It’s no surprise that rising costs and busy lives can impact family meals. Here, food writer Laura Goodman talks to experts who give their advice for stress-less ways to feed the family – and ways to enjoy it, too 

STOCK UP ON STAPLES

We are forever pinched between wanting to do better (by our children, by the planet, by ourselves) but not really having the capacity, and that means we need shortcuts. Georgine Leung is a registered nutritionist and PhD researcher in family food practices – she recommends investing in your storecupboard: ‘I always have rice, pasta and noodles, as we go through these very quickly. Other staples I keep on hand are eggs, tinned and frozen vegetables, beans, cooking oils, sauces and a few herbs and spices.’ The frozen pantry has come on leaps and bounds – when you actually want to cook but it’s getting late, the timesaving power of frozen soffritto, garlic, ginger and fresh herbs cannot be underestimated.

DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

There have been various studies on the confidence levels of cooks, and they consistently show that millennial parents are less willing to try new recipes than their parents are or were. But what if the perceived unwillingness to try new dishes is about headspace, not confidence? Georgine takes a pragmatic approach: ‘Cooking starts with planning what works for you and physically getting your shopping in. With so many options available, the most important thing is to choose what fits your lifestyle. Recipe books can inspire but there is no “right” way – do what works for you.’ And Alice Pilkington, a senior analyst at market intelligence agency Mintel, holds hope for the use of AI tools in the kitchen and generation Z-focused cooking platforms like Mob – she says 47% of UK home cooks aged 16-34 have used AI in the kitchen.

FOCUS ON FUSION

The influence of world cuisines and the availability of ingredients has had a huge impact on what we now expose our children to in their formative eating years. And, as we’re also trying to get dinner on the table in 30 minutes a lot of the time, weekly roasts for some might not be as viable as Sunday-night udon bowls or a help-yourself taco spread. Alice says that for generation Alpha ‘fusion cuisines will hurtle ahead, leaving single-cuisine trends in the dust.’

BOND OVER BAKING

Many of us hold fond childhood memories of licking the whisk and the popularity of baking has waxed and waned a great deal since then. Some say we’re less willing to put our ovens on because of energy prices, yet others say we’re seeking at-home bonding and entertainment because of the prices of everything outside. Alice says enthusiastic adoption of air fryers might hold the key – look out for a proliferation of energy-efficient recipes for air-fryer cookies, cakes and crumbles. Even if you’re just icing digestives or mixing cornflakes with melted chocolate, baking is and has always been a top-tier bonding activity. The fact I so clearly remember licking the whisk says it all.