredients, we should be paying the best price for them because they’re in abundance and readily available so, if you are on a tight budget, that’s a great way of keeping an eye on your spend," says Michaela, who cooks for luxury travel companies and private estates. "Looking for cheaper cuts of meat that take longer to cook is also a great way of saving money, and a pressure cooker or slow cooker will help with energy bills."

Valentine's Day dinner ideas and recipes

1. Valentino tomato tarts

Serves/Makes: 4 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 30 mins

"This is such a fantastic Valentine's starter choice," says Michaela Hanna. "You can make the tomato sauce a couple of days ahead to save time on the day. The tarts will taste fantastic at room temperature, so you can bake them and leave them for 30 minutes while you’re having pre-dinner drinks – great if you are feeling a little nervous about cooking. Also, you can omit the salami if you're catering for a vegetarian."

This makes four, so save some for the kids who will appreciate them just as much as you, if not more, plus any leftover tomato sauce will do nicely for a pasta dinner the next day.

Get the recipe: Valentino tomato tarts

2. Valentine strawberry salad

Makes: 2 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 15 mins

Strawberries? In a salad? Yes, really. The sweetness of the strawberries compliments the salty crumbly feta just beautifully, and it's a perfect light appetizer that won't be too over-facing before your main event. Toasted goat's cheese works wonderfully too in place of the feta, should that be your cheese of choice. 

Get the recipe: Valentine strawberry salad

3. Beetroot and butternut squash bruschetta

Serves: 2 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 25 mins

"A delicious, earthy, winter starter that is sure to get the taste buds firing," says Michaela Hanna. "To save your hands from turning purple, wear a pair of gloves while you peel and chop the beetroot. 

Don’t be shy with the seasoning – roasted vegetables have a naturally sweet note, so sea salt is a good balance, as well as adding a squeeze of lemon juice if you have some to hand, which will add a touch of acidity." The addition of chilli and honey is a sweet and spicy flavour sensation, and the pumpkin seeds add another textural layer to a knockout dish.

Get the recipe: Beetroot and butternut squash bruschetta

4. Mozzarella and tomato ‘bruschetta’ salad

Serves: 2 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins

This deconstructed bruschetta is a feast for the senses, and much of it comes from jarred ingredients too, with a fair share of the flavour coming from jarred peppers, anchovies, and olives. Opt for the freshest, best-quality toms on the vine, a decent mozzarella, and a strong extra virgin olive oil to really make those taste buds sing. 

As well as a starter for dinner, this dish would work well as Valentine's lunch dish for your beloved, maybe even with a cheeky afternoon vino. Don't mind if we do.

Get the recipe: Mozzarella and tomato ‘bruschetta’ salad

5. Grilled scallops with basil oil and cream

Serves: 2 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins

You don't need to do much to a scallop to make it sing, as it will very beautifully here with the addition of a mere four ingredients. Basil oil is the flavour key – make your own by whizzing a handful of the fresh stuff with half the quantity of olive oil, a clove of garlic, and a pinch of sea salt. 

The butter is important too, though you could omit the cream if you prefer a less rich beginning to a meal, particularly as the scallops themselves are pretty meaty and filling. Three scallops are plenty to get the taste buds a-tingling ahead of your main course. 

Get the recipe: Grilled scallops with basil oil and cream

6. Chilli crab cakes

Serves: 2 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 21 mins

"Crab is my most favourite seafood – full of flavour, and decadent without being extravagant," says Michaela Hanna. "To be extra sure your partner is going to enjoy these crab cakes, pick through the crab meat to ensure there is no cartilage or shell in it. 

It is also important the make sure the mix is cool before shaping the cakes, otherwise, it will be too soft – just as it is important to rest them for 20 minutes in the fridge before frying. You can prepare them the day before so they are ready to fry and you can enjoy your evening without having to do all the preparation."

Get the recipe: Chilli crab cakes

7. Coq au vin pie

Serves: 2 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 1 hr 30 mins

The classic French chicken in red wine dish is given a spin as a decadent pie filling, wrapped in shortcrust pastry for a hearty, comforting treat of a dish on a cozy evening for two. 

It's wonderful served with a side of indulgent dauphinoise potatoes but, should you not wish to be stuffed and horizontal (in the non-romantic sense of the word) before pudding, opt for a lighter side of steamed green beans or mangetout. 

Get the recipe: Coq au vin pie

8. Gordon Ramsay’s beef Wellington

Serves/Makes: 4 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 10 mins

A classic special occasion dish made by an iconic chef? That'll be a great big Valentine's day dish tick. If budget allows, Gordon recommends a fillet of prime Aberdeen Angus (and we don't like to disobey Gordon), which is then coated in an indulgent mushroom duxelles before wrapping it in Parma ham and encasing in flaky pastry (and no, you don't need to make your own). 

Pay heed to the cooking times as your showcase dinner must be deliciously pink in the middle, so ensure not to overdo it. Serve with light veggie sides, such as creamed spinach, steamed green beans, and Tenderstem broccoli. 

Get the recipe: Gordon Ramsay’s beef Wellington

9. Gluten-free veggie wellington

Serves: 8 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 1 hr 15 mins

"This is a great make-ahead dinner, and special enough to serve on Valentine’s Day," says Michaela Hanna. "Two top tips before you start – make sure the beetroot you buy isn’t pickled. You can often find pre-cooked beetroot in fridge salad sections, or cook it yourself – it's easy to do, just peel the beetroot (use gloves) and boil for 30 – 60 minutes, depending on the size of your vegetable. 

If you can find them, mixed up regular beetroot with golden beetroot for contrasting colours. When you have finished piling up your filling, make sure you roll the pastry so it’s nice and tight and will keep its shape when cooked. You could do all the preparation the day before and cook the Wellington on Valentine’s Day – stress-free cooking!"

Get the recipe: Gluten-free veggie Wellington

10. Steak

If there's a better special occasion treat of a dinner out there, we're yet to find it. "I think cooking a really fantastic steak for the one you love on Valentine’s Day is a fantastic idea – I would certainly be delighted!" says Michaela Hanna. "There are excellent tips and tricks on how to cook steak and choose the perfect piece of meat and I would recommend spending a little more for quality and having a slightly smaller portion if budget is a concern. If you can find 100% grass-fed beef, you will be eating some of the finest products available."

And as much as a well-cooked steak can hold its own on a dinner plate with little need for fanfare, as it's Valentine's Day, let's talk about the best homemade steak sauces. "Steak without sauce isn’t steak in my book… even a little garlic and rosemary butter would tick the box," says Michaela. "With so many choices, think about the sides you are serving with your steak and the time of year. Valentine’s Day in mid-winter says dauphinoise potatoes, charred sprouts, and bearnaise, brandy, or peppercorn to me. Seasonality is so important, and will give you the best accompaniments for the time of year."

11. Griddled lobster with saffron mayo

Serves/Makes: 2 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 50 mins

It doesn't come much more indulgent and romantic than serving your very own lobster with a lobster. This recipe delivers pleasingly thorough instructions on how to boil and prep for serving but, should that be out of your culinary comfort zone, opt for a ready-cooked lobster. 

Equally, this dish will work beautifully with the equally special use of langoustines or king prawns. Making your own mayo, infused with saffron for extra fancy points, is absolutely worth the effort. Serve with homemade fries or baby new potatoes and a green salad.

Get the recipe: Griddled lobster with saffron mayo

12. Monkfish with Parma ham

Serves: 2 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 25 mins

Monkfish is a meaty, robust, yet tender and very tasty fish that we don't use enough of in our home cooking, in our opinion. Bring restaurant-style dining to your kitchen table by wrapping two fillets in Parma ham and infusing them with fresh rosemary. It's that simple. 

Just keep a close eye on the cooking time so as not to overdo the fish. Serve with garlic roast potatoes, and a creamy mash, or push the boat out with a dauphinoise. Then add a side of asparagus, sugar snap peas, or mange tout – or all of the above. Divine.

Get the recipe: Monkfish with Parma ham

13. One-pot smoked salmon pasta

Serves: 4| Skill level: Easy | Total time: 30 mins

Given that Valentine's Day is a weeknight affair this year, a dish that feels special without being hugely high on effort – and without the need for added side dishes –could well be in order. "This recipe is ideal for anyone short on time, or who is a little nervous about cooking from scratch. It couldn’t be simpler or quicker to prepare this pasta dish and the flavours are delicate and incredibly tasty. 

My top tip for this recipe is to ensure you boil off the alcohol from the wine when you add it to the pan – the sauce could taste acrid otherwise. Also, make sure all the ingredients are prepared before you start cooking the pasta – time will whizz past as you put this dish together."

Get the recipe: One-pot smoked salmon pasta

14. Crab ravioli

Serves/Makes: 2 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 10 mins

Making your own ravioli is a true labour of love, for your love, and will feel extra special, as well as allowing you extra smug points for your achievements. The filling here is simple, with the crabmeat combined with butter, garlic, and a pinch of cayenne, nutmeg, and paprika – yes, our mouths are watering too. 

Topped with cherry tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil, there's no need for a side, though a rocket salad would pair well. A dazzler of a dish.

Get the recipe: Crab ravioli

15. Arctic amaretto and chocolate Flake soufflé

Serves/Makes: 4 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 30 mins, plus freezing time

An excellent cheat of a soufflé that takes all the jeopardy out of the usually tricky cooking process. The delicious almond flavour of the cream comes from the amaretti biscuits and liquor, while the egg whites are what make it a soufflé – even if it is going to be frozen rather than baked. 

Plus, anything with a Cadbury's Flake in it can only be marvellous in our book. Don't forget to dust cocoa powder over the top – ideally using a heart shaped cut-out for maximum sense of occasion.

Get the recipe: Arctic amaretto and chocolate Flake soufflé

16. Macadamia chocolate mousse

Serves/Makes: 6 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 20 mins, plus chilling

A white chocolate mousse with a hint of brandy is given an interesting twist with the addition of finely-crushed macadamia nuts. Macadamias are an underused nut, but they're readily available in supermarkets including Sainsbury's and Tesco, as well as whole-food stores. 

Though if you struggle to find them, try almonds or pistachios as an alternative. Wonderful served with nutty chocolate shards on the side. 

Get the recipe: Macadamia chocolate mousse

17. Tipsy 10-minute tiramisu

Serves: 4 | Skill level: Easy| Total time: 10 mins

"Chocolate, cream, a hint of booze, what more could you want for Valentine’s dessert? Oh yes, it only takes 10 minutes to prepare! This is absolutely delicious, and you can make it ahead of time, and serve at room temperature when you are ready to dive in," says Michaela Hanna. 

"You can of course make it in one dish and serve it in bowls." Hopefully, you'll still have some Bailey's lurking in the cupboard from Christmas but, if not, Michaela recommends Kahlua or dark rum as great alternatives.

Get the recipe: Tipsy 10-minute tiramisu

18. Lemon and rhubarb posset

Makes: 2 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 30 mins

This seasonal dessert – yes, rhubarb isn't just for summer, folks – is perfect for a posh pudding. "Forced rhubarb is at its peak on Valentine’s Day – and will be a delicious contrast to the smooth, creamy lemon posset. A little crunch from the ginger biscuit, and you really do have the perfect dessert," says Michaela Hanna. 

"Keep your eye on the syrup when it’s reducing as it will evaporate to nothing very quickly!"

Get the recipe: Lemon and rhubarb posset

Related Features:

• Valentine's Day cakes and bakes
• Valentine's Day recipes
• Homemade food gifts for Valentine's Day

Video of the Week

Our round-up of the best low calorie desserts includes a range of delicious puddings that are not only lower in calories, but lower in fat and sugar too. Recipes from the popular Pinch of Nom cookbook, Slimming World, and Weight Watchers, as well as creations from famous chefs Gino D'Acampo and Gizzi Erskine.

Whether you're trying to cut down on sugar, shift the pounds, or be mindful of keeping a healthy weight, these low calorie desserts are great choices to round off a low calorie family meal or treat yourself after a low calorie lunch. There's everything from homemade low calorie brownies and deliciously moist cakes that can be served warm (with our low-fat custard, should you fancy) as a dessert. And don't forget, most of these recipes you can cook in an air fryer, to save time,  money, and calories.

"Eating healthily doesn’t mean missing out on desserts! There are so many delicious desserts that can still be enjoyed whilst on your weight loss journey," says Click2Pharmacy's Dr Hussain Ahmad who regularly provides support, advice, and treatments for patients looking to lose weight. 

"If you’re looking to lose weight, it’s important to make sure you’re still getting all of the protein, carbohydrates, and fat your body needs. So if you adjust your calories, be sure to do so carefully, not creating too large of a deficit and ensuring that you’re still getting a well-balanced diet. Dropping your calories too low can be hugely problematic and can cause problems such as insomnia, difficulty ovulating, and even depression, so it’s important to do this in a healthy, more gradual way. This also tends to be far more sustainable than an extreme deficit."

Low calorie desserts

1. Healthy sticky toffee pudding

Makes: 4 | Calories per serving: 224 | Total time to make: 25 mins

The Pinch of Nom women are the reigning Queens of calorie-cutting recipes, creating a raft of best-selling books crammed with recipes filled with clever hacks to reduce the fat and sugar – that taste amazing and don't make you feel bereft of taste and flavour, to boot. 

This sticky toffee pudding is right up there. Using a minimal amount of syrup and treacle, they swap butter and oil for low-cal spray and reduced fat spread and sugar for sweetener. Serve with our low-fat custard or a small scoop of skinny ice cream (we love Halo Top).

Get the recipe: Healthy sticky toffee pudding

2. Weetabix chocolate brownies

Makes: 12 | Calories per serving: 74 | Total time to make: 35 mins

A warm brownie with a scoop of ice cream is a joy to behold, though it may not be the friendliest thing for the old waistline. This calorie smart recipe is to the rescue, then. 

Using low-fat cherry yogurt, eggs, and cocoa powder for that chocolatey hit, the Weetabix provides a satisfying crunch. Serve with a dollop of frozen-yogurt and some fresh cherries on the side, and it's practically a healthy food.

Get the recipe: Weetabix chocolate brownies

3. Chocolate and sultana brownies

Makes: 12 | Calories per serving: 112 | Total time to make: 45 mins

Another soft-gooey brownie choice with the added sweetness and chewy texture of sultanas. Reduced-fat cream cheese brings a creamy texture and the cocoa powder, sweetener, and dark choc deliver a sweet yet rich flavour. Serve with Gizzi Erskine's low-fat ice cream recipe – your sweet spot will be well and truly hit.

"Believe it or not, when eaten in moderation, dark chocolate has some excellent health benefits. Not only does it contain an impressive source of iron, but it also contains magnesium which has been found to help improve sleep, making this a great option before bed. With just 112 calories per brownie and 3g of fat, this is an excellent choice for those trying to watch their weight, reduce sugar intake or reduce their intake of saturated fat," says Dr. Ahmad.

Get the recipe: Chocolate and sultana brownies

4. Low-fat strawberry cheesecake

Serves: 6 | Calories per serving: 295 | Total time to make: 55 mins

It might be low calorie, but it's so damn good that this recipe is the most popular cheesecake on our website, we'll have you know. A great one for summer, it can be adapted with whatever berries you can get at whatever time of year – blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, all of them nutritious and non-calorific. 

Using low-fat cottage cheese, sugar, eggs, lemon juice and zest, it's sweet but not too sweet, thanks to the sharpness of the citrus fruit. The biscuit base is made with crushed digestives (reduced-fat variety) and melted low-fat spread. Enjoy. Just don't go back for seconds.

Get the recipe: Low-fat strawberry cheesecake

5. Low-fat lemon posset

Serves: 6 | Calories per serving: 184 | Total time to make: 30 mins

It's simple, it's elegant, it's sharp and it will provide a sweet kick while cleansing your palate after a nice dinner and not making you feel over faced. 

Using only three ingredients – reduced fat crème fraîche, sugar and lemons - it's an easy one to make when you're having people over. Serve with fresh blueberries or raspberries to add colour, flavour and vitamins, too.

Get the recipe: Lemon possets

6. Raspberry panna cotta

Makes/Serves: 4 | Calories per serving: 110 | Total time to make: 20 mins

Who doesn't love a good panna cotta? The simple, creamy, satisfying Italian pud that surely is too, well, creamy, when you're cutting the cals? Not with this clever recipe which makes use of half fat crème fraiche for texture, and sweetener and raspberries for, well, sweetness. 

You'll need some gelatine leaves to achieve the classic consistency and ramekins for the individual portions. Why not decorate with fresh mint leaves too for a nice finishing touch?

Get the recipe: Raspberry panna cotta

7. Frozen yoghurt smoothie pudding

Makes/Serves: 8 | Calories per serving: 186 | Total time to make: 10 mins, plus freezing time

It could be a healthy breakfast, but here your morning smoothie has been cleverly transformed into pudding, and it's healthier than your average low-cal dessert too, with the nutritional benefits of Greek yogurt, bananas, berries, and tropical fruits. 

There's absolutely zero added sugar, either – the sweetness comes purely from the fruit and honey. Just pop it in the freezer for a couple of hours and remember to take it out 20 mins before you want to eat. A dessert to feel decidedly smug about.

Get the recipe: Frozen yogurt smoothie pudding

8. Low-fat gluten-free roulade

Makes/Serves: 12 | Calories per serving: 150 | Total time to make: 32 mins

This delightful roulade is swanky enough to serve at a dinner party, and it's even suitable for the gluten intolerant amongst us. Made with fat-free Greek yogurt in place of cream, the starchy element comes from a small amount of corn flour, which is free from gluten. 

It's light and fresh and perfect for bright sunny days, with plenty of added vits from the fresh berries (though if you were to make during the winter months, frozen berries work well so long as you drain them of excess juice). 

Get the recipe: Low-fat gluten-free roulade

9. Plum and amaretto pudding

Makes/Serves: 6 | Total time to make: 1 hr 10 mins

Weight Watchers know a thing or two about low calorie puddings. Here, they make plums the star of the show, pairing beautifully with the almond liqueur (though should you have a Marsala wine or sweet sherry in the cupboard leftover from Christmas, they work well in place of amaretto). 

There's no butter and only minimal sugar involved, which we think means you can treat yourself to a decent dollop of low-fat custard on top.

Get the recipe: Weight Watchers plum and amaretto pudding

10. Gino D'Acampo's chocolate and pineapple cake

Makes/Serves: 8 | Total time to make: 35 mins

Gino has created beauty with this choc cake. The sweetness of the pineapple means less sugar, and the creaminess comes from low-fat yogurt and low-fat spread in place of butter. 

If you're not a pineapple fan, try that other retro classic, tinned peaches, instead. There's something lovely and nostalgic about a slice of this after dinner, or with a strong cup of tea in the afternoon.

Get the recipe: Gino D'Acampo's chocolate and pineapple cake

11. Fruit and nut baked apples

Makes/Serves: 4 | Total time to make: 45 mins

Baked apples might sound a bit dull – like the sort of thing you'd make in a home economics class at school – but these ones are next-level baked apples. The contrasting colours of the apples with the blackberries and flaked almonds are visually striking, and the centers of the fruits are filled with a delicious raisin and cinnamon concoction that will have your whole house smelling of winter spices.  A delight.

"These are great for those with a sweet tooth and are also packed with fiber, B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and – thanks to the nuts – vital minerals, such as iron, potassium, selenium, magnesium, zinc, and copper. What’s more, this recipe also contains honey which has some great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, such as helping the body to deal with inflammation, which can be great for those suffering from IBS," says Dr. Ahmad. 

Get the recipe: Fruit and nut-baked apples

12. Star spiced pears

Serves: 4 | Calories per serving: 266 | Total time to make: 55 mins

Another retro classic, a poached pear is a great way to get your sweet fix, while also getting one of your five a day in the bag. Simmer the whole fruit in a syrup made from citrus fruit and zest, cinnamon, and star anise. 

Serve as they are or with a little low-fat crème fraîche on the side. Perfect when you have friends over for dinner so you look tres sophisticated.

Get the recipe: Star spiced pears

13. Gizzi Erskine's vanilla and raspberry ice cream

Serves: 4 | Calories per serving: 167 | Total time to make: 3 hr 20 mins (including freezing time)

Made with zero-fat Greek yogurt and reduced fat crème fraîche, well-known chef Gizzi has created a deliciously creamy homemade ice cream, with a fraction of the calories. Amaretti biscuits bring nuttiness and crunchy texture, and real vanilla and custard powder add depth of flavour. Don't forget to add fresh raspberries on the side as well as in the mix.

"Just 100g of raspberries contains 8g of fiber, which is much higher than most other fruits. As we know, fiber is really important when it comes to maintaining healthy blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels, and what’s more, foods high in fiber tend to be more satisfying and keep us feeling fuller for longer," says Dr. Ahmad.

Get the recipe: Gizzi Erskine's vanilla and raspberry ice cream

14. Coconut pancakes

Makes: 16 | Calories per serving: 68 | Total time to make: 30 mins

Classic pancake batter with a twist, this recipe swaps out half of the regular (semi-skimmed) milk with coconut milk, and the trick here is that it is so tasty as it is that there's no need to top it with calorific accessories. 

A squeeze of lime and perhaps some toasted coconut is all you need for a super satisfying dessert. Pour your batter nice and thin and you'll keep the calories even lower too.

Get the recipe: Coconut pancakes

15. Chilli chocolate mousse

Makes: 6 | Total time to make: 30 mins

Rich, decadent, pleasingly low on sugar, and with no saturated fat, this mousse is easy to put together and tastes incredibly grown up and posh, so yes, you can serve it when you have folks over for dinner. 

Don't forget the fresh cherries on the side – though, out of season, swapping them for blackberries or raspberries works perfectly well too. 

Get the recipe: Chilli chocolate mousse

16. Spanish orange cake

Serves: 10 | Total time to make: 1 hr

This moist cake with a glossy syrup topping is perfect served warm with a spoonful of reduced fat crème fraîche, transporting you straight to the warm streets of a sunny Seville (even if it's February in Doncaster). It's free from saturated fat, swaps sugar for sweetener, and is an all-round crowd pleaser, whether you're calorie counting or not. The recipe could be adapted using lemons for added zing.

"Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C and are also naturally low in calories and high in fiber, making them an excellent choice of ingredient for those looking to lose weight," says Dr. Ahmad.

Get the recipe: Slimming World Spanish orange cake

17. Banoffee pie

Makes/Serves: 10 | Total time to make: 30 mins

Now we're really talking. Banoffee pie without a complete calorie overload? Sure. Using a Slimming World staple – Muller Light yogurt – to bring the toffee flavour, the recipe also uses Quark, thought you could switch to low-fat cream cheese. 

Bananas, cocoa powder, sweetener, and a base made from reduced fat digestives, and you've got a winning pudding without the excess of fat and calories.

Get the recipe:  Slimming World Banoffee pie

18. Cherry and vanilla brûlées

Makes: 4 | Total time to make: 20 mins

Cracking the top of a crème brûlée to reveal the silky creamy interior is almost as pleasing an activity as eating it is. This one keeps the calories low by using a fat-free Greek yogurt in place of the cream, which is flavoured with vanilla and fresh cherries, a wonderful source of vitamins and antioxidants. 

It's also a great excuse to get the blow torch out to create your 'burnt cream' (literal translation, there) effect. 

Get the recipe: Slimming World cherry and vanilla brûlées

19. Low-fat Maltesers mousse

Serves: 4 | Total time to make: 25 mins

Anything that contains Maltesers is good for us. And this recipe is rich and creamy without containing any cream, butter, or even any egg yolks, making it low calorie as well as delicious.

It also gets the thumbs up from Dr. Ahmad. "As well as being low in fat, this recipe also contains an impressive amount of protein, thanks to the egg whites. Protein is great for helping you feel fuller for longer, as well as encouraging muscle growth and repair," he says.

Get the recipe: Low-fat Maltesers mousse

20. Low-fat custard

Serves: 4 | Calories per serving: 122 | Total time to make: 10 mins

OK, so you've got your low-calorie dessert, but it's missing something. Because what, pray to tell, is a pudding without custard? The issue here is that it adds to the calories, of course, but never fear, we are here with the best recipe for a low-fat custard. 

A few calorie hacks, like swapping the whole milk for skimmed and the sugar for sweetener, and you've got that comforting, warming topping for your sweet treat. You're welcome.

Get the recipe: Low-fat custard

Video of the Week

If you're following the Slimming World plan, or are just watching the calories and hoping to lose weight, you'll be happy to know that you can have your cake and eat it too with these simple, guilt-free Slimming World cakes and dessert recipes

These Slimming World versions of your favourite puddings are brilliant because they cut down on as much of the naughty stuff as possible without losing the flavour. From brownies and chocolate pots to Mississippi mud pies and banoffee cheesecakes, there are loads of scrumptious recipes to choose from.

“Having worked on the health and lifestyle pages of magazines for nearly two decades I've tried a lot of diets, from the Dukan to the baby food plan, and the 5:2 to the lemon detox. Slimming World is my favourite, and still my go to if I want to shave off a few pounds before a holiday,” says health and food writer Octavia Lillywhite, who lost 16 lbs and went from a size 16 to a 12 following the plan. “With limitless amounts of fruit and veg, I never feel hungry, and I find it's the easiest plan to incorporate into my lifestyle. I can serve up healthy meals to my family and they don't even notice.”

Octavia says these recipes are ideal for dealing with a sweet tooth. “If you're trying to follow a diet, it can be hard to even think about puddings without feeling the cravings coming on. In general, I'm happy to just have a sugar-free jelly or fruit juice ice lolly, but there are times when you really need something special – whether you're serving up to guests or it's a big family meal. These recipes are perfect for those occasions, when you want a treat that won't ruin your weigh-in. They're special enough to feel like a treat, but smart enough not to wreck your diet.”

Slimming World cakes and dessert recipes

1. Slimming World's Spanish orange cake

Serves: 10 | Total time: 1 hour 

This light and delicious orange cake is infused with the zest and juice of two oranges and is smothered in a sticky sweet orange syrup which gives it an impressive shine that makes it more than good enough to serve to guests for afternoon tea, diet or no diet. Inspired by the oranges of Seville, this version is butter-free and swaps sugar for sweeteners to lower the calories and fat. You could also swap your citruses and make this cake with lemons. 

Get the recipe: Slimming World's Spanish orange cake

2. Slimming World's banoffee pie

Serves: 10 | Total time: 30 mins

“This banoffee pie is a great pudding to serve up if you're having guests over for dinner. It's a bit like a banana-toffee cheesecake and, if you've ever made your own cheesecake, you'll know there's nothing slimmer-friendly about it – acres of cream, cream cheese and butter, but this version is a great compromise,” says Octavia Lillywhite. “Muller Light yoghurts and quark are two absolutely key ingredients for Slimming World fans. Toffee Muller Lights only have 99 calories (half a syn each) and quark is a fat free curd cheese. Combined, they give a great, cheesecake-y texture.”

Get the recipe: Slimming World's banoffee pie

3. Slimming World's chocolate and apricot brownies

Serves: 24 | Total time: 55 mins

These brownies are soft, squidgy and studded with apricots that look like small orange jewels in the chocolatey mix. Made with low-fat choc powder, low-fat spread and a lower quantity of sugar than your average cake, the dried apricots also bring a naturally sweet flavour. If you have any leftovers (doubtful) you can pop them into the freezer for next time you’re hankering after a sweet treat.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's chocolate and apricot brownies

4. Slimming World's chocolate vanilla cheesecake

Serves: 8 | Total time: 1 hour 

This smooth, creamy cheesecake has a Bourbon chocolate biscuit base, a dark chocolate drizzle and is dusted with cocoa powder to finish. The secret ingredients that make this low fat and calorie include Quark, sugar free jelly crystals and Muller Light vanilla yoghurt. An ideal one if you’re partial to a Bourbon of a mid afternoon – and who isn’t, frankly?

Get the recipe: Slimming World's chocolate vanilla cheesecake

5. Slimming World's orange and raspberry bites

Serves: 16 | Total time: 1 hour 5 mins

With an orange-infused sponge and heaps of raspberries on top, these fruity bites are moist and delicious. “Every so often my office does a charity bake sale and these are my secret weapon. Label them up as being Slimming World and they sell like, well, like hot cakes because more people than you ever realise are following a diet. In winter when I can't get the best tasting British raspberries, I use segments of satsuma on the top instead,” says Octavia Lillywhite.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's orange and raspberry bites

6. Slimming World's raspberry meringues

Serves: 4 | Total time: 20 mins

If you're looking for a quick, sweet fix these raspberry meringues are ideal. You only need a mere four ingredients: sponge fingers, raspberries, sweetner and egg whites. Serve them in individual ramekins and they’re posh enough for dinner party guests, if you ask us. Guests can add fresh, whipped cream should they wish, while those on the plan can have a dollop of low-fat creme fraiche. And everyone's a winner.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's raspberry meringues

7. Slimming World's spiced pears

Serves: 4 | Total time: 30 mins

Ideal for the autumn months, this delicious dessert is a great way to transform your pears into a show stopping dessert. Infused with cinnamon, cloves, red wine and blackcurrant cordial, it is the ideal dinner party pudding for when you don't even want people to realise you're on a diet. “They're beautiful, simple and taste delicious. I'd serve these to guests with a jug of single cream and a pot of fat free crème fraîche, then people could add their own topping (and I'd add a restrained dollop of the creme fraiche). I know I'd be strong enough to resist the cream because the pudding already feels like a fancy treat,” says Octavia Lillywhite.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's spiced pears

8. Slimming World's Mississippi mud pie

Serves: 10 | Total time: 30 mins

A lower fat version of an iconic dessert, beloved of America’s Deep South, this pie (that we would really call a kinda chocolate cheesecake around these parts) looks impressive and you’d never know the difference from the more indulgent versions. Sweet and rich flavours come from vanilla yoghurt, sweetener and coffee granules, and it’s all topped with a layer of grated chocolate. Serve on your best cake plate, as it’s worth showing off.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's Mississippi mud pie

9. Slimming World’s whisky orange trifle

Serves: 4 | Total time: 20 mins

This trifle is layered with kumquats, oranges, fromage frais and sponge fingers and infused with whisky. It's the perfect showstopper. “I can't think of any occasion when trifle wouldn't be a perfect pudding to serve up. I have a glass, stemmed trifle bowl and this looks just amazing in it,” says Octavia Lillywhite. “Kumquats can be pretty hard to come by – they're in season from December to March, so this is a good treat to have at Christmas or New Year.”

