How quickly does the time go? Well hopefully for the UK’s parents the summer can’t be over quick enough already!

With many schools having just broken up for the summer, the inevitable “I’m bored” comments will be forthcoming within minutes of the first day off!

So here’s a few super school holiday recipes to keep the young ‘uns sated for a few days at the very least.

What better way to kick off a list of summer recipes than some super slurping ice-lollies. Perfect.

1. Sunshine lollies

instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js” async=”” defer=”defer”>These lollies are great, completely gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan suitable, plus they have a lot less sugar than a supermarket equivalent. Only 17 calories per lolly make these a perfect sweet treat for children this summertime.

Ingredients

• 5 large carrots
• 3 large oranges
• 1 satsuma
• Lolly mould
• Measuring jug

Method

1. Finely grate the carrots and place in the middle of a clean tea towel. Gather up the towel and squeeze the carrot juice into a jug and discard the pulp.
2. Add the orange juice and top up with cold water as needed to make 360ml of liquid.
3. Stir in some orange zest and satsuma pieces if chosen to add.
4. Pour the liquid into your lolly moulds and freeze overnight.

It’s that simple to create a healthy low-calore treat for your kids! Plus they are delicious for big kids too!

2. Strawberry ice cream

If you’re not a fan of ice lollies, then maybe classic strawberry ice cream is more up your street? This recipe is so easy to make that even the kids could do it…under adult supervision of course…

Ingredients

• 400g strawberries
• 250g mascarpone cheese
• 200g (half can) condensed milk
• cones and sprinkles to serve

Method

1. Wash and cut your strawberries, remembering to remove the green hulls, into halves or quarters. Place the cut strawberries into a flat-bottomed dish.
2. Use a potato masher to squash and crush the strawberries as smoothly as you can.
3. Now add the mascarpone and mash until a pink mixture is made – lumps are not an issue here.
4. Add the condensed milk and mix everything together – a streaky mixture is completely fine.
5. Pour or spoon this mixture into a plastic container and put in the freezer overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours before attempting to serve.

Perfect on a cone with sprinkles, or even alongside another dessert like apple pie…speaking of apple pie…

3. Apple pie

The perfect traditional family dish. We recommend using British apples – because as we all know – they’re the best.

Ingredients

• For the filling
• 1kg Bramley apples
• 140 golden caster sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp flour

For the pastry

• 225g butter
• 50g golden caster sugar – plus a little extra
• 2 eggs
• 350g plain flour
• whipped cream for serving

Method

Preparation

Put a layer of paper towels on a large baking sheet. Peel, core and slice the apples until around 5mm thick and lay evenly on the baking sheet. Cover with paper towels and leave.

For the pastry

1. Beat the butter (at room temperature) and sugar in a large bowl until just mixed.
2. Make a hole in the middle of the mixture and break one egg and just the yolk of the other egg into this gap – keep the remaining egg white for glazing later.
3. Beat the entire mixture together for just under 1 minute. The result should look a bit like scrambled egg.
4. Add the flour and work the mixture with a wooden spoon, only add the flour one third at a time until it’s beginning to clump up.
5. Once this point has been reached, gather the mix together with clean hands. Gently work the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for around 45 minutes.

For the filling

1. Mix the 140g sugar, cinnamon and 3 tbsp flour for the filling in a bowl that is large enough to contain the apples later.

Making the pie

1. Now your pastry is chilled, heat your oven to 190ºC/fan 170ºC/gas 5.
2. Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Cut off a third of the pastry and keep it wrapped white your roll out the rest and use this to line a pie tin around 20-22cm round and 4cm deep.
3. Roll out your remaining third to a circle about 28cm across.
4. Pat the apples dry with paper towels a tip them into the bowl with the sugar-cinnamon mix. Give this all a quick mix with a spoon or you hands and immediately pile high into your baking tin which is now lined with pastry.
5. Brush a little water around the pastry rim and then lay the circular pastry lid over the apples and press the edges to seal.
6. Trim the edge with a sharp knife or some kitchen scissors and make 5 small slashes on top of the lid so that steam can escape.
7. Brush the entire pie with the egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar.
8. Bake for around 40 to 45 minutes or until golden.
9. Before serving sprinkle with a light dusting of sugar and serve whilst warm with the superb strawberry ice cream.

