Cold wind and lashing rain can only mean one thing: it’s time for some comfort food. You don’t need to be Curtis Stone or even a Masterchef contestant, to serve healthy, delicious and tempting dishes that’ll keep the family feeling full and cosy.

Create something special and get the kids learning about cooking and the ingredients they use with our top 6 sumptuous super-snacks.

1. Spaghetti Bolognese

Make a batch of Bolognese sauce and freeze what you don’t need. Use it to fill lasagne or to accompany spaghetti. Many variations claim to be the most authentic so recommendations come thick and fast.

Get the kids to do the first bit as it’s a good grounding for when they’re adults. Start with sweating onions and garlic before adding a mixture of ground beef and pork to the pan. There are plenty of non-meat alternatives available.

Bolognese sauce works best with fresh, ripe, tomatoes, skinned and chopped. Some chefs fry diced carrots and a stick or two of chopped celery with the onion and garlic mix. Ask the kids to cut the carrots in star shapes.

Play with the flavours by adding plenty of fresh herbs such as basil, thyme and oregano. Introduce your young helpers to the shapes of their leaves and different fragrances.

Cook and Learn Fact

Italians call a Bolognese sauce a ragù. It takes its name from the northern Italian city of Bologna where you’ll typically see the sauce served with tagliatelle.

• Top Tip: Stand the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for 5 mins for easy peeling

2. Grandma’s Apple Crumble

Always aim to serve this with custard or ice cream (ideally, both). This dish is a great use of one of a seasonal fruit staple.

Get the kids to core and slice your apples, arranging them in a well-buttered pie dish. Keep the skins on for extra nourishment. Sprinkle some brown sugar over the slices.

For the crumble, rub butter, plain flour and some golden caster sugar together until you have a sandy, crumbly consistency. Spread and press the mixture over the sliced apples. Bake in the oven until the apples feel soft.

Cook and Learn Fact

Sliced apple turns brown due to a biochemical reaction once the fleshy tissue gets exposed to oxygen. You can slow the process by coating the slices with lemon juice.

• Top Tip: Add a layer of frozen berries between the apple slices for extra flavour

3. Cauliflower Cheese

Get the kids to remove and discard the stalks and most of the leaves, keeping a few aside to give some colour. Steam the florets for a few minutes, strain and add them to your well-greased pie dish.

Cheese sauce starts with melted butter and flour mixed together in a non-stick pan. Under a low heat and stirring continuously, add in half a litre of milk. Once the milk comes to the boil the mixture will thicken naturally.

Now throw in a few generous handfuls of your favourite grated cheese. Stir and pour over the cauliflower and then bake in the oven.

Cook and Learn Fact

Among the hundreds of varieties of cauliflower are ones that are white, orange, green and purple. The vegetable takes its name from the Italian word cavolfiore, meaning "cabbage flower."

• Top Tip: Use a mixture of different grated cheeses and add some dried parsley

4. Sausage Casserole

Casseroles have winter written all over them. Sausages work well as the star ingredient because they have lots of flavour and you can use meat or veggie varieties. Start the casserole in the frying pan by sweating down the onion and garlic.

Get the kids to brown the sausages cut up into small pieces. You could throw in some chopped bacon. Cover with water, tomato sauce, chopped mixed vegetables and a packet of French onion soup.

Top with a layer of mashed potatoes mixed with cheese and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Cook and Learn Fact

Some estimates expect the global plant-based sausage market to reach over $6 billion (USD) by 2028 as “health-conscious” consumers shift from meat-based

 to vegan varieties.

• Top Tip: Run a fork along the mashed potato so that the topping goes crispy

5.  Lemon Pudding

This dish will amaze the kids because the result is truly remarkable. Get the kids to beat together 50g of butter, 175g of sugar, 2 egg yolks and the rind and juice of a lemon. Stir in 50g of flour and 300ml of milk.

At this stage, the mixture will look a little curdled but don’t worry! Ask your helpers to whisk 2 egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold them into the mixture and pour it all into a well-greased dish.

Here’s the clever bit. Place the dish in a larger dish or tin filled with water until it comes halfway up the sides of the dish containing the mixture. Bake for 45 mins. This is when the magic happens.

You’ll find that the mixture separates during the cooking process so that you get a light sponge on top and a delicious lemon sauce underneath!

Cook and Learn Fact

Egg white is a food type with one of the highest contents of protein. It’s a great option for wannabe rugby players trying to build muscle.

• Top Tip: For tastier results use milk with a higher fat content

6.  Fish Pie

Poach a mixture of your favourite fish in 500ml of milk in the oven for 10 mins. If you can, include a little of any smoked variety. Discard any skin and use the milk to make a cheese sauce (see above). Add a little fresh cream for extra richness.

Flake the fish into a dish and fleck it with small pieces of butter. Add a few frozen prawns, a chopped-up boiled egg, the juice of a lemon, a big handful of finely chopped parsley and plenty of salt and pepper. Add the sauce and cover with a layer of mashed potato topped with grated cheese. Bake for 30 mins.

Cook and Learn Fact

Oily fish such as salmon contains a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. Medical experts think they’re good for keeping our hearts healthy. Many recommend eating fish such as salmon or sardines once a week.

• Top Tip: Always serve with lashings of tomato ketchup!

The Best Winter Warmers

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