Get the recipe: Slimming World's whisky orange trifle

10. Slimming World's iced raspberry and orange parfait

Serves: 8 | Total time: 40 mins

A delight for wrapping up a summer barbecue, this creamy, yet icey, parfait can be made in advance of any gathering. Made with citrus orange and tangy raspberries (if you fancy it in winter then you can alway use frozen), this refreshing dessert is a real treat, and contains just five ingredients. Decorate with sprigs of mint and serve, sliced, from a platter.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's iced raspberry and orange parfait

11. Slimming World's chocolate pots

Serves: 4 | Total time: 40 mins

There isn’t much that a splash of rum doesn’t make taste better. Each pot is made with dark chocolate, a hint of rum and topped with plenty of fromage frais, sweetened up. Serve in glass dessert bowls to show off the layers and top with grated chocolate (a little goes a long way!). You could also add some fresh or glace cherries, depending on the time of year, or some raspberries, or even orange segments. A delight.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's chocolate pots

12. Slimming World's mulled wine trifle

Serves: 8 | Total time: 1 hour 

As if you could get more festive than mulled wine or trifle – oh, you can, with actual mulled wine trifle. You would never know that this dessert is actually low fat, and you can totally serve it up to all the family to fill their boots with over the festive season. Chances are they'll be back for seconds, and thirds. Merry Christmas to you, too (and yes, if you want to make it in May, or September, you have our blessing, because there are no rules).

Get the recipe: Slimming World's mulled wine trifle

13. Slimming World’s cherry and vanilla brûlées

Serves: 4 | Total time: 20 mins

This Slimming World version of a brûlée is far easier than those Bake Off technical challenge-style recipes you often come across. Made with only six ingredients, these mini desserts taste just like the real thing. Bejewelled with juicy cherries, they’re topped with a sugar crust (because creme brulée means burnt cream for the uninitiated) and cracking the topping to reveal the creamy underlayer is one of life’s best pleasures when it comes to pudding.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's cherry and vanilla brûlées

13. Slimming World's pear and rhubarb crumble

Serves: 4 | Total time: 40 mins

“Crumble is my absolute favourite dessert – I even had it on my wedding day. And when you look at the ingredients, it's actually quite simple to slim-ify it – more fruit, less topping and low fat spread as the binding agent in the crumble. This is perfect for after Sunday lunch,” says  Octavia Lillywhite. “I'd serve this with fat free crème fraîche.”

Get the recipe: Slimming World's pear and rhubarb crumble

14. Slimming World's tropical Eton mess

Serves: 4 | Total time: 30 mins

Eton mess is really simple to make, just being a big jumble of cream, meringue and fruit as it is. This one swaps the classic English summer fruits for a taste of the tropics. The banana, passion fruit and pineapple works wonders together along with the crisp meringues and vanilla yoghurt that replaces the thick cream and a lot of the extra calories. You could also throw in some papaya and mango for even more exotic ways to get your daily vits.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's tropical Eton mess

15. Slimming World's mince pies

Serves: 32 | Total time: 40 mins

If you don’t want your penchant for mince pies to see you crashing off the Slimming World rails at the most challenging rime of the year for anyone trying to be healthy, these pies are here at your rescue. Perfect as a foodie gift for your Slimming World chums, too, you could box them and wrap them with festive ribbon. They can also be made way in advance before the Christmas rush (and yes, go on, you can treat yourself to one nice and early too).

Get the recipe: Slimming World's mince pies

16. Slimming World's classic chocolate mousse

Serves: 4 | Total time: 35 mins

Not just any old chocolate mousse, this is a chocolate orange mousse – and one with a cheeky, boozy flavour, at that. Made with dark chocolate, egg, a dash of brandy and yogurt, this recipe makes four pots and is so rich and delicious that you might not even need a whole one. Which means more for later, which is always going to be a good thing.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's classic chocolate mousse

17. Slimming World's blueberry lime and prosecco jellies

Serves: 4 | Total time: 25 mins

Just the thing for a summer dinner party in the garden, these jellies are a bit special, as well as being low fat, and full of superfood goodness with the blueberries, rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. Packed with flavour from the Prosecco (and we think you’d better have a glass to go with your dessert, it would be rude not to) and the lime, don’t forget to chop a bit of mint from the garden to decorate and add a pep of freshness. Lovely.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's blueberry, lime and Prosecco jellies

18. Slimming World’s chocolate log

Serves: 8 | Total time: 30 mins

Nothing says Christmas better than a chocolate log, but it doesn’t have to just be for that most wonderful time of the year. And what makes this recipe even better is that it'll taste good and be guilt-free too. Serve on Christmas Day, with an offering of double cream or brandy cream for those who want more of a treat.

Get the recipe: Slimming World's chocolate log

19. Slimming World's apple posset

Serves: 4 | Total time: 20 mins

“Recipes like this are one of the reasons I love Slimming World. I'd never thought to make an apple posset before, but now I have and I know just how quick and easy it is. This is something I'll whip up if I've got a few minutes spare while I'm cooking dinner for me and my husband, especially if I've got apples in the fruit bowl that are starting to look a bit tired,” says Octavia Lillywhite. “My top tip here is do not skimp on the garnish. I know it can be annoying buying mint just so you can pop some on the top of a pudding, but here it adds such a pop of freshness to the simple apple flavours, it's really quite essential.”

Get the recipe: Slimming World's apple posset

20. Honey and yoghurt cheesecake

Serves: 10 | Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Yoghurt and honey is one of food’s greatest partnerships and this cheesecake is one of our most favourite desserts in the SW collection. Made with extra-light spread, fat-free fromage frais and sweetener, this cheesecake is infused with honey and topped with orange segments – which could be perfectly replaced with raspberries in season, or even some sliced banana (popped on just prior to eating to avoid it browning). Cinamon is a key ingredient to give it some sweet spice – and don’t forget to save some to dust over the top, too. 

Get the recipe: Slimming World's honey and yoghurt cheesecake

Video of the week

From a sticky balsamic barbecue sauce to soy and ginger chicken, through to creamy cheese and mustard sauce, we’ve got stacks of ideas for homemade sauces to cook chicken in.

Paired perfectly with chicken breasts, chicken thighs and chicken drumsticks, this collection of mouthwatering sauces are ideal for marinating chicken before cooking as well as drizzling over when ready to serve. Most sauces are super simple to make and ideal if you’re looking to improve your sauce making skills as well as eat a little healthier as homemade sauces are often much lower in salt than jarred.  

Dominique Woolf, the winner of Channel 4’s The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver, is something of a sauce expert. “I’m a huge fan of chicken in all its various forms. Quite possibly the most versatile meat, it works with an endless array of sauces from the French-style creamy varieties as used in recipes like Chicken Fricasée to tomato-based Italian sauces such as ​​Chicken Cacciatore to aromatic Thai red curries and sweet and spicy Sichuan classics like Kung Pao Chicken,” she says. 

Dominique, who has her own range of Asian-inspired sauces, and is the author of Dominique’s Kitchen: Easy Everyday Asian-inspired Food, has plenty of top tips for how to make the best chicken dishes – her favourite way to cook it is with "the skin rubbed in a mix of smoked paprika, soft brown sugar, mustard powder, garlic powder and sea salt flakes, then basted with homemade barbecue sauce." And her favourite cut of meat is chicken thighs. “They’re my go-to for midweek dinner, perfect for an easy traybake. I personally love sticky Asian-inspired sauces, and although hours marinating is ideal, it’s not essential when pushed for time (especially when the dish has lots of sauce anyway). For me, a crispy skin is a must though, so I tend to wipe any marinade off the top of the skin and sprinkle it with salt  - this draws out the moisture and helps it crisp up. You can also place the whole dish under a hot grill at the end of the cooking time," she says. "Stir-fries are another staple in my household using chicken breast, whether in a peanutty satay-style sauce, a garlicky oyster sauce or a zingy, sweet chilli sauce.”

Easy sauces for chicken

1. Cheese and mustard sauce

Serves: 4 | Total time:  1 hr | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

This creamy, mustard-infused sauce is super simple to make and really transforms your average chicken breast, making a great big food hug of a dinner for all the family. Essentially a bechamel sauce, with added mustard, cooking it in this creamy sauce makes a lean cut of chicken (that can often be dry) taste incredibly succulent. Use whatever mustard is your mustard of choice – if you want a strong flavour, go for English or Dijon, if you like a more textured sauce, go for wholegrain. Serve with mash, roasties or jacket potatoes, and a big pile of steamed green veggies. 

To make in bulk, cook it separately from the chicken and freeze or store in an airtight container for up to three days in the fridge.

Get the recipe: Chicken in cheese and mustard sauce

2. Chilli and chocolate sauce

Serves: 4 | Total time:  40 mins | Make ahead: N | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast or thighs

Chilli and chocolate complement each other beautifully – and not just in sweet dishes. This rich, slightly spicy sauce takes inspiration from the Mexican mole, an earthy marinade made from chilli, tomato and chocolate, for all types of meat. Alongside peppers, onions and the spices you’d use in a classic chilli con carne, such as cumin and cinnamon, is a small amount of dark choc, which brings a wonderful depth of flavour (and means you’ll have the rest of the bar leftover, which is a stroke of luck). The chicken will be super tender, too. Serve with rice, and perhaps a side of creamy guacamole.

If you're making this dish for a dinner party, double the measurements. You can fry up the chicken and make the base of the sauce in advance, just add the chocolate at the last minute – otherwise it will set if stored in the fridge.

Get the recipe: Chicken with chilli and chocolate

3. Chicken with black bean sauce

Serves: 4 | Total time:  20 mins | Make ahead: N | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast

Your favourite takeaway food, made at home, meaning it’s every bit as tasty – if not more, particularly minus all that gloopy MSG that’s commonly found in Chinese takeouts – and far more nutritious. The rich, black bean sauce pairs wonderfully with chicken and there is extra protein from the cashew nuts, and goodness aplenty in the broccoli, spring onions, garlic and ginger. It’s a quick stir fry that is best served immediately, ideally with a steaming hot bowl of egg fried rice. “Fakeaway dishes are always a winner – quicker, healthier and cheaper than your local takeaway,” says Dominique Woolf.

Get the recipe: Chicken with black bean sauce

4. Chicken cacciatore

Makes: 4 | Total time:  30 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

With just five ingredients, this rich, easy-to-make Italian sauce is classic ‘peasant food’.  Combine peppers, garlic, tomato puree and chopped tomatoes with the chicken, and you’ve got yourself a superfood-packed dinner with minimal fuss. You may want to add to the veggies, of course – courgettes would work well, and olives are a perfect addition too – for an easy midweek family dinner (that is also pleasingly low fat, particularly if you use breast meat). Serve with roast or sauté potatoes, mash, rice or couscous. It’s also a great one to make in bulk, and freeze for another dinner, another day.

Get the recipe: Chicken cacciatore

5. Balsamic barbecue sauce

Makes: 4 | Total time:  30 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast, thigh or leg 

This tangy barbecue sauce is a classic recipe from South Africa, where they know a thing or two about grilling meat on the braai. It’s a thick, tasty sauce made with balsamic vinegar, dry mustard and brown sugar for added sweetness, best made ahead of time and added to the meat to marinate and absorb the flavours, ideally for at least a day. It works well with any cut of chicken and we highly recommend adding a good splash of tabasco in the mix. Serve with rice, potato salad and a heap of green salad, too.

Get the recipe: Chicken in balsamic barbecue sauce

6. Sweet chicken with smoked paprika

Serves: 4 | Total time:  3hr 15 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken thighs 

We more often associate slow cooking with beef or lamb dishes, what with fillets of chicken being pretty quick to cook through, but it is so much more succulent cooked over a long period of time, and this sauce from TV chef Phil Vickery is the perfect way to do so. Paprika, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar all bring the flavours, along with sweet ramiro peppers, for an authentic Spanish feel to the dish. Prep in the morning or the night before and pop in the slow cooker, or cook on a low heat in the oven. If you’re in more of a rush for your dinner though, it could also be done in a pressure cooker to the same effect. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the juices, and perhaps a side of broccoli or green beans. 

Get the recipe: Sweet chicken with smoked paprika

7. Spanish chicken with beans

Serves: 4 | Total time:  50 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken thighs 

This tasty, comforting stew might hail from a hot country but it equally works as a perfect winter warmer. The sauce is made from chicken stock, sun-dried tomato paste and smoked paprika, with garlic, onions and thyme, and the chorizo and cannellini beans make it wonderfully protein rich. If you want to prep in advance, make this sauce without the chicken and then reheat on the hob adding the meat so it can cook in the juices. We think a generous handful of olives will make it even better, too. Serve with roast or saute potatoes, or hunks of crusty bread, and some garlicky green beans.

Get the recipe: Spanish chicken with beans

8. Olive butter

Serves: 4 | Total time:  55 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast

This simple, classic sauce doesn't take long to make and yet feels ever so special and fancy, so could easily be served at a dinner party. Fresh tarragon is the perfect herb for chicken, green olives are a wonderful accompaniment and, well, a generous helping of butter always helps. It’s best to make this one fresh and serve immediately drizzled over griddled chicken, and served with new potatoes and greens.

Get the recipe: Chicken olive butter

9. Leek and Cheddar sauce

Makes: 4 | Total time:  35 minutes | Make ahead: Y/N | Freezable: Y/N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast or thighs 

An excellent one for family meal times, kids will love the cheesy, oozy sauce, and it’s pretty speedy to put together, too, with a straightforward, affordable ingredients list. As bechamel type sauces are a slight faff, with all that stirring, you could always whip up double the quantity and freeze half for another day. It’s a pretty rich dish, so we’d serve it with a big pile of steamed green vegetables, but you could also add a side of simple new potatoes, too.

Get the recipe: Chicken, leek and Cheddar bake

10. Soy and ginger chicken

Serves: 4 | Total time:  30 mins | Make ahead: N | Freezable: Y/N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

Another reason to take your local Chinese takeaway off speed dial, because this is a way better, cheaper and more nutritious alternative. Packed with peppers, spring onions and shiitake mushrooms, adding bean sprouts for crunch, the sauce is made from soy sauce, ginger, dry sherry and tomato puree. Best stir fried and served immediately, with rice or noodles, you could add other dishes, like chicken with black bean sauce, to really get the takeaway treat vibes. “This is a childhood favourite of mine, and a great stir-fry to have up your sleeve,” says Dominique Woolf.

Get the recipe: Soy and ginger chicken

11. Mushroom and tarragon sauce

Serves: 6 | Total time:  55 mins | Make ahead: N | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

This delicious, creamy sauce is something of a nod to a classic beef stroganoff, with juicy button mushrooms, double cream and a splash of wine. Excellent for a family meal, it could be a refreshing change from your usual Sunday roast, served with roast potatoes and seasonal veg. Tarragon, the key ingredient, is an underrated herb that adds a wonderful aniseed flavour and transforms any chicken dish (it’s pretty good with fish too, especially salmon or trout). This dish is best cooked and served straight away, rather than prepared earlier.

Get the recipe: Chicken in mushroom and tarragon sauce

12. White wine sauce

Serves: 6 | Total time:  25 mins | Make ahead: N | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast or thigh

A classic sauce, made from a good glug of vin blanc, along with cream, shallots, thyme and lemon juice, that is wonderful poured over grilled or roasted chicken, and is versatile enough to pair with other meat and fish too – it works with steak, and is also great with white fish from cod to sea bream.  Serve freshly prepared with a generous grind of black pepper, steamed spinach and your potatoes of choice. 

Get the recipe: Chicken with white wine sauce

13. Salsa verde recipe

Serves: 8 | Total time:  15 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast, thighs or drumsticks 

A great way to add an easy Italian twist to your chicken, this amazing salsa verde sauce is infused with garlic, parsley, anchovies and plenty of capers for a rich blend of texture and flavour. It’ll do you for at least two meals – the leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days – and it’s perfect drizzled over some simple griddled, oven baked or grilled chicken, with some great bread to dip and a large side salad. It’s pretty low fat too, and a good choice if you aren’t a fan of cream and prefer your sauces a little punchier. 

Get the recipe: Salsa verde 

14. Coronation curry sauce

Serves: 8-10 | Total time:  1hr 15 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast

An icon of sandwich fillings, that could also be served with a cold rice salad, coronation chicken truly has an eclectic mix of ingredients.  Tomato puree, korma curry paste, red wine and stock are mixed with chopped dried apricots for a fruity edge, and blended to a smooth paste, before stirring in mayo. It shouldn’t work, but, as we all know, it very much does. Layer in a crusty baguette with some crisp lettuce for a right royal sandwich.

Get the recipe: Coronation chicken

15. Lemon and tarragon sauce

This Serves: 4 | Total time:  55 mins | Make ahead: N | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast or thighs 

Fresh lemons and sprigs of tarragon are the ideal way to make this sauce but you can use the bottled and dried versions if you want to avoid the shops or you aren’t able to locate (Waitrose is your best bet for fresh tarragon). The more lemon you add, the tangier the overall dish will taste. This isn’t an overly creamy sauce, and is dairy free (though you could swap the soya cream for creme fraiche) so perfect for anyone with an intolerance.  

Get the recipe: Lemon and tarragon sauce

16. Satay sauce

Serve: 4 | Total time:  10 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken thighs 

It only takes five ingredients to make this sauce and most of them you've probably already got hiding away in the back of the cupboard. A few big dollops of crunchy peanut butter and a little touch of spice is all you really need to make this delicious cheats version of this restaurant-style south east Asian sauce at home. Skewer your chicken after marinating and serve with the sauce in a mini dish on the side or drizzled over. Serve with sticky rice and a fresh cucumber salad. 

Get the recipe: Satay sauce

17. Italian-style chicken with olives

Serves: 6 | Total time:  1 hr | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast, thighs, drumsticks 

The is a wonderful dish that can be made using a whole jointed chicken for a Sunday lunch, or, for midweek ease, with a pack of chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, which will fall off the bone beautifully – particularly if you opt for the slow cooker method. Olives beautifully complement chicken and the wine, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes pack a hefty flavour punch. It’s pretty low fat and very nutritionally balanced, too, so that is pleasing. Serve with your choice of potatoes or pasta – orzo would work well.  

Get the recipe: Italian-style chicken with olives

18. Katsu curry sauce

Serves: 4 | Total time:  45 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

There are few curries we love more than a Japanese katsu (and we love curries in all their varied, glorious forms).  This wonderful sauce, which combines honey, soy sauce and garam masala as key ingredients, has been given a healthy makeover here by celebrity chef Gizzi Erskine. Serve with breadcrumbed chicken (this recipe uses cornflakes for crunch) and rice – it’s a serious winner for the kids, too. 

Get the recipe: Chicken katsu curry

19. Piri-Piri sauce

Serves: 8 | Total time:  50 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: Y |  Perfect with: Drumsticks, wings, or a whole spatchcocked chicken 

No need to spend your money in a certain well-known high street establishment when you can give your chicken some spice with this sweet and tangy Piri-Piri sauce. Leave your chicken to marinade in the sauce before cooking (slice holes through the skin into your cut of meat so the sauce can soak through) and use as a dipping sauce too. Perfect for a whole chicken for a weekend feast, with wedges or rice, corn on the cob, coleslaw and green salad. Keep the leftover sauce bottle in the fridge for another day. 

Get the recipe: Piri-Piri sauce

20. Slimming World Diet Cola Chicken

Serves: 4 | Total time:  50 mins | Make ahead: Y/N | Freezable: Y/N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

Years after it was brought to culinary attention by Nigella Lawson, this cola dish, popular in Hong Kong, still sounds a bit bonkers – but all the best things do. This version is low fat and low calorie, as well as being super tasty.  The diet cola adds a sweet flavour and sticky texture with the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and passata, and it’s packed with veggies and sugar snap peas. Serve with mashed potato, or rice. 

Get the recipe: Slimming World's diet cola chicken

21. Marsala chicken

Serves: 4 | Total time:  55 mins | Make ahead: N | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast or thigh 

An old classic, made with mushrooms, shallots, butter, stock and the fortified wine of its namesake, the chicken – we reckon thigh meat is the best bet, here – is cooked in the sauce to make it super tender and juicy. Perfect served immediately with mashed potatoes – or dauphinoise if it’s the weekend or you’re feeling fancy –  and some green beans. Oh, and a delicious, bold glass of red wine. 

Get the recipe: Marsala chicken

22. Hairy Bikers' Somerset chicken

Serves: 6 | Total time:  45 mins | Make ahead: N | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

So-called in honour of the region synonymous with its key ingredients of cider and apples, this chicken sauce recipe has a welcome kick from the grain mustard, a luxurious texture from the double cream, and a herby taste from the sage. And then there is the bubbling, melted cheese on top. What’s not to love here? It would work very well with pork, too. Best served immediately with your potato of choice and some green veg.  What a welcome treat.

Get the recipe: Hairy Bikers' Somerset chicken

23. Hunter's chicken

Serves: 4 | Total time:  40 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

Making your own homemade BBQ sauce is a highly satisfying endeavour and can be used for lots of dishes – including with hunter’s chicken, where the joints are wrapped in pancetta and grated cheese and baked in the oven.  The sauce can then be jarred and kept in the fridge or frozen for another day. Serve this one with coleslaw, corn on the cob, salad and maybe a few cheeky chips – an excellent treat meal for all the family. “I love a good BBQ sauce – homemade is always so much better than shop bought,” says Dominique Woolf. 

Get the recipe: Hunter's chicken with bacon, cheese and bbq sauce

24. Chimichurri sauce

Serves: 4-6 | Total time:  5 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast 

This vibrant, herby sauce, hailing from Argentina, is super simple to put together by blitzing fresh coriander and parsley in a blender with wine vinegar, garlic and olive oil. Perfect drizzled over simple grilled or griddled chicken strips, it also works wonderfully with South America’s favourite meat, beef.  If you prefer a chunkier texture to your sauce, don’t blend until smooth, and if you like a bit of a kick, throw a green chilli in the mix.  It will keep jarred in the fridge for a few days, too. 

Get the recipe: Chimichurri sauce

25. Honey and soy sticky chicken

Serves: 4 | Total time:  25 mins | Make ahead: Y | Freezable: N |  Perfect with: Chicken breast, thigh, drumstick or wings 

Honey, ginger and soy sauce creates a really tangy marinade that can be used on any cut of chicken to create a super tasty, and terribly sticky texture – so don’t forget the napkins cos it’s going to get messy. Marinate the meat for at least a couple of hours if possible before cooking, then grill away, and serve with steamed or stir-fried veggies and rice. A good weeknight meal for all the family, or a fun one for parties and gatherings.

Get the recipe: Honey and soy sticky chicken

Video of the Week

Our cake decorating ideas collection includes simple, easy methods and techniques ideal for decorating a variety of different cakes including traditional Victoria sponge, chocolate cake or a classic lemon drizzle. 

“Decorating a cake is the most fun part!  It's when you can take it from something quite plain, to something really special,” says Kate Tynan from the Little Button Bakery, whose cake creations have featured on TV shows like Coronation Street.  “For everyday baking, you might want to keep things more simple: perhaps a dusting of icing sugar and a few seasonal fruits, or even some cut flowers from your garden can be a beautiful decoration for a cake.”

Kate, who specialises in wedding cakes, has plenty of thoughts for cake decorating on a special occasion, too. “If you want to push the boat out, decorate your cake with chocolate decorations (you can buy or make these yourself), some edible gold or silver leaf or even edible flowers, which are now readily available in the supermarket.”

Naomi Boles, a cake maker from Boles Bakery, meanwhile, says her favourite way to decorate a cake is Lambeth style. “It involves lots of buttercream and lots of piping but is a showstopper cake. This method takes a lot of piping practice, so my tip is to practice different patterns on greaseproof paper first. That way you can scrape the icing back into the piping bag again rather than having to make lots and lots of icing,” she explains. For an easier idea though, Naomi suggests a semi-naked cake topped with lots of berries. “It’s an easy, but impressive, way to decorate a cake as it doesn’t rely on perfectly smooth sides. Just layer on your buttercream with a palette knife and use a metal scraper to remove the icing until the cake is only covered in a thin layer all the way around.”

So what equipment do you need? “Simple cake decorating tools or baking tool kit to invest in would be a good strong metal scraper to get nice neat edges on your buttercream cakes and a selection of piping tips,” says Kate Tynan. “Sometimes great decoration is all about the right accessory.  For a birthday cake, consider using some tall thin candles rather than the more traditional short ones.  Or look to purchase a personalised acrylic or wooden cake topper.”

How to decorate a cake: Easy cake decorating ideas

1. Melted chocolate and ganache

Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 10 mins | Perfect for decorating: Sponge cakes and brownies 

“Ganache is great for filling, icing and doing a drip effect on cakes. It’s also very easy to spread and create a smooth cake with,” explains Naomi Boles. “To get ganache ready for filling and icing a cake quickly, rather than heating both the cream and the chocolate, only heat the chocolate and then add the cream into the melted chocolate. This saves time waiting for the ganache to cool. Ganache works great for cakes, but is also lovely topped on brownies and as a macaron filling. Melted chocolate is great for writing on cakes as it dries so quickly.”

Top tip: When it comes to how to melt chocolate, keep it on a low heat and melt it gradually otherwise it'll burn. White chocolate will melt much quicker than milk or dark as it contains more sugar. 

Get the recipe: Ganache

Recipes to try using melted chocolate:

Chocolate truffle cake

Chocolate dipped cupcakes

Annabel Langbein's ultimate chocolate cake

2. Fruit

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Buttercream or ganache covered sponge cakes

If you're looking for something light and refreshing, fruit is the best choice. From fresh raspberries to dried raisins, there are many and varied fruits that work wonderfully as cake toppings. "Adding fruit to a cake as decoration is a great way of keeping things seasonal. In the summer, use fresh berries like raspberries and strawberries, In autumn you could use figs and physalis.  You can also add a few fresh herbs like mint or lemon thyme in with your fruits for a little bit of greenery. My favourite cakes to use fruit on are semi-naked style cakes or buttercream covered cakes,” says Kate Tynan.

Top tip: If you're using fresh fruit, make sure you add it right at the last minute. If your fruit is wet it could make the buttercream or cream topping move or melt slightly.

Recipes to try using fruit:

Lorraine Pascale's raspberry, vanilla and white chocolate cake

Hummingbird Bakery blueberry cake

Mary Berry's strawberry cake

3. Buttercream and frosting

Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 10 mins | Perfect for decorating: Cupcakes and sponge cakes 

“Buttercream is a great cake covering and filling as there are so many different types – American, Swiss and French to name a few. It’s also easy to flavour with extracts, chocolate, spreads, sauces and even dried fruit powders,” says Naomi Boles. “If you’re a beginner at cake decorating, you can decorate it beautifully in a naked style or you can go all out with piping. The only essentials for working with buttercream are an offset palette knife to spread the buttercream and a cake scraper to get nice smooth sides.”

Buttercream is one of the most popular cake toppings as it can be made into different flavours, different colours and can be presented in a variety of ways too, from piped swirls to a smooth palette-knife finish. You can also turn your buttercream into a cream cheese frosting by substituting the butter.

Top tip: If your buttercream is too loose or runny, add some more icing sugar or pop it into the fridge to set a little before piping it onto your cake.

Get the recipe: Buttercream

Get the recipe: Cream cheese frosting

Recipes to try using buttercream:

Primrose Bakery cupcakes with lemon buttercream

Coconut and chocolate cake

Sticky toffee cupcakes with salted caramel

4. Flowers

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Special occasion cakes, especially wedding cakes 

From rose petals to sprigs of lavender, give your cake a spring feel by using flowers to decorate. They'll make it smell lovely and floral too. 

“Edible flowers are a beautiful way to decorate a cake and are readily available online and in some supermarkets. You can buy flower heads or the whole flower including leaves and the stem,” says Naomi Boles. “Pressed edible flowers are an easy way to decorate a cake that has the ‘wow factor' as they simply need to be pressed gently into buttercream. This is a really popular way to decorate wedding cakes – especially for DIY weddings. Edible flowers, such as lavender, also work well in biscuits.

Top tip: Tie bunches of flowers together and lie around the edge of your cake or sprinkle rose petals over your buttercream. Also, Kate Tynan suggests pressing them for a week in a flower press or in between the pages of a heavy book for a slightly different look.

Recipes to try using flowers:

Fiona Cairns almond apricot rose petal cake

Beetroot chocolate cake

Lavender and lemon drizzle cake

5. Chocolates

Skill level: Easy  | Perfect for decorating: Chocolate cakes 

“Chocolates are a fun way to decorate a cake and are equally suited to a cake for a child or an adult.  Just choose some favourite chocolates in various shapes and sizes and stick them to the cake with melted chocolate or a touch of buttercream or royal icing.  You can finish it all off with a melted chocolate drip or drizzle,” says Kate Tynan.Whether you pile them up in the middle, cover the whole cake in them or make a pattern spelling out their names, your kids are going to love a cake decorated with masses of chocolate bars – think Maltesers, Milky bars, Smarties, Mars bars… While for grown ups, it’s an excellent excuse to buy a box of chocs and decorate with those. Just try not to eat too many along the way.

Top tip: If you're planning on decorating your cake with chocolates, we'd recommend covering it in a light buttercream or melted chocolate coating beforehand so the chocolates have something to stick to, otherwise they'll be falling all over the place.

Recipes to try using chocolates:

Maltesers chocolate cake

Smarties chocolate cake

Chocolate explosion drip cake

6. Ready to roll fondant or Sugarpaste

Skill level: Easy  | Perfect for decorating: Fruit cakes and Victoria sponges 

Ready to roll fondant can be bought in most supermarkets in the cake decorating aisle and is really easy to work with. You can buy all sorts of different colours or you can add a few drops of food colouring to white fondant for your own colour palette.“You can use fondant to cover an entire cake or you can use it to make shapes or even cute models like animals to go onto the cake.  Fondant can also be stamped into or crimped for a different style of decoration,” says Kate Tynan.

Top tip: Before working with fondant make sure you have a clean, dry surface to roll the fondant or sugarpaste onto. Dust with icing sugar to stop it from sticking and use a clean rolling pin.

