If you want to improve your cooking and baking skills, but don’t know where to start, look no further. Here are the top recipes everyone should know how to cook.
Our collection includes a variety of different recipes, both savoury and sweet – from spaghetti Bolognese to roast chicken, and chocolate fudge cake to a classic rhubarb crumble – all ideal for beginners. These basic recipes everyone should know how to cook include tray bakes, delicious brunch ideas, and popular side dishes like our roast potatoes.
“Cooking is a life skill and, with practice, can be an enjoyable way to spend time, whether cooking for yourself or family and friends. A few basic skills will set anyone on the path to producing delicious, simple meals with ease. Eating well doesn’t have to be complicated – not many of us have time for complicated!” says Michaela Hanna, a chef, who gives private cooking lessons.
“My top recommendations include basic knife skills, roasting vegetables, having a few tasty salad dressings, understanding the simplicity of slow cooking, a few different ways with eggs, and knowing how to make a tomato sauce, a white sauce, and a meat-based sauce/gravy. That knowledge will get you a long way in the cooking world because having a solid foundation of knowledge and mastering a few basic recipes will give you the confidence to play around with them, adding different ingredients and flavours. Hence, you have more dishes in your repertoire. Most important of all – practice, practice, practice.”
How to cook: Simple recipes for beginners
The most classic of British cakes, beloved of its royal namesake
1. Victoria sandwich
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins
This is the most basic, all-in-on cake sponge, the springboard for all other cake recipes, if you like. Containing those mainstays of baking – eggs, flour, sugar, butter – and absolutely nothing else, once you’ve learnt to make a classic Victoria sandwich, you can go on to add other cakes to your repertoire, whether that be cocoa for a chocolate sponge, lemon or orange for a fruit sponge – you get the idea.
The main lesson you need to learn about baking is that it is a science and you have to be pretty precise with your measurements, unlike cooking, where you can freestyle with your ingredients rather more.
Once you've mastered a Victoria sponge, have a play around with the recipe with these Victoria sponge recipes with a twist.
Skills gained: Measuring, beating, whisking
Get the recipe: Victoria sponge
Could there be a more comforting sight for dinner on a cold, wet day?
2. Cottage pie
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 30 mins
Smothered with a creamy mash topping and packed full of tender meat and gravy, cottage pie is classic British comfort food at its best.
Once you've got to grips with a traditional cottage pie, try adding chilli powder to the mix to spice things up a bit, or Indian spices to turn it into a keema pie. Replacing the beef with lamb transforms the dish into a shepherd's pie and you could swap the mash for sweet potato and/or swede or throw some carrots or squash into the mix. Or making a completely vegetarian version with added mixed beans for protein.
Skills gained: Sauteing vegetables, browning meat, making mashed and creamed potatoes
Get the recipe: Cottage pie
Simple, gooey and very moreish
3. Chocolate chip cookies
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins
A batch of freshly made chocolate chip cookies will beat a pack of shop-bought any day. Just cream the butter and sugar, chuck in the rest of the ingredients and mix – it really is that simple. You can get the kids to help you make them too.
It’s a good idea to make up a big batch of cookie dough, wrap in cling-film and freeze – then bake up a batch of cookies whenever you fancy them.
Adapt the recipe by swapping the chocolate chips for Smarties, white chocolate chunks or even bashed-up Maltesers. And away from the choc, try chopped nuts and fruit, such as raisins or dried apricots.
This recipe will help you learn how to adapt your cooking times to achieve your desired effect – if you like your cookies soft and gooey (we recommend this outcome) then bake for slightly less time than if you prefer them crisp and crunchy.
Skills gained: Measuring, sifting, kneading, rolling, judging oven times
Get the recipe: Chocolate chip cookies
Comfort food at it's finest, and a balanced one-pot dish
4. Lasagne
Skill level: Medium | Prep time: 35 mins | Cook time: 2 hrs
A lasagne is perfect for preparing in advance, in fact it usually tastes better when made the day before as the flavours have had a chance to develop (the same is true of many dishes). The first time you make one, focus on doing the meat sauce first, and then the white sauce, as the multitasking of two sauces on the go might be a bit too much.
You can also turn your lasagne into a meat-free feast for the whole family or a healthy option packed with plenty of veggies and much less fat. You could even top with mozzarella balls and pesto for a fancy finish.
Skills gained: Making a roux for a classic bechamel sauce, browning meat, cooking pasta sheets
Get the recipe: Lasagne
What is a Sunday without a roast chicken?
