As an amazing summer of sport comes to an end with memorable performances, gold medals and new household names, the younger generation has been inspired by an array of sporting stars.
To celebrate, Asda has teamed up with the mums and dads of some of Britain’s brightest role models from the track, pool and tennis court to launch its ‘Meals That Made Them’ campaign – revealing the childhood favourite dishes that fuelled them as budding young sports’ stars.
Parents seeking inspiration for tasty and nutritious family meal ideas, as back to school brings with it the return of routine, can now get exclusive recipes and shop the ingredients to help inspire children to try new things and eat like their favourite sports’ stars.
The recipes include Mexican Lasagne and Brown Stew Chicken from the mums and dads of gold medal winning diver Matty Lee, multiple gold medal and record breaker para-sprinter and para-cyclist Kadeena Cox, and emerging British tennis star Jodie Burrage.
Matty Lee won gold with diving partner Tom Daley in Japan, a journey that started with hours of intensive training in the pool when he was a young schoolboy.
His parents Tim and Helen Lee reveal the ‘meals that made’ him, and they’re simpler than you might think.
Matty’s favourites growing up were Tuna pasta with a crispy cheese topping; Carrot, sausage and coriander pasta soup and Moussaka.
Helen Lee comments, “Like most kids, Matty could be a fussy eater and it was a challenge to get him to eat meals that would keep his energy levels up.
However, we struck gold with these recipes which were favourites around the family dinner table. In fact, he still eats them to this day, the only difference being he prepares them for himself now and is probably an even better cook than I am.
We’re proud to be part of the Meals that Made Them campaign to help inspire parents just like us in the kitchen cook exciting and nutritional meals for their children!”
Jasmin Cox-Williams is the proud mum of multiple gold winning British para-sprinter, para-cyclist, and Celebrity MasterChef 2021 contestant, Kadeena Cox.
She has shared her three comfort food classics from her childhood that she still cooks today when Kadeena comes home: Rice and peas, Curried lamb and Brown stew chicken.
Jasmin Cox-Williams adds, “These are simple recipes with my own added twist that Kadeena has loved since she was little, and she still cooks them today for her own friends.
Kadeena has to follow a very strict diet with her training regime, but when she comes home from Tokyo, we will definitely celebrate with her favourite childhood dishes.”
Yvonne Burrage, mum of Jodie, who is currently playing as one of the top ten tennis players in the UK, has served up her own take on Cottage pie, Hunter’s chicken and Mexican lasagne, a spicy twist on the Italian classic which replaces pasta sheets with soft flour tortillas.
From America, where Jodie was competing in the US Open Qualifying, Yvonne said, “Trying to juggle school, training and making mealtimes special can be challenging as any parents know. I’m delighted to partner with Asda and share the recipes that I made Jodie as a child and still enjoy with her today and hope that others can enjoy them too.”
Jo Warner, Senior Director of Community at Asda added, “With children heading back to school and everyday life picking up pace once again, finding the inspiration to cook nutritious meals every night can be a challenge.
To lend a hand, we’re excited to share our selection of medal worthy recipes that some of the world’s best athletes grew up eating, and still cook and eat to this day. If these dishes are good enough for some of Britain’s brightest role models, they’re certainly good enough for our dinner table!”
To recreate these dishes at home and shop the ingredients, please visit https://groceries.asda.com/recipes/ for the full recipes and to find out more about the Meals That Made Them campaign.