Recipes to try using ready to roll fondant:

Polka dot fancies

The Princess and the Pea kids' birthday cake

Large Madeira cupcake

7. Marshmallows

Skill level: Easy  | Perfect for decorating: Cupcakes, traybakes and birthday cakes 

Melted or whole, marshmallows are a simple way to turn your cake into a masterpiece. “Marshmallows are a really underrated way to decorate cakes, but they are really fun. For Halloween cakes, they can be put on a cocktail stick and covered with white fondant to create little ghosts. They also look great toasted on top of chocolate cupcakes to create a ‘hot chocolate’ flavour,” says Naomi Boles.

Top tip: When it comes to melting marshmallows, you're best to use a non-stick pan. Warm the marshmallows slowly and gently, making sure you don't overcook them, otherwise you'll have a sticky mess on your hands.

Recipes to try using marshmallows:

Chocolate and marshmallow birthday cake

Hummingbird Bakery marshmallow cupcakes

Marshmallow flower cupcakes

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Victoria sponges and fairy cakes 

If you're looking for a simple yet effective technique, icing sugar is a brilliant decorating choice. Dust it all over your cake, cut out a template using paper and dust over it to create shapes, or add some water and flavoured extract to make an icing sugar paste which is perfect for drizzling over large cakes or cupcakes.

Icing sugar is also an essential for making American buttercream. “My tip for working with icing sugar is to put it in a food processor rather than sifting it –  much less messy and does the job. Additionally when making buttercream in a stand mixer, cover the mixer with a damp tea towel to catch all of the icing powder,” says Naomi Boles.

Top tip: When it comes to dusting your cake with icing sugar, make sure your cake is completely cool – otherwise the icing sugar will melt.

Recipes to try using icing sugar:

Mary Berry's Victoria sandwich cake

Mary Berry's iced fairy cakes

Lavender fairy cakes

9. Chocolate fingers and cigarellos

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Chocolate celebration cakes 

This is a marvellous technique for covering up any flaws on your cake. If it's a little burnt around the edges and you've had to cut some bits off, or if it didn't rise as much as you'd like, get the chocolate fingers and cigarellos at the ready. Just cover your cake in buttercream, chocolate or royal icing and press them around the edges of the cake. They give you a great border for topping your cake with an abundance of sweets, fruits or flowers too.

Top tip: Alternate white and milk chocolate fingers, or do a mix of choc fingers and cigarellos. You could also use sticks of KitKats as an effective alternative.

Recipes to try chocolate fingers and cigarellos:

Digger cake

Chocolate fingers cake

Cigarellos cake with a chocolate mousse filling

10. Sprinkles and shop-bought decorations

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Cupcakes and buttercream or icing-covered celebration cakes 

If you're short on time, the cake decorating aisle at your local supermarket can be a life saver. From Hundreds and Thousands to readymade fondant roses, you can find plenty of wonderful toppings to turn your cake into a work of art. 

“Sprinkles make any bake look a bit more special. You can keep it simple with a small amount on the top or go all out and cover the whole thing in sprinkles. A new and popular way to use sprinkles is to mix them into the buttercream before spreading over the cake,” says Naomi Boles.

Top tip: Theme your sprinkles – red and green for Christmas, yellow and pink for Mother's Day or seek out different shaped sprinkles like flowers, animals and even mini Christmas trees.

Recipes to try using sprinkles:

Dairy-free cupcakes

Hummingbird Bakery vanilla cupcakes

Sprinkle fairy cakes

11. Desiccated coconut

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Coconut flavoured sponges or fruity cakes

Coconut can be baked in a cake or used to decorate it too. It's a healthier option than sugar sprinkles or sweets and looks just as effective. Cover your cake in a light buttercream or ganache and then press coconut into it. Coconut is so light it can be used to cover pretty much any cake, from lighter flavours like vanilla and lemon to richer cakes like chocolate and carrot cake.

Top tip: Once you’ve scattered them, gently press the coconut flakes on to a piece of baking parchment to get them to stick to the cake.

Recipes to try using coconut:

Coconut cake

Jammy coconut squares

Coconut and lime cake

12. Sweets

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Tray bakes and children’s birthday cakes 

“A fun and easy way to decorate a cake. You can cover an entire cake in sweets or just decorate it lightly.  If you want to go for a full covering, small round sweets like Smarties or Skittles are great and you can make rainbow stripes,” says Kate Tynan.  “If you’re using sweets in wrappers, you can leave them in the wrapper on the cake for a different look. Lollipops are also fun to decorate a cake with, particularly large colourful ones like you might find at the seaside.  Play around with a mixture of shapes and sizes for your sweetie decorations.”

Top tip: Pick a good selection of brightly coloured sweets that aren’t too big or too chewy – Dolly Mixtures are an excellent choice, for example, as are jelly beans.

Recipes to try using sweets:

Pick & Mix cake

Sweetie tray bake

Chocolate smash cake

13. Nuts

Skill level: Easy| Perfect for decorating: Carrot cake, coffee & walnut cake , chocolate cake, fruit cake

Mixed nuts are perfect for giving your cake a new look. You can cover the whole thing in finely chopped nuts, including the sides,  or sprinkle chunkier nuts on top of your buttercream. 

Match your nuts with the sponge of the cake you're making – if you're making a carrot cake, walnuts work a treat, if you're making a cake with peanut butter, peanuts make sense or if you're making a chocolate cake, sweet pecans are a fabulous match.

Top tip: Buy a packet of mixed nuts if you want a selection of nuts, rather than over-spend on lots of different ones. And read the ingredients – you really don’t want salty nuts here. . 

Recipes to try using nuts:

Gluten-free carrot and walnut cake

Red velvet cake

Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas cake

14. Marzipan

Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 40 mins | Perfect for decorating: Fruit cakes, almond sponges 

Perfect for rich fruit cakes, marzipan is a great topper for Christmas cake and Simnel cakes. But marzipan is for life, not just for Christmas, folks. Covering a cake with marzipan is a great way to add a delicious, moist, almond flavour to your cake, it’s a triumph topping  a homemade Battenburg cake. If you’re feeling bold, you can make your own at home – we even have a nut-free recipe so that allergy sufferers can enjoy it, too – though you can also buy it ready-made in the baking aisle.

You can also mould decorations, like characters and animals, out of coloured marzipan, for the top of your cake.

Top tip: Make sure your work surfaces and hands are clean before attempting this technique. You’ll want to work quickly with the marzipan too to make sure it doesn’t crack or dry out. 

Get the recipe: Marzipan

Recipes to try using marzipan:

Mini Eggs Simnel cake

Simnel cake

Marzipan pigs

15. Personalised icing

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Fondant-covered celebration cakes 

Make someone feel extra special by writing them a personalised message on a cake. The easiest way to do this is with writing icing but you can also buy edible art pens or special cake decorating stamps to emboss words into fondant.

Top tip: If you can't find writing icing in your supermarket, you can use buttercream or icing sugar mixed with some water instead. It has to be thick though in order for you to pipe it through a thin nozzle to write messages.

Recipes to try with writing icing:

Heart cake decorations

Colour in cupcakes

Father’s Day cake

16. Caramel

Skill level: Medium | Prep time: 20 mins | Perfect for decorating: Caramel biscuit cakes, brownies, chocolate cakes 

Whether you're cutting corners and opting for the ready-made stuff or you're pushing your baking skills to the next level and making it from scratch, caramel is a very impressive way to finish your cake. You can drizzle it over the top, leave it to set for a crisp finish or add it to cream cheese to make a caramel frosting. You could also try using salted caramel. 

“A simple drizzle of caramel over a cake can really make an impact.  It tastes delicious too. Just make sure your caramel is at the right consistency before you decorate – it should drizzle slowly off a spoon and not be too runny or too thick,” says Kate Tynan.

Top tip: If you decide to make caramel from scratch, cook it gradually on a low heat, otherwise it'll burn and you'll have to start all over again.

Get the recipe: Caramel

Recipes to try using caramel:

Spiced squash ring cake

Salted caramel topped brownies

Caramel biscuit cake

Meringue

Skill level: Medium | Prep time: 30 mins | Perfect for decorating: Lemon cakes 

Whip up some soft meringues with egg whites and sugar and gently spoon or pipe onto your cake. If you want that classic, crisp meringue finish you can brown the outside with a blow torch or give it a quick burst in the oven.

Top tip: If you've never made meringue before, you could cook it slowly in the oven on a low heat and add to your cake as a topping, instead of spreading it over.

Get the recipe: Meringue

Recipes to try using meringue:

Skinny carrot meringue cake

Lemon meringue cupcakes

Lemon meringue drizzle cake

18: Spreads

Skill level: Easy | Perfect for decorating: Chocolate or Victoria sponge cakes 

From Nutella to marmalade, spreads are a very wise choice if you're short on time and money when it comes to decorating a cake. Just spread evenly over your cake with a palette knife or spoon and top with sprinkles, fondant shapes or fresh fruit, should you fancy.

“Spreads are so useful in baking. It’s as simple as swirling a few teaspoons through cake batter or mixing into a buttercream and then you instantly have a recognisable flavour. Also, if you love the style of drip cakes, melted chocolate spread works fabulously. All you have to do is melt a small bit in the microwave and then you can use that for the drip effect rather than making chocolate ganache,” says Naomi Boles.

Top tip: If you're decorating with a thick spread like Nutella or peanut butter, make sure your cake is slightly warm, this will make the spread melt a little so it's easier to work with.

Recipes to try using spreads:

Nutella cake

Marmalade cake

Jammy coconut squares

19. Royal icing

Skill level: Medium | Perfect for decorating: Fruit cakes 

Royal icing is perfect for getting that snow white effect at Christmas time and is the ideal topping for a rich fruit cake (it is rarely used on sponge cakes). Topping with marzipan before icing seals the moisture into the cake and stops the icing from staining with the colours of the cake.

You can also cut out designs, from stars to love hearts, in the icing, or fashion it into all kinds of shapes (even the person or people the cake is for!)  for the top of your cake. 

Top tip: To colour your royal icing, use gel pastes instead of liquid food colouring. This will make sure the consistency of the mixture doesn't change. Add a little at a time as the colours tend to be strong.

Get the recipe: Royal icing

Recipes to try using royal icing:

Red velvet peppermint cake

Mary Berry's Christmas cake

20. Fondant shapes

Skill level: Medium | Prep time: From around 30 minutes | Perfect for decorating: Celebration cakes 

With a little bit of practice, you can make some rather impressive fondant shapes to pop on top of your cake. Try having a go at edible fondant figures from dinosaurs to cats to penguins, depending on the occasion – you’ll just need a little time and patience on your hands. Just buy a variety of packs of coloured fondant from the baking aisle.

“You will also need a rolling pin.  A long acrylic one is best and get a more heavyweight one as it will make rolling icing a lot easier,” says Kate Tynan. 

Top tip: Fondant shapes are perfect for making in advance as long as you keep them in an airtight container and handle them with care when it comes to popping them on your cake.

Recipes to make fondant shapes:

Fondant bow

Fondant dog

Fondant name blocks

21. Cream

Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 5 mins | Perfect for decorating: Gateaux and fruit sponges 

Make your cake even more indulgent by topping it with freshly whipped cream, which is always the perfect base for popping on chocolates or fruits. Cream is super easy to work with and can be spread or piped onto your cake depending on its thickness.

Top tip: Remember that cream needs to be kept cold in the fridge so if you're planning on making your cake in advance, store it in the fridge or add the cream topping right at the last minute.

Recipes to try using cream:

Classic Black Forest gateau

Strawberries and cream cake

Lemon cream cake

From how to cut a birthday cake to top tips for making kid's birthday cakes, we're here to make baking that little bit easier. We've also got a great collection of kid's birthday cake ideas as well as easy ways to decorate cupcakes with kids.

From split pea curry to mushroom risotto and roast chicken to prawn stir-fry, here are the best low calorie meals under 500 calories to easily make at home.

Eating well as a family is not all about counting calories though – children and teenagers particularly need plenty of energy-rich foods to help them grow – so the focus in this recipe roundup is on nutritious, balanced eating. These healthy family meals are not restrictive and work brilliantly when you need to dish up meals the whole clan can enjoy together. They're all high on the veggie count and rich in protein, keeping you fuller for longer as well as helping your metabolic energy.

We're not just talking summer salads either. As we come into Autumn, give yourself a warming food hug with a cottage pie or a lower-fat carbonara. Or how about a health-giving ramen soup or a hearty fish stew during the winter months?

“Low calorie meals are often crammed full of lean protein like beans, lentils, or chicken breast, for example, which are filling as well as low in elements that produce fat in the body. When looking for good low calorie meals try to pick ones with high-water content as well, such as steamed or boiled vegetables, as these will naturally make you feel full and are considered low calorie filling foods,” says Claire Murphy, a registered dietician, and nutritionist at the Last Verdict.

Just like our low calorie lunches, these family meals don’t shy away from flavour. From aubergine parmigiana to Japanese soba noodles, we've got taste sensations from all over the globe, that suit every season.

Low calorie meals under 500 calories

1. Split pea and vegetable curry

Calories: 288 | Fat: 18.6g | Carbs: 15.2g | Protein: 12.9g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 30 mins

This deliciously spiced curry is packed with garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and heaps of low calorie herbs and spices.

Swapping full-fat coconut milk for the light version is a great way to cut down both fat and calorie content. The paneer cheese in this recipe is not only suitable for vegetarians but is a great choice of cheese as it's packed full of protein keeping you fuller for longer if you choose the lower fat kind, made with low-fat milk, it’s also low calorie too.

It takes just 30 minutes to cook this mouthwatering curry. This recipe serves 6 - ideal for bigger families or if you’re a fan of bulk cooking. One of our best low calorie meals.

Get the recipe: Split pea and vegetable curry

2. Squash and pepper risotto

Calories: 367 | Fat: 4.4g | Carbs: 71.4g | Protein: 11.6g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 35 mins

Well under the 500-calorie limit, this filling squash and pepper risotto contains three of your 5-a-day.

The onion, butternut squash, and pepper add nutrition to this recipe, particularly the squash which is packed full of vitamin C, vitamin A, and calcium too. In this recipe we’ve used a minimum amount of Parmesan cheese as it's quite high in fat but the stronger the cheese, the less you’ll need to use to add flavour. Therefore cutting the calorie and fat count too.

It takes just five ingredients and 10 minutes to prep to make this speedy midweek meal.

Get the recipe: Squash and pepper risotto

3. Roast chicken with potato wedges

Calories: 378 | Fat: 14.6g | Carbs: 39.5g | Protein: 23g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 1 hour

This roasted one-pot is well worth the wait at just 378 calories per portion. Infused with lemon and parsley.

A chicken leg contains less fat when it comes to choosing which cut of chicken is the healthiest. It has around three times less saturated fat than chicken breast. The savoy cabbage is a great source of vitamin C which protects skin integrity.

This recipe serves two but can easily be doubled to feed a larger family. It’s the perfect Sunday roast dinner alternative if you’re looking for a lighter option. A favourite on our low calorie meals list.

Get the recipe: Roast chicken with potato wedges

4. Sweet chilli prawn stir-fry

Calories: 220 | Fat: 4.8g | Carbs: 23.6g | Protein: 20.4g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 12 mins

Ready in under 20 minutes, this speedy stir-fry brings prawns, noodles, and Thai sweet chilli sauce together to make one flavoursome dish.

Typically you’d associate stir fry with chicken or other meats, however swapping for prawn instead is a much less calorific option and lower in fat too. Not only are prawns lower in calories than other meat, but they’re also full of vitamins cut as vitamins A, E, B12, B6, and more. They are also high in calcium which helps build and maintain strong bones.

It takes just three steps to make this stir-fry serving four. A great amongst our low calorie meals.

Get the recipe: Sweet chilli prawn stir-fry

5. Baked stuffed peppers

Calories: 209 | Fat: 13.1g | Carbs: 12.8g | Protein: 10.5g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 55 mins

These soft, sweet, and tender red peppers are stuffed with a moreish bacon, egg, and cheese filling.

A serving of this recipe works out at two of your 5-a-day which is great news. The egg and bacon up the protein count to keep you fuller for longer, meaning no late-night snacking. We’ve used a small portion of Cheddar cheese in this recipe keeping the calorie and fat count low, however, if you’d like to lower it further, choose low-fat cheese made with lower fat milk.

Serving six, this recipe will take approximately 20 minutes to prepare. It’s a great way of using up any leftovers in the fridge. Plus it's a great low calorie breakfast option too.

Get the recipe: Baked stuffed peppers

6. Butternut squash risotto

Calories: 320 | Fat: 1.8g | Carbs: 69.8g | Protein: 7.9g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Often when you think of risotto, you expect it to take hours to make but this butternut squash risotto is cooked in just 25 minutes.

At just 320 calories and with only 1.8g of fat, this butternut squash risotto is one of our favourite low calorie meals. Ideal for vegetarians, it's packed with squash, onion, garlic, and sage and infused with lemon juice. Traditionally risotto is made using a generous amount of cheese but we’ve left the cheese out to make it a much lighter option.

Serving two, this recipe can easily be doubled to feed a family of four.

Get the recipe: Butternut squash risotto

7. Pissaladière

Calories: 293 | Fat: 16.1g | Carbs: 27.4g | Protein: 7g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 20 mins

Not just a lunch option, this French-style onion tart is similar to a pizza and is perfect as a low calorie dinner.

At just 293 calories per serving, this pissaladière can be served with a side of salad leaves and fresh veg. The onion and garlic not only add flavour to the dish, but they are also classed as antioxidants which help reduce the risk of many diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and more. The anchovies in this recipe are bursting with omega-3 fatty acids and the black olives help to reduce cholesterol.

This “pizza” serves six and takes just 20 minutes to cook in total - a great midweek meal for the whole family, particularly in the summer months.

Get the recipe: Pissaladière

8. Thai prawn curry and noodles

Calories: 326 | Fat: 17.0g | Carbs: 32.5g | Protein: 11.3g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 15 mins

Warming, filling, and full of flavour, this Thai prawn curry and noodles dish is one of our favourite low calorie meals on the list.

We’ve used two cans of reduced-fat coconut milk in this recipe to ensure both the calorie and fat content are low. We’ve also chosen prawns over other meat too like chicken or beef as they are much leaner, and healthier. And at just 326 calories per portion, this dish could be served with a crust of bread as a real treat.

This vibrant dish takes just 20 minutes to prepare and cook and serves four.

Get the recipe: Thai prawn curry and noodles

9. Baked chicken jambalaya

Calories: 350 | Fat: 15.2g | Carbs: 17.4g | Protein: 33.9g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 55 mins

This hearty jambalaya is a real crowd-pleaser. It’s super easy to make and leftovers can easily be reheated and enjoyed the next day for lunch.

Chicken thighs and drumsticks are used in this recipe as they are much lower in fat than breasts. They’re also cheaper too which is ideal. This dish is infused with heaps of low calorie, or calorie-free herbs and spices including thyme, pepper, garlic, and paprika. Paprika has an array of health benefits as it contains vitamin A, capsaicin, and carotenoid antioxidants which can help prevent inflammation, and improve blood sugar levels and cholesterol to name a few.

Prepare this one-pot low calorie meal in just 30 minutes.

Get the recipe: Baked chicken jambalaya

10. Chicken and spring onion pancakes

Calories: 298 | Fat: 12.9g | Carbs: 24.6g | Protein: 20.2g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 1 | Cooking time: 5 mins

Not just for Pancake Day, these savoury chicken and spring onion pancakes are the perfect low calorie option that will keep you fuller for longer.

The protein in the chicken ensures you’ll be full after enjoying a portion of this recipe. At just 298 calories, serve these pancakes with a side salad or a portion of sweet potatoes. Choose semi-skimmed milk over full fat to keep the fat count low, you could also choose skimmed milk as an alternative too. The spring onions add a zing of flavour to each bite, as well as being rich in fiber helping to aid digestion.

These pancakes are best made and eaten on the same day for the freshest flavour and taste.

Get the recipe: Chicken and spring onion pancakes

11. Lasagne

Calories: 323 | Fat: 10.5g | Carbs: 31.3g | Protein: 24.6g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 8 | Cooking time: 2 hours

It’s hard to believe that this classic family-favourite is part of our low calorie meals collection but it is at just 323 calories per portion.

Making the sauces from scratch is a great way to ensure that the fat, calorie, and salt content is kept low as some readymade sauces tend to contain a high amount of salt. We’ve used lean beef mince in this recipe as opposed to full-fat beef mince which is a much fattier option. You could swap the mince in this recipe for lean turkey mince, chicken, or Quorn for an even lower calorie and fat option.

A family favourite bursting with veg such as onion, garlic, carrots, and tomatoes. Ready in just four easy steps.

Get the recipe: Lasagne

12. Spicy lamb meatballs in sherry sauce

Calories: 344 | Fat: 19.9g | Carbs: 8.6g | Protein: 27.5g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 25 mins

These tender lamb meatballs are cooked in a rich tomato sauce infused with garlic, onion, sherry, and dried chilli flakes.

These meatballs are a little higher in fat than some of the other recipes in this collection as they are made with standard lamb mince, however, you could easily swap for lean lamb mince, lean beef, or lean turkey for even less fat and calories. The rich tomato sauce is made from scratch. Tomatoes are an excellent source of the antioxidant lycopene which has a variety of health benefits including reducing the risk of heart diseases, and cancer. Tomatoes are also packed with vitamin C, K, and potassium.

Our spicy lamb meatballs in sherry sauce are 344 calories per serving - well under 500 calories.

Get the recipe: Spicy lamb meatballs in sherry sauce

13. Spanish-style ratatouille

Calories: 334 | Fat: 7.9g | Carbs: 58.8g | Protein: 8.8g | 5-a-day: 4

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 1hr 15 mins

Tomato-infused vegetables are roasted and baked in the oven for over an hour for a soft texture and sweet flavour.

Ratatouille is a great way to ensure you get your 5-a-day. A portion of this delicious dish works out at four of your 5-a-day. All of the vegetables in this dish have a variety of health benefits as well as being low in calories and fat. Aubergine is an antioxidant, courgette is bursting with immune-boosting vitamin C and peppers are a great source of fiber.

This recipe serves four at 334 calories per serving but you could easily half your portion size and serve it as a side dish alongside a medium fillet of baked cod at just 120 calories. One of our best low calorie meals.

Get the recipe: Spanish-style ratatouille

14. Greek-style lamb burger

Calories: 442 | Fat: 22.2g | Carbs: 34.4g | Protein: 24.1g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins

If you love burgers, you’ll be glad to know that you can still enjoy one under 500 calories.

Next on our low calorie meals list is this mouthwatering Greek-style lamb burger sandwiched between two small burger buns and topped with cucumber. Swap the usual sauces or burger relish for a much healthier, homemade yogurt-based sauce. Greek yogurt is a great source of calcium and is also known to contain healthy bacteria which help to balance bacteria in the gut. Using yogurt as a burger relish is a much lower fat option as well as lower in calories and salt.

This recipe serves four and takes just 30 minutes to cook.

Get the recipe: Greek-style lamb burger

15. Vegetarian pie

Calories: 303 | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 44.7g | Protein: 9.8g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 1hr 15 mins

Made with ready-made filo pastry, protein-rich lentils, and plenty of sweet roasted vegetables this dish is delicious simply served with a salad or steamed veggies.

Choosing filo pastry over shortcrust keeps both the calorie and fat count down in this recipe. Lentils are not only an excellent source of protein but are low calorie too at just 14 calories per tablespoon.

This pie is incredibly easy to make taking just 15 minutes to prepare. It serves six making it a perfect family dinner.

Get the recipe: Vegetarian pie

16. Spring chicken tray bake with green vegetables

Calories: 270 | Fat: 15.8g | Carbs: 14.5g | Protein: 17.1g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4-6 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s so easy to throw this spring chicken tray bake together in just one pot. You can mix and match the vegetables in this recipe with whatever you have in your fridge.

Small chicken thighs are used in this recipe to keep the calorie count down. To reduce it even further swap for skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts, which on average are around 30 calories less than thighs (based on 85g of meat).

With the added greens, a portion of this traybake counts towards one of your five-a-day. A speedy midweek choice taking just 5 minutes to prep.

Get the recipe: Spring chicken tray bake with green vegetables

17. Baked sausage and gnocchi gratin

Calories: 457 | Fat: 20.9g | Carbs: 48.4g | Protein: 19g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 25 mins

This hearty baked sausage and gnocchi gratin is infused with fennel, chilli flakes, and fresh herbs. Gnocchi is commonly thought to be a high-calorie food but in this recipe, we've limited the amount per person to around 80g each; that's 131 calories and 0.2g of fat per portion of gnocchi.

Claire says; "Gnocchi is an ideal substitute for high-calorie pasta options and is perfectly suited to mixing in vegetables and grain. Fennel is a high fiber contribution that makes you feel fuller for longer and has been shown to help moderate blood sugar release as part of a meal. To reduce the calories, swap out the sausage for a super firm tofu substitute, which is rich in protein."

This hearty family meal takes just 25 minutes to bake and serves four to six people. A portion of this mouthwatering dish also counts as one of your five-a-day.

Get the recipe: Baked sausage and fennel gnocchi gratin

18. Wholewheat spaghetti with roasted veg

Calories: 379 | Fat: 11.7g | Carbs: 60.2g | Protein: 12.4g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 15 mins

This wholewheat spaghetti with roasted veg is really easy to make, packed with aubergines, drizzled in olive oil, and flavoured with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of fresh basil and mint.

Claire, a nutritionist for LastVerdict, says; "A portion of wholewheat spaghetti contains as little as 174 calories, as well as 6g of fiber to help fill you up. Everything in this meal is low-calorie based, with not one ‘cheat’ component. Aubergines are a high-fiber, low-calorie based food that is rich in nutrients and comes with many positive health benefits such as a decrease in risk of heart disease, controlling blood sugar levels and weight loss."

This dish can easily be prepared ahead and served as a speedy, low calorie lunch option too. Leftovers can easily be stored in the fridge and reheated the next day.

Get the recipe: Wholewheat spaghetti with roasted veg

19. Mexican stuffed chicken with red rice

Calories: 479 | Fat: 11.8g | Carbs: 42.7g | Protein: 53g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Our Mexican stuffed chicken with red rice is packed with jalapeño peppers, spinach, and Lancashire cheese. This mouth-watering recipe is ready in 30 minutes and is perfect served with fresh salad.

Chicken breasts are much lower in fat and calories than thighs for example, which is why they make a great choice in this recipe. Choosing to make flavoured rice from scratch is also a good way to cut calories and fat as some packet rice has high nutritional values.

As this dish is predominantly made with chicken, it is a high-protein option keeping you fuller for longer. The spinach, tomatoes, and peppers total three of your five a day in just one portion.

Get the recipe: Mexican stuffed chicken with red rice

20. Chicken and chorizo filo pie

Calories: 426 | Fat: 25g | Carbs: 24.9g | Protein: 23.9g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 1hr 50 mins

This low calorie meal is infused with chorizo and topped with crisp, golden filo pastry. A rich tomato-infused sauce brings this pie together nicely. Serve with new potatoes.

Filo pastry is a much lower-fat option than shortcrust pastry and is lighter too so you won't feel overfull or bloated after eating it. The pine nuts add a bonus of nutrients including Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and calcium.

Both the chicken and chorizo are excellent sources of protein meaning there will be no snacking after this dinner. This recipe serves six.

Get the recipe: Chicken and chorizo filo pie

21. Butternut squash risotto with crispy sage and pancetta

Calories: 377 | Fat: 10.9g | Carbs: 57.1g | Protein: 10.3g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 25 mins

If you’re looking for a risotto with a difference this butternut squash risotto with crispy sage and pancetta is the perfect option. The soft sweetness of the butternut squash pairs perfectly with the salty pancetta.

Butternut squash is a great low calorie option. This recipe contains 350g of squash, which is just 126 calories and 0.3g of fat. This vibrant, orange vegetable has a variety of health benefits too loaded with antioxidants, including vitamin C and vitamin E.

Replace the chicken stock with vegetables and remove the pancetta to make this dish vegetarian-friendly. This risotto is so easy to make and ideal for beginners taking just five minutes to prepare.

Get the recipe: Butternut squash risotto with crispy sage, and pancetta

22. Stuffed peppers with couscous, courgette and mozzarella

Calories: 243 | Fat: 13.2g | Carbs: 19.5g | Protein: 11.2g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 20 mins

These stuffed peppers are so simple to make ready in just five easy steps. These sweet, refreshing peppers will keep you fuller for longer and count towards your five-a-day too.

Not only is couscous low calorie at just 178 calories per 100g, but it is also an excellent source of selenium. Selenium is a mineral with powerful antioxidant properties. It is known to help reduce cancer and heart disease risks.

Our stuffed peppers are packed with couscous, courgette, and mozzarella but you could try stuffing them with rice, leftover chicken, and different cheeses too. This recipe serves four but can easily be doubled to feed a larger family.

Get the recipe: Stuffed peppers with couscous, courgette and mozzarella

23. One-pot sausage and squash roast

Calories: 408 | Fat: 23.5g | Carbs: 34.5g | Protein: 15.3g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins

You can prepare this one-pot sausage and squash roast in just 10 minutes. All roasted together the sausages, squash, and new potatoes are infused with paprika and drizzled in lemon. Choosing good quality sausages will ensure that both the fat and calorie count are kept low. Replace the crème fraiche with a low-fat yogurt if you’re looking to reduce the fat content.

Claire says; "Root vegetables are high in figure and low in fat, and are a perfect addition to a healthy meal. 200g of cooked butternut squash has just 80 calories and offers 7g of fiber, making it a brilliant choice if you’re looking to maintain a low-fat diet. Squash is rich in vitamin B6 and can help combat the risk of developing mental health concerns such as depression."

Along with all the nutrients squash promotes, the sausages provide the added protein ideal for fuelling a gym session or stopping any unwanted late-night snacking.

Get the recipe: One-pot sausage and squash roast

24. Wild mushroom risotto

Calories: 340 | Fat: 19.1g | Carbs: 36.9g | Protein: 6.5g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 3-4 | Cooking time: 40 mins

This wild mushroom risotto is bursting with flavour thanks to the garlic, almond milk, and a variety of mushrooms including porcini and chestnut.

In this recipe, we have swapped cream for almond milk instead. Cream is a much more calorific option and contains approximately eight times more calories than almond milk (based on 300ml). Almond milk is also more health beneficial containing nutrients such as vitamin D, which helps regulate the amount of calcium in the body, and vitamin E, which helps maintain healthy skin and eyes.

A portion of this mouthwatering mushroom dish is one of your five a day. It will take around 40 minutes to cook this risotto and you will need to stay with it whilst it cooks to make sure there’s no sticking to the pan etc.