5. Roast chicken
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 1 hr 40 mins
There's nothing quite like a traditional roast chicken with all the trimmings to get the whole family round the table on a Sunday. Streaks of bacon, a smidge of butter and homemade stuffing is all you need to add a mass amount of flavour to your bird. Just remember to keep an eye on the clock when it comes to cooking.
“The secret to a perfect roast chicken is rest and seasoning,” says chef Michaela Hanna. “Chickens are always seasoned well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper in my kitchen, and always have half a lemon and a sprig of rosemary in the cavity. If your budget allows, free-range is the way to go for flavour and animal welfare. Allowing the bird time to relax after it’s been cooking is essential for juicy meat. The proteins need time to relax, the juices need time to flow through the meat, and you’ll probably need time to finish the gravy and vegetables! A tablespoon of flour cooked into the roasting tin for a couple of minutes, a glug of white wine and a pint of chicken stock will set you up for yummy gravy. And roast chicken leftovers are perfect for sandwiches, salads, noodles, soup, pasta sauces – strip it down and make good use of what, if anything, remains.”
Once you've mastered this classic roast chicken recipe, up the anté. Stud with cloves of garlic , smother with a balsamic glaze and get experimenting with flavours.
Skills gained: Making gravy, preparing and roasting meat
Get the recipe: Roast chicken
Creamy filling, crispy lid, all the flavours in this classic pie
6. Chicken and mushroom pie
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 1 hr
Pies are far easier to make than you may think – especially if you cheat a wee bit and use ready-made pastry. Making the filling from scratch is the most important part of the pie – you can control what goes in, using fresh veggies and good quality meat.
Once you've mastered this classic chicken and mushroom pie, expand and make other pies from cheese pie to the Hairy Bikers' favourite steak and ale pie and even teach yourself how to make the pastry from scratch using our simple puff pastry recipe.
Skills gained: Chopping, peeling, learning about good flavour combinations, pastry skills
Get the recipe: Chicken and mushroom pie
Gooey, delicious and a wee bit naughty
7. Chocolate fudge cake
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 30 mins | Cook time: 20 mins
Everyone should know how to bake a chocolate cake, especially if you have kids in the house, and this one comes to you courtesy of the one and only Queen Bee of baking, Mary Berry.
Once you've mastered the recipe, try to experiment. Melted chocolate or cocoa powder make the base of most chocolate cakes so play around with different varieties of both. Smother your chocolate cake in a spread like Nutella, melted chocolate or make your own chocolate ganache, top with M&Ms, sprinkle with sugar strands or even turn it into a chocolate fingers cake (shhh, don’t tell anyone, but this is a great way of disguising a less-than-perfect bake).
Skills gained: Mixing, making and using icing
Get the recipe: Chocolate fudge cake
Healthy, tasty and anything goes (within reason) in a stir fry
8. Stir-fry
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 10 mins
We all need a good stir fry in our cooking arsenal. They're quick and easy to make, great for the whole family and well balanced nutritionally. All you need is some veggies, your favourite meat, some stir-fry sauce (be it soy sauce, black bean or sweet and sour, for example) and last but not least, a wok. Cook your meat first, add in the veggies and sauce and stir until combined and delicious.
Chillies, ginger and garlic are your flavour friends here, as is soy sauce. Other sauces, like oyster, Sriracha and even fish sauce work well too, as there are no rules. Serve with noodles or rice.
Swap the chicken for different meats such as beef (make sure you opt for a quick cook variety, like sliced steak) or pork, use prawns or fresh salmon, or go for a vegan option with some tofu. You can also add more spices to the mix or try a different variety of vegetables. We recommend Ken Hom's beef and orange stir-fry and this spicy Thai prawn stir-fry.
Skills gained: Stir frying
Get the recipe: Chicken stir-fry
Good ol' mac n' cheese, a simple pleasure
9. Macaroni cheese
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 32 mins
Packed with a creamy, cheesy sauce and a crunchy topping, macaroni cheese is hard to beat on a cold winter's day. It's also an absolute triumph with kids.
“A quick and comforting supper. You can serve straight from the pan, or pour into a baking dish and top with breadcrumbs mixed with a little cheese for a nice crunchy topping. I always make a little more cheese sauce than I need and freeze for future mac n cheese dishes, or to spread on top of a lasagne,” says chef Michaela Hanna.
