I don’t think there’s anything better in this world than hot pancakes cooked in a smear of salted butter, sprinkled with sugar and doused in lemon juice. Rolled up and shovelled in your gob, it’s one of life’s true pleasures and always brings back fond memories of my first experiences in the kitchen with my mom. Last year was our first to pass this tradition down to Noah and considering the child has the appetite of a small horse, he was ready for it! The simple squeels of joy over a pancake being tossed really makes you wonder if there’s any need for iPads at all!

Our family dinners survive on some semblance of a meal plan decided ahead of time. Knowing I have the ingredients to either cook ahead or have key elements to whip up quick fix dishes saves us plenty of panic when dinner time rolls around. The main aim is to avoid opening the kitchen cupboard with a hungry toddler at my heels while trying to rack my brain for dinner inspiration. Dishes like the ones I share today make a regular appearance on our dinner table and while they don’t cook themselves, they will certainly make meal times fuss free!

For years myself and my wife Sofie have been utterly terrible at celebrating Valentine’s day. We’ve used all the excuses, we’re too busy, it’s just a day for schmucks to keep the card companies in business but if I’m truly honest it’s just pure laziness- clearly we’re true romantics! Recently however we’re turning it around and we’ve been putting in the effort and marking the occasion. The addition of two children under 3 certainly makes us appreciate taking little moments out of the madness as a couple- I have no idea what we did with all that time before kids!