Get the recipe: Wild mushroom risotto

25. Sage pork chop with vegetable pasta

Calories: 464 | Fat: 31.5g | Carbs: 22.8g | Protein: 22.1g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 35 mins

Our sage pork chops with vegetable pasta recipe is a great source of protein that will keep you fuller for longer. The sundried tomato paste, sliced black olives, and sage leaves give this dish plenty of flavour.

Carbs like pasta and rice tend to have a high-calorie count. In this recipe, we have been clever and have limited the pasta to just 50g per person, which is just 71 calories per portion. We then bulked up the pasta by adding a variety of vegetables such as carrots, celery, and pepper.

Not only is this low calorie meal healthy, but it’s also super easy to make with just 10 minutes to prepare. This recipe is ideal for a family of four.

Get the recipe: Sage pork chop with vegetable pasta

26. One-pot tuna pasta puttanesca

Calories: 302 | Fat: 7.9g | Carbs: 42.8 | Protein: 15.8 | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 20 mins

Ready in just 30 minutes, this one-pot tuna pasta puttanesca is a speedy mid-week option. You can use whatever pasta shapes you have in the cupboard. Top with grated cheddar and mozzarella and serve.

Our one-pot tuna pasta puttanesca recipe has a homemade sauce made from chopped tomatoes and flavoured with basil, capers, and garlic. Choosing to make sauce from scratch is a much healthier and lower calorie option as you can control the ingredients and amount of salt in your food too.

This dinner serves four but any leftovers can easily be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. You could serve cold or warm through in the microwave.

Get the recipe: One-pot tuna pasta puttanesca

27. Homemade beans on toast

Calories: 360 | Fat: 13.1g | Carbs: 44.9g | Protein: 14.8g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 15 mins

Our homemade baked beans serve four and will take just 20 minutes to prepare and cook. The mixed beans make this brunch option extra filling, making it one of our ideal low calorie meals.

Beans are packed full of protein. Protein is important for building and repairing muscles and bodily tissues. As well as being an excellent vegan protein, butterbeans are rich in folate (vitamin B9) and iron which can help to prevent anemia.

Get the recipe: Homemade beans on toast

28. Sweet potato and courgette fish cakes

Calories: 268 | Fat: 7.6g | Carbs: 35.8g | Protein: 15.8g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 20 mins

Next on our low calorie meals list are these filling sweet potato and courgette fish cakes that are bursting with flavour thanks to the splash of lime juice and a dusting of smoked paprika. Two fish cakes work out at just 321 calories, so you can easily serve them with a side salad and still keep it under 500 calories in total.

Made with both sweet potato and baked potatoes, along with courgette these cod-based fish cakes work out as two of your five-a-day per portion. As most of the ingredients are vegetables, the calorie count will naturally be lower.

Get the recipe: Sweet potato and courgette fish cakes

29. Cornflake chicken dippers

Calories: 61 | Fat: 2.4g | Carbs: 6.3g | Protein: 3.5g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 24 | Cooking time: 15 mins

With a golden Cornflake coating, each chicken piece is tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and has to be one of our favourite low calorie meals. Serve with salad and dip and you could even whip up some homemade chips or potato wedges too.

If you're serving this recipe for a family of four, you could have six pieces of chicken each. That works out at just 366 calories for six leaving you plenty of calories for sides. Of course, cut the calorie down further by eating fewer dippers. Four dippers per person is just 244 calories per serving.

Get the recipe: Cornflake chicken dippers

30. Greek-style chicken and salad

Calories: 342 | Fat: 12.9g | Carbs: 7.2g | Protein: 48.2g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins

Each succulent chicken breast is stuffed with a spinach, shallot, mint, and feta cheese mix which is bursting with flavour. Serve with a freshly prepared salad of peppers, tomatoes, and cucumber.

Opting for chicken breast instead of thigh or wing cuts the calorie count down as chicken breast is much lower in calories and fat than other cuts. Serving protein with vegetables, particularly a salad, is a great way to keep the count low too. Cucumber is just 14 calories per 100g, tomatoes are just 22 calories per 100g and pepper is just 21 calories per 100g.

This salad serves four and is ideal for both lunch and dinner. A portion of this tasty low calorie meal is three of your five-a-day thanks to the added veg.

Get the recipe: Greek-style stuffed chicken and salad

31. Mini roasted cauliflowers with tomato sauce

Calories: 243 | Fat: 15.7g | Carbs: 13.2g | Protein: 11.8g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins

Each cauliflower is topped with a thick tomato sauce and topped with plenty of cheese too. The pancetta and hint of Worcestershire sauce add a real depth of flavour to this family bake.

Cauliflower is a great substitute for rice, pasta, or potatoes. It's just a filling, keeping you fuller for longer but without the added calorie count. On average a small cauliflower (at 250g per head) is just 75 calories and 1g of fat.

This dish is so easy you could even get the kids involved in the preparation stages as we demo in the recipe video. A portion of this dinner is three of your five-a-day.

Get the recipe: Mini roasted cauliflowers with tomato sauce

32. Leek, asparagus, and pea pasta

Calories: 287 | Fat: 13.7g | Carbs: 29.4g | Protein: 11.7g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 15 mins

Made with three different types of greens; leek, asparagus, and pea, this pasta recipe is topped with a little Parmesan for extra flavour and is just 287 calories per serving.

Other than being one of our top low calorie meals, this dish is also bursting with nutrients. Leeks are a great source of magnesium, asparagus is high in fiber and folate, and peas are a good source of plant-based protein. This dish also includes at least one of your five-a-day.

If you want to increase the protein in this dish you could add strips of leftover ham, chicken, and beef and warm through. However, keep in mind that adding meat to a recipe will change its nutritional value.

Get the recipe: Leek, asparagus, and pea pasta

33. Lemon chicken and rice stir-fry

Calories: 216 | Fat: 6.8g | Carbs: 22.4g | Protein: 17.3g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 10 mins

This lemon chicken and rice stir-fry recipe is made with ginger and lemon-infused chicken and quickly cooked veggies like sugar snaps and sweetcorn. Drizzle in soy sauce.

Claire says: "Stir-frying food is a great way of keeping the fat levels low in your food. The method results in tender-crisp vegetables that keep more nutrients than if they were boiled, and the process means you only use a small amount of fatty oil. 50g of chicken only contains 120 calories in total. Because of the high levels of vegetables, this meal can be enjoyed without the chicken, and would still retain all the favours."

This super speedy low calorie meal takes just 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook making it the ideal midweek meal when you’re in a hurry. It’s also a cheap option if you’re on a budget.

Get the recipe: Lemon chicken and rice stir-fry

34. Cheese, tomato and ham deli tart

Calories: 469 | Fat: 26.3g | Carbs: 32.2g | Protein: 25.3g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Topped with smoked Parma ham, tangy sun-blushed tomatoes, and a light cheese spread, this cheese, tomato, and ham deli tart can be on the table in just 35 minutes.

Fewer ingredients mean fewer calories and it takes just five ingredients to make this delicious tart. We've used curd cheese to coat the puff pastry. Swap this for a lower fat version to cut the calories further.

Get the recipe: Cheese, tomato and ham deli tart

35. Sausage and spinach frittata

Calories: 338 | Fat: 23.9g | Carbs: 10.6g | Protein: 19.9g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins

This mouth-watering sausage and spinach frittata is packed with sausages, red onion, cherry tomatoes, spinach, and plenty of eggs. Serve with salad for one of our light yet filling low calorie meals.

This frittata is made with six eggs. Eggs are a great source of protein and are low calorie too. One medium egg contains just 66 calories. Research suggests that eggs also aid weight loss as they help to boost metabolism.

Get the recipe: Sausage and spinach frittata

36. Open Mediterranean lasagne

Calories: 437 | Fat: 31.5g | Carbs: 21.3g | Protein: 17.1g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Substituting your meat for juicy aubergine is an easy way to reduce the calorie count in your lasagne. This open lasagne also has a lighter way of making the classic cheesy sauce.

Claire says; "The main component of this meal is aubergines, which are notoriously low in fat and high in fiber. All the ingredients in this meal provide a good balance, so as a meal it works perfectly well together. Red onions are packed with antioxidants, such as quercetin, which combats inflammation and boosts the immune system. Cut the calories by switching to a light cheese as opposed to mozzarella."

Get the recipe: Open Mediterranean lasagne

37. Farmhouse chicken braise

Calories: 477 | Fat: 37.4g | Carbs: 6.7g | Protein: 28.6g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 4-6 | Cooking time: 40 mins

It takes just 15 minutes to prepare this hearty chicken braise made with chicken thighs, carrot, and leek. Coated in a rich, double cream jus, it's hard to believe that this dish is under 500 calories.

If the fat count is a little high for you, you can use lower-fat cream or crème fraiche instead - this will cut the calories too. We've used chicken thighs for this recipe, which are a much cheaper option but if you want to reduce the calorie count further, swap for chicken breasts.

Ideal as an alternative to Sunday roast dinner, this dinner serves four to six people but can easily be adapted to cater to more. A portion of this traybake works out at just 99p per portion.

Get the recipe: Farmhouse chicken braise

38. Cheese and spinach pasta bake

Calories: 409 | Fat: 26.9g | Carbs: 23.6g | Protein: 18.8g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 55 mins

One of our favourite low calorie meals, this dish serves four to six people and is suitable for vegetarians. This bake has a light, fluffy texture as it's made with an eggy omlette-style mix. It also has a rich, creamy flavour thanks to the homemade cheese sauce.

The homemade cheese sauce keeps the calorie count under 500 calories for this recipe. This dinner has heaps of fresh spinach, which is packed full of nutrients, but you can easily add other vegetables too such as broccoli or kale to up your five-a-day count even further.

The majority of the time it takes to make this dish is spent in the oven meaning it’s a great option when you’re having a busy evening and just want something easy to rustle up.

Get the recipe: Cheese and spinach pasta bake

39. Spicy pepper pulled pork

Calories: 465 | Fat: 30.1g | Carbs: 16.1g | Protein: 31.5g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 5hr

Made with a hint of spice, this succulent pork works out at just 465 calories per serving which means you can serve it with homemade potato wedges or chips and salad and still be under the 500 calories limit.

This recipe opts for a homemade sauce, which not only infuses the pork with plenty of flavour, but also keeps the calorie count low. We've made sure to avoid any added sugar or salt in this recipe too.

We’d recommend preparing this dish ahead and making it in the daytime as it takes five hours to slow cook in the oven. That way you’ll guarantee it's ready to be eaten come dinner time.

Get the recipe: Spicy pepper pulled pork

40. Warm chicken and barley salad

Calories: 313 | Fat: 18.5g | Carbs: 14.2g | Protein: 23 | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 40 mins

Not only is this dish light on calories, but it also works out as under £1 a head for a family of four. With fresh spinach, flaked almonds, and pearl barley, this warm chicken and barley salad is ideal for a hearty lunch.

Claire says; "The mix of barley and chicken means that you have a high-fiber meal made from two low calorie ingredients, with very little else to bulk up the numbers. Barley is high in fiber, especially beta-glucan, which can reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels. It may also aid in weight loss and improve digestion. Almonds have a high fiber and salt content, so removing them will lower the calorie levels slightly."

This dish is ideal if you’re looking to get your protein fix as it’s packed full of lean protein from the chicken. This recipe is also so simple to make ready in just four easy steps.

Get the recipe: Warm chicken and barley salad

41. Burritos

Calories: 423 | Fat: 16.5g | Carbs: 46.3g | Protein: 23.2g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 8 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Next on our list of low calorie meals are these hearty burritos. This recipe brings a lot of healthy ingredients together like lean minced beef, pinto beans, and sun-dried tomato pasta. With thin tortilla wraps, this dish is light and full of flavour.

Claire says; "Pan-frying the meal means that you burn off all the excess fat. Try to look for minced or shredded beef with low-fat content, as although it mainly burns off during cooking, it still adds calories to the meal. Pinto beans are an excellent source of protein, and fiber and provide improved levels of blood sugar control and heart health. Reducing the soured cream will take off around 40 calories from each portion."

Ideal for catering to big families this recipe makes eight burritos. Burritos are a great way to get the kids involved in making their own food as they can add the filling and sauces themselves.

Get the recipe: Burritos

42. Turkey cottage pie with carrot and potato topping

Calories: 383 | Fat: 2.7g | Carbs: 46.1g | Protein: 33.7g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 40 mins

This warming cottage pie is prepped in just 10 minutes. This dish is infused with Worcestershire sauce, and tomatoes and swaps classic beef mince for the lighter, low calorie option of turkey mince. Top with carrot and potato mash and serve with a drizzle of gravy.

Adding vegetables such as carrots or sweet potato to a classic potato topping is a great way to get more vegetables into your family's diet and up their five-a-day count. The calories in this dish can be reduced further by choosing a lower-fat or reduced turkey mince. You could also try Quorn mince for a vegetarian version.

This is a much lower calorie version than classic beef cottage pie as turkey mince has a lower fat content. This recipe serves two people but can easily be doubled to feed a family of four.

Get the recipe: Turkey cottage pie with carrot and potato topping

43. Vegetable macaroni cheese

Calories: 458 | Fat: 14.9g | Carbs: 61.2g | Protein: 22.4g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 15 mins

This mouthwatering vegetable macaroni cheese is a surprising contender in our low calorie meals collection. It has a golden, crisp cheese topping. Hiding vegetables such as tomatoes, leeks, and broccoli, this recipe adds to your five-a-day count.

Macaroni and cheese may seem like a high-calorie option but this clever meal keeps the calorie count down by using semi-skimmed milk and extra-strong cheese to make the cheese sauce. Using an extra-strong cheese will ensure that you don't use too much as you'll have plenty of flavour, but half to amount compared to a mild cheese for example.

Get the recipe: Vegetable macaroni cheese

44. Chorizo and bean salad

Calories: 352 | Fat: 17.6g | Carbs: 21g | Protein: 16.6g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 15 mins

Perfect for those warmer, summer evenings when you're looking for something easy to cook. This lightly spiced salad boasts Mediterranean flavours like chorizo, sweet peppers, and sun-blush tomatoes. Add a dash of white wine as a treat and enjoy.

All of the fresh vegetables in this recipe keep the calories low. Chorizo alongside cannellini beans are both a great source of protein and will keep you fuller for longer. Cannellini beans also provide you with plenty of fiber and vitamin C meaning that are nutritionally beneficial too.

This a quick and easy option on our low calorie meals list.

Get the recipe: Chorizo and bean salad

45. Pasta shells with crayfish

Calories: 321 | Fat: 13.4g | Carbs: 36.4g | Protein: 12.7g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 3-4 | Cooking time: 15 mins

Lemon butter is all the accompaniment you need for this crayfish and pasta pairing. It’s simple, delicious, and ready in just two quick steps. This easy dish uses just six ingredients, two of which are herbs and seasoning, meaning the calories are well under the 500 mark.

Claire says; "A serving of crayfish’s calorie content can be as low as 70 and are a good source of protein as well as providing essential vitamins and minerals. A butter substitute such as olive oil can lower the fat component considerably."

Get the recipe: Pasta shells with crayfish

46. Pork ragu enchiladas

Calories: 497 | Fat: 22.6 | Carbs: 34.8 | Protein: 39 | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 8 | Cooking time: 1hr 30 mins

This mouthwatering dish serves eight, will take 15 minutes to prepare, and is one of our favourite low calorie meals. Each tortilla wrap is packed with minced pork, and a variety of peppers and infused with garlic, cumin, and coriander all in a rich tomato-based sauce.

As no ingredients are substituted for lower-fat versions, it's hard to believe that this meal is just 400 calories per serving. Choosing pork mince over beef ensures that the calories and saturated fat are a little lower. Pork also has 30 times more vitamin B1 than beef mince, which is an important nutrient to help cells in the body convert food into energy.

Get the recipe: Pork ragu enchiladas

47. Linguine with crab and mint

Calories: 386 | Fat: 16.9g | Carbs: 41.4g | Protein: 17.2g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 10 mins

Bursting with minty flavour this delicious recipe brings together dried linguine, white breadcrumbs, dried chilli flakes, and white crabmeat to make a very healthy and low-cal dish.

Crab is a great low calorie alternative to meats. On average a 100g portion of crab contains 115 calories, that’s 38 calories less than a cooked skinless chicken breast (153 cals per 100g) Crab is full of important nutrients too; omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, and selenium.

This speedy low calorie meal takes just 15 minutes to make in total making it an ideal midweek meal for two. Once you’ve mastered this recipe you could try prawns, salmon or white fish instead of crab.

Get the recipe: Linguine with crab and mint

48. Fish wraps

Calories: 415 | Fat: 13.8g | Carbs: 43.1g | Protein: 29.4g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 15 mins

The perfect alternative to a burger, these fish wraps swap a meaty, high-fat beef pattie for a lightly battered piece of fish. Wrapped in a fresh tortilla, instead of a buttery burger bun and you've got one of our best low calorie meals.

We've used coley in this recipe, but you could easily swap it for other white fish instead. Coley is just 100 calories per 100g of fish. Cod is also a great choice as it's low in calories but high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which has a variety of health benefits including lowering blood pressure.

As it takes just 20 minutes to rustle up this dish, it’s ideal as a quick work lunch as well as a light, however filling, dinner.

Get the recipe: Fish wraps

49. Low calorie tuna pasta

Calories: 249 | Fat: 3.4g | Carbs: 20.3g | Protein: 33.7g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 1 | Cooking time: 20 mins

With chunks of meaty tuna, green beans, and a light cream cheese dressing, this pasta has subtle flavours but is super satisfying. The calorie count is kept low in this dish thanks to the low fat cream cheese, wholewheat pasta, and skimmed milk.

Claire says; "Tuna calories per 100g are 132, which is very low considering that also provides massive health benefits. Tuna, as with nearly all fish, is packed full of omega-3 acids that help reduce cholesterol, resulting in a lesser risk of heart attacks."

We’ve used fresh tuna in this recipe but you could easily use tinned tuna for quickness - it may also be slightly cheaper than fresh if you’re catering on a budget. Perfect for both lunch and dinner taking just five minutes to prepare.

Get the recipe: Tuna pasta

50. Turkish halloumi bake

Calories: 413 | Fat: 14.6g | Carbs: 43.7g | Protein: 29.2g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 1hr

Sweet potatoes and lentils make this dish nice and filling as well as making it one of our low calorie meals too. The salty halloumi packs this dish with flavour alongside the sweet peppers, fennel, and fresh parsley.

The vegetables in this dish ensure you’re getting at least one of your five-a-day count as well as plenty of nutrients too. The lentils provide lean protein keeping the calorie count low but also keeping you fuller for longer. Lentils are rich in fiber, folate, and potassium, which makes them a great choice for the heart and for managing cholesterol and blood pressure.

This low calorie meal is easy; ideal for beginners as it takes just three steps to make. Prepare and bake this dish ahead of time as it takes an hour to bake in the oven.

Get the recipe: Turkish halloumi bake

51. Thai curried noodles

Calories: 297 | Fat: 11.8g | Carbs: 35.5g | Protein: 10.4g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 3 | Cooking time: 20 mins

Packed full of Oriental flavour, this delicious dish is sweet and spicy in one. You can add as many vegetables as you like but this recipe includes butternut squash, soya beans, and pak choi.

Just like soup, the liquid in this dish will help to fill you up without pushing you over the 500-calorie mark. Coconut milk is a perfect option as it’s low calorie at 20 calories per 100ml, and has a variety of health benefits too. It aids in weight loss, contains antioxidants, and can help to strengthen the immune system according to recent studies.

Get the recipe: Thai curried noodles

52. Asian prawns stir-fry with Jasmine rice

Calories: 488 | Fat: 16.9g | Carbs: 63.5g | Protein: 22.8g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 10 mins

This Asian prawns stir-fry with Jasmine rice is a quick and easy meal to make ready in just 15 minutes. This dish has a delicious teriyaki sauce and is packed with plenty of stir-fried veg.

Keep the amount of sauce you use in this dish to a minimum as both teriyaki and soy sauce tend to have a high salt count, which in turn can mean higher calories. Prawns are very low in calories at just 70 calories per 100g. You could however lower the calorie count further by leaving the prawns out.

Get the recipe: Asian prawns stir-fry with Jasmine rice

53. Beef in black bean sauce

Calories: 243 | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 16.1g | Protein: 20.3g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 5 mins

This version of the Chinese classic is so low in calories you can add a serving of rice or noodles to it and still come in at under 500 calories. Infused with soy sauce, fresh ginger, and red chilli, this is one of our favourite midweek low calorie meals.

In this recipe, we've used a readymade sachet of black bean stir-fry sauce. When purchasing your sauce, make sure you look for a sauce that has a low fat and salt content otherwise the calories will differ. You could also swap the beef in this recipe for chicken instead, this will reduce the calorie count even further as chicken is much lower in calories than beef.

This dinner takes just five minutes to cook and is ideal for sharing on a Saturday night instead of your average takeaway. It takes just two steps to make this low calorie meal making it a super easy option.

Get the recipe: Beef in black bean sauce

54. Moroccan root tagine with couscous

Calories: 300 | Fat: 4.8g | Carbs: 48g | Protein: 16.8g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 1hr 5 mins

Leeks, courgette, and carrots, this tagine takes three hearty root veg and gives them a lovely exotic flavour by combining them with warm Moroccan spices such as turmeric and cumin.

Choosing couscous over rice or pasta is a great way to keep the calorie count low. As this dish is packed full of vegetables too, it ensures the calories are well under the 500 calorie meals limit. Couscous is also an excellent source of magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium.

A portion of this meal counts as one of your five-a-day. This dish is rather low in protein so you can bulk up by adding lean protein such as beans, chicken or prawns to the mix.

Get the recipe: Moroccan root tagine with couscous

55. Spanish beef

Calories: 391 | Fat: 18.4g | Carbs: 19.8g | Protein: 33.8g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 8-10 | Cooking time: 2hr

This mouthwatering Spanish beef is made with peppers, onions, chorizo, dried chillies, and tender chunks of braising steak. The rich tomato-based stock is infused with paprika and cumin. This dish serves 8-10 people.

We've kept the portion sizes small to keep the calorie count low and as the calories are under 500 you could easily serve this dish with couscous, rice, or wholewheat pasta. This dish also has nearly 70% of your recommended daily allowance of protein as it's packed with mixed beans as well as beef. This ensures that even though portions are smaller, it's still a filling meal.

This recipe is a great option if you’re not a keen cook as the oven does all the hard work for you. All you have to do is prep the ingredients, which should take around 25 minutes.

Get the recipe: Spanish beef

56. Smokey cheese bacon and potato tart

Calories: 324 | Fat: 21.3g | Carbs: 20.4g | Protein: 11.6g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6-8 | Cooking time: 1hr

This smokey cheese bacon and potato tart recipe is just 355 calories per serving making it a great low calorie meals option. Made with ready-made shortcrust pastry, this tart is topped with potatoes, bacon, leeks, and creamy mustard-infused filling.

Cut the calories even further in this dish by opting for homemade shortcrust pastry as it’s often lower in calories and fat than readymade. You could also swap the single cream for reduced-fat cream to improve the fat content.

Perfect not just as a summery dinner but as a filling picnic option too. A slice of this mouthwatering tart counts towards one of your five-a-day.

Get the recipe: Smokey cheese bacon and potato tart

57. Tandoori fish bites

Calories: 293 | Fat: 10.3g | Carbs: 27.3g | Protein: 22.4g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2-4 | Cooking time: 5 mins

These speedy 15-minute fish bites are ideal served on a bed of rice with a freshly made salad. You can use fresh haddock loin or monkfish tail as your fish bites.

Choosing to make a homemade sauce or marinade is a great way to guarantee you'll be eating fresh ingredients with no added salt or sugar. Other than being high in omega-3 fatty acids, fish is a great lower calorie option when compared to chicken or other grilled meats.

Get the recipe: Tandoori fish bites

58. Spanish stir-fry chicken

Calories: 354 | Fat: 25.9g | Carbs: 3.3g | Protein: 25.8g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 10 mins

Succulent chicken thighs, spicy chorizo sausage, and a romano red pepper are cooked together to make one hearty and flavoursome low calorie meals. A portion of this dinner is just 354 calories per serving.

It is recommended to use chicken thighs in this recipe but if you want to reduce the calories further choose skinless chicken thighs or even swap for breasts instead. As chorizo is a rather fatty sausage, you could alternatively use a teaspoon of paprika instead to get that warm smokey favour and leave the chorizo out.

Get the recipe: Spanish stir-fry chicken

59. Moroccan chicken salad

Calories: 236 | Fat: 12.3g | Carbs: 8.8g | Protein: 21.2g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 20 mins

This tasty Moroccan chicken salad has a slight spice thanks to the harissa paste. Chunks of ciabatta as croutons, a handful or two of watercress, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar give this salad plenty of flavour.

This recipe uses lean protein, chicken breasts, and flavours the chicken with a selection of low calorie, low fat seasonings, herbs, and spices such as harissa paste, watercress, balsamic vinegar, and garlic chives. Cut the calories further by removing the ciabatta.

Get the recipe: Moroccan chicken salad

60. Tomato and pepper galettes

Calories: 391 | Fat: 26.7g | Carbs: 30g | Protein: 5g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 1hr

Light and summery, this tomato tart would make a lovely dinner served with fresh salad or new potatoes. This recipe serves four and takes just five minutes to prepare.

Choosing puff pastry is a great option if you're looking to make a tart or pie with pastry but you want to avoid the calories. Heaps of fresh veg like peppers, onion, tomatoes, and olives keep the calorie count low too. Up the protein by topping this tart with strips of cooked chicken - of course keep in mind that this will alter the calorie count.

Get the recipe: Tomato and pepper galettes

61. Chinese vegetable chow mein

Calories: 195 | Fat: 6.6g | Carbs: 27.1g | Protein: 6.1g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4-5 | Cooking time: 5 mins

At just 195 calories per portion, this classic Chinese dish is a family dinner well under 500 calories. The groundnut oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and lime give this meal a real punch of flavour.

This vegetarian recipe is meat-free, which means you avoid any extra calories or fat some meat can contain. We've loaded this stir-fry with heaps of vegetables instead so you've got plenty of nutrients. We've also used egg noodles, which are around 144 calories per 100g, which are around 28 calories less than rice noodles (172 calories per 100g). One of our easiest low calorie meals to make.

Ideal as a midweek option when you’re short on time as it takes just two steps to make. This meal is also a great lower calorie substitute for a Chinese takeaway.

Get the recipe: Chinese vegetable chow mein

62. Lemony tagliatelle with meatballs

Calories: 350 | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 18.5g | Protein: 22.2g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2-3 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Serve your meatballs differently with this simple lemon meatballs tagliatelle. The meatballs are infused with lemon and tossed with courgette strips and fresh tagliatelle.

Making meatballs is a great way to limit the amount of meat you have in a portion. Opt for turkey mince when making the meatballs as it's lower in fat and calories than beef or pork mince. We've used full fat crème fraîche but this could easily be swapped for a half fat version.

Prepare this low calorie meal in just 20 minutes. This zingy dish serves two to three people depending on your preferred portion size.

Get the recipe: Lemony tagliatelle with meatballs

63. Winter root vegetable tagine

Calories: 367 | Fat: 8.1g | Carbs: 63.5g | Protein: 13.7g 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy Serves: 4 Cooking time: 40 mins

As one of our best low calorie meals, this hearty vegetable tagine has a healthy dose of vegetables and protein thanks to chickpeas. The slightly spiced Moroccan tomato sauce gives this dish plenty of flavour.

Chickpeas are a great meat replacement as they're full of protein. A portion of chickpeas in this recipe is just 77 calories and around 19g of protein, which is just under half your recommended daily allowance. The masses of vegetables in this dish also count towards your five-a-day.

This comforting tagine counts as three of your five-a-day and takes 40 minutes to bake in the oven, which is rather quick for a slow cooked meal.

Get the recipe: Winter root vegetable tagine

64. Chicken pilaf

Calories: 371 | Fat: 13.8g | Carbs: 38.6g | Protein: 25.5g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 27 mins

Combine chicken with rice and vegetables for one of our filling, healthy low calorie meals. This dish is infused with garlic, chilli, and cinnamon and is topped with dried apricots and pistachios for added nutrients.

Choosing skinless chicken thighs over skin-on is a much lower calorie option as the skin often holds most of the fat content. You could easily make this dish without the chicken too, which would of course lower the calorie count by about 162 calories per portion, so a portion of this dish would be just under 240 calories per serving.

Great for using up leftover chicken, this dish is perfect if you’re looking for a protein packed meal that will keep you full all evening. This recipe would work just as well with beef or lamb.

Get the recipe: Chicken pilaf

65. Italian-style chicken with olives

Calories: 301 | Fat: 11.5g | Carbs: 9.3g | Protein: 35.8g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 40 mins

This one-pot Italian-style chicken with olives is infused with summer flavours. The sweetness of the olives, tomatoes and white wine makes this dish irresistible.

A homemade tomato sauce made from chopped tomatoes, sun-dried tomato paste, red wine vinegar, white wine, and garlic is a much healthier option than buying a readymade jar of sauce. This dish also uses free-range chicken, which is something to certainly keep in mind when buying chicken. Free-range chicken tends to be less fatty and contains more nutrients than caged hens.

This low calorie meal is ideal for sharing serving six people in total. We’ve also included a method for slow cooking this dish in a slow cooker for three to four hours.

Get the recipe: Italian-style chicken with olives

66. Tomato and sweetcorn flan

Calories: 299 | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 34g | Protein: 11.6g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 40 mins

The recipe includes succulent shredded ham and juicy medium-sized tomatoes. If you're cooking for vegetarians you can take out the ham and replace it with a vegetable such as red pepper or onion. We'd recommend serving this low calorie meals with a salad or new potatoes to keep this recipe under the 500 calorie mark.

This flan is entirely made from scratch. The pastry is made from just three ingredients; flour, butter, and salt, all of which can be substituted for healthier alternatives. You can remove the salt, opt for a low fat butter, or nut butter alternative and you can swap the plain white flour for spelt or rye flour instead, which are lower in calories.

Get the recipe: Tomato and sweetcorn flan

67. Smoked salmon stir-fry

Calories: 332 | Fat: 15.2g | Carbs: 30.4g | Protein: 17.6g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 10 mins

This simple smoked salmon stir-fry takes 30 minutes to prepare and cook. Packed full of vegetables like ginger, red onion, and Tenderstem broccoli and served with rice noodles make this dish light and healthy.