You can add in some veggies for a vegetable macaroni cheese – broccoli and cauliflower work well. Or turn it into a lower fat version (because, whatever else it is, mac and cheese is no health food) by swapping cream for reduced-fat creme fraiche or semi skimmed milk, and use reduced fat cheese instead like in our low-calorie macaroni
Skills gained: Making a cheese sauce, baking pasta
Get the recipe: Macaroni cheese
A wholesome apple pie. Now pass us the custard
10. Apple pie
Skill level: Medium | Prep time: 45 mins | Cook time: 1 hr
This recipe teaches you how to make shortcrust pastry, but you can opt for shop bought, which makes life much easier as a novice baker (because, baby steps).
Once you've mastered an apple pie, try adding in other fruits – plums or pears work well, and our particular favourite is a blackberry when they’re in season (around September). You could equally add in dry fruits such as raisins or sultanas. It’s an idea to experiment with different types of pastry as your topper – puff or filo pastry can be super effective. And then how about you learn how to make your own custard?
Skills gained: Making pastry, stewing fruit
Get the recipe: Apple pie
A great one for rhubarb season, crumble is super easy to make
Rhubarb crumble
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 45 mins
Nothing beats a delicious, buttery crumble packed with fresh fruit and topped with a crisp combination of flour, oats, butter and sugar. And it’s way easier to master than making a pie – the topping is super simple, so it’s the ultimate dessert for an amateur baker.
This recipe is made with deliciously tart rhubarb – in season during early summer, though you could equally use tinned or frozen varieties. Or instead, try apple, blackberry or plum crumble, and serve with all-essential custard or vanilla ice cream.
“I like to add chopped hazelnuts and a handful of jumbo porridge oats to the crumble topping for extra crunch and flavour – a sprinkle of ground cinnamon doesn’t go amiss either,” says Michaela Hanna.
Crumble can also be a savoury dish – try out this sausage and bean crumble recipe for size.
Skills gained: Stewing fruit, making a crumble topping
Get the recipe: Rhubarb crumble
A good risotto is a labour of love
12. Mushroom risotto
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 20 mins
The key to risotto is stirring, stirring, stirring. It’s simple, but involves a bit of time at the stove, so pour a glass of wine, put on some tunes and see it as leisure time. Give it some love, basically. The key ingredients are risotto rice and stock and the crucial thing is to cook, slowly, on a low heat, gradually adding the stock and wine (if you’re using it to cook, not just drinking it…).
Mushroom risotto is a veggie classic, and is particularly wonderful with a mix of the more exotic kind of ‘shroom – shiitake and enoki, for example (most supermarkets sell packets of them fresh), but it’ll be just as pleasing with the more common, crowd pleasing chestnut mushroom. Porcini mushrooms, the ultimate in umami flavour, are key as well – make sure you soak them for 30 mins first and reserve the water to mix with your stock.
If you are hankering after meat, chicken breast is the best choice, while veggies like spinach, leeks and asparagus work really well, as does a pea risotto – an excellent choice if you’re out of the fresh stuff and trying to put together a freezer and store cupboard dinner.
Risotto can also be used as a stuffing in peppers – just top with Parmesan cheese and cook in the oven. A great way of avoiding food waste if you have leftovers.
Skills gained: Rice cooking, learning about flavour combinations
Get the recipe: Mushroom risotto
Super simple for the novice baker, muffins are a great treat
13. Muffins
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 30 mins
Even we didn’t realise quite how easy it was to make muffins… Just cream the butter and sugar, add all of the other ingredients, whisk together, pop into muffin cases and bake.
Excellent for a breakfast treat or as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, the basic blueberry muffin recipe can be tweaked to include raspberries, strawberries, nuts or chocolate chips, or you could add some lemon zest and throw some poppy seeds in the mix for taste and texture. They're so easy, even the kids can get involved in making them.
Skills gained: Measuring, creaming, whisking
Get the recipe: Blueberry muffins
Mastering a good ragu is always worthwhile
14. Spaghetti Bolognese
Skill level: Easy | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 40 mins
A good ragu, as the Italians would term it, spag bol is a must in most people’s recipe repertoire, and kids love it.
You could swap the beef mince for pork or turkey mince, and the spaghetti for linguine or tagliatelle – or even penne or fusilli if you’re a real spaghetti rebel. Add small chunks of carrot and celery for a well balanced meal, and a veggie option is good to have in your armour, too, for a healthy, budget dinner – try this meat-free spag bol. Ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, beef stock cubes, tomato puree and dried herbs like oregano are all store cupboard essentials that will help bring the flavour in this and many other recipes too.
Skills gained: Cooking pasta, learning good flavour combinations, cooking mince
Get the recipe: Spaghetti Bolognese