What Dad Cooked is a collection of our dad’s recipes, thoughts, tips and cooking hacks that simply need to be shared with all you foodies!

Be Inspired
Seasonal Favourites

Some delicious seasonal summer family recipes to choose from the What Dad Cooked repertoire.

Polenta with Ragu of Braised Beef

‘Ah polenta, a traditional Italian dish our family eat on special occasions. The sauce Dad made requires you to lick your plate clean.’

Asparagus and Parma ham

Here is the simplest way to enjoy the flavour combination of asparagus and Parma ham – side-by-side.

Turkish Eggs

These were trending a while back, but they were made famous long ago by Peter Gordon at Kopapa in Covent Garden London (now closed). I had them there and thought them a bit gloopy (sorry Peter/Turkey).

Asparagus Niçoise Salad

The exact constituent parts of an authentic Niçoise salad is a matter of contentious debate. There must be as many points of view as there are cooks. So I am throwing my hat into the ring and offer up Niçoise with asparagus!!

Latest recipes

Check out Dad's latest homecooked dishes and recipes below. Or click recipes in the menu to browse through 6+ years of Dad's homecooking recipes for families.

Cassoulet de Toulouse à la Pappa

A perfect winter warmer – Cassoulet!

The Laughing Cow Lightest Loaded Quesadilla

Try Dad’s loaded low-fat salsa quesadillas with The Laughing Cow Lightest x8 cheese.

Melanzane Parmigiana with Dolmio 7 Vegetables Sun Ripened Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce

An excellent way to turn a popular Italian slow food standard into an easy and quicker family classic.

Pumpkin Pie

My best pumpkin pie yet!

Asaparagus

A seasonal favourite ingredient of Dad's, so much so he made a 30 recipe series about the green spears! Try these recipes whilst asparagus can still be found locally.

San Joaquin Battered Asparagus

In San Joaquin County, at Stockton California they stage an Asparagus Festival in April. Stockton is the centre of asparagus growing in California so it makes sense to celebrate the crop…

Asparagus Summer Roll

Asian asparagus salad in a rice paper wrap – not your usual way with asparagus – but well worth the effort.

Grilled Asparagus

This is not really a recipe, more a method for grilling or griddling your asparagus.

Parma Ham and Asparagus

A great flavour combination and presented here as a main meal salad or antipasto.

Dad's Food Journal

Dad loves to write about food. Whether it's discovering a new road local to London or Surrey, where the treasures of foodie stores and independent shops delight—or Dad's macro observations in the world of food. Dad's articles (and foodie stories to his recipes) are a funny and knowledgable journey through the lense of how pops views the world.

Why You Must Walk Down Berwick Street

From the one-time seedy heart of Soho, this is one of the area’s finest quarters. Here’s why…

A Night At The KERB

What a great night out! WDC was invited by Time Out to attend a preview for the KERB in Camden Market – they promised a night of free food from 35 affiliated street traders.

Seven Places Where You Can Buy Traditional Panettone In London

There was a time when few would have recognised the panettones stacked in London’s Italian delicatessens. But now it’s impossible to do a Christmas shop without tripping over the lovely things.

British Pie Banquet at The Thomas Cubitt

In case you didn’t know, this week is ‘British Pie Week’ – a fact that might have inspired The Tomas Cubitt gastro-pub to celebrate by hosting a British ‘Pie Banquet’ earlier in the week.



ADVERTISEMENT
© What Dad Cooked, 2026. Privacy Policy. Terms and Conditions. Twitter Instagram