A great way to combine two fantastic dishes into one! The best of both worlds, and when the kids taste what they have made, they’ll be talking about it for weeks. This apple pie is perfectly freezer safe if you can’t quite finish it in one sitting. Just remember to thaw it thoroughly before re-serving.

4. Seriously easy Pizza

Making pizza is such a rewarding way to eat one of the most popular meals on the planet. Plus you can put literally anything you want on it! From sweet to savoury, there are no limits with truly homemade pizza.

Ingredients

For the pizza base

• 600g strong white bread flour
• 500ml water
• ½ tsp dried yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• semolina

Method

1. Put the flour, yeast and 1 tsp of salt into a large bowl.
2. Stir in 500ml of slightly warm water and the olive oil to create a rough, lumpy dough.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with a tea towel and place in the fridge.
4. Leave the dough to rise for at least 6 hours or until doubled in size.
5. Shape the dough into circles in desired size.

Making the pizza

Because we can use almost anything to make pizza, we are going to suggest a simple margherita (or plain pizza), you don’t even have to make pizza savoury, have you ever tried a sweet pizza? They are phenomenal, we love Nutella pizza.

Making passata

Ingredients

• 100ml passata
• handful fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove

Method

1. To make the sauce, mix the passata, basil and crushed garlic together, then season to taste.
2. Leave to stand at room temperature whilst shaping your pizza base.

Margherita

• 125g sliced mozzarella
• handful grated Parmesan
• handful of basil leaves

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 240ºC/fan 220ºC/gas 8.
2. Smooth the ready made passata sauce over your pre-made dough base with the back of a spoon.
3. Scatter the mozzarella onto the pizza base and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until crisp.
5. Serve with a little more olive oil and basil leaves if desired.

It doesn’t matter if your pizza doesn’t look perfect! It’s all about the taste!

5. Best ever triple choc brownies

An American treat that we all know and love, gooey sticky brownies are the best! Especially as a after dinner extra. This recipe is not only simple, it’s almost unbeatable. Almost…we still love pizza…

Ingredients

• 185g unsalted butter
• 185g dark chocolate
• 85g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 50g white chocolate
• 50g milk chocolate
• 3 large eggs
• 275g golden caster sugar

Method

1. Cut the 185g unsalted butter into smallish cubes and put into a medium bowl.
2. Break up the 185g of dark chocolate (grate if possible) and add to the bowl.
3. Fill a saucepan with about ¼ hot water, then place the bowl on top to melt the butter and chocolate. Place the pan on a low heat so not to burn. Stir every so often.
4. Turn on your oven to heat to 180ºC/160ºC fan/gas 4.
5. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.
6. Now tip 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into sieve and shake into a medium bowl until mixed.
7. Chop the white chocolate and milk chocolate into chunks on a board.
8. Break the eggs into a large bowl tip in the 275g caster sugar. Mix with an electonic whisk for anywhere between 3 to 8 minutes until consistency resembles a milk shake.
9. Pour the cooled chocolate over the whipped mixture and fold together gently with a spatula.
10. Seize the cocoa and flour mixture onto the chocolate and whipped mixture and gently fold again.
11. Stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks and then gently pour the mixture into the prepared baking tray.
12. Place in the oven for 25 minutes until the top has a shiny papery crust and the side begin to come away from the tin.
13. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin until completely cold or cool.
14. Cut into squares and serve.

Although a simple recipe, these are so moreish that you might want to make a second batch…just be careful that you don’t get addicted…