A 100g portion of smoked salmon is roughly 180 calories. Salmon is packed full of omega-3 fatty acids, which have a variety of different health benefits including supporting heart health and brain function. It also contains antioxidants, which can help to improve cholesterol. Salmon is a super food and this recipe ensures you make the most of it.

Get the recipe: Smoked salmon stir-fry

68. Pot-roasted lamb with potatoes and rosemary

Calories: 415 | Fat: 12.3g | Carbs: 46.4g | Protein: 29.7g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 3hr

This succulent pot-roasted lamb with potatoes and rosemary is a great alternative to your Sunday roast dinner. It combines shoulder of lamb, sweet red onions, and rustic in a meaty flavoursome stock.

It's hard to believe that this pot-roasted lamb is one of our low calorie meals but it is at just 415 calories per portion. Trimming the fat off the shoulder of lamb before cooking is a good way to ensure you avoid any extra fat or added calories.

Get the recipe: Pot-roasted lamb with potatoes

69. Chicken, pea, and noodle salad

Calories: 296 | Fat: 7.4g | Carbs: 32.3g | Protein: 25g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 1hr 10 mins

Prep this easy noodle salad in just five minutes. Tender chunks of chicken drizzled in a punchy soy sauce and lime dressing, which adds plenty of flavour without raising the calorie count.

This recipe requires just two chicken breasts, that's just half a portion of chicken per person which is a good way of keeping the calories down. The noodles and fresh veg such as pea shoots and sugar snap peas make this dish filling and wholesome.

This noodle salad is so easy to prepare in just five minutes and serves four. Leftovers can easily be stored in the fridge and reheated thoroughly before serving again.

Get the recipe: Chicken, pea and noodle salad

70. Chilli beef noodles

Calories: 493 | Fat: 30g | Carbs: 25.7g | Protein: 28g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 10 mins

Chilli beef noodles are quick and easy to make. All you need is rump steak, a mixed bag of stir-fried vegetables, fresh chillies, and a collection of herbs and spices from your spice-rack. Cook in a wok and it'll be ready to eat in 20 minutes.

Another one of our low calorie meals which includes noodles, meat, and heaps of fresh vegetables. We've removed the fat from the rump steak in this recipe before cooking. We've also chosen udon noodles, which are about 127 calories per 100g. This type of noodle is very low in calories compared to egg noodles at 144 calories per 100g and rice noodles at 172 calories per 100g.

This recipe is super speedy ready in under 20 minutes. It’s also packed full of protein thanks to the beef. This recipe serves four.

Get the recipe: Chilli beef noodles

71. Cheese and tomato bake

Calories: 425 | Fat: 21.4g | Carbs: 37.7g | Protein: 22.7g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy Serves: 2 Cooking time: 20 mins

Suitable for vegetarians, this delicious cheese and tomato bake is made with white bread, sweet tomatoes, cheesy cheddar, and a hint of pesto.

This recipe serves two but portions could easily be halved and served with a fresh salad instead. This would half the amount of calories and fat per portion. Choose brown bread over white for a healthier choice and choose a strong cheddar cheese so you don't have to use as much.

The perfect one-pot option you and your partner can enjoy without the expense of endless washing up. This is a carb heavy dinner so choose smaller portions and serve with salad for an even lighter meal.

Get the recipe: Cheese and tomato bake

72. Sausage, mushroom, and bean stew

Calories: 354 | Fat: 25.6g | Carbs: 10g | Protein: 20.4g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 3-4 | Cooking time: 2hr

For this recipe, we’ve opted for Toulouse or chorizo style sausages but you can choose classic sausages like herby pork if preferred. The rich tomato sauce is complete with flageolet beans, celery, onion, and chestnut mushrooms making this one mouthwatering low calorie meals.

This stew is bursting with protein thanks to the sausages and beans. It will ensure you stay fuller for longer meaning you’re less likely to need a big portion of this dish and could easily cut the portion sizes in half if need be. Swap the meat sausages for Quorn or turkey for a much lower fat option. Or substitute a few of the sausages for extra mushrooms instead.

The perfect winter warmer serving four. The ideal alternative to a Sunday roast dinner. We would recommend making this dish ahead of time as it takes two hours to bake - and even longer if you opt to cook it in a slow cooker.

Get the recipe: Sausage, mushroom, and bean stew

73. Beef and pepper stir-fry

Calories: 455 | Fat: 16.4g | Carbs: 47.4g | Protein: 25.5g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 10 mins

Next in our low calorie meals collection is .his meaty beef and pepper stir-fry. It's quick, easy, and can be made in 15 minutes. This stir-fry includes garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and bean sprouts.

Frying all the veg in just five minutes ensures that they keep as many nutrients and vitamins as they have fresh. The more al dente the vegetables, the better as raw vegetables are much more nutritional. Ginger and garlic are both high antioxidants, which may help your body fight high blood pressure, heart disease, as well as promote healthy aging.

It’s hard to believe that a portion of this delicious stir-fry counts as three of your five-a-day thanks to the variety of vegetables used. A quick, cheap and easy midweek choice prepped in just 10 minutes.

Get the recipe: Beef and pepper stir-fry

74. Vegetable tortilla

Calories: 396 | Fat: 26.8g | Carbs: 23.3g | Protein: 16g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 8-10 | Cooking time: 1hr 30 mins

This vegetable-packed tortilla is perfect for sharing as it can feed up to ten people. As it's well under the 500 calorie limit it can be served with a salad. The eggs in this recipe provide plenty of protein.

Cut the calorie and fat count down drastically by reducing the double cream to single or a low-fat option. A portion of double cream in this recipe is about 140 calories per person, swapping this to single will cut the calorie count per person down to just 58 calories.

This vegetable tortilla is great food on the go too and can be portioned and served cold as an on the go work lunch, picnic option or kids’ lunch box filler. One of our best low calorie meals.

Get the recipe: Vegetable tortilla

75. Garlic, ginger, and chilli prawns

Calories: 217 | Fat: 6.1g | Carbs: 3.5g | Protein: 37.2g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 5 mins

This garlic, ginger, and chilli prawn dish is packed full of Asian flavours and is under 200 calories. It takes just three simple steps to make one of our top low calorie meals.

The prawns in this meal are full of calcium, vitamin B12 and are an excellent source of iron, which helps boost the production of red blood cells. As this dish is well under 500 calories, you could serve with udon noodles (127 calories per 100g), rice (117 calories per 100g), or couscous (178 calories per 100g).

This 15-minute wonder serves two and takes just three steps to make. We’d recommend making and eating this prawn dish on the same day to keep the prawns as fresh as possible.

Get the recipe: Garlic, ginger, and chilli prawns

76. Mexican-style pork with corn salsa

Calories: 421 | Fat: 17.4g | Carbs: 34.4g | Protein: 29.7g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 15 mins

Another on our low calorie meals list is this. We love the zesty corn salsa with this Mexican-style pork dish ready in less than 30 minutes. Each tender pork chop is infused with paprika.

Pork chop is a lean cut of pork that is classed as an excellent source of high-quality protein. Cutting any fat from the pork chops is a great way to ensure the fat count is as low as it can be. The paprika in this recipe has antioxidant properties, which can help reduce the number of diseases, improve general health as well as digestion.

This recipe serves four and takes just 15 minutes to cook. A portion of this Mexican-style pork counts as two of your five-a-day thanks mainly to the homemade salsa.

Get the recipe: Mexican-stye pork with corn salsa

77. Greek lamb with warm beans

Calories: 343 | Fat: 23.1g | Carbs: 10.5g | Protein: 21.4g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Medium | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 20 mins

The final of our low calorie meals collection is this mouthwatering Greek lamb. The lamb is marinated in a four-ingredient marinade of olive oil, lemon, oregano, and seasoning. A warm bean salad is a nutritious alternative to rice, potato, or pasta side in this delicious Greek lamb dish.

The lamb and cannellini beans provide the protein in this recipe. Reduce the salt by making your own chicken stock by stewing leftover chicken cuts in boiled water. You could also swap the knob of butter for oil instead as it's much less fatty.

This dish is marked as a medium skill level only because cooking lamb can sometimes be a little tricky. Follow our method carefully to ensure perfectly cooked meat every time.

Get the recipe: Greek lamb with warm beans

78. Sabich

Calories: 467 | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 44.5g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 45 mins

You may well think you've eaten all the sandwich fillings, but have you ever had a sabich? Quite probably not. Hailing from Israel, a sabich is a sort of healthy, meat-free kebab, filled with lightly-fried aubergines, hard-boiled eggs, tons of salad, and two all-important sauces – one is tahini, which is the local sesame paste mixed with lemon and garlic, the other is the lesser-known zhug. 

Zhug is a blend of fresh coriander, parsley, chilli, olive oil, garlic, cumin, and lemon juice. Stuff the filling into toasted pitta bread. The whole thing is a real livener for the taste buds and packed with goodness. 

Get the recipe: Sabich

79. Gnudi

Calories: 280 | Fat: 20g | Carbs: 12g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 35 mins

Do you know your gnocchi from your gnudi? We're all familiar with the former, less so the latter, but it's a great dish to get on board with as a lighter, flour-less (and so gluten-free) pasta alternative made purely with ricotta, eggs, and grated Parmesan. These little dumplings are easy to make and pair beautifully with a simple tomato sauce. Bellísimo. 

Get the recipe: Gnudi

80. Chicken slaw

Calories: 376 | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 13g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins

This is a wonderful, inventive use for the leftovers from your Sunday dinner. The recipe uses slices of roast chicken breast and cauli, along with the crucial ingredient of raw cabbage (and you could definitely include some carrots and any salad veggies too – radishes and spring onions would be a good addition). 

It's all mixed in with a dollop of crème fraîche and a dash of paprika and lime zest to cut through the creaminess. Perfect as it is, or try it alongside corn on the cob. Alternatively, leave out the chicken and have it as a side with meat/veggie burgers or sausages. 

Get the recipe: Chicken slaw

81. Paella salad

Calories: 264 | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 23g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 20 mins

A speedy and simple paella made even better with the addition of cherry tomatoes and olives (it's a salad in the loosest sense of the word). This paella is bursting with nutrients and good enough to be served when you have folks over for dinner. Adding steamed green beans in the mix will work well too, as will a crisp glass of white wine. Divine.

Get the recipe: Paella salad

82. Masala omelette

Calories: 118 | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 1.5g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 20 mins

Eggs are always a good idea. Easy, quick, protein-packed, filling, and tasty, and, if you get creative, there are plenty of inventive uses for them out there, like this Indian-inspired omelette. Flavoured with spring onions, chilli, and classic Asian spices, it's also packed with vits and minerals from spinach and cherry tomatoes. It can be served solo or, even better, packed into warm naan bread or chapati. Dollops of mango chutney and raita wouldn't go amiss either.

Get the recipe: Masala omelette

83. Farro salad

Calories: 257 | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 33g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 30 mins

What is farro, you say? Well, since you ask, it's a grain popular in Italian cooking. Similar to pearl barley (and yes, you may use that instead), it forms the base of this superfood salad. 

Vegan friendly,  packed with greens and roasted root veg and there is plenty of zing thanks to a dressing of mustard, cider vinegar, and maple syrup. The chickpeas bring the protein, but non-vegans might also like to add some grilled halloumi or lean chicken. A feel-good dinner.

Get the recipe: Farro salad

84. Soba noodles

Calories: 483 | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 68g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Another brilliantly nutritious dinner idea, this Japanese-inspired dish is a great choice for the gluten intolerant because the soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour. Stir through a tasty dressing made from miso paste, sesame oil, honey, soy, and lime, and top with stir-fried prawns (which could be switched to salmon or tofu) and Tenderstem broccoli. Food for the soul. 

Get the recipe: Soba noodles

85. Aubergine parmigiana

Calories: 332 | Fat: 21g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 20 mins

You'd be forgiven for thinking an aubergine parmigiana would be intensely calorific, but this version is far leaner and more nutritious than other versions, thanks in part to the addition of protein-rich lentils in the mix. They make it a delicious, hearty, and thoroughly well-balanced meal, that even the kids will wolf down and demand more of. 

Get the recipe: Aubergine parmigiana

86. Pesto-roasted butternut squash

Calories: 364 | Fat: 23g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4| Cooking time: 1hr 15 mins

Butternut squash is in season in the autumn but, at other times of the year, you could adapt this dish using aubergines or courgettes as your veggie 'boats'. Stuffed with pesto, feta, bacon (easily left out for the meat-free), and sunblush tomatoes, it's an assault on the taste buds and packed with a rainbow of vitamins. Don't forget the pine nuts for protein and crunch.

Get the recipe: Pesto-roasted butternut squash

87. Italian red pepper soup with cheesy flatbread

Calories: 311 | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 29g  | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6| Cooking time: 1hr 5 mins

Soup isn't just for lunch – it's perfect for a light dinner and can be served piping hot or even cold, gazpacho style, on a hot summer evening. Most kids like peppers, so they'll be on board with this recipe, which is also packed with the goodness of tomatoes, onions, and garlic and flavoured with oregano (you could even stir it through pasta for another dinner another day). The salty goats' cheese toasted on flatbread (or try focaccia) complements the soup wonderfully.

Get the recipe: Italian red pepper soup with cheesy flatbread

88. Pearl barley salad with steak and leeks

Calories: 410 | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 44g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 50 mins

A treat of a dinner, packed with flavour and goodness. Reminiscent of a good risotto but using pearl barley not rice, it's best to choose the most superior cut of meat you can afford. Add in the leeks and cavolo nero for deep colour and texture, and stir through the punchy yet creamy dressing. A speedy one for mid-week, but when you know you deserve something a little special.  

Get the recipe:  Pearl barley salad with steak and leeks

89. Thai green vegetable curry

Calories: 197 | Fat: 13.1g | Carbs: 13.5g | Protein: 5.7g I 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 45 mins

Absolutely cram packed with veggies, this is how to enjoy a curry without the cals. Using reduced-fat coconut milk minimises the fat content without losing the flavour and you'll be doing some serious work towards your 5 a day. It's worth adding in some tofu or prawns for a protein hit, too. 

Get the recipe: Thai green vegetable curry

90. Chicken tikka masala

Calories: 217 | Fat: 4.5g | Carbs: 18.9g | Protein: 25.7g | 5-a-day: 2

Reckon you can't have that most classic of creamy curries when you're on a health kick? Think again. Use reduced-fat coconut milk and yogurt, sticking to lean chicken breast and going heavy on the veggies (it's a great way of using up whatever you have in the fridge - cauli, carrots, aubergine, green beans, peppers – most things go), it's a decent healthy meal that feels like a treat. Serve with plain rice or chapatis for a weekend family feast.

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 6 | Cooking time: 55 mins

Get the recipe: Chicken tikka masala

91. Weight Watchers cheese and bacon gnocchi bake

Calories: 392 | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2-4 | Cooking time: 1 hr 5 mins

A warming food hug of a family dinner for when those nights start drawing in. Learning to make your own gnocchi is a great skill to have in your culinary armour, and it makes a refreshing change from the kid's favourite mac and cheese. This version is far lower in unhealthy saturated fats than your average cheesy bake, and a generous helping of spinach in the mix delivers the vitamins and minerals. Add plenty of green veg on the side – stir-fried broccoli with garlic is a real winner here.

Get the recipe: Weight Watchers cheese and bacon gnocchi bake

92. Ramen soup

Calories: 203 | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 44g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2 | Cooking time: 35 mins

Vegan friendly and so healthy it might as well be medicine, this Japanese-inspired soup is good for the soul. Packed with vegetable protein from the tofu and soya beans, the miso paste brings the umami flavour, and the ginger will have those taste buds all of a tingle. The broccoli should go down well with the kids and, should radishes and mushrooms be a step too far, try adding some raw shredded carrots and peppers instead, or as well. 

Get the recipe: Ramen soup 

93. Sweet potato pasta

Calories: 221 | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 38.6g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 25 mins

An excellent carb-loading dinner option for those busy days, especially when the kids have been doing a lot of physical activity and need to replenish those energy stores. Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin A, are far more nutritious than regular spuds, and are a surprisingly good partnership with pasta. It's a creamy dish (without being fatty) and the pots work brilliantly with the salty Parmesan too. The peas add a spot of sweetness, and everyone loves a pea, so you're on to a speedy midweek winner of a dish.

Get the recipe: Sweet potato pasta

94. Rosemary Conley’s chicken Kiev and chips

Calories: 339 | Fat: 3.7g | 5-a-day: 0

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 40 mins

Who doesn't love a crispy, garlicky chicken Kiev? It gives us the nostalgia feels, having grown up with them, and kids are pretty partial to them, as well. This is a leaner version, lower on the saturated fats, in both the chicken and the healthier oven-baked chips on the side. Add plenty of veggies on the side to contribute to the 5-a-day factor – a colourful mixed salad, green beans or just some good ol' fashioned peas will all do the job.

Get the recipe: Rosemary Conley’s chicken Kiev and chips 

95. Weight Watchers cottage pie

Calories: 475 | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 50 mins

A cottage pie is a seasonal winner of a family dinner (though frankly, we love it so much, we'd eat it in a heatwave). Using lean mince, it needn't be a highly fatty affair either, though another good option is to swap out the meat for lentils for a high protein, low fat, veggie variety. There's plenty of veg in the mix too, though you could also add peas and even peppers. The comforting mash has a pleasingly crispy and golden top. Classic perfection.

Get the recipe: Weight Watchers cottage pie

96. Lower-fat carbonara

Calories: 409 | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 44g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 25 mins

Who doesn't love a carbonara? What we don't love quite so much is how darned unhealthy and high in fat it usually is, which is where this leaner version comes in. Back bacon instead of the streaky variety helps to cut the fat content right down, and it's an easy, speedy dish to put together on busy days. It's wise to bulk out the veg content – throw in some frozen peas or add green beans or spinach – and the bacon could be switched for vegan ham or even salmon. A weeknight dinner table triumph.

Get the recipe: Lower-fat carbonara

97. Lemon chicken stir-fry with noodles

Calories: 436 | Fat: 14g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2| Cooking time: 30 mins

This lively dish is stacked with different veggies, flavoured with sesame oil (good fats, ahoy), lemon, garlic, and ginger, and packed with protein from the lean chicken breast. Perfect for a speedy and delicious midweek pick-me-up, it's a wonderfully balanced meal that more than makes up for any weekend over-indulgence. The chicken could be switched for prawns, salmon, fresh tuna, or even strips of lean pork, beef, or lamb, or made vegan with firm tofu and/or edamame beans.

Get the recipe: Lemon chicken stir-fry with noodles 

98. Roasted vegetables and feta salad

Calories: 473 | Fat: 30g | 5-a-day: 3

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 2| Cooking time: 40 mins

We're told to eat the rainbow and that's precisely what we have on this plate – the green from the rocket, the orange and red hues of the root veggies, the pomegranate seeds like little jewels sprinkled about. The crumbly salty feta and the tahini dressing offsets the veg beautifully in a riot of flavours and textures. A beautifully balanced dinner. 

 Get the recipe: Roasted vegetables and feta salad 

99. Fish stew

Calories: 420 | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 44g | 5-a-day: 2

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 1 hr 5 mins

Working beautifully across the seasons, this dish can be a summer holiday classic with a cold white wine or a crisp beer, or a winter warmer around the dinner table on a cold evening. Ideally, visit your fishmonger for fresh squid, scallops, and prawns, and why not freestyle and add mussels or even some meaty white fish – cod works well. 

Flavoured with garlic, lemon, and paprika, the stew has a southern French/Spanish feel to it, and uses the special red rice grown in the Camargue region (though this could easily be switched to risotto rice). The texture should be soupy and some crusty bread would be just perfect on the side. 

Get the recipe: Fish stew

100. Crab, lemon and chilli linguine

Calories: 490 | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 44g | 5-a-day: 1

Skill level: Easy | Serves: 4 | Cooking time: 15 mins

This punchy pasta is super simple, like all the best Italian food, featuring just a handful of ingredients. Tinned crab meat is the hero, simply combined with chopped red chilli, garlic, lemon zest, and a glug of good olive oil, over a bowl of al dente linguine. A splash of white wine while cooking goes down a treat too, and don't forget a vegetable side dish (wilted spinach with more garlic and lemon would be nice). Ditch the chilli if your kids can't take spice, it'll still be super flavoursome.  

Get the recipe: Crab, lemon and chilli linguine 

For those who are cutting back on, or don't eat, meat, try our low calorie vegetarian meals 

Think that you need to ditch the carbs if you're cutting the calories? No need for our low calorie pasta recipes

Start as you mean to go on with our low calorie breakfast ideas 

Yes, there really is such thing as cheap family meals, and this collection is all under £2 a head and includes vegetarian options, meaty favourites, and more we're sure the whole gang will love.

Cooking dinner on a budget can be tough; deciding what to make, where to buy it from, how much to spend, any dietary requirements or certain things the kids don't like, making sure you choose healthy family meals... the list goes on. As it's still such a challenge to feed a family nutritious food on a budget, we’ve brought together a collection of cheap family meals that are all under £2 per portion, with ingredients from Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, and Sainsbury's.

“I try to keep food costs down by switching to less expensive alternatives, stretching pricey protein with seasonal veg or beans, and slashing food waste. For example, using chicken thighs rather than breasts, and frozen white fish rather than fresh cod," says Faith Archer, mum-of-two, personal finance journalist, and money blogger at Much More With Less. "What makes the difference is planning meals over a week or more, rather than focusing on a single recipe," she adds. "That way if, for example, I splash out on a pack of soured cream, bacon, or fresh coriander for one meal, I can make sure to use the rest in a different meal another day. Binning food is like setting fire to fivers.”

From cottage pie to spaghetti Bolognese, here are our favourite family meals for parents looking to save money on food...

Cheap family meals

1. Spaghetti Bolognese

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.57 | Total cost: £6.29

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, 24p
• Beef mince (500g), £3.49
• Garlic, 24p
• Mushrooms, £1.10
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, 35p
• Tomato puree, 59p
• Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti Pasta, 28p

Faith says: “Spaghetti Bolognese is one of my children’s favourite meals, and a budget favourite too. You can pick up value range spaghetti for just 20p and stretch the sauce with vegetables, such as mushrooms or grated carrot, and finely chopped celery. I make Bolognese sauce in my slow cooker to save energy costs too.”

Another great thing about recipes using canned food is when considering 'how long does canned food last?' the answer is indefinite. As long as the can isn't damaged in any way, e.g. bulges, leakages, or rust, they can remain good to eat for several years. Once opened, just pop it in the fridge in an air-tight container and consume it within three to five days.

Get the recipe: Spaghetti Bolognese

2. Cottage pie

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.49 | Total cost: £5.96

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, 33p
• ASDA Crunchy & Sweet Carrots, 35p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Beef Mince, £2.49
• ASDA Mild & Versatile White Mushrooms, 95p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Peeled Plum Tomatoes, 35p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA White Potatoes, £1.49

At just £1.49 a portion, this classic cottage pie is the perfect budget meal for the whole family. You can make this dish even cheaper by mixing the mashed potatoes with mashed carrots, which are cheaper per kilo. Adding in the mushrooms makes the meat go further, as well as adding to your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

Get the recipe: Cottage pie recipe

3. Bacon and pea risotto

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.52 | Total cost: £6.10

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Sainsbury’s Arborio risotto rice (500g), £2.40
• Stamford Street Co. Cooking Bacon (500g), £1
• Sainsbury's Garden Peas (910g), £1.45
• Sainsbury's dried grated hard cheese, £1.25

This delicious bacon and pea risotto is made with ready-mixed risotto but it’s a pricy way to buy it, so we’ve used regular risotto rice which you can cook as normal with stock. Bacon is always a great addition to a risotto because it’s so flavourful and not too expensive either. Opting for a strong cheese means you won't use loads of it in your recipe so you'll have leftovers for another recipe - a great money-saving tip.

Get the recipe: Bacon and pea risotto

4. Tomato-baked chicken

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.37 | Total cost: £5.50

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• ASDA Chicken Thighs (1.1kg), £2.80
• ASDA Bolognese Pasta Sauce (500g) 95p
• ASDA Extra Special British Baby Potatoes (500g) 80p
• ASDA Mild & Versatile White Mushrooms, 95p

For this recipe, we’ve used our favourite cut of chicken: tender and juicy thighs. Even though they taste better than chicken breasts, thighs are always cheaper, making them a complete bargain. To keep the per head price down you can make two meals worth. Buy the chicken mushrooms and sauce twice, and use all the potatoes and 1 ball of mozzarella over the top.  You can keep the second portion in the fridge overnight and reheat it the next day.

Get the recipe: Tomato baked chicken

5. Tuna pasta bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.26 | Total cost: £5.04

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• JUST ESSENTIALS by Asda Tuna Chunks in Brine (145g), 59p
• Red onion, 33p
• ASDA Mild & Versatile White Mushrooms (250g), 95p
• Sweetcorn in Water (198g), 65p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Peeled Plum Tomatoes, 35p
• Tomato Puree, 65p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Pasta Shapes, 41p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA 10 Single Cheese Slices (200g), 65p
• JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Lightly Salted Sharing Tortilla Chips, 51p

This tuna pasta bake is so tasty and delicious, it’s always welcome for dinner. The melty cheese topping is one of the best parts, but cheese is an expensive extra on a shopping list (starting at around £4.42 for the per kilo price). These cheese slices are a handy cheat - you can just place them over the top of the past bake before you put it in the oven and it will melt in place.

Scrunched-up crisps or tortilla chips make a nice crunchy topping. You can get a similar effect from breadcrumbs made from stale bread which may end up being cheaper too. And a nifty way to use up leftover bread.

Get the recipe: Tuna pasta bake

6. Turkey mince cottage pie

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.38 | Total cost: £5.52

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Morrisons Turkey thigh mince (500g), £2.99
• Morrisons tomato passata (500g), 60p
• Onion, 34p
• Morrisons Savers Marrowfat Peas (300g), 39p
• Carrots (500g), 50p
• 4 Potatoes, 70p

This warm and comforting potato-topped pie is a perfect weekend supper for the whole family. It’s packed with meat, potatoes, and vegetables, a whole meal in one. Turkey mince is slightly more expensive than beef but it’s tasty and healthy - a lean source of protein. This Woman's Weekly turkey mince cottage pie is perfect for Sunday dinner. We've used tinned peas instead of frozen to keep them cheap.

Get the recipe: Turkey mince cottage pie

7. Macaroni cheese with peas

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.38 | Total cost: £5.55

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Sainsbury's macaroni (500g), 72p
• Sainsbury's garden peas (910g), £1.45
• Stamford Street Co. Cooking Bacon (500g), £1
• Stamford Street Co. Mild Cheddar Slices x10 (200g), £1.39
• Sainsbury's British Crème Fraîche (300ml), 99p

This is such a great classic family meal, made even tastier with bacon and even healthier with peas. Faith says: “Adding the bacon and peas to macaroni cheese lifts it from a side dish into a main meal, and this recipe is easy to scale up if you have loads of kids to feed.

Using cooking bacon keeps the costs down. You end up with the same great taste, it’s just that rather than paying extra for neatly packaged rashers you get a mix of streaky and back bacon, some chunks and some slices, some with rind and some not.”

Get the recipe: Macaroni cheese with peas

8. Cauliflower curry

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.23 | Total cost: £4.94

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower head, £1.10
• 3 onions, £1
• Indus Madras Curry Powder Mild, 99p
• ASDA Coconut Milk (400ml), 85p
• ASDA Mild Tender Baby Spinach, (180g) £1

This cauliflower curry is a great alternative to a classic meat curry. Swapping meat for vegetables is a great way to keep your meals cheap and on a budget - plus it’s fabulously healthy. If you think you’d make this lovely curry twice, upgrade the bag of spinach for a 1kg bag of frozen spinach. It will last for ages with no chance of leaves going soggy in the bottom of the salad drawer.

Get the recipe: Cauliflower curry

9. Bean burgers

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.12 | Total cost: £4.48

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• KTC Red Kidney Beans (400g), 65p
• KTC Butter Beans (400g), 65p
• Spring onions 55p
• Fresh coriander bunch 85p
• Morrisons Sliced White Rolls (6), 85p
• Onion 34p
• Morrisons Shredded Iceberg Lettuce, 59p

Faith says: “Tinned beans are a good way to add protein for less, and your kids may be more willing to try them when shaped into these tasty burgers. This recipe is priced on using the two spare burger buns to make breadcrumbs, but if you have crusts of bread knocking around you could grate them into breadcrumbs and use the buns for a packed lunch.”

Use the two spare burger buns to make breadcrumbs for the burgers and instead of binding them with egg, add a small splash of milk - just enough to bring them together.

Get the recipe: Bean burgers

10. Courgette pesto pasta

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.17 | Total cost: £4.69

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Green Pesto Sauce, £1.30
• Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti, 28p
• 2 courgettes, 92p
• 1 onion, 12p
• Cook Italian Grated Hard Cheese, £1.55
• Fresh cut basil, 52p

Light yet filling, this spring courgette and pesto pasta dish is simple to make - you can have it on the table in just 20 minutes. You’ll use about half a jar of pesto here, leaving the other half for another meal (or to make this one again). 

If you want to jazz this recipe up, swap the regular pesto for red pesto instead. Leftovers can be easily reheated the next day and served for lunch or served cold with a leftover side salad from a previous meal.

Get the recipe: Courgette and pesto pasta

11. Root vegetable layer bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.42 | Total cost: £5.68

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, 24p
• Garlic, 24p
• 1 celeriac £1.20
• 2 parsnips 40p
• 3 carrots 30p
• Baking potatoes 70p
• Richmond 12 Thin Pork Sausages (340g), £2.60

This root vegetable layer bake uses dried herbs to keep it under budget. Rather than 24 chipolata sausages (4 per person), we’ve gone for regular sausages and allowed for 3 per person. If you want to make it vegetarian, skip the sausages and top with cheese instead, or swap for vegetarian or chicken sausages. Making this dish vegetarian will also cut the cost per person.

Get the recipe: Root vegetable layer bake

12. Easy sausage and potato casserole

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: 96p | Total cost: £3.84

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Onion 12p
• Tesco Baby Potatoes 1kg, £1.20
• Green pepper 55p
• Woodside Farms pork sausages (8 pack) £1.50
• Hearty Food Co Tomato and Herb pasta sauce (440g) 47p

This sausage and potato casserole is so cheap you could buy fancier sausages and still keep it under £2 a head. Though there is a pepper in the sauce, you’ll probably want to serve it with another portion of veggies to add to your five-a-day. Curly kale goes really well with the tomato-y sauce and a 180g bag (87p) would take the spend up to £1.17 per person.

