Save Sunday Lunch with BBC Good Food
Read about how we are keeping the spirit and tradition of Sunday lunch alive with our Save Sunday Lunch campaign. We'll be bringing you new weekend recipe ideas, including energy-efficient and budget-friendly options
Our BBC Good Food Nation 2022 survey showed that the energy crisis is putting the traditional Sunday roast at risk. But getting together to share a meal with family and friends doesn’t have to cost the earth. BBC Good Food’s Save Sunday Lunch campaign is our way of keeping this tradition alive with budget-friendly, energy-efficient recipes, and by sharing ideas and dishes from Good Food’s diverse community of food lovers for everyone to enjoy together at the weekend or other rest days.
Each month, we'll bring you a new menu, created especially for our campaign by one of Good Food’s contributors. See the menus below and don't forget to register for a My Good Food account to save the recipes ready to make at the weekend, plus look out for the next Save Sunday Lunch feature in our magazine.
Melissa Thompson's fire feast
"For me and my family, Sunday lunch is a chance to slow down – in the preparation, cooking and eating of it. We can afford to take longer getting everything ready, so it means enjoying something with a bit more heart and soul that takes time to cook, compared to a quick midweek meal. It’s also a chance to spend some time around the dinner table, maybe with friends and extended family, chatting, laughing and truly relaxing before the start of another busy week.
With barbecues, there are no nasty surprises in your energy bill at the end of the month. You buy the fuel upfront, then cook. Even better, this entire meal is made using one load of charcoal or gas, minimising the cost. The spiced yogurt marinade on the chicken comes into its own over the flames, charring the edges and bringing the spices alive. The potatoes are the perfect accompaniment – the coating turns almost sticky in the pan. And, spinach and tahini are an extra-special duo – almost like a hybrid of creamed spinach and Japanese gomae salad.
To finish, I’ve infused the flavours of banoffee pie into a quick and easy eton mess. It’s a surprisingly light dessert that’s reminiscent of two favourite treats, and completely unique." Melissa Thompson
More like this
Melissa's Sunday lunch menu:
Joe Woodhouse's vibrant vegetarian feast
"Weekends are packed full of cooking with my son, Wilfred. He loves to cook, and as we're both up first, we set about preparing the weekend meals for everyone else. Often, we make cheese, breads, pizzas and lots of veg-centric food. My wife Olia and any guests dropping by will tuck into what we've come up with. Taking the time to sit down together is so important – catching up, sharing stories and making each other laugh. These recipes don't require much time at the stove, and they can be served sharing-style for everyone to help themselves, maximising the time spent with family and friends at the table." Joe Woodhouse
Joe's Sunday lunch menu:
- Lentils with spring greens & watercress walnut pesto
- Purple sprouting broccoli with vinaigrette
- Rosemary fried potatoes
- Spelt pancakes with rhubarb
Sabrina Ghayour's menu to make memories
"I get a huge sense of satisfaction, especially knowing that all these meals will be remembered, not necessarily for the food, but the precious memories we create. We are by no means perfect – how dull would that be? But every person, big or small, that has a seat at the table brings so much colour, wisdom (yes, even the kids, at times) and laughter into my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So, the least I can do is to make some hearty, delicious dishes that I know will tick all the boxes for all at the table and, who knows, maybe a few of them make it into the kids memories when they look back at their childhood." Sabrina Ghayour
Mexican lunch for sharing
"Growing up in the north of Mexico was fun. I was lucky to have parents who were great cooks, especially my dad, so that meant we used to eat great food all the time. My dad used to be the one who would cook during the weekdays, but on weekends, everyone would get involved. Our favourite way to spend a Sunday was to make carne asada, particularly during sunny days – which they were, almost every day. My dad would turn on the grill and everyone would get excited. He was always in charge of grilling the steaks and my mum and the rest of us would prepare everything that would go on a carne asada taco. Our food was simple, but packed with great flavours, and most importantly, we were all together having a good time." Karla Zazueta
Sabrina's Sunday lunch menu:
- Tomato & oregano orzo with beef koftas
- Flatbreads with garlic butter
- Apple & feta salad
- Chocolate & orange rice pudding
Affordable Father's Day
"My favourite part of Father’s Day is the surprise card my son Charlie will have been ‘secretly’ making at school, while also giving me an in-depth daily update about it. Although it costs nothing, to me, this is something that money can’t buy, and I keep them all in a box. Sitting around the table and enjoying a special meal with my family on Father’s Day is a memory I’ll cherish forever. But, celebrating Father’s Day doesn’t have to be expensive. By avoiding costly cuts of meat and doing something a bit inventive with some polenta, I have managed to create a very tasty menu that will be enjoyed by the whole family. Maybe those chips will be referred to as the ‘special daddy’s day chips’ – imagine how exciting that would be, your own house chip! And, the pudding looks like you’ve spent a summer in France learning the arts of the pâtissier, but it’s just some shop-bought puff pastry and peaches. I really enjoy cooking big, special meals, so this is an opportunity for me to spend the afternoon pottering around in the kitchen preparing a late lunch for about 3pm – sort of like on Christmas Day, but more relaxed and with less sugar." Miguel Barclay
Miguel's Father's Day Sunday lunch menu:
Sizzling summer
"I like to barbecue as often as possible over the summer, and not just for parties and gatherings. You could scale up any of the dishes here to suit those bigger events, but this menu is nicely contained and neatly feeds my small family. Some of the ingredients are shared between recipes to avoid waste (the buttermilk, lemon and almonds, for example). And, although there are a few stages to each one, everything is quick to prepare and often just requires assembly. The cooking can be done in a small to medium barbecue. To time things right, put the sweet potatoes in the embers when the coals are nearly at white-hot cooking stage, then put a grill on top and char the peaches before cooking the chicken. You could also add some shop-bought flatbreads and/or oven chips to the mix." Ed Smith
Discover Ed Smith's summer menu
Paprika buttermilk chicken & courgette skewers
Sweet potatoes with tahini & flaked almonds
Wedge salad with soy seeds & quick-pickled dill cucumbers
Save Sunday Lunch inspiration
Discover fresh new sharing food ideas, hundreds of budget-friendly recipes and Sunday lunch inspiration online.
Save Sunday Lunch hub page - recipes and guides
Slow cooker Sunday lunch recipes
Sunday lunch recipes from around the world
Tell us what you need
We’d love to hear what you’d like to see more of, or anything we can do differently and any other ways we can help, by using the hashtag #AskGoodFood or via email on goodfood@immediate.co.uk.
