Nigella Express

Nigella cooked up a no-effort family roast dinner of poussin and a refreshing salad with punchy wasabi dressing for her father and children. Then for a quick after-work supper with a friend, she whipped up her ever-ready standby of Crispy squid with garlic mayo. Supper need never be a chore again.

Nigella shared her shortcuts for getting dinner on the table in minutes. She proved that a three-course meal needn't be a daunting proposition and can be ready in half an hour. Finger-lickingly Moorish Prawns with spicy dipping sauce and Spanish-inspired Scallops with chorizo are out of the pan and onto dinner plates in the time it takes to get everyone around the table.

There was an Italian-style feast on the table as Nigella revisited the dishes of her youth and her days of living and working in Italy. Childhood trips to the Italian gardens in Hyde Park with her grandmother were always followed by a steaming bowl of Chicken alla cacciatora. It's a treat that Nigella revisits for her own children, but her express version of this Italian classic is the work of minutes, not hours. Spicy Calabrian-style lamb cutlets made a quick dinner with a friend and Marsala honey pears with gorgonzola were the homemade centrepiece of a spread of antipasti.

Never say never to workday entertaining - you might feel too tired to attempt elaborate dishes and complex techniques, but Nigella has ideas for quick, effortless food to impress with maximum flavour and minimum effort. For a casual, super-speedy supper, Nigella made an elegant salad with a zesty Japanese-style dressing. Coq au Riesling bubbled away happily without interference, while a sizzling steak slice was an instant crowd-pleaser.

Nigella showed that eating on the move needn't mean resorting to buying snacks. She put together packed lunches that would make a welcome change from sandwiches for kids, and would more than satisfy the grown-ups too. For picnics, chicken drumsticks marinated in a buttermilk mixture and then baked were effort-free finger food, while Rocky road crunch bars were an indulgent chocolatey treat.

Nigella showed how to kick-start the day with her speedy breakfasts. She cooked two working breakfasts and made an easy smoothie for when there really is no time to spare. For two dishes that went down a storm for a teenage sleepover, Nigella made scrambled eggs with a twist and pancakes served with blueberry sauce. For a weekend brunch, her frittata was hard to beat.