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.

Halibut & Spicy Butternut Squash ‘Soup’

‘It’s great to watch dad cook like an alchemist, throwing ingredients into a pot. But we all know it will taste delicious…’

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.’

Grilled Sardines

Can’t get to the Mediterranean on hols? Barbecue some sardines and you will be transported.

Marisa’s Pasta

Well, hers, mine – and Norma’s too…

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.

Asparagus and peas braised in butter with herbs, hazelnuts, kasha and lemon

It’s the British asparagus season – make the most of it with this very simple combination: fresh asparagus from local fields and fresh peas from a pod, boiled and then quickly braised in butter, with lemon herbs and hazlenuts and kasha for a bit of crunch.

Asparagus Bruschetta

Most asparagus bruschetta recipes use goats cheese. I tried this and it’s okay but unremarkable, so I made a artichoke and cannellini bean puree to replace the cheese – it’s much better.

Parma Ham and Asparagus

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

Asparagus, Plaice and Maltaise Mousse Canapes

This is a spin on Escoffier’s white asparagus with sauce maltaise. The two are often served as an accompaniment for a white fish such as turbot. Here the fish is plaice rolled around asparagus and a maltaise mousse and served as a canapé.

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.

WDC Wins at Estimation Nation Baking Challenge!

On 19th May WDC was invited to participate in the Estimation Nation Baking Challenge at the Open Kitchen in Hoxton. All part of Smart Energy GB’s Estimation Nation Campaign for the Smart Meter rollout.

PYO Still Going Strong at Garsons

Get down to Garsons or your local Pick-Your-Own farm and treat yourself to some amazing seasonal produce.

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.

The Secret of Eating in a Chinese Restaurant

After a day out in London with the family, we will usually wander up Shaftesbury Avenue to find a small unassuming Chinese restaurant we know. This place is consistently busy with…



ADVERTISEMENT

GET THE LATEST STUFF!

Sign up to the WDC newsletter for the latest recipes, foodie stories and ingredient specials!

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