Do you have a go-to meal when you’re busy and can’t spend ages in the kitchen? For me it’s rack of lamb. From start to finish I can put a really lovely meal on the table in 40 minutes and still have time to fold a basket of laundry and toss the ball to the dog for a while.

I walk into the kitchen and flip the oven on to 180C (350F) and place the meat in a baking pan.  After rubbing a bit of olive oil over the meat I chop fresh rosemary and a little thyme and some fresh garlic and put that on the meat and a sprinkle of salt & pepper and roast for 30-40 minutes.   I peel and dice some potatoes and parboil for about 7 minutes and then put them on a baking sheet with some sea salt and pop them in the oven along with the meat.  They’ll both be done at the same time with the potatoes nice and crispy.

It might seem boring – meat and two veg but it’s a lovely meal and ready in a jiffy whether you’re serving 2 or 12. I vary the vegetables depending on what looks the best from the market and I always have a cruet with mint sauce on the table. This is a meal I know will turn out well every single time and what’s better than a nice piece of medium rack of lamb?  Not much!

Do you have a favorite go-to meal when you just don’t have time to be creative?