Recipe for happy families

It should be smiles all round when you serve up this spread for dinner.

Sausage, pork & bacon meatloaf

Don a pair of disposable gloves and get your hands into the bowl to mix meatloaf; it’s the easiest way to make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the least messy – no meat under your fingernails!

450g packet sausage meat

500g pork mince

1 onion, finely diced

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 egg 1⁄2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp Cajun seasoning or similar

4-6 rashers bacon (or more if using streaky bacon)

4 bay leaves, preferably fresh Preheat oven to 180C. Place sausage meat, mince, onion, garlic, herbs, sauces, egg, breadcrumbs and Cajun seasoning in a large bowl and mix together well.

Line a 5-6 cup loaf tin with 4 bacon rashers, leaving an over-hang at each side of the tin. Fill tin with sausage meat mixture, pressing it in well. Fold over bacon rashers and lay remaining rashers on top. Decorate with bay leaves.

Cover tin with foil and place in a water bath (a large container half-filled with hot water). Bake 30 minutes then remove foil and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes or until loaf is golden and bacon is crisp. Test with a skewer in the centre of the loaf; juices should run clear or very pale pink. Drain off any excess liquid while meatloaf is hot.

Serve hot, warm or cold with tomato chilli jam or your favourite chutney or sauce.

Serves 6

Dark chocolate self-saucing pudding

Using real chocolate rather than cocoa in the sauce amps up the decadence factor of this favourite winter pud.

1 cup self-raising flour

2 tbsp good-quality dark cocoa 1⁄2 cup caster sugar 1⁄2 cup milk

1 large egg

60g butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g dark chocolate melts, buttons or pieces

1 cup boiling water

Icing sugar for dusting

Thickened cream or vanilla icecream to serve Heat oven to 180C. Grease a medium pie dish or quite shallow baking dish (if it is too deep the middle may not cook through).

Sift flour, cocoa and sugar into a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter and vanilla.

Fold wet mixture into dry ingredients until combined.

Spread batter in baking dish.

Put chocolate in a jug, pour over the boiling water and stir until melted and smooth. Pour sauce over the back of a spoon onto the pudding (the spoon prevents the liquid from creating a hole in the batter).

Bake 25 minutes or until the pudding feels spongy to the touch. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream or icecream.

Serves 4-6