Get the recipe: Easy sausage and potato casserole

13. Winter vegetable soup

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 75p | Total cost: £4.55

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• COOK by ASDA Scratch Cook Casserole Root Veg Mix (1kg),  £1.50
• ASDA Delicious 10 Unsmoked Back Bacon Rashers (300g), £2.25
• White cabbage, 80p

Start this week with a bowl of this deliciously filling winter vegetable soup, serving six. It’s so simple to make - just 10 minutes to prep and then about three-quarters of an hour to cook. It’s also one of our cheapest dishes at 75p a portion. It freezes well, so you can batch cook it too.

To make more of a meal, serve with JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Garlic Bread Baguette at just 37p, taking the per portion to spend up to £1.23.

Get the recipe: Winter vegetable soup

14. Chicken and spring onion pancakes

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1 | Total cost: £4.00

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Stamford Street Co. Cooked Chicken Breast (240g), £1.95
• Sainsbury’s British Free Range Eggs, £1.50
• Spring onions, 55p

This recipe is one of our oldest and still really popular. In fact, it first appeared in 1924 in Woman's Weekly magazine. Lots of the ingredients are things you will already have in the store cupboard, so there are only three items to add to the shopping list.

It’s also a great way to use up the last of the roast chicken if you had one for Sunday lunch - you don’t need all that much per person to make a nice, tasty meal.

Get the recipe: Chicken and spring onion pancakes

15. Bean hotpot

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.30 | Total cost: £5.20

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Celery, 57p
• Loose sweet potatoes, £1.78
• Yellow pepper, 55p
• Stamford Street Co. Green Beans (220g), 89p
• Napolina Butter Beans (400g), £1.05
• Stamford Street Garlic Baguette, 36p

This 20-minute bean hotpot is packed full of veggies. Instead of ciabatta topped with thyme and cheese, we’ve served it up with two garlic baguettes. This makes a really lovely filling vegetarian dinner.

Feel free to add more veggies if you have them lurking at the bottom of the fridge: carrots, parsnips, or swede would all work well, for instance. It's a great dish for using up leftovers.

Get the recipe: Bean hotpot

16. Spanish-style tortilla

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.16 | Total cost: £4.65

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Wonky Potatoes (1kg), 99p
• Morrisons Medium Free Range Eggs (6), £1.50
• Onion, 33p
• Garlic, 24p
• Morrisons Savers Salad Peppers, £1.59

Spanish omelettes are filling and healthy as they're made with spuds and peppers. Try this simple Spanish-style tortilla recipe for a weekend lunchtime. There’s enough money left in the budget to get a packet of salad tomatoes (95p) alongside. Slice them up on a large plate, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle a little olive oil over the top to make a pretty tomato salad.

Get the recipe: Spanish-style tortilla

17. Meatballs with spaghetti

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.09  | Total cost: £4.39

Priced at Tesco 

Ingredients:

• 11 brown onion, 12p
• 500g minced pork, £2.50
• 1 garlic, 24p
• Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti Pasta, 28p
• 1 egg, from a pack of 6, 25p
• Tomato Puree, 65p
• 1 can Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes, 35p

Meatballs are a great cheap family meal. A nifty trick is to bulk up mincemeat dishes using vegetables to make them go further. Adding an extra onion and a couple of finely chopped carrots would cost less than 50p. It would add another portion to the sauce and the 500g pasta will easily serve five.

Stay under budget by using dried herbs in this recipe and skipping the Parmesan and pesto, but use store cupboard ingredients to boost the flavour instead. Half a crumbled beef stock cube, for example.

Get the recipe: How to make meatballs

18. Farmhouse chicken braise

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: £1.20 | Total cost: £7.23

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• 2kg British Fresh Chicken Skin on Thighs, £4.30
• 500g carrots, 50p
• 2 leeks, 79p
• 150ml double cream, 95p
• Sainsbury's English mustard, 69p

Faith says: “I’m a big fan of using tasty chicken thighs rather than more expensive chicken breasts, and the creamy mustard sauce makes this dish special. It goes well with value range rice if you have hungry teenagers to fill up.”

Chicken breast is probably the nation’s favourite cut, but it’s expensive and it’s not nearly as tasty or tender as thighs. You can get a really good deal on this large pack, which portions out at two thighs per person. Remove the skin if you like, to keep the fat content lower but it's not necessary.

Get the recipe: Farmhouse chicken braise

19. Slimming World's bacon and broccoli pasta salad

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.42 | Total cost: £5.70

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Pasta Shapes, 41p
• Butcher's Selection 12 Unsmoked Back Bacon Rashers, £3.50
• Mild Tender Baby Spinach, £1
• Broccoli, 79p

This Slimming World recipe for bacon and broccoli pasta salad is not only cheap to make but healthy too. We've doubled the ingredients so it serves four. We swapped the Tenderstem broccoli for regular broccoli which is more affordable. When you prepare the broccoli, don’t discard the stem - you can cube it and use it in the pasta sauce too. It has a lovely texture.

We used back bacon here, but check the prices of the streaky bacon too as it’s often cheaper. Keep any bacon leftovers in the freezer and you’ll have some ready for next time.

Get the recipe: Bacon and broccoli pasta salad

20. Lentil and spinach curry

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.41 | Total cost: £5.64

Priced at Asda

Ingredients:

• 1 tin green lentils, 49p
• Tinned spinach leaves, 85p
• Smart Price peeled plum tomatoes, 35p
• Red onion, 33p
• Garlic, 25p
• Pataks Madras paste pots, £1.85
• Fresh coriander, £1
• Smart Price Long Grain Rice, 52p

This veggie curry is a lovely weeknight supper. We’ve served it with rice rather than naan bread and chutney to keep the price down. Faith says: “This curry can be whipped up from store cupboard staples. Onion, garlic, rice, and tins all last for ages.

The tinned spinach and paste pots keep costs down for a single meal. But if you have the cash and might repeat the recipe, or cook other curries, A jar of balti curry paste for £1.50 and an 850g bag of frozen spinach for £1.40 would make at least four meals and be cheaper over the long run.”

Get the recipe: Lentil and spinach balti

21. Pork goulash

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.23 | Total cost: £4.95

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Extra Lean British Pork stir fry (300g), £2.50
• Onion, 37p
• 1 red pepper, 55p
• Tomato puree, 59p
• Garlic, 24p
• Hubbard’s Foodstore Chopped Tomatoes (400g), 35p
• Stamford Street Co. Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g), 35p

This hearty pork and pepper goulash recipe is flavoured with paprika and packed with veggies such as red onion, tin tomatoes, and roasted red pepper. To save money we’ve used a fresh red pepper - you can roast it yourself in the oven in about 45 minutes. Chop it in half, place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and bake for 40 minutes. The skin will be blackened and ready to peel off.

Get the recipe: Pork goulash

22. Spicy sausage and cheese bake

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.38 | Total cost: £5.52

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Hearty Food Co penne pasta (500g) 41p
• Woodside Farm pork sausages (8 per pack - 454g) £1.50
• Cathedral City Mature Sliced Cheese (150g), £2.40
• Fresh cut thyme (20g) 52p
• Creamfields mozzarella (210g) 69p

You may already have some of the ingredients, such as butter, flour, and milk, to make this delicious sausage and cheese bake. Prep in just 15 minutes. We used normal pork sausages instead of spicy ones to keep the recipe on budget. Slice the mozzarella ball thinly so you get lovely gooey layers of soft white cheese in the dish.

Get the recipe: Spicy sausage and cheese pasta bake

23. Courgette, garlic, and herb oaty crust quiche

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: 82p | Total cost: £4.94

Priced at Tesco

Ingredients:

• Tesco Scottish Rough Oatcakes, £1
• Soft Cheese with Garlic & Herb, £1.30
• 3 courgettes, £1.39
• 2 eggs (from a pack of 6), 50p
• Sour cream, 75p

This makes a lovely, vegetarian-friendly Sunday lunch. With the homemade pie case, it does not feel like a budget dish at all. You can use any cream cheese with garlic and herbs, and we swapped the crème fraîche for sour cream as it works out a little cheaper. Butter is one of our store cupboard staple ingredients, but you do need a large portion for this recipe - about half a pack.

This recipe is great for sharing and as you've got a bit of budget left over you could easily serve it with a salad for a summer meal. Leftovers also make the perfect lunch option the next day.

Get the recipe: Courgette, garlic, and herb oaty crust quiche

24. Tomato tart

Serves: 6 | Cost per person: £1.02 | Total cost: £6.15

Priced at Sainsbury’s

Ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes (500g), £1.35
• Green pesto, £1.30
• Jus-Rol Puff Pastry Ready Rolled Sheet, £1.75
• Iceberg lettuce, 75p
• Sainsbury’s balsamic dressing, £1

One of our favourite cheap family meals that use readymade pastry. Check the frozen aisle for readymade puff pastry, as it’s often cheaper than the chilled versions. This tart is quite big and serves six people. We’ve served it with a dressed salad here, which still comes in just over £1 per person.

Get the recipe: Tomato tart

25. Beer-battered fish and double-cooked chips

Serves: 4 | Cost per person: £1.41 | Total cost: £5.66

Priced at Morrisons

Ingredients:

• Morrisons Savers fish fillets (450g), £2.16
• 4 baking potatoes, 70p
• Whitstable Bay Pale Ale Bottle (500ml) £2.25
• Morrisons Chip Shop Mushy Peas (400g), 55p

Faith says: “Rather than splashing out on a takeaway, save by making your own fakeaway fish and chips instead. Frozen white fish fillets are often much more affordable than fresh fish, and will last a lot longer in your freezer. Value range frozen peas are another of my freezer favourites, and if you get some for the macaroni cheese recipe above, you could substitute some of the rest of the bag for the mushy peas.”

You will need enough sunflower oil to deep fry your fish and chips. You can actually re-use oil around 10 times before you need to replace it so keep this in mind when cooking.

Get the recipe: Beer battered fish and triple cooked chips

• All prices in a particular recipe relate to a single supermarket.
• Most meals serve four people, except where otherwise stated.
• Prices may vary but are correct at the time of publication.

How to cook on a budget - expert tips

We spoke to food blogger Caroline Hartley from The Happy Food Kitchen to find out her top tips and tricks when it comes to cooking on a budget. From batch cooking to supermarket-own brands, here's everything you need to know about cooking cheap family meals...

Batch cook everything

“You'll save on fuel by batch baking, so never use your oven with one item in it – always fill it. If you're using two shelves to cook dinner, bake a tray of flapjacks or roast some veg for tomorrow at the same time," says food blogger Caroline Hartley from The Happy Food Kitchen. 

“Get into the habit of cooking double what you need. Bolognaise, stews, curries, and pies freeze brilliantly so ‘eat one, freeze one’ and soon you will have a wealth of choices in your freezer.”

Don't always follow 'best before' dates

"Check the dates on your perishable food and bear in mind the sniff test for things like milk – it is often fresh for days after the date on the packet but if you're worried about drinking it, use the milk in pancakes and Yorkshire pudding so you're not throwing it down the drain," says Caroline. Equally, over-ripe fruit can still be used. 

“Black bananas have the best flavour. Make pancakes or freeze the banana before blending it with cocoa powder and a splash of milk for a delicious healthy chocolate ice cream. Or blend with berries for a cold, thick smoothie.” 

Choose your cooking appliances wisely

"Slow cookers, microwaves, and air fryers are cheaper to run than trying to heat a whole oven if you are cooking smaller amounts or reheating, so it is worth adapting recipes to use these," says Caroline.

Prevent food waste

"Some people find a meal planner the best way to do this, others buy online to prevent impulse purchases or shop the offers in the supermarket before deciding our meals," says Caroline.

Make inventive use of leftovers

"It can be fun to have a ‘random’ or ‘use up’ meal every week, where all the things that need using from the fridge and freezer – like small bits of cheese or the odd slice of ham and the end of a bag of oven chips – are put together with jars of pickles and sauces to make a meal in itself,” says Caroline. 

“Got half a courgette, an onion, a bit of garlic, and a couple of sad carrots in the bottom of your fridge before shopping? This is a quick and easy soup! Or leftover mashed potato can be used as the base for another dish. It's perfect with a tin of tuna or some ready-cooked mackerel to make fish cakes.”

Make the most of your freezer

We all use our freezer to house a packet of frozen peas and a tub of ice cream, but there are more inventive money-saving uses for it. “Pre-packaged lunch box treats are expensive, so do a cheaper version of the treat box in your freezer. Make brownies, flapjacks, cookies, and rice krispie cakes and portion when cool before wrapping and freezing. The night before, take one out and pop it into the kid's lunch bag,” says Caroline. 

“And if you see a loaf of reduced bread but you don’t need any bread, freeze it or turn it into ready-prepped sandwiches. Cheese, jam and peanut butter, ham or chicken sandwiches can all be pre-made on buttered bread and frozen. Wrap and label them before freezing then they can be placed in a lunchbox the night before. The cheese version can be toasted straight from the freezer too.”  

Increase your veggies and cut the meat

“Meat is one of the most expensive products to purchase, so reduce the amount you use and you will immediately save money. Beans and lentils are far cheaper and can be used to bulk up meals. So if you're using mince, add a tin of lentils to the mix. If you're making a stew, add root veg, chopped mushrooms, and a tin of mixed beans,” says Caroline. 

"Make your usual chilli recipe with a couple of tins of beans and a sweet potato instead of mince and you'll make a great saving as well as feeling really full."

Buy supermarket own brands

By switching 12 big brand items for a supermarket's own-label goods, you could save nearly £15 on each shop – and more than £500 a year, according to research by The Sun newspaper. So imagine how much you'll save by ditching major brands altogether. 

This month, Heinz Baked Beans are £1.40 at Sainsbury's, while their own brand, Stamford Street Co, is a mere 27p, nearly five times less. Asda's own brand of ketchup, meanwhile, is £1 for 550g while a (smaller) bottle of Heinz ketchup is a whopping £3.40. Those are quite some savings. 

There are plenty of other ways to save money on food including reducing food waste, and using up those leftovers. We've also got an array of clever tips, tricks and food hacks created with thrifty parents in mind. 

For more dinner inspiration, we'd recommend having a browse through our best 15 minute meals and 20 minute dinner ideas - both of which are perfect for the midweek madness.

From a Halloween pizza made with a shop-bought base to cheesy broomsticks made with your little ones' favourite cheese, here are the best Halloween food ideas to whip up this October.

“Imagination is the only limit to food creativity, and Halloween food is a great opportunity for children to get involved in the kitchen, whether you’re throwing a fancy dress party or stocking up for trick-or-treaters,” says Michaela Hanna, a chef who offers private cooking lessons and has appeared on MasterChef: The Professionals. 

“You can be as retro as you like when it comes to Halloween recipes – cover a grapefruit in tin foil, use black olives on cocktail sticks for eyes, and thread different coloured gummy worms onto skewers to make a Medusa-style head as a centerpiece for a table. Cut discs out of puff pastry, spread with tomato puree, sprinkle on some cheese, and use olives and strips of salami to make a spider snack perfect for handing out to hungry guests. Make a cauldron of green gooey dip by hollowing out a small pumpkin and filling it with guacamole – strips of pepper or breadsticks and nachos will make the ideal dipping accompaniment.”

Michaela is full of ideas for sweet treats, too. “Decorate squares of chocolate brownie with white coated biscuits, with red smarties in the center and black and red icing to make eyeballs,” she suggests. “Whatever your Halloween occasion, your guests will be thrilled with some tasty, themed food, delicious drinks, and spooky costumes.”

Sausage mummies, spooky sandwiches, spider web tart, Mini Roll bats, witch's brew mocktails - the Halloween buffet food list goes on. And don’t forget to stock up on Halloween-themed tableware and decorations alongside all this spooktacular food so you can throw the ultimate Halloween party this year. 

Halloween food ideas

1. Halloween cookies

Makes/serves: 18 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 22 mins

These spooky cookies make ideal treats for trick-or-treaters or are great for kids at Halloween parties. Ideally, invest in some Halloween cookie cutters, then you can cut out bats, ghosts, pumpkins, and tombstones though if you’d rather not fork out, whatever cutters you have in the cupboard will suffice – a skeleton can be piped onto a gingerbread person cut-out, for example, or draw a spooky face on to a round cookie. The biscuits are super simple with only four ingredients and decorated with thinly rolled-out coloured fondant. 

Get the recipe: Halloween cookies

2. Halloween muffins

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr

A simple one for the less adept bakers amongst us, these muffins are flavoured like a carrot cake with, well, carrots obviously, as well as cinnamon and walnuts. Piped with an orange buttercream, you can then just mix and match with whatever toppings you fancy, from spooky jelly sweets to sprinkles in Halloween hues.

“These muffins offer a great orange alternative to pumpkin at Halloween – perfect if you want something a bit different than the usual on the dessert table. To get really vibrant colours for your icing, use a colouring paste or gel rather than colouring liquid and let the kids go wild with gummy sweets and chocolate eyeballs to decorate,” says professional baker Naomi Boles.

Get the recipe: Halloween muffins

3. Spooky Halloween pizza

Makes/serves: 6 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 35 mins

This spooky Halloween pizza recipe is the perfect ghoulish treat and just too cute, if you ask us. Use a cookie cutter to cut out different shapes of Mozzarella cheese including ghosts, bats, and pumpkins. You could also make shapes out of slices of pepperoni and, it might be a little fiddly, but you can also create spiders out of whole black olives. Making extra large pizzas for a party, so there’s plenty of space to show off your toppings is the best idea (and means there’s plenty for guests to scoff, of course). 

Get the recipe: Halloween pizza

4. Halloween traybake

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 55 mins

This jammy sponge is super easy for the unconfident bakers amongst us, and you don’t even need to make icing as it’s topped with that American classic, marshmallow fluff. This sticky, messy sugary topping is the perfect surface for sticking all manner of crowning glories – jelly worms and other spooky sweets, as well as M&Ms, Smarties and jelly beans in Halloween hues. 

Get the recipe: Halloween tray bake

5. Halloween eggs

Makes/serves: 24 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 30 mins

Is your mind  boggling as to how the tie-dye effect in these brilliantly gruesome-looking eggs is achieved – well, it is created using blueberries. The eggs are boiled with them, and then the shells are slightly cracked and soaked overnight in the fruity water – so you need to work ahead on this one. They taste as wonderful as they look, too, filled with an avocado mousse.

“This is a fantastic recipe – it has the visual wow factor, can be made ahead of time and is easy to eat as a nibble with drinks. Serving on a black plate will make the colours pop even more. The lemon will help to keep the avocado green,” says chef Michaela Hanna. 

Get the recipe: Halloween eggs

6. Jelly worms

Makes/serves: 100 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins (plus time to chill)

Super as a cake topper, or just as a big bowl of slimy worms, these are super easy to make – all you need is some party straws and some good old-fashioned packets of jelly. Make them multi-coloured and decorate your cake plates with them. Simple but very effective. 

Get the recipe: Jelly worms

7. Witch’s fingers

Makes/serves: 45 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 20 mins

Giving a whole new meaning to the term ‘finger food’, these impressive and seriously gruesome witch’s fingers are made using a biscuit base with blanched almonds as nails and jam as blood. You could even add a little green food colouring to the biscuit mix for a witchy hue. And why not serve them with a sweet dip, like Nutella or dulce du leche? 

“Brace yourself because these biscuits look very realistic! Ideal for making with children and simple to decorate, plates of these spooky biscuits are sure to get a reaction. To keep the biscuits snappy, don’t over mix the flour, just bring it together gently and, if you’re making ahead of time, store the biscuits in an air-tight container,” says Michaela Hanna.

Get the recipe: Witch's fingers

8. Pumpkin shaped cake

Makes/serves: 24 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 1 hr 35 mins

A perfect centrepiece for your Halloween table. Made in a Bundt tin, this cake both contains pumpkin and also resembles that most seasonal of fruits. Also featuring other Autumnal flavours like cinnamon and ginger, the cake is topped with orange icing, bronze glitter and finished off with a fondant stalk. It would be equally wonderful served on Bonfire night, or for an October/November birthday party. 

Get the recipe: Pumpkin shaped cake

9. Halloween fairy cakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr 10 mins

These simple fairy cakes are a godsend for those who are challenged on the cake decorating front. A brilliant one to do with kids, this recipe features ready-to-use icing and icing pens for you to draw spooky designs with - try spider’s webs and ghostly faces, and if they’re a little rough around the edges, that’s ok because the kids did them, right? (even if it was you, really, wink wink).

Get the recipe: Halloween fairy cakes

10. Pumpkin biscuits

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 2 hrs 15 mins

These biscuits are next level tasty, featuring ground almonds, orange zest and runny honey, and the toppings are basically stamped on with a cut-out apple dipped in food colouring (think the potato stamps you did harking back to school days). An excellent Halloween party bag treat or to serve amongst your Halloween party food spread on a large tray so each biscuit can lie flat. They’re too good to give away in the trick or treating stampede, if you ask us.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin biscuits

11. Halloween lasagne

Makes/serves: 6 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 1 hr 35 mins

Give your classic lasagne a Halloween makeover with this vegetarian butternut squash, spinach and ricotta version, featuring all the requisite seasonal colours and flavours.  Make a pumpkin shaped topping out of pieces of the squash. 

“Easy to scale up for larger numbers of guests, or cook extra to have at a later date, this is a great recipe that caters for vegetarian guests,” says Michaela Hanna. “Some shredded chicken or cubes of chorizo can be added if you would like to make this a meat version. Line the tray for the butternut with baking parchment to prevent sticking and make the washing up easier!”

Get the recipe: Halloween lasagne

12. Halloween pumpkin cake

Makes/serves: 8-10 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr 15 mins

A classic carrot cake is a very Autumnal affair, so perfect for Halloween, topped with these very cute fondant pumpkins (that are pretty easy to make, even if you’re an amateur at the old cake decorating). Cream cheese frosting, a moist sponge delicately-spiced sponge, and a cake that hits the spot all across the seasons, not just for Halloween. Though to make it extra spooky, add some green food colouring to the frosting, and decorate the plate with other creepy delights.  

Get the recipe: Halloween pumpkin cake

13. Halloween toffee apples

Makes/serves: 6 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 20 mins

An iconic treat for this time of year, these toffee apples will also go down a storm for Bonfire Night. Dip your Granny Smiths into the toffee mix, made from golden syrup, sugar and butter (we concede it’s not the healthiest way to eat your daily apple, but hey ho). You could then dip half the mix into different toppings – flaked almonds work brilliantly or you could try some orange and green sprinkles or chocolate vermicelli. 

Get the recipe: Toffee apples

14. Cheesy broomsticks

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins

These savoury snacks are so adorable and will be a party talking point, despite being super easy and containing only three ingredients – pretzel sticks for the broom handle, sliced cheese for the broom, and chives to wrap around for colour. We’d serve these with some nice dips - think a nice ‘bloody’ salsa with a kick of chilli and onion. That’ll do nicely. 

Get the recipe: Cheesy broomsticks

15. Halloween cake pops

Makes/serves: 20 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 30 mins

This one takes a wee bit of time and skill, but, boy, is it worth it. These pumpkins and skeletons are achieved by using candy melts that you dip your cake balls into. Make them a day or two ahead of your party, and they’ll make a spooky smasher of a centerpiece on your Halloween food table. They’re almost too good to eat. Though we must emphasise the ‘almost’ there.

Get the recipe: Halloween cake pops

16. Witch's hat cookies

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ice cream cones and biscuits, stuck together and covered with melted chocolate, they’re so simple and brilliant, especially with the brightly coloured fondant belts and buckles. “These are a visually brilliant, sweet treat for any Halloween party. Children will love to see how they can transform a few simple ingredients into fun chocolate treats. If you do not have a microwave, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water – just make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water,” says Michaela Hanna.

Get the recipe: Witch hat cookies

17. Halloween whoopie pies

Makes/serves: 20 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 10 mins

That most American of cakes, these whoopie pies (apparently the name comes from the Amish folks who would say ‘whoopie’ when one appeared in their lunch boxes) are given a seasonal twist. The filling is scattered with orange and black sprinkles, and topped with pics of spooky skeletons attached to cocktail sticks – get the kids crafting for this one.

Get the recipe: Halloween whoopie pies

18. Halloween pumpkin soup

Makes/serves: 4 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 45 mins

Because pumpkins aren't just for carving… This healthy, nutritious, comforting, lightly spiced pumpkin soup has an impressive spider web topping made from natural yoghurt (though you could always use creme fraiche, or sour cream). If you really want to go all-out, you can ladle it into mini cauldrons for your guests. 

“Delicious, seasonal and batch-cook friendly, make lots of this pumpkin soup so you can freeze some and have it later. If you can’t find turkey rashers, then shredded chicken or ham would make a good alternative,” says Michaela Hanna.

Get the recipe: Halloween soup

19. Creepy cheese faces

Makes/serves: 4 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 5 mins

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. To make these sinister cheese faces, you will need a packet of English muffins, tomato puree and cheese slices. Cut the muffins in half, toast the outsides, then flip them over, very lightly toast, then spread with a layer of tomato puree. Take the cheese slices and carve out scary faces. Place onto the muffin and grill. Until bubbling and toasted. 

20. Eyeball cake pops

Makes/serves: 10 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 2 hrs 20 mins (plus chilling time)

Vanilla sponge balls, dipped in buttercream and white chocolate melts, you’ll  need to use your artistic skills to draw on the blood red veins around a black fondant eyeball. Suitably sinister, these will have your trick or treaters or your party guests highly impressed. It’s a shame to actually eat them, really. 

Get the recipe: Eyeball cake pops

21. Zombie-bread men

Makes/serves: 18 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 32 mins

Make up a batch of these zombie-bread men with your small party guests. They can decorate them however they like – and eat them afterwards, of course. Do a batch of classic gingerbread and decorate with red, white and black icing, making eyes out of white and black fondant. A deliciously spooky twist on a classic. 

22. Terrifying trifles

Makes/serves: 3 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr 20 mins

These five-layered individual trifles are given a Halloween twist, and can be as easy or as tricky as time and skill allows. Make your own sponge for the bottom level, or just buy one, then add custard with a splash of green food colouring – again homemade, ready-made, or with good ol’ fashioned custard powder – before a layer or crushed biscuits of your choice (we think Oreos work particularly well). After this, add orange jelly and top with whipped cream. Then decorate with spooky faces. Glassware for presentation is essential - buy the jars from Lakeland, or you could make one big, scary trifle in a traditional glass dish. 

Get the recipe: Terrifying trifles

23. Halloween marshmallow pops

Makes/serves: 16 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 30 mins

Taking your kid’s marshmallow love to the next level – toasting them round the campfire will have nothing on the excitement of these creepy creations. Kinda like cake pops without having to make or shape actual cake, marshmallows are turned into ghost, pumpkin and mummy and – our favourite – Frankenstein pops, thanks to the addition of ingredients like candy melts; pretzel sticks and white choc. The variation looks amazing, but if you’re short on time, just focus on one or two of the spooky options.

Get the recipe:  Halloween marshmallow pops

24. Bloodbath cocktail

Makes/serves: 1 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 5 mins

Vampires will love this bloodbath cocktail made with pomegranates and vodka, and a dash of lemon juice. Double or quadruple the recipe to make enough for punch, and, for a really impressive presentation, serve it in a fake cauldron. Add some lemon slices and enjoy, safe in the knowledge that you’re getting your superfoods in alongside a cheeky bit of booze.

Get the recipe: Bloodbath cocktail

25. Spooky chocolate-covered apples

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 15 mins

All you need to make these spooky treats is chocolate, apples and food colouring/writing icing. Simples. Melt 200g of white chocolate, either in the microwave or in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water and allow to cool slightly. Swirl through a few drops of orange food colouring for the pumpkin option. 

Pierce your apples with a wooden skewer and dip into the chocolate. Spoon over the white chocolate, over the bowl, to ensure the apple is fully covered. Leave to dry in the fridge, on a piece of greaseproof paper. Once set, draw sinister faces on your apples with black writing icing.

26. Ssssnake rolls

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 40 mins

Basically, very long, skinny, and slightly spooky sausage rolls, to make them you need ready-made shortcrust pastry, sausage meat, an egg and a few slices of red pepper. Roll out the pastry, dusted with flour, cut strips of around 25 cm in length and 10 cm wide and place a thin line of sausage meat down the middle. Glaze one edge of the pastry with beaten egg and roll the other one over the meat, pressing the edges of the pastry together. Curve into a snake-like shape and glaze with beaten egg. Bake in the oven (200C, gas 6) for 15-20 mins until golden brown. Make eyes and a snaky tongue with a slit in the end from chunks of the pepper, and stick them on with the remaining egg wash. 

27. Chocolate Mini Roll bats

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 20 mins

An ideal no-make treat to put together with the kids. You’ll need two packets of chocolate mini rolls, black and white fondant and some icing sugar. Draw a small bat wing stencil on a piece of paper, place it over black fondant and cut out two wings for each ‘bat’. Make a 'glue' from a little icing sugar and a few drops of water and stick the wings around the mini rolls. You can make each one look different, wrapping some around the ‘body’ and leaving each other’s flat. Make eyes by placing small black balls of fondant onto larger white balls and glue these onto the rolls with your icing sugar mix. Spookily cute.

28. Pumpkin carrot face

Makes/serves: 10 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins

Merely piling your crudites up in bowls will never do for Halloween – get creative with your veggies by making this pumpkin carrot face with mini carrots, courgette or cucumber, and a selection of dips. All you have to do is arrange the carrots in a pumpkin shape and cut the courgette/cucumber into a jagged  shape for the mouth, cut out a big chunk for the top of the pumpkin and add bowls of dips for the eyes. Tzatziki and guacamole work well, or give it a twist by using salsa for a suitably seasonal bloodshot look.

29. Lily Vanilli's undead gingerbread cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 55 mins

Create your own graveyard with these spooky tombstone cupcakes with a tasty gingerbread twist. These are brilliantly effective and, while there are a lot of elements involved, the end result is pretty rustic so you don’t have to be a piping perfectionist to have a go. The choc cupcakes are made with a recipe featuring sour cream and espresso coffee, and you make your own gingerbread with treacle, lemon zest and a variety of spices (of course, you could cheat and buy some, but it may not be easy to cut to the shape of tombstones…).  “Not only do they look awesome, but the gingerbread gives an extra autumnal taste,” says pro baker Naomi Boles. “You don’t have to complete everything in one day with these cupcakes, you can back and store your gingerbread gravestones in an airtight container for up to 7 days.”

