Whether you feast with friends or finish the week with a bowl of comfort, Sunday cooking – and eating – is pure pleasure. We’ve come a long way since our parents’ roasts. Debora Robertson serves whole sea bass, Melissa Thompson anoints lamb with tamarind, and Georgina Hayden’s pork shoulder has the crispiest crackling I’ve ever seen. Georgia Levy’s salade niçoise is a brighter, lighter lunch, while Nigella Lawson’s chicken noodles should ease any Sunday-night blues. To end the week on a sweet note, try Nigel Slater’s steamed chocolate pudding, or Catherine Phipps’s blood orange and rhubarb meringue pie.
Recipe for punched potatoes and a roast chicken by Olia Hercules. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
Squash potatoes into a flat pancake to give a buttery Sunday lunch of dreams
Joe Woodhouse’s recipe for flatbread with potatoes and onion sauce. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
Pair this versatile onion sauce with roasts or pizzas, and add rosemary or sage to the flatbread
This zingy, herby dish looks wonderful when it’s brought to the table
Nigella Lawson’s recipe for Sunday night chicken noodle. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
Marinated wok-bronzed chicken completes this noodle soup
Brown shrimps with whisky recipe by Rosie Sykes. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
Simple and pretty heavenly – the perfect antidote to the Sunday-night blues
Tamarind and ginger roast lamb recipe by Melissa Thompson. Photograph: Patricia Niven
Here, tamarind’s tanginess excites the lamb to make a deliciously sticky dish
Salade niçoise with tonnato sauce recipe by Georgia Levy. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
Inject some extra flashiness into this traditional dish with a preposterously delicious anchovy-laced sauce
Lentil soup and kashar toastie recipe by Sertaç Dirik, Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
Combine a spicy soup with a sandwich that features the best-ever toastie cheese
Courgette, creme fraiche and pecorino lasagne recipe by Mattie Taiano. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
The perfect Sunday lasagne that’s quick and healthy too
Mum’s fish pie recipe by Gill Meller. Prop styling: Pene Parker. Photograph: Jean Cazals/The Observer
Smoked fish, mussels and potato combine to create a memory-laden dish
Slow-cooked pork shoulder, greens and butter beans recipe by Georgina Hayden. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
A low-maintenance roast that’s brilliantly versatile
Nigel Slater’s cauliflower cheese pie recipe. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin/The Observer
Richly flavoured, this savoury pie is warming and comforting
Baked mushrooms and eggs recipe by Rosie Sykes. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
A flavoursome Sunday-night supper – vary the mushrooms according to the season
Recipe for biryani with stuffed morels by Sri Owen. Prop and food styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
An extravagant starter or main course for a special occasion
Butternut squash and saffron orzo, chilli-fried leeks recipe by Helen Graham. Food and prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson. Photograph: Romas Foord/The Observer
A brightening dish that has the added tang of preserved lemon and lime
Suya-roasted cauliflower recipe by Lerato Umah-Shaylor. Photograph: Tara Fisher
Make the humble cauliflower the star with a luxuriously spiced peanut puree
Spiced bread and butter pudding with saffron and dates recipe by Benjamina Ebuehi. Photograph: Laura Edwards
A pudding where crunchy-topped croissants soak up warm, saffron-infused custard
Blood orange and rhubarb meringue pie recipe by Catherine Phipps. Photograph: Mowie Kay
Buttery shortcrust pastry combines with a curd-like filling
Blueberry, ginger and lime cobbler recipe by Nik Sharma. Prop styling: Pene Parker Food styling: Mary-Ange Lapierre. Photograph: Jean Cazals/The Observer
Amplify the flavour of blueberries with tangy lime and warming ginger
Nigel Slater’s steamed chocolate pudding, praline and spiced cream recipe. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin/The Observer
The crunchy, sweet, nut brittle makes an irresistible combination with chocolate and a warmly spiced cream
