Yummy & healthy home cooked meals that don’t require hours in the kitchen. That in a nutshell is what Anna’s Family Kitchen is all about. I love one pots and one trays and share recipes and tips for simplifying family meal times.
I am Anna Stanford and am Mum to Mia, Thomas and Finn. I am a self taught home cook and am madly passionate about food but the reality is most of us don’t have hours spare each day to prepare fancy food for our families. Yet we have a desire and a responsibility to feed them home cooked and wholesome meals.
I haven’t always worked with food. I started my career in media over 20 years ago and have worked for Sky TV, Star TV, CIA Medianetwork, BBC Worldwide and Fox. A year ago I decided to fulfil a longstanding ambition to blog about food. Inspired with a friend to share our home cooked recipes and tips with other busy mums, dads and professional, we set up a food blog. 2 months ago I launched Anna’s Family Kitchen which can be followed on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
I have always been passionate about the food I prepare and eat and enjoy sharing my recipes, food photography and meal plans with anybody who lacks inspiration. It can become monotonous and frustrating trying to come up with new exciting meals that everyone enjoys on a daily basis.
I am not about faddy eating, omitting food groups and dieting. There’s a very good reason why people do not stick to diets. They’re boring, time consuming, restrictive and actually many of them are not healthy! I hope I help empower busy Mums and Dads to cook meals that work for all the family and can be easily tweaked and adapted if required for maybe a family member who is intolerant to a food group or like me, has a Vegetarian to cook for. I believe in the philosophy “everything in moderation” but my focus is on using fresh, additive free ingredients, local suppliers where possible and I like to minimise the use of processed ingredients and refined sugars. The key to a healthy diet is variety. I use as many different types of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats and fish as is seasonally available.
My one pots are always greatly received on my blog as they can be thrown together quickly, create minimal washing up and can often be left in a slow cooker or low oven until you’re ready to eat. But we do appreciate that every now and then we might want to create something a little more sophisticated or (heaven forbid) have friends over for dinner. Gone are the days when we can spend all day prepping a three course meal in the kitchen. It just doesn’t work when you have a rugby match, a ballet run, a dog to walk and a lawn to mow! Amongst my posts and recipes you will see slightly more sophisticated dishes that are still simple and easy yet look more refined than those handy family one pots.
Look out for future blogs when I will cover all those foodie dilemmas that crop up in normal busy households.
Thank you for following me. I always love to hear your feedback, see your foodie photos and discuss your family food hurdles so please feel free to get in touch.
Anna xxx
I have just discovered your brilliant website via looking up a quick recipe for Lemon Verbena Harissa. What a wonderful collection of practical and delicious recipes.
We too are passionate about food and its sources (now my children are in their 20s, also foodies through and through, I am trying to grow as much produce as possible, fortunate to have the space, its a labour of love and contributes in many ways to help save the planet!)
We are huge fans of Belazu’s ingredients too, never disappointed by any product.
Congratulations on producing a collection of recipes to be proud of, I am sure to be inspired by many more….enjoy your cooking! Thank you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes. Anna x
I love your recipes – do you have a cook book I can purchase?
I’m so sorry for my late reply! I never look at this part of my website! I’m currently updating my website so have only just seen your lovely message! I have pitched a book concept but don’t have one to buy yet! Watch this space! Fingers Crossed!
She will have soon 😊
Hi Hazel. I’ve only just seen your message on my website. I need to check these messages more often! Sorry. Yes, I do have a book out now. You can order from this website or from Amazon. Thanks again for the lovely feedback. Anna x
Hi
When will your recipe book be coming out, or is it already on the shelves?
Thank you
Jane Bright
I’m so sorry Jane to have only just seen this message. There were a whole load of messages hiding from me on my website. Somehow the email connection hasn’t worked. My book is now available on Amazon and to order personalised from here. xx
Anna’s recipe’s are wonderful. Easy to follow and you will have the basic ingredients in your store cupboard. Great for family cooking and my husband also enjoys cooking me the odd dish. So looking forward to getting the cookbook.
Hi Penny! Sorry – I have only just seen your lovely message on my website. I’m so pleased you’re enjoying the recipes. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I must check my web messages more often!! Anna x
Your Chicken Rogan Josh Traybake is ‘literally’ the tastiest Curry EVER and we often say we’d opt for this over a takeaway Curry every time! Even Dishoom which we love!
My partner loves it that much he keeps inviting friends and family over to try Sho’s (Actually Anna’s) incredible curry! So good to see you have had such success and now bringing out a book…. I will most definitely buy the book as long as you don’t mind me continuing to entertain with my signature dish? (Yours sorry!)
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! I’ve only just seen your comment on my website. Please keep taking the credit for those recipes when your friends come over! You’re the one doing the cooking! The book is going really well, thank you. I’ve sold out of my first print run so have another on the way! xx
Anna, I’m so glad you’ve got a book out! I loved working with you at Wealden Times and often come to your website for your brilliant food-solution recipes. Maggie xxx
Hello:
I stumbled across a facebook reel of you (I hope) doing short recipe videos; its under annefamily. Your videos are mesmerizing and fun and I am trying to find a cookbook or more complete videos of the recipes. I am wondering, is annefamily on facebook you? and where can I find more of your videos or cookbook. Thank you for your cool videos.
Scott