The dishes families return to
Family comfort food recipes
Find comforting family recipes for Jollof rice, butter chicken, beef casserole, shepherd’s pie, cheese soufflé and baked rice pudding, with their stories.
From the Living Cookbook
Comfort food is personal. It can be a spoonful of rice pudding, a rich casserole made the day before, a crisp-topped shepherd’s pie or the butter chicken that won over a family in India.
This collection brings together recipes that people return to for warmth, familiarity, celebration and the pleasure of feeding others.
6 recipes to discover
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British · Birmingham, England
Nana Serb's Sunday Rice Pudding
Every Sunday after church, Nana Serb put this pudding in the oven before we sat down for lunch. By the time we reached dessert, the house smelled of vanilla and nutmeg.…
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Indian · New Malden, England
Dave's Butter Chicken
I learned this from my Indian mother-in-law and tweaked it a little by replacing the tinned tomatoes with passata for a smoother, richer taste. I have cooked it in…
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British · Swansea, Wales
Barbara's Beef Casserole
Barbara learnt this recipe from her mother, Pat, and made it her own by adding a tablespoon of Bovril. She always prepared it the day before because, as she put it,…
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Nigerian · Lagos, Nigeria
Ada's Jollof Rice
Ada's Jollof Rice celebrates the unmistakable smoky flavour of Nigerian party Jollof: a deeply reduced pepper base, rich stock and a final moment of heat that creates…
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British · Guildford, England
Sam's Shepherd's Pie
Sam's Shepherd's Pie is built slowly from lamb, vegetables and a quietly brilliant savoury trick: white anchovies and Marmite melt into the gravy, leaving only deep,…
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French · New Malden, England
Phil & Serb's Three-Cheese Soufflé
Phil & Serb’s three-cheese soufflé is all about balance: Gruyère for melt, aged Cheddar for a sharp edge and Parmigiano-Reggiano for nutty depth. The béchamel is made…
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