Get the recipe:  Lily Vanilli’s undead gingerbread cupcakes

30. Skele-mallow zombie

Makes/serves: 5 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 15 mins

To make these marvellous-looking marshmallow zombies, you need large and mini marshmallows, wooden skewers, food writing icing and fondant. Thread three large marshmallows onto a wooden skewer, add a couple of mini marshmallows at the top for the neck, then add the 'head'. Stick two smaller skewers out of the top 'body' marshmallow and thread mini marshmallows on for the 'arms' and large marshmallows for the 'hands'. Repeat this process for the legs. Add black and white fondant eyes and decorate with red writing icing for that bloody effect. The kids will go bonkers for this one.

31. Pumpkin cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 38 mins

These cupcakes aren't just topped with a pumpkin face, there's pumpkin puree inside them too, as well as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. In fact, could they be any more autumnal? You’ll need to make a big batch of cream cheese frosting, split it into separate bowls, and dye them orange, green, and black, before piping on the pumpkin faces. It’s an ideal one to do with kids, as they don’t need to be all uniform and perfect – rustic is the word we would use here.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin cupcakes

32. Ice 'scream' sundaes

Makes/serves: 6 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins

A wonderfully retro and super simple dessert that little kids will go batty over. Good ol’ fashioned jelly and ice cream, with chunks of chocolate brownie and some jelly snakes and bats (found in most supermarkets around this time of year). Buy the brownies, or make your own, for that extra bit of worthwhile effort. 

Get the recipe: Halloween ice cream

33. Hollow heads

Makes/serves: 4 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 15 mins

To make these hollow heads you will need to buy some fresh coconuts, red food colouring, black marker pen. Carefully cut a lid into the coconut and decorate  the top of it with the food colouring to look like blood and draw creepy faces, like ghosts or spooky cats with marker pen. Add black, red, green and orange straws (ideally reusable and non plastic) and drink the coconut milk or serve your spooky cocktails in them. To take it to the next level, draw vampire faces onto the coconuts and wrap them in a cloak made from black - and even purple – satin.

34. Puking pumpkin dip

Makes/serves: 10 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 30 mins

We’ve never before come across delicious vomit, but there’s always a first time. Carve your pumpkin with a very wide, low mouth and closed eyes, scoop out all the seeds, pop it on a display plate and pile your dip high around the mouth area to give the effect of, well, puke (only at Halloween, eh?).  We highly recommend guacamole here, for its seasonal colours and, erm, realistic texture. 

35. Slimey tarts

Makes/serves: 20 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 30 mins

A seasonal riff on a good ol’ jam tart, using lime curd (you might need to swap for a jar of lemon curd if you don’t want to make your own – it’s much easier to get hold of). Add a few drops of green food colouring to your curd, roll out shortcrust pastry (you can always buy that ready-made too) to a cm or so thick, grease a muffin tin with butter, and add circles of pastry cut with round cookie cutters. Spoon the curd into the pastry and bake in the oven (200°C/gas 6) for 15-20 mins until the pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool before decorating with spooky sweets and fondant eyes.

36. Sausage mummies

Makes/serves: 8 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 50 mins

Bringing a whole new meaning to a sausage roll, get a selection of full sized sausages (veggie sausages will work as well as pork) and mini cocktail sausages, roll out some shortcrust pastry and cut into strips. Wrap your sausages in them, leaving the tops clear to decorate, and cook them in the oven (200°C/gas 6) for around 20 mins until golden brown. Let them cool a little, then decorate with spooky faces from a few blobs of black food colouring (this can be pretty rustic). Then you’ve got some very creepy party guests ready to be eaten, drizzled with some bloody ketchup.

 “This recipe is great for children to help with. Perfect to make ahead of time, pastry always rises and cooks better when it’s chilled, so once you’ve prepared them, pop them in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before baking them in the oven. A little egg-wash will give a lovely shine to the pastry,” says Michaela Hanna. 

37. Iced ghouls

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins

Simple, effective and no oven needed, so nice and cheap, too. To make these iced ghouls you will need biscuits (any biscuits, homemade or shop-bought – digestives, HobNobs or other round biscuits work best), buttercream icing, fondant and a piping bag. Fill a piping bag with buttercream and pipe mini ghosts onto each biscuit and decorate with fondant eyes. Give them an extra spooky (and tasty) twist by placing a dollop of jam on the biscuit before piping to make the ghosts 'bloody'.

38. Treacle toffee

Makes/serves: 10 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 50 mins

An essential part of a traditional bonfire night celebration, treacle toffee works a treat for Halloween celebrations too (just double up your quantities and it will last for both events). Heavier and slightly less sweet than more common toffee, it’s made from sticky black treacle, muscovado sugar, butter and condensed milk. The joy is cracking pieces off the big slab, with a toffee hammer.  “This toffee is so versatile, and fantastic for party treats – I love the colour and the rich flavour. Use a rolling pin to help break it up if you don’t have a toffee hammer. This sugary concoction is great to nibble, or sprinkle over ice-cream for an autumn taste sensation,” says Michaela Hanna.

Get the recipe: Treacle toffee

39. Pumpkin pie

Makes/serves: 10 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 2 hrs 35 mins

An icon of American baking and a staple on Thanksgiving tables across the land, this comforting pumpkin pie works equally well for Halloween. Made with shortcrust pastry and a filling of mashed pumpkin (or you can use squash) with seasonal spices, raisins and sugar. Once baked, brush with maple syrup, dust with icing sugar and cinnamon and serve with whipped cream. Utterly mouthwatering.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin pie

40. Witch's brew punch

Makes/serves: 6 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 15 mins

A lovely livener on a chilly night, this non-alcoholic mocktail, would work well for Bonfire night, too. The cinnamon stick (which acts like a cocktail stirrer) and the ginger ale make it as punchy by nature as it is by name, and the apples deliver the vitamins and keep the doctor away. Bottoms up.

Get the recipe: Witch's brew 

41. Chocolate cobweb tart recipe

Serves: 8 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 20 mins

Looks fancy, really isn't so much, and will look super impressive and effective on your Halloween table. Buy a ready-made pastry case, mix together melted choc and cream, pour over, set in the fridge, and then here comes the messy bit – warm the marshmallows and pull them into string across the top of the tart, for a sweet and truly delicious spider's web effect. A buffet table hit, or a top-notch dessert for a spooky dinner party. 

Get the recipe: Chocolate cobweb tart recipe

42. Spooky sandwiches

Makes: 20 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins

Use cookie cutters on your bread to make inventive shapes of your kid's buffet sandwiches (and ensure they eat something savoury with a passing vitamin, to boot). Do your sarnies shaped like coffins, ghosts, pumpkins, and witches, and fill with ham or cheese, before adding a dollop of beetroot coleslaw for a blood-stained effect (it's super easy to make your own, as the recipe shows, and leftovers are great for the next day with a Ploughman's, on a burger or with some grilled chicken). Finish off with blobs of ketchup for an even bloodier effect. 

Get the recipe: Spooky sandwiches

43. Pumpkin-spiced Espresso Martini

Serves: 1 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 5 mins

One for the adults only at the more mature end of scary gatherings. Made with coffee liquor, the seasonal twist comes from the addition of pumpkin puree, which can either be made fresh or bought, US style, in a can (it's available in Sainsbury's, Ocado, and Waitrose these days). This cocktail also contains pumpkin spice syrup, which is sold online by syrup brand Monin. Shake it in your shaker, strain it into a martini glass, and decorate it with coffee beans. Cheers to that. 

Get the recipe: Pumpkin spiced Espresso Martini

44. Poison apples

Makes/serves: 10 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 20 mins 

Seasonal apples have always featured heavily on Halloween, from those messy games of apple bobbing to toffee apples as treats, and this recipe takes those toffee apples to the next level, by adding the spook factor. Learn how to make your own crimson blood-coloured toffee and prep your apples for a dunking. The toffee will be incredibly hot, so best left to adults, but the kids could add some toppings like crushed sweets or sprinkles (not pastel coloured candy ones though, guys, this is Halloween…) to the top while the toffee is still sticky.  

Get the recipe: Poison apples

45. Nadiya Hussain's Halloween cake

Serves: 20 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 2 hours

Brilliant for anyone with a late October birthday or equally great for any spooky gathering, Nadiya has made this wonderful bake perfectly seasonal by including grated pumpkin – or butternut squash, should you prefer – in the cake batter, much as you would with carrot in a carrot cake. It's similarly seasoned too, with autumnal spices like cinnamon and ginger in the mix and a cinnamon-flavoured frosting. 

And then there are those very fun and equally delicious spiders, made from Oreos topped with melted chocolate with liquorice laces for legs. A great choice of bake for big kids and little ones in equal measure.

Get the recipe: Nadiya Hussain's Halloween cake

46. Red velvet cheesecake cups

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 30 mins

If there's one thing that interests us more than a cheesecake or a red velvet cake, it's a fusion of the two together. These red velvet cheesecake bites are ideal for classy yet fun canapes or buffet finger food at your Halloween party. Topped with a blob of whipped cream and a solitary blueberry for a spooky-looking eye effect, we highly doubt you or your guests will be able to stop at one (making a double batch therefore coming highly recommended).

Get the recipe: Red velvet cheesecake cups

47. Halloween drip cake

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 2 hrs 10 mins

This drip cake is ideal for a Halloween party, particularly if you're having a more grown-up, altogether more refined bash, and perfect for anyone with a birthday during the gory season, too. It might be a straightforward vanilla sponge with a buttercream filling, but there's nothing straightforward about how it looks. As well as the chocolate drip effect, it is covered with a 'blood' drizzle, made from strawberry puree, that runs down the sliced cake for dramatic effect. Ghoulish, but with plenty of class.

Get the recipe: Halloween drip cake

Looking for more Halloween inspiration? We've got you covered! Think Halloween cupcakes, Halloween cocktails, and even the best Halloween movies to watch if you're having a low-key Halloween this October.

Video of the Week

We’ve got plenty of impressive Halloween cupcakes to make at home. From spiders to monsters to ghosts, and even tombstone cupcakes.  

Transform a batch of cupcakes into gruesome masterpieces by following one of our easy Halloween cupcake recipes. Perfect for your ghoulish celebrations, be it a pre-trick-or-treating children's tea party or part of the school's Halloween disco Halloween party food spread.

The Halloween-themed cupcakes in this roundup are easy to make at home, with basic sponges and some clever seasonal hacks, including our pumpkin puree recipe mixed with a basic cake batter to make pumpkin cupcakes. Some decorations, like our vampire fangs, are easy and ideal for beginners made and shaped with fondant. In contrast, others take those cake-decorating skills to the next level. For example, our cauldron cupcakes, witch hats, and Frankenstein toppers, not to mention some brilliant Harry Potter-inspired designs.

“When decorating cakes for Halloween you can get toppers, accessories, and sprinkles in so many spooky colours, you no longer have to stick to orange. Try using a bit of purple and green in with the orange and black to brighten it up while still looking spooky,” says professional baker Naomi Boles from Boles Bakery. 

“Marshmallows are also a great way to decorate a cupcake for Halloween. Ice your cupcake as normal, warm up a marshmallow until it’s soft enough to stretch thinly, and then lay it gently over the icing. Once cool, it makes an awesome-looking web. Halloween is the one time of year you can use jam to decorate your cakes as much as you want too, as it looks great as fake blood.”

Halloween cupcake ideas

1. Worm cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr

Fudge worms minding their own business on top of some chocolate soil, anyone? This is a genius – and far easier than it looks – way to top a Halloween cupcake, using crushed Oreos atop a chocolate sponge. Topped with our wriggly friends, moulded into shape with your fair hands, they’ll be a definite talking point amongst the ghoulish guests at your Halloween bash. You’ll need to invest in some black cake cases to complete the effect.

Get the recipe: Worm cupcakes

2. Fang cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr

Perfect on top of a cake piped with vanilla buttercream, these fangs are made (using a handy step-by-step guide) from pink fondant paste and mini marshmallows for teeth, plus a drizzle of raspberry jam to create a bloody scene. Of course if you really wanted to, you could totally cheat this one by buying some classic retro teeth and gum sweeties from the penny mix-up at your local corner shop.

“These are a great ‘make-ahead decoration’  as the fondant will dry to be solid and then it’s ready to use whenever you’re ready. Not only do these look fab on cupcakes, but you could change the size so they work on other Halloween treats,” says Naomi Boles.

Get the recipe: Fang cupcakes

3. Frankenstein cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Tricky |  Total time: 1 hr

These decidedly grumpy-looking (well you wouldn’t be thrilled if you were destined for a kid’s tummy, we suppose) Frankenstein toppers are a wonderful work of art. We can’t lie, they’re pretty time consuming to make, but aren’t they just so worth it? Once you get into the groove of cutting out the various bits of fondant to make his green face, eyes, teeth, hair and, of course, silver bolts, then it gets easier – we recommend making double quantities for your efforts, as they’re bound to go down a storm.

Get the recipe: Frankenstein cupcakes

4. Witch hat cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr 30 mins

These fondant toppers in the style of a witch’s hat are super cute and effective. You’ll need to prep in advance with a good selection of food colourings – black, yellow, tangerine and violet, to be precise – and it’s recommended that you leave your fondant mixed with gum tragacanth (or the easier-to-find xanthan gum) overnight to make it easier to work with, before making the fondant shapes. Once you’ve fashioned your hats, you’ll need to leave them to dry for a couple of days before you add them to your cupcakes.  

Get the recipe: Witch hat cupcakes

5. Ghost cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr

These little guys are sure to turn a few heads and they are also very fun to make. Made with white fondant and modelling paste, the ghouls are draped over the top of lollipops (Swizzels would be a good choice here, we feel), before you add black fondant eyes and smiles (these are friendly ghosts, guys) and pop them onto the top of your cupcakes. So very cute, and the kids get two for the price of one, with a cake and a lolly. 

Get the recipe: Ghost cupcakes

6. Vampire cat cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr 20 mins

They might be vampire cats but they’re pretty darned adorable, don’t you think? You’ll need some bright Halloween-orange buttercream (we recommend Sugarflair tangerine apricot food colour paste to achieve this) and then black fondant for the cats, with sugar diamonds (or easier-to-access  Jelly Tots) for eyes and little purple hearts for noses. 

Get the recipe: Vampire cat cupcakes

7. Cauldron cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr 55 mins

The kids – and the adults – will be talking about these cupcakes until next Halloween, so clever and brilliant they are. Creating the effect of a bubbling cauldron, filled with eye balls and bats and bones, and all the delights you expect in a witch’s potion, doesn’t come easy, but the rewards are plenty.  You’ll be wanting to visit Hobbycraft or a specialised baking store for some of these ingredients – you’ll need lime green sugar balls for the bubbles, for example – and we’re sure the kids will oblige in finishing off the strawberry laces you’ll be needing for the serpent’s tongues… 

Get the recipe: Cauldron cupcakes

8. Halloween fairy cakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr 10 mins

Some of the cakes in this collection are a little complex for the amateur baker with some pretty complex fondant work required – so these simple fairy cakes are a godsend for those who are challenged on the cake decorating front. A brilliant one to do with kids, this recipe features ready-to-use icing and icing pens for you to draw spooky designs with - try spider’s webs and ghostly faces, and if they’re a little rough around the edges, that’s ok because the kids did them, right? (even if it was you, really, wink wink).

Get the recipe: Halloween fairy cakes

9. Vampire cupcakes

Makes/serves: 14 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 2 hrs

Have you ever seen such a warm and friendly face on a vampire? These red velvet cupcakes are topped with a layer of cream cheese buttercream, followed by some pretty nifty fondant work to fashion the vampire’s smiley features. What a guy! What a cupcake!

Get the recipe: Vampire cupcakes

10. Eyeball cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr

Fondant work can be enough to test even a Bake Off contestant, but making these bloodshot eyeballs is pretty simple, if you follow our picture-led instructions – and it’s pretty fun too. You’ll be needing red and white fondant, as well as blue and black for the pupils. Pop your eyeballs (not literally!) on top of your piped buttercream and trickle over some jam for the requisite blood effect.  A gory delight.

Get the recipe: Eyeball cupcakes

11. Halloween muffins

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr

A simple one for the less adept bakers amongst us, these muffins are flavoured like a carrot cake with, well, carrots obviously, as well as cinnamon and walnuts. Piped with an orange buttercream, you can then just mix and match with whatever toppings you fancy, from spooky jelly sweets to sprinkles in Halloween hues.

“These muffins offer a great orange alternative to pumpkin at Halloween – perfect if you want something a bit different than the usual on the dessert table. To get really vibrant colours for your icing, use a colouring paste or gel rather than colouring liquid and let the kids go wild with gummy sweets and chocolate eyeballs to decorate,” says Naomi Boles.

Get the recipe: Halloween muffins

12. 'Brain' cupcakes

Makes/serves: 18 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 40 mins

The, um, brainchild of kids cooking guru Annabel Karmel, these cupcakes topped with grey matter, are far more delicious than they sound, and super easy to make. Just add a little red and black food colouring to your frosting to give it a pinky-grey tinge, and then use a cocktail stick and some red food colouring to draw on veins. A fun one for the kids, and pleasingly messy to eat, too.

Get the recipe: 'Brain' cupcakes

13. Pumpkin and maple cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 38 mins

These cupcakes aren't just topped with a pumpkin face, there's pumpkin puree inside them too, as well as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. In fact, could they be any more autumnal? You’ll need to make a big batch of cream cheese frosting, split it into separate bowls and dyed  orange, green and black, before piping on the pumpkin faces. It’s an ideal one to do with kids, as they don’t need to be all uniform and perfect – rustic is the word we would use here.

Get the recipe: Pumpkin cupcakes

14. Lily Vanilli's undead gingerbread cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 55 mins

Create your own graveyard with these spooky tombstone cupcakes with a tasty gingerbread twist. These are brilliantly effective and, while there are a lot of elements involved, the end result is pretty rustic, so you don’t have to be a piping perfectionist to have a go. The choc cupcakes are made with a recipe featuring sour cream and espresso coffee, and you make your own gingerbread with treacle, lemon zest and a variety of spices (of course, you could cheat and buy some, but it may not be easy to cut to the shape of tombstones…).  

“Not only do they look awesome, but the gingerbread gives an extra autumnal taste,” says Naomi Boles. “You don’t have to complete everything in one day with these cupcakes, you can back and store your gingerbread gravestones in an airtight container for up to 7 days.”

Get the recipe:  Lily Vanilli’s undead gingerbread cupcakes

15. Green monster cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr 20 mins

Some nifty icing work needed here to create these striking monster cakes, with their, let’s say, gently spooky faces, perfect for younger children. Classic cupcakes are topped with a creamy white chocolate ganache that you then stick your brightly coloured toppers to. Monstrously marvellous.

Get the recipe: Green monster cupcakes

16. Annabel Karmel's Halloween spiders

Makes/serves: 18 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 40 mins

Very easy and very effective, kids will be in a frenzy over these spooky spiders, and they definitely won’t be hanging around for long – unlike those pesky real-life arachnids we’re accustomed to in our homes around this time of year. Simple chocolate cupcakes are topped with Tunnocks tea cakes for the body (this is one chunky spider), liquorice laces for legs, and liquorice allsorts topped with M&Ms for its eyes. 

Get the recipe: Annabel Karmel's Halloween spiders

17. Halloween treat tub cupcakes

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr 30 mins

These clever cake toppers in the style of your trick or treat bucket are so wonderful, they’re good enough to serve solo, never mind stuck on the top of a cupcake. Made from Rice Krispie marshmallow bars wrapped in orange fondant, with carved pumpkin faces, they even have fondant handles and can be topped with multi-coloured sweets, such as Smarties or jellybeans.  Adorable. Which is not a description we use in connection with Halloween all that often.

Get the recipe: Halloween treat tub cupcakes

18. Pumpkin cupcakes with maple icing

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 50 mins

For life, not just for Halloween, these cupcakes work well all over the Autumn season. The addition of pumpkin to the cake mix makes for a really moist sponge, and the topping is a lovely twist on the usual cream cheese frosting. Made with mascarpone and maple syrup, the flavour is elevated to something quite special. Top with orange sprinkles if you want to appeal to young kids, or don’t if you want them all to yourself! These easy cupcakes would be just the ticket for a bonfire night celebration, too, or an October or November birthday bash. 

Get the recipe: Pumpkin cupcakes with maple icing

19. Chocolate beetroot cupcakes

Makes: 10 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr

An excellent base cupcake for your Halloween decorating, given the dark and rather 'blood' coloured sponge. No need for artificial colourings here, thanks to the natural dyeing qualities of a beetroot – and it's a genius way to get sneaky veggies into your kid's stomachs just when they're least expecting it (and they'll surely be needing them after a bucketful of trick or treat sweets). 

Simply add a ghostly face to your frosting, or drizzle with raspberry jam or strawberry sauce for a fake blood effect. Or how about adding red or black colour gel to your frosting, and sprinkling with edible glitter or topping with fondant witch hats or ghosts?

Get the recipe: Chocolate beetroot cupcakes

20. Harry Potter cupcakes

Makes: 12 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr 50 mins

Aren't these cake toppers a truly wonderful bit of wizardry? Perfect for a Harry Potter fan's birthday but also ideal for Halloween, you'll need a bit of time and patience to master the intricate toppings, but these instructions take you through how to make the cake toppers in helpful detail, using coloured ready-to-roll icing.  Just glorious.

Get the recipe: Harry Potter cupcakes

21. Red velvet cupcakes

Makes/serves: 16 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 35 mins

Red velvet is always a great choice for a Halloween bake, thanks to its rich and blood-like colour. This recipe can easily be adapted to look spooky (while also a little bit classy) – add some red food colouring to the cream cheese frosting and stick in some scary cake toppers, like devil's horns, bats, witches, or spider's webs. 

Or add a piece of blue fondant and some red icing lines on top of your frosting to resemble bloodshot eyeballs (less classy, but more fun). 

Get the recipe: Red velvet cupcakes

22. Halloween traybake

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 55 mins

Ok so this is a tray bake, rather than a batch of cupcakes, but the topping would work brilliantly on individual cakes as well. Jelly snakes work particularly well, as do any other spooky versions of sweets – what with the supermarkets being full of them in the run-up to trick or treat day (Haribo do sour skeletons and monsters, for example). Before adding the toppings, cover the cupcakes in a topping of sticky marshmallow fluff. One for the (very) sweet-toothed among us, that's for sure.

Get the recipe: Halloween traybake

23. Halloween Rice Krispie pumpkins

Makes/serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy |  Total time: 1 hr

A pleasingly easy vamp up of a classic Krispie cake gives it a Halloween twist, thanks to the simple addition of some orange food colouring and fondant decorations. Add Mikado biscuits, pretzels, or even orange Matchmakers as the chocolate stalks and cut-out leaves from green fondant. Pop one of these Rice Krispie pumpkins on top of the cupcake of your choice and serve. It's two treats in one!

Get the recipe: Halloween Rice Krispie pumpkins

24. Halloween cake pops

Makes/serves: 20 | Skill level: Medium |  Total time: 1 hr 30 min

Leftover cupcakes or cake can be transformed into cake pops instead - which can then be pushed into the top of your batch of iced cupcakes. They take a bit of time to put together, but they're sure worth it – imagine the look on your trick-or-treater's faces when they were expecting a lollipop and they're presenting with these spectacular cake pops. 

This recipe takes you through every detail, including troubleshooting any issues, etc. The cake is shaped into balls and covered in candy melts (available at Hobbycraft) to make pumpkins, skeletons, and mummies. And the result is scarily good.

Get the recipe: Halloween cake pops

If you're looking for more Halloween fun, find out why we celebrate Halloween in the UK, as well as more inspiration, and spooktacular Halloween recipes to try at home - including pumpkin soup, witches fingers, treacle toffee, and more. We've also got plenty of Halloween party ideas for those of you throwing a party this year.

These low calorie meals under 200 calories are the perfect inspiration for those on the 5:2 diet or who are counting calories and watching what they eat.

Counting the calories in your meals is a great way of keeping control of how much food you are eating, but where do you begin? We've gone through all of our recipes to pick out the best meals for just 200 calories or less – so you don't have to. 

Women are recommended to eat 2,000 calories a day, so allocating just 200 calories for a main meal is quite a task – but it can be done. These dishes are filling and full of flavour, so you won't feel like you're missing out, plus they’re all well balanced and made from fresh ingredients, so you are getting a healthy range of nutrients.

“This collection of recipes can be great for anyone following the 5:2 diet, which research shows can be effective for weight loss, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and managing Type 2 Diabetes,” says nutritionist Natasha Evans. “I'm always interested in the quality of food, rather than just the quantity, which is what calories are a measure of. What I like about these recipes is that they're all made from scratch using real food. If you want to make them more substantial, double portion sizes and or add some extra protein (ie, meat or fish) or healthy fats like avocado to keep you fuller for longer.”

Meals under 200 calories

1. Mushroom ragu with courgetti

Calories: 125 | Fat: 2.9 | Protein: 10.8g | Carbs: 11.6g

Swapping spaghetti for spiralized courgettes has become a popular hack to reducing the old carbohydrate consumption in recent years, while cleverly increasing your nutrient intake – courgettes are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. The sauce, meanwhile, is low fat, vegan and a nutrient powerhouse to boot, with carrots, onions, celery and Quorn mince mixed with herbs and passata, plus a healthy dose of blitzed mushrooms for a meaty, umami flavour.

Get the recipe: Mushroom ragu with courgetti

2. Green miso noodle bowl

Calories: 198 | Fat: 2g 

“There is lots of vegetable diversity in this dish to support a thriving and diverse gut microbiome, which research shows can benefit your energy, skin, mood and weight,” says Natasha Evans. “Go for an unpasteurised miso paste to add some probiotic benefits, to further support gut health.” Indeed, this divine noodle soup is also ready in a mere ten minutes and will be doing some serious work towards achieving your five a day, as it’s packed with asparagus, peppers, broccoli, courgettes and sugar snap peas.

Get the recipe: Green miso soup bowl

3. Vietnamese prawn curry

Calories: 192 | Fat: 4g 

Replacing high fat coconut milk with regular semi skimmed is a clever way to get those Thai curry flavours you crave without the hefty calories. Lemongrass, chillies and fish sauce bring the South East Asian flavours, the prawns are delicious and high protein and the pak choi is packed with A, B and C vits.  This fiery prawn curry can be on your dinner table in only 15 minutes – just add a small bowl of rice.

Get the recipe: Vietnamese prawn curry

4. Chinese vegetable chow mein

Calories: 170 | Fat: 7g | Protein: 6.1g | Carbs: 27.1g

This easy, vegan dish is packed with four different types of veggies and makes a brilliant, easy, quick lunch or dinner. It would be a good idea to also add in some lean protein to keep you fuller for longer, and help build muscle mass. Stir in some tofu, tempeh or edamame beans to keep it plant based or, for carnivores, some prawns, salmon, chicken or lean beef steak would work a treat.

Get the recipe: Chinese vegetable chow mein

5. Roasted ratatouille

Calories: 26 | Fat: 15g 

This isn’t just any old ratatouille, this is a posh ratatouille, worthy of serving to guests while you’re watching the cals. These beautifully displayed veggies  include courgettes, aubergines and bell peppers – which, along with the chopped tomatoes, count handsomely towards your 5-a-day, and can be served just as they are, or as a side dish to some simple grilled fish or steak. 

If you’re not watching the carbs, you could dip some crusty bread into those juices, too. “You get plenty of plant diversity in this ratatouille, as well as some healthy fats in the homemade pesto which will help keep you fuller for longer,” says Natasha Evans. 

Get the recipe: Roasted ratatouille

6. Mediterranean vegetable chilli

Calories: 190 | Fat: 7g 

A vegetable chilli in the purest sense – there’s no mince substitute here, just stacks of chopped veggies, including aubergines, spinach, courgettes and cherry tomatoes. Teaming the veg with spices, this is a slightly different approach to the usual sauce, which would be flavoured with chilli powder – it uses Mexican spice mix instead (like you might use for fajitas or tacos). Top with low-fat yoghurt, and perhaps some guacamole, and you could serve with rice or a small jacket potato.

Get the recipe: Mediterranean veggie chilli

7. Fast fish burger

Calories: 141 | Fat: 5g 

“This fish burger makes for a nice protein-based meal, which will increase feelings of satiety after eating. I'd recommend having these fish burgers with some mixed veggies or a salad,” says Natasha Evans. All you need to do is blitz together the fish with capers, lemons, seasoning and herbs and mould it into patties. You might want to add a wholemeal burger bun, and perhaps top with a low-fat sauce, like a garlicky tzatziki.

Get the recipe: Fast fish burger

8. Baked aubergine

Calories: 90 | Fat: 4.9g | Protein: 2.8g | Carbs: 9.6g

Asian cuisine knows a thing or two about what to do with an aubergine and this Indian inspired dish makes the best use of an awesome veggie that is wonderful at taking on flavour. Packed with fenugreek, turmeric, cumin and chilli, and sharpened up with some lemon juice, it could be a meal on its own, or served alongside some grilled meat marinated in spices.

Get the recipe: Baked aubergine

9. Butternut squash and spinach tortilla

Calories: 196 | Fat: 7.6g | Protein: 14.1g | Carbs: 19g

Eggs are the most wonderful protein-packed option for a quick meal there is, and this is a novel way to serve them, swapping out the traditional potato of a Spanish tortilla and replacing with a more nutritious butternut squash. The addition of some Dijon mustard in the mix makes it super tasty, and the spinach adds iron and B vitamins. 

Get the recipe: Butternut squash and spinach tortilla

10. Spiced butternut squash and veg tagine

Calories: 150 | Fat: 4.5g | Protein: 6.1g | Carbs: 27.1g

Cooking your vegetables into a tagine is a delicious way to pack them with flavour. This Moroccan-style casserole is made with protein-rich chickpeas which will keep you nice and full, and an incredible amount of vegetables – swede, cauli, squash, peppers, carrots and even parsnips. You could serve it solo, or with a side of couscous, one of the best carbs to opt for for weight loss.

