Thomasina Miers' 10 favourite recipes for isolation

The collective challenge we face in the kitchen has come as a shock to us all. The sudden shortages, the constant meal planning, the rationing of fresh ingredients and the eking out of every last scrap ...

There’s no doubt that these are good habits to get into, and that this period has the potential to make better cooks of us all. We might become more conscious about food waste, realise we don’t need to eat meat as much as we thought we did, grow more creative with the ingredients we have available.

Below are 10 recipes from my archive that I’m revisiting most at the moment: nourishing, hearty family meals that give us the goodness we need as resourcefully as possible. If, like me, you suddenly find yourself at home with children, some of these make an excellent diversion for little hands and big appetites.

The perfect rice salad (main picture)

Apples, carrot, nuts, raisins, herbs, and the eponymous rice, a dish that’s packed with both flavour and nutrition, making it a brilliant lunchtime filler for all the family. If you don’t have the wild rice I suggest in the recipe, use whatever you have, such as basmati.

Homemade baked beans

Comforting, utterly delicious and cheap as chips! My children were fascinated by how to make baked beans from scratch and to see how the various ingredients add different levels of flavour. Leave out the meat for a veggie version, and the eggs and sour cream for vegans.

Macaroni cheese with purple sprouting broccoli

This macaroni cheese is a great way to make a bit of cheese go a long way and is spiked with broccoli, giving the whole family all the nutrition it needs to stay happy and well.

Parsnip gratin (or any other root) with apple allioli

If you are finding eggs hard to find in the shops try making this silky, indulgent and incredibly delicious Catalan-inspried allioli, using apples to bind the mayonnaise instead of the normal egg. Layer it over sliced parsnips with hints of garlic and toasted nuts for a magical, warming gratin.

Caramelised red onion, black pepper and blue cheese tart

Sweet soft wedges of red onions cooked in butter and balsamic vinegar popped into pastry with blue cheese, thyme and black pepper.

Mexican chilli

The rich, warming spices so loved in Mexico add delicious layers of flavour to this fun, family dish. The sweet onions, tomatoes and pulses make the small amount of meat go a long way adding extra bang for your buck in terms of key protein.

Ricotta and courgette dumplings with speedy tomato sauce

The tomato sauce can be made in minutes with tins from the cupboard, leaving you to focus on making the dumplings. Experiment with different greens and get young people involved.

Spinach and feta pie

The glorious flavours and textures at play here – buttery, crispy pastry filled with salty feta and sweet spinach – belie the simplicity of the recipe. It makes a killer of a lunch or dinner with remarkably little fuss.

Celeriac steaks with brown butter and fried capers

A brilliantly cheap but tasty supper. Serve with rice or bread or with some sausages on the side.

Smoky roast veg with goat’s cheese and toasted nuts

These roasted roots are infinitely adaptable – swap vegetables in and out, try feta if you haven’t got goat’s cheese, and, while saba is hard to get hold of at the moment, I suggest reducing some balsamic vinegar to a syrupy glaze in its place.