I’m a weight-loss expert who shed 4st – my easy & delicious recipes will help you lose your summer spare tyre in 2 weeks

EX-Hollyoaks actress and weight-loss expert Davinia Taylor says the summer holidays can cause us to put on more weight than we do at Christmas.

In fact, the average Brit puts on 4.4lbs during the school break.

Catherine Harbour

The mum of two, 46, says: “We get so over-excited at the first sign of sunshine in the UK we just go completely insane.

“Come