THE Weekend Cook

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Although I made enough soda bread to last me a lifetime when I worked at Ballymaloe in Cork, I still adore the stuff. It’s the easiest bread recipe I know. Makes one large loaf. Over the years I’ve built up a decent collection of weekend-themed cook books, so here are my favourites: some old, some new, all full of good ideas: Tamasin’s Weekend Food by Tamasin Day-Lewis Add a little heat to your Saturday night with these crispy loaded taco shells, filled with lamb, a punchy dose of harissa and tangy feta cheese. We made this most recently for our friend and neighbour Basil on his birthday, when we had about 14 people over to celebrate the great day. It’s full of my favourite things – capers, dijon mustard, anchovies, vinegar and herbs – and is served with perfectly blanched leeks and soft-boiled eggs. It’s wonderful. Everything one wants in a cookbook. Beautiful, elegant simplicity. Angela’s gorgeous The Weekend Cook is a vital addition to any cook’s kitchen’Stanley Tucci

Put the rosemary, lemon zest, fennel seeds and garlic in a mortar and grind them with a pestle to a good paste. Stir in the oil and season with salt and pepper, then set aside. Meanwhile, put the tahini, garlic and half the lemon juice in a small bowl with the chipotle, and beat with a fork until smooth. Stir in the yoghurt, taste and season; add more lemon juice if it needs brightening.An invitation to dine at Angela Hartnett’s house is a real treat. Nestled in London’s vibrant East End, her home is a place to experience delicious food, great company and a relaxed atmosphere that is as far removed from the high-octane stress of a professional kitchen as it is from the social anxiety that many of us face when hosting a dinner. Angela knows the secrets to throwing the most relaxed and enjoyable dinners for friends and family―magical evenings that people talk about for months afterward―and in The Weekend Cook she shares them. Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Steam the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until tender, then drain and leave uncovered to steam dry. First, make the mayonnaise. Put the egg yolk, vinegar and mustard in a food processor and blitz lightly to combine. Little by little, add the oil through the feed tube, mixing continuously as you do so, until the mixture emulsifies to form a loose mayonnaise.

To serve, peel and dice the mangoes, then toss with the rest of the lime juice. Stir the yoghurt or cream through the pudding: you want a lovely, loose consistency that drops easily from a spoon, like a runny risotto. Top with mango and coconut, and serve. Thomasina Miers’ lemon drizzle cake with candied citrus. Photograph: Louise Hagger for the Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay Angela Hartnett joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky this morning to talk all about her new cookbook, The Weekend Cook, Good Food for Real Life. An invitation to supper at Angela Hartnett's house is a real treat. Nestled in the heart of London's vibrant East End, you know you're going to get delicious food, great company and a relaxed atmosphere that is as far removed from the high-octane stress of a professional kitchen as it is from the awkward social anxiety that many of us face when hosting a dinner.We’ll always love a classic hot dog, laden with crispy fried onions and drizzled with mustard, but this sauerkraut combination takes the top spot. Serve with cornichons and Dijon mustard for a punchy Saturday night supper.

Heat a dry frying pan on a medium-high flame. Wipe the chillies with a clean, damp cloth, make a tear down the side of each (with scissors or hands) and open out like a book. Strip out and discard the seeds, stems and veins then rip the chillies into largish, flat pieces. Briefly toast these in batches in the frying pan for 30-60 seconds, until darker in colour and smelling fragrant (just as you’d toast cumin seeds), then put in a bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes, until soft.Angela knows the secrets to throwing the most relaxed and enjoyable dinners for friends and family sometimes mad, but always magical evenings that people talk about for months afterwards and in this book she's going to share them. Recipes include: Tip out the dough on to a lightly floured board or work surface and knead it gently. Cover or wrap it in clingfilm and rest it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with butter and dust with flour. Meanwhile fill a small pan with cold water, add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, until tender, then drain and leave to steam dry in the pan. Once dry, mash and leave to cool. I took it home, read it cover to cover on a dark and rainy London evening, and ended up having a little love-at-first-read moment. This was a weekend cooking philosophy I could get behind: “You want simple, easy, fabulous food that doesn’t mean you will be in the kitchen all the time.”