Forget about all the articles on food trends for 2015 predicting that we will be eating more insects, lard and weird new food. Mums have no time for this nonsense. We WON’T be cooking or eating these things anytime soon. At our dinner tables we want food that our children can love and remember when they will become adults. So here is London Mums’ honest guide to Autumn Food Trends 2015.

Dinfast

It is well known that starting breakfast with a good meal is healthy for you. The word Dinfast means dinner-breakfast and highlights the trend to eat dinner leftovers at breakfast. Mackerel on toast might not sound your ideal breakfast, but it’s up and coming and rich in omega-three. Bring it on!

Recipe ideas

Simple Homemade Hummus with corn cakes

Hummus with red peppers and walnuts

Frittata – scrambled eggs a la francais with ham or all’italiana with Parmigiano (Parmesan cheese)

The idea behind dinfast is that dinner is a lot more protein rich and breakfast generally doesn’t. If you don’t want to eat eggs in the morning you can still eat home made smoked mackerel pate’ (with Greek yogurth instead of Philadelphia to make it lighter) on a corn cake or a oat cake.

Take it slow – Slow Food Movement

As an Italian foodie, I am an ardent supporter of the Slow Food Movement, an initiative that was founded in Italy to counter the rise of a fast food culture and promote a better way to eat. I love local products which are not industrially produced and not packed with preservatives, artificial colours or flavour enhancers. When I can I eat organic but I am not a vegetarian or vegans, in fact I quite like fish and meat if it comes from a reliable source. The real flavour of Italy means simple, tasty dishes prepared using fresh, natural ingredients and traditional methods.

Here I am at Product of the Year 2016 Jury Day (at the gorgeous Institute of Directors) with friend and blogger Mirka Moore from All Baby Advice

My recent food discovery is the trend to cook the meat very slowly to preserve both its protein content and its flavour. At Product of the Year Jury Day (I get invited every year to select products entered to be then voted by the public and ultimately awarded) this year I tested a lot of slow cooked meat products and, despite not being a big meat eater, I must admit that the quality was incredible. Slow food and slow cooked food is definitely the way to go. And, as always, the Product of the Year platform provides inspiration for up and coming food trends.

I was not surprise to see that kitchen appliance Go Chef which allows you to cook meet slowly and at a lower temperature was one of the winners at 2015 Product of the Year Awards.

Go Chef now plays an important role in my kitchen especially in Winter when I love cooking minestrone, lentils soup, slow cooked Sunday roast all’italiana.

Slow food also refers to eating slowly, sitting at a table like Mediterranean people do. As an Italian, I cannot conceive eating a sandwich for lunch or dinner. For me it’s slow food all the way.

I love taking the time to prepare the food as well, although as a busy mumpreneur I am constantly time-deprived.

Recipe ideas

Heston’s Roast leg of lamb (this is a great recipe to cook in the Go Chef pot)

The Power of Frozen

Slow food was also a theme at the Iceland’s Autumn food range launch. Iceland has a great new frozen range of slow cooked meat as well as Italian soups for this Autumn and Winter.

Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb (Iceland)

I wasn’t a big fan of frozen food before meeting Peter Andre for my Winter magazine interview (coming out soon). But then I tried delicious dishes from a range of frozen food that made me change my mind.

Dover Sole (Iceland)

Fish for example is better frozen than purchased fresh from a supermarket simply because the fish is frozen as soon as it’s caught and preserves its flavour – unless of course you buy it from a fishmonger near the seaside.

Cod Loins Lemon & Black Pepper (Iceland)

I made my family test fresh fish (from a supermarket counter) and from frozen. The result: without knowing it, both my husband and son thought the frozen fish was fresher.

I don’t compromise on the freshness of my food so for me fish, meat, fruit and vegetables have to be super fresh.

Asparagus (Iceland)

Another big surprise was the frozen soufflé. It sounds like a disaster story but actually at the event I was given the opportunity to make a soufflé from scratch and I can tell you that it is quite challenging to get the right softness and consistency. The frozen soufflé on the other hand came out perfect and the flavour was also great.

Lemon Souffle (Iceland)

It’s a no brainer for me really: The French inspired Lemon Soufflé from Iceland costs only £1.99 for 2 packs including the reusable pretty glass pots.

The souffle on the right are home made by myself and other journalists – You can see they haven’t risen well and the texture was harder compared to the left hand side souffle made from frozen

You can serve up impressive and delicious desserts that are bound to impress and are guaranteed to rise every time – straight from the freezer in just 15 minutes! I don’t think I will be making Soufflé for a while. I’d rather spend time to cook other dishes that are more fun and frankly where I can add more value.

Chef Richard McGeown teaches us how to make souffle but he admits that it is hard work to get the souffle right

Recipe ideas

Here are some of our archived recipe ideas.

Squishy Salmon Fishcakes

Chunky Fish Soup with Warm French Bread and Garlicky Crème Fraiche

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH GARLIC AND PARSLEY

Chicken and Butterbean Casserole with Mashed Potatoes