The best Sunday Lunches when you're single or have a small family

When you're single or only have one or two others in the family to cater for, the traditional Sunday Lunch can feel like "too much".  Do you really want to be eating the same food all week?  Or wasting loads?  Probably not.

So I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite alternative Sunday Lunches which still feel "special" enough to be eating on the day of rest.  Funnily enough, some foods really just don't fit the bill.  After making a Sunday lasagne twice, I resolved not to do it again.  Don't get me wrong, I love lasagne but it's just not Sunday is it?

Stews are a mainstay of my Sunday cooking.  For one if there are leftovers, they freeze well so you can avoid that "are we eating this again?" feeling and have something lovely from the freezer for your work lunch to make your friends jealous and feel loved in winter from the inside.

Chicken stew is lovely, flavourful and cheap to make.

Slow cooked oxtail is surprisingly lovely and so cheap.  Masses more flavour than roast beef.

Slow cooked turkey with haricot beans is another favourite (Turkey isn't just for Christmas!)

Smokey sausage stew is a great way of making more of a pack of sausages.

Tray bakes are another alternative.  Rather than cooking a joint, cook pieces of a joint or sausages then suddenly it's a proper "Sunday Lunch".

This Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary is a lovely dish but if you cook your traybake with vegetables too, there is even less preparation!

Why not try chicken tray bake or Spicy Sausage bake?

In winter especially I turn to the British classics.  Let's face it for 75% of the year, Britain can be a place which is either cold or just somewhere between drizzle and soggy.  Our forebears were good at making dishes which kept out the cold, normally with a layer or fat!

The classic for this is Toad in the Hole with Onion Gravy for a small family.

But don't neglect other cultures.  Cassoulet is a great dish for a Sunday, it takes a long time to prepare but that makes it even better, also leftovers taste great.

Steak with bearnaise sauce is another alternative.  You get the meat with sauce feeling but in a single person portion.

Chicken stuffed with goats cheese is another "special feeling" meal for one.

So I hope I've convinced you that even if you don't fancy cooking a big joint for Sunday Lunch there is no need to miss out even if you're eating alone...

...and why not follow it all up with a bread and butter pudding for one?