Get the recipe: Spiced butternut squash and veg tagine

11. Vegetable balti

Calories: 131 | Fat: 4g 

A great one if you’re craving a curry but avoiding calorific Friday night takeaways, or even just to make as a speedy midweek dinner (baltis are traditionally cooked speedily over a high heat in much the same way as a stir fry). This one is simple, using shop-bought balti paste and tinned tomatoes, so dinner will be ready in a flash, and it’s packed with a very decent range of veggies, too.

Get the recipe: Easy vegetable balti

12. Chinese dumplings

Calories: 63 | Fat: 2g | Protein: 6.1g | Carbs: 27.1g

These light, but very tasty, dumplings are also very fun to make – you could get the kids involved – and make for a brilliant starter to a meal, or an addition to a ramen, a highly nutritious, low-fat noodle soup from Japan. Steaming them is a very healthy oil-free way to cook, and you could swap out the pork meat for chicken, or just keep them veggie, should you wish. 

Get the recipe: Chinese dumplings

13. Spanish style prawns

Calories: 169 | Fat: 8.9g | Protein: 7.5g | Carbs: 8.7g

“This tomato-based dish will provide plenty of vitamin C to support your immune system. You get some protein in here from the prawns, which will make the dish more satiating,” says Natasha Evans.  Large meaty prawns in a tasty paprika-infused tomato sauce takes us off to a world of sunny Spanish tapas restaurants. A clever ingredient here is the fennel, which brings a lovely, mild aniseed flavour, as well as providing vitamin C and fibre. 

Get the recipe: Spanish-style prawns

14. Quorn lunch bowl

Calories: 177 | Fat: 2.3g | Protein: 11.1g | Carbs: 26.5g

An excellent lean protein vegetarian and vegan option (so long as you use veggie not chicken stock, of course), Quorn is much lower in fat and calories than meat which makes it the perfect healthy option for lunch. Mixed with tender green beans and soft spinach leaves, this recipe is infused with Asian flavours like fish sauce and mirin (substitute with sherry, or white wine vinegar and a sprinkling of sugar if you can’t get hold of any).

Get the recipe: Quorn lunch bowl

15. Steak, chicory and orange salad

Calories: 180 | Fat: 9.5g | Protein: 1.0.8g | Carbs: 12.4g

Not all salads are made equal. This recipe combines tender steak slices with a tangy orange and Dijon mustard dressing, and handfuls of fresh rocket and red onion add to the flavour too. Plus, it’s posh enough to serve to dinner guests, while keeping your healthy eating plan on track. “I really like this salad - it contains plenty of bitter leaves (white & red chicory and rocket) which are great for our digestive system. Steak is really nutrient-dense and a great, complete source of protein, and then you get some healthy fats from the olive oil. It's a very well balanced dish,” says Natasha Evans.

Get the recipe: Steak, chicory and orange salad

16. Spring vegetable soup

Calories: 130 | Fat: 1.4g | Protein: 10.6g | Carbs: 19.3g

What is more life-giving than a bowl of veggie soup? And the brilliant thing about this one is it's perfect for batch cooking and leaving out on the stove to dive into for a quick lunch (or even freezing for another time). It’s also a complete dish thanks to the baby new potatoes, and is loaded with the greens and fresh peas to give you a spring in your step, whether it’s actually spring in the air or not.  A fresh, homemade stock makes all the difference in this recipe, too. 

Get the recipe: Spring veg soup

17. Fruity prawn cocktail

Calories: 156 | Fat: 1.3g | Protein: 21.3g | Carbs: 16.4g

You could add that a classic prawn cocktail is a joy not to be messed with, but sometimes you can indeed improve on perfection, especially if it means getting a vitamin-packed version by adding fruit like apples and grapes. Perfect for a light lunch or a starter for a bigger dinner, the traditional Marie Rose sauce is replaced with a fat-free fromage frais dressing to lighten the calorie load.

Get the recipe: Fruity prawn cocktail

18. Masala omelette

118 calories/7g fat per portion

Calories: 118 | Fat: 7g 

“Eggs are a great source of nutrients and protein. The meal also provides plenty of plant diversity to support your gut microbiome, as herbs and spices count as plant points,” says Natasha Evans. This delicious Masala omelette recipe is a spicy twist on a classic, with plenty of punchy flavour from the spring onions and spices, and tons of vitamins in the fresh tomatoes and spinach. It's a great speedy dinner but it also works brilliantly for breakfast or lunch.

Get the recipe: Masala omelette

Video of the week

With our collection of leftover pork recipes, using up leftover pork from yesterday’s roast dinner couldn’t be easier.

Pork is a versatile meat that can be used in a variety of different ways, including Chinese pork dumplings and pork satay noodles. Whether you’re looking for a way to transform your leftover pork into a light lunch or a hearty dinner for the whole family, our recipes cater to a variety of options – and help reduce food waste.

“In a world where a third of all food produced globally goes to waste, it may (or may not!) come as a surprise to hear that the average UK household wastes the equivalent of eight meals a week!” says environmental health practitioner and mother of 2, Jenna Brown, known as The Food Safety Mum. “Knowing how to safely handle leftovers can be the key to helping you reduce your food waste.”

Jenna says that any leftovers from your roast pork (as well as for leftover chicken recipes and the same for leftover beef) should be cooled as quickly as possible and popped into the fridge within two hours of cooking. “As a general rule of thumb, your leftovers are safe to keep in the fridge for two days but, if you don't think you can use them all up in this time, just pop them in the freezer as slices of meat ready to use in dishes like a pork casserole, enchiladas or as a pizza topping,” she advises. “To stop the cooked meat clumping together in the freezer, lay the slices of meat onto a lined baking tray and freeze for two hours before moving to a sandwich bag for easy storage. Of course you don't always need to reheat your leftovers. Cold meat in a sandwich the next day is ALWAYS a winner for us!“

Leftover pork recipes

1. Pork curry

Serves: 4 | Uses: 900g of pork | Total time: 45 mins

As with any cut of meat, popping pork into a curry is a brilliant way to use up leftovers. This one uses ready-made curry paste to save time on a midweek meal, and also means that you can choose one to suit your taste – and your levels of chilli tolerance… Unlike a lot of oily, creamy curries, this one is pretty healthy, too. You could always throw in some extra veg such as carrots and cauli as well. Serve with raita, chapatis and plain rice.  

Get the recipe: Pork curry

2. Pork and pepper fajitas

Serves: 4 | Uses: 225g of pork | Total time: 20 mins

This recipe from healthy eating guru Rosemary Conley uses fajita seasoning and a ton of vitamin-rich peppers and onions with a yogurt sauce and wraps it all in a tortilla wrap. Adding guacamole and salsa, too, is always a good idea, and you could also pop some grated cheese in there for good measure.

Get the recipe: Pork and pepper fajitas

3. Chinese pork dumplings

Serves: 2 | Uses: 25g of pork | Total time: 50 mins

Making dumplings is a super fun activity that gets your kids off screens and into the kitchen. Chop your leftover pork finely for this dish, and mix with cabbage and spring onion before wrapping up in Chinese dumpling pastries (find them at your local Asian supermarket). Then steam them, and serve with a tangy and lightly spiced dipping sauce. 

Get the recipe: Chinese pork dumplings

4. Mexican-style pork with corn salsa

Serves: 4 | Uses: 400g of pork | Total time: 25 mins

Pork is infused with the wonderful flavour of smoked paprika and served with a homemade tomato salsa and corn tortillas, though you could make it as a big lunchtime salad bowl instead, should you prefer. This is a very healthy, low fat recipe, which could be rather welcome if you’ve gone overboard with a huge roast dinner the day before. 

Get the recipe:  Mexican-style pork with corn salsa

5. Pork ragu enchiladas

Serves: 8 | Uses: 1kg of pork | Total time: 1 hr 45 mins

Baked enchiladas are always a good idea, especially when you get to use up your leftovers on them. This recipe uses minced pork, but finely chopping it works just as well. The spices and chilli give this meal a serious flavour punch. Serve with a green salad to balance out the flavours and textures.

Get the recipe: Pork ragu enchiladas

6. Pork, broccoli and black bean stir fry

Serves: 4 | Uses: 600g of pork | Total time: 20 mins

Quick and easy, just grab a jar of black bean sauce the next time you’re in the supermarket and you’re good to go. Toss your cooked pork strips into bundles of egg noodles or rice and stir-fry veg for a speedy mid-week super. The roasted cashew nuts are a lovely touch, too, to make a quick meal feel that little bit special.

Get the recipe: Jo Pratt's pork stir-fry

7. Pork satay noodles

Serves: 4 | Uses: 500g of pork | Total time: 30 mins

This will give your midweek dinner table a bit of vavavoom, for sure. Inspired by the flavours of Malaysia and Indonesia, this satay dish uses good ol’ peanut butter in the sauce, along with chilli, fish sauce and garlic. A good one if you’re having people over for dinner and want something easy but impressive.

Get the recipe: Pork satay noodles

8. Smoky paprika pork kebabs

Serves: 4 | Uses: 600g of pork | Total time: 20 mins, plus marinating

One of the easiest ways to use up your leftover pork is by turning your leftover cuts into kebabs. As long as they're all of a similar size, they should warm at the same rate – just be sure to leave plenty of time to marinate them. Add spices and fresh herbs to jazz up the flavour, grill, barbecue or stir fry and then assemble. Serve with a potato salad or rice and some grilled veggies, like courgettes and peppers. 

Get the recipe: Smoky paprika pork kebabs

9. Tandoori pork kebabs

Serves: 4 | Uses: 675g of pork | Total time: 30 mins, plus 2 hrs marinating 

Marinated with ginger, garlic and cumin, these kebabs would work equally well with leftover roast chicken. We suggest serving them with rice or stuffed in naan or chapati with raita, salad and hot sauce. A side of protein-rich, creamy tarka dahl would go down a treat, too. 

Get the recipe: Pork kebabs Tandoori-style

10. Herby pork steaks

Serves: 4 | Uses: 4 pork steaks| Total time: 20 mins

It doesn't take much to add flavour to pork; it can be dusted in herbs and spices, drizzled in a sauce or simply served on its own. Here, use thick cuts of leftover pork to be topped with a salty, zesty crust made with olive tapenade and breadcrumbs. Serve with mashed potatoes or jackets, if you prefer, and a pile of steamed broccoli or perhaps some green beans. 

Get the recipe: Herby pork steaks

11. Satay pork steaks

Serves: 4 | Uses: 4 pork steaks| Total time: 25 mins

This  sauce, with the lime, ginger, soy sauces, spices and peanut butter, packs a serious flavour punch. Wonderful with any kind of rice, you could also serve with a cucumber salad on the side to add some freshness. This recipe is wonderful with chicken breast or thighs, too, and the could even be used on meaty white fish, like cod cheeks or monkfish.

Get the recipe: Satay pork steaks

12. Crispy Parmesan pork

Serves: 4 | Uses: 500g of pork | Total time: 30 mins

Breaded pork is a great way of using up stale bread and your meat leftovers in one, and this one, featuring parmesan and mustard powder is extremely delicious, and ridiculously versatile – serve for a hearty lunch in a baguette with salad, with spaghetti and a simple tomato sauce for dinner, or serve with spuds of your choice and some steamed green veg or salad for dinner – some rocket drizzled with balsamic vinegar would be a real winner.

Get the recipe: Crispy Parmesan pork

13. Gingered pork hot pot

Serves: 4 | Uses: 4 pork steaks | Total time: 3 hrs 15 mins

Cooking your pork in a pie is a marvellous way of using up those leftovers. This one is a riff on the traditional Lancashire hot pot, spiced up with ginger, cinnamon and cloves as well as thyme and pork’s best fruit friend, apples – both whole Pink Ladies, and a pint of apple juice. An excellent winter warmer, that you could also serve in the summer months with a big, bold salad.

Get the recipe: Gingered pork hot pot

14. Pork and sausage pie

Serves: 8 | Uses: 4 pork chops | Total time: 1 hr 20 mins

Using just three ingredients – pork, sausages and pastry, basically (with a spot of seasoning), the putting together is slightly less simple, involving pastry layers, but using ready-made shortcrust helps a treat with that. It’s ideal for a family dinner and, because it’s pretty heavy and meaty, you’ll be wanting to add a large portion of light, steamed greens on the side – spinach, chard and green beans would work well.

Get the recipe: Pork and sausage pie

15. Hairy Biker’s Shropshire Fidget Pie

Serves: 6 | Uses: 3 slices of pork | Total time: 1 hr 10 mins

What the blazes is a fidget pie, you might well ask? Well, apparently no one really knows where the name came from, so we’re none the wiser, but we do know that there are varieties all over the Midlands, so there are no hard and fast rules for how to make one and, while the traditional varieties use gammon, you could swap that out for leftover roast meat. It’s a slightly sweet pie that marries the pork with apples, sage and nutmeg, topped with shortcrust pastry. 

Get the recipe: Hairy Bikers' Shropshire fidget pie

16. Pork and chorizo stew

Serves: 6 | Uses: 500g of pork | Total time: 30 mins

Bringing a touch of Spain to your dinner table, while stew is traditionally a wintery dish, this one is perfect for summer, flavoured with white wine, passata, olives, peppers and new potatoes. A one-pot, all-round nutritious dinner, delicious with a hunk of crusty bread to mop out the juices (and a nice, crisp glass of rosé too, if you ask us). 

Get the recipe: Pork and chorizo stew

17. Stewed pork and red grapes

Serves: 4 | Uses: 600g of pork | Total time: 1 hr

Cooking with grapes brings retro vibes, and this dish is a twist on the classic chicken veronique, flavoured with rosemary, thyme and bay leaves, and a cheeky pot of splash of double cream. Serve with a selection of veggies and perhaps some new potatoes on the side.

Get the recipe: Stewed pork and red grapes

18. Pasta with pork and peas

Serves: 4 | Uses: 300g of pork | Total time: 15 mins

We might think of bacon or ham in pasta sauce, like the classic carbonara, but pork can work well too, and this one is super simple for a mid-week dinner, made with mostly store cupboard and freezer ingredients.  Using a ready-made jar of creamy mushroom sauce and some frozen peas, you could also add in some broccoli, or olives. 

Get the recipe: Pasta with pork and peas

19. Sichuan pork stir fry

Serves: 4 | Uses: 450g of pork | Total time: 20 mins

This has to be one of the best used for leftover roast meat, and it’s super simple, fried up with spring onions, garlic, chilli and soy sauce, and sprinkled with cashew nuts. Serve with egg-fried rice, steamed rice, or a pile of egg noodles. You could add more veggies to the mix too – mangetout or sugar snap peas would work brilliantly.

Get the recipe: Sichuan pork stir-fry

20. Quick sweet and sour pork

Serves: 4 | Uses: 500g of pork | Total time: 20 mins

Pork meat is always a brilliant pairing for a sweet and sour sauce and learning to make your own, rather than using a shop-bought one full of preservatives is definitely worthwhile – we’ll go so far as to say it will taste better than that of your local takeaway. Curry paste, fish sauce, lime, sugar (ideally palm sugar) and fresh pineapple are key ingredients, and it’s a well balanced meal thanks to the green beans, red onions and baby tomatoes. Serve with plain rice. 

Get the recipe: Quick sweet and sour pork

21. Pork and apple bake

Serves: 4 | Uses: 4 pork steaks| Total time: 40 mins

Who doesn’t love a tray bake for a hearty, midweek family meal? Using pork’s best flavour friends, apples and sage, it’s a simple affair, flavoured with onions and garlic. Throw some potatoes in the mix and chuck in some green beans and you’ve got a pleasing one-pot dinner.

Get the recipe: Pork and apple bake

22. Three pork pate

Serves: 10 | Uses: 250g of pork | Total time: 35 mins

This will make a hearty change from your usual ham sarnies, and is perfect served on crusty bread, with some watercress salad. You’ll need some other porky ingredients – pig livers from the butchers, plus bacon – and some sage, garlic, onion and nutmeg, all blitzed in a food processor. A lovely lunch, or a dinner starter, if you’re feeling posh or have guests over.

Get the recipe: Three-pork pate

23. Pork parcels with Brazil nut stuffing

Serves: 4 | Uses: 400g of pork Total time: 50 mins

This one feels a tad festive, but could be adapted for any time of year. Flavoured with port, frozen cranberries and a stuffing of nuts, sage, goat’s cheese and dried apricots, it’s a salty and fruity flavoursome feast. Serve with mash and green veggies. You’ll need a bit of time on your hands for this one, but it’s well worth it.

Get the recipe: Pork parcels with Brazil nut stuffing

24. Pork stroganoff

Serves: 4 | Uses: 430g of pork| Total time: 30 mins

A handful of mushrooms can go a long way to transform your pork strips into a delicious, flavour-packed stroganoff. A classic – one that’s pretty simple to prep for midweek – you’ll need a carton of cream (though a healthier version can be made with reduced-fat creme fraiche), mustard, honey and paprika to make a stomping great dinner. Serve with rice or tagliatelle pasta.

Get the recipe: Pork stroganoff

Video of the week

If you've mastered all the classic cake recipes and want to take your cake baking and cake decorating skills to the next level, why not try one of these unusual cake ideas. 

“Quirky cake flavours that taste good will make your cake stand out and spark conversation. The secret is to make sure they balance each other out. Like chilli and chocolate – you get the heat but the sweet and rich chocolate makes sure it’s still delicious,” says Caroline Hartley from The Happy Food Kitchen. “If you are looking for inspiration from popular confectionery, think sour rhubarb and creamy custard – or cocktails are a good place to start. Also consider where flavours are combined in other cuisines – like coconut and lime.” 

Another way to bring more excitement to your bakes is by making supersized versions of classic biscuits and chocolate bars. “Try giant Jaffa Cakes, a bumper size Twix or a cake version of a Wagon Wheel. Even common dunking biscuits are stunning when they are supersized,” says Caroline. “If you’re struggling for an idea for a celebration cake for someone this can be a fun and personal take on a cake, especially if you know they always have a certain biccie in their biscuit barrel.” 

And you don’t have to be Great British Bake Off material to give them a go, either. “If you don’t feel you’re too great with a piping bag, then get artistic with decorations which just need to be placed on top. Arranging chocolate bars and biscuits on top adds height and interest, as well as something for non-cake fans (if there is such a thing!). Cut them to varying heights and layer for a decadent look. Fresh or pressed edible flowers, berries and other fruit are also great additions and it is great to keep them seasonal.” 

Cake ideas: Quirky and unique cakes and bakes

1. Jaffa Cake drizzle loaf

Serves: 10 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 1 hr 25 mins 

There are few things in life that bring more simple pleasure than a Jaffa Cake (or three) with a cup of tea, but we are going to put it out there and say this tops it – and it’s only marginally less simple to put together (and totally worth the light effort). 

A simple orange sponge is topped with marmalade – we recommend Bonne Maman – and covered with a chocolate ganache. And can we suggest topping it with actual Jaffa Cakes, if we may be so bold?

Get the recipe: Jaffa Cake drizzle loaf

2. Reese's chocolate peanut butter cake

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 50 mins 

Reese’s peanut butter cups are an American import that have been heartily embraced over here in recent times, and are given a lot of much-deserved glory in this cake, worthy of making for a peanut butter lover’s birthday very special (it goes without saying that it mustn't be served around any allergy sufferers, of course). 

A cocoa sponge is covered in peanut butter buttercream and a chocolate ganache and topped with halved peanut butter cups. You could add other delights like the colourful candy of Reese’s Pieces on the topping, too. 

Get the recipe: Reese's chocolate peanut butter cake

3. Oreo cake

Serves: 12-14 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 2 hr 25 mins 

Basically like an Oreo in cake form, the cocoa and coffee-infused sponge, is filled with a vanilla buttercream and topped with a mix of mini and full-sized Oreos. 

Simple but effective and looks like you have gone to a lot of effort. Perfect for a birthday party or any family celebration and will please little ones and big ones equally. 

Get the recipe: Oreo cake

4. Icebox cake

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 30 mins, plus overnight chilling

An icebox is a fridge cake that has been popular in the US since the 1930s, where it was named after the cool boxes used before mass refrigeration. Basically layers of wafers or biscuits with cream, this version features a mere six ingredients and is heavy on the ol’ caramel, featuring choc caramel digestives sandwiched between layers of cream mixed with the God of sweet sauces, dulce du leche. 

Topped with cubes or caramel and grated chocolate, after a night in the fridge, it’ll come out looking fancy for minimal effort. It’s very rich, so a little will go a long way, too. 

Get the recipe: Icebox cake

5. Chocolate Creme Egg cake

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 50 mins 

An obvious one for Easter, it could equally be adapted to any other time of year – swap the Creme Eggs for anything else with a gooey centre – Munchies? – or even without – Maltesers, M&Ms, chopped up Snickers, crumbled Flakes, you get the idea. A simple chocolate cake with a cream filling and a ganache top , you can also pop crumbled pieces of your topping of choice into the cream centre.

Get the recipe: Chocolate Creme Egg cake

6. Anti-gravity cake

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 2 hrs

This amazing anti-gravity cake will give you some serious kudos with the kids at a birthday party, so it’s well worth the effort. “This is a really simple way of making a showstopping cake kids especially will enjoy,” says Caroline Hartley. Learn how to make your own in 7 simple steps. 

Made with whatever sponge you fancy (though chocolate fudge is an obvious choice), the secret is a couple of straws stuck into the cake which you stick your chocolate of choice to, and then pop the empty bag on the top so it looks like they’ve all just tumbled out. It could be done with chocolate buttons, but we highly recommend Smarties or M&Ms to make everything wonderfully rainbow coloured. 

Get the recipe: Anti-gravity cake

7. Rhubarb and custard cake bars

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 2 hr 15 mins 

A flavour combo of utter joy, we all love a rhubarb and custard dessert, or those sweets from the jars in old-fashioned candy shops. And now, we can have it in a cake bar too, with both fresh rhubarb and rhubarb jam with this custard sponge. Excellent to give as a gift, in a box wrapped with ribbon, or to make when friends are coming for a frothy coffee and a chat.

Get the recipe: Rhubarb and custard cake bars

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 3 hours

You need plenty of patience and prep time for this one, but it’s an absolute triumph when it's done because, not only is it fantastically dotty on the outside, it’s even dotty on the inside. “Making sure the inside of the cake is as fab as the outside is such a treat when it is cut and looks really clever. But there are very simple techniques anyone can master to make this professional effect,” explains Caroline Hartley. 

This is done by adding brightly coloured cake balls (ideally you’ll use a cake pop machine but it’s not crucial) into the middle of the cake mixture before baking. Not something you knock up for anything other than a party or occasion – because it must be shown off to as big an audience as possible!

Get the recipe: Polka dot cake

9. Treacle bundt cake with limoncello drizzle

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 1 hr 10 mins 

A bundt is so called because of the shape of the cake pan it’s cooked in – like a doughnut with a hole in the middle and, as the name would suggest, it hails from Germany. But this cake also gives a nod to another European nation – the USP here is the use of limoncello, the sweet, lemony Italian liqueur from Amalfi, which, combined with crystallised ginger, makes a tangy drizzle for the dark, moist treacle cake. 

Get the recipe: Treacle bundt cake with limoncello drizzle

10. Coke float cupcakes

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 20 mins 

Inspired by the old school dessert of a glass of cola fizzing with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, these cupcakes contain Coca Cola (other brands are, of course, available) in the batter and are topped with a scoop of ice cream – alas, they must be served immediately – and a glacé cherry popped on top. Get the cute, retro red and white striped cupcake cases and the paper straws from Amazon. 

Get the recipe: Coke float cupcakes

11. Beetroot and chocolate cake

Serves: 6-8 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 2 hr 15 mins 

We never bargain on getting one of our five a day in cake form, but beetroot is a marvellously moist addition to a sponge, adding colour and depth of flavour (and, as much as we love beetroot, we are happy to report that it doesn’t actually taste of it). Filled with buttercream and cherry jam, you can freestyle on decoration, but edible flowers are a lovely touch that make it look super special. 

“For some reason people feel weird about vegetables in cakes when carrot cake is a commonly loved cake. Vegetables seldom add anything other than sweetness to a cake and provide lots of moisture which means less fat is needed,” says Caroline Hartley.

Get the recipe: Beetroot and chocolate cake

12. Lorraine Pascale's upside-down cake

Serves: 6-8 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr  

Lorraine has gone 70s retro with this wonderful upside cake, using tinned pineapple rings and a generous splash of rum, Caribbean style. The key is to caramelise the pineapple for a wonderfully sticky and sweet taste and texture. She suggests serving with mascarpone, but you could also use cream, creme fraiche or vanilla or raspberry ice cream. A definite talking point for a dinner party.

Get the recipe: Lorraine Pascale's upside down cake

13. Dark chocolate and chilli cupcakes

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 50 mins 

The Latin Americans know a thing or two about making use of chocolate and chilli as a combo, and these cupcakes work a treat, containing two whole red chillies in the mix. Perfect for anyone who loves a bit of spice and isn’t a fan of overly sugary treats, you can use sugar paste to fashion chilli shapes for the tops, which look super sweet. Sugar and spice, quite literally.

Get the recipe: Dark chocolate and chilli cupcakes

14. Homemade Twix

Serves: 10-12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr

If there’s one thing more satisfying than a Twix bar with your coffee, it’s a homemade Twix bar with your coffee. And, if you didn’t know already, this recipe will teach you how to make caramel, an excellent skill to have in any baker’s armour. These are a brilliant, novel cake to make for a bake sale or for a picnic, as a gift for friends or neighbours or just to have tucked in the fridge for a mid-afternoon livener.  

Get the recipe: Homemade Twix

15. Courgette and lime muffins

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 50 mins 

Courgette in a cake? Sure. These cupcakes combine courgette with lime to make tangy, moist muffins that are perfect served with a cuppa. It's an ingenious way to sneak some extra veggies into the kids' diet, too. The icing is super easy too, with just cream cheese, icing sugar and lime zest and juice.  

“Courgettes can make for a moist, rich cake with depth and I bet you would never guess what the secret veggie ingredient was,” says Caroline Hartley.

Get the recipe: Courgette and lime muffins

16. Citrus olive oil cake

Serves: 8 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 55 mins 

Who needs butter when you can use olive oil instead? This recipe swaps the bad fats for good ones and adds the zest of an orange and lemon for extra zing. You'll feel weird using oil at first but we guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results, and it’s far healthier than your average cake. 

Sometimes simple is best and this cake is transporting us to a terrace overlooking a Sicilian olive grove. You could decorate the top with orange and lemon slices or some icing infused with citrus fruits, if you fancy. 

Get the recipe: Citrus olive oil cake

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 40 mins 

“Presentation is everything and thinking about unusual ways to present simple cakes is a great way to make them more special,”  says Caroline Hartley. And it doesn’t get much more unusual than a cupcake disguised as a hamburger. A delicious, double chocolate chip cookie is the 'burger' and honey cupcakes are halved as the 'buns'. 

Sprinkle with sesame seeds to mimic a seeded burger bun and use red and yellow coloured icing as ketchup and mustard (not forgetting green dyed desiccated coconut for lettuce) Ingenious and essential for the next kid’s party you plan.

Get the recipe: Hamburger cupcakes

18. Apple crumble cupcakes

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 1 hr 5 mins 

If you love a classic apple crumble after your roast on a Sunday then you’ll be all over these clever sweet treats. An apple sponge, custard buttercream and a buttery crumble topping, they’re perfect for a summer dessert when a steaming pudding covered in custard is a little too hot for comfort. They’re super cute, too.

Get the recipe: Apple crumble cupcakes

19. Tomato soup cake

Serves: 10-12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 40 mins 

We know, we know, it sounds odd, but stick with us here. The tomato soup (the recipe uses half a can of soup, so you can have the rest for lunch tomorrow…)  adds a red tint to the sponge along with making it extra moist and spongy, and a little spicy (in a good way), complemented by the cinnamon. Dusted in icing sugar, this recipe is a quirky keeper, and it’s lower fat than most cakes, so perfect if you’re a calorie watcher. A most excellent talking point, too. 

Get the recipe: Tomato soup cake

20. Candace Brown’s rainbow cake

The Bake Off winner knows a thing or two about showstoppers, and this cake is up there with the best of them. Give your friends and family a surprise with this creative rainbow cake, made up of multi coloured sponges that looks way more clever and complex than it actually is. 

You just mix the ingredients for the sponge, divide it into sections and get busy with different primary hued colouring pastes.  Covered in buttercream, you can decorate it however you wish on the top, just be sure to make it multicoloured.

Get the recipe: Rainbow cake

21. Spiced squash ring cake

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 1 hr 20 mins 

Butternut squash might seem an unlikely baking ingredient but it adds a delicious moist texture to the sponge. Topped with a thick cream cheese frosting and drizzled with caramel, this cake will be so well received by your guests, or to share at a picnic or gathering – no one will believe it's actually made with vegetables. It can easily be frozen to brighten up another day, too. 

Get the recipe: Spiced squash ring cake

22. Cupcake bouquet

Serves: 20 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 50 mins 

One to try for crafty types, we can’t deny this is time consuming but it’s so worth the effort for a special occasion, like a loved one’s birthday or for Mother’s Day. These floral-style decorated cupcakes are presented like a bouquet of flowers, because who needs flowers when you can have cakes that are just as pretty? (and taste a damn sight better, too). Beautiful. 

Get the recipe: Cupcake bouquet

23. Hidden butterfly cupcakes

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 2 hr 20 mins 

These hidden butterfly cupcakes are a great way of adding a bit of character to your average batch of vanilla sponges. Because, surprise, each cupcake has a hidden pink butterfly inside. Not as complicated as they appear, you’ll just need to make two sponges and colour one pink (or another colour of your choice), and then cut out that one with a butterfly cookie cutter. Great for a kid’s or teen’s birthday party. You could try this recipe with hidden hearts too, or any other shape.  

Get the recipe: Hidden butterfly cupcakes

24. Mug cake

Serves: 1 | Skill level: Easy | Total time: 10 mins 

Cake... In a mug? Yes, really! That cooks in three minutes? Yup, indeed. This delicious mug cake is so simple to make – you mix all the ingredients in your chosen mug and cook it in the microwave, 3 mins later, you've got mug cake. Once you know how easy it is, it’s kinda dangerous – it doesn’t take much longer than boiling the kettle for a cuppa to go with it, after all.

Get the recipe: Mug cake

25. Pimms cupcakes

Serves: 12 | Skill level: Medium | Total time: 1 hr 45 mins