Jamie's 30-minute Meals

The trick here is not a single quick dish but a whole meal on the table at once, with main, sides and pudding cooked alongside one another so that everything is ready together. Jamie Oliver sets out 50 seasonal menus, each written to make the most of every minute in the kitchen. Among them are spring lamb with Chianti gravy, mushroom risotto with spinach salad, a tender duck salad, lemon and raspberry cheesecake, and creamy rice pudding with stewed fruit. There are lighter lunches too.

Of his bestselling cookbooks, this is the one about multitasking, and it rewards a little practice: the first attempt feels brisk, the third feels like a quiet triumph. It suits weeknight cooks who want a proper three-course dinner without giving up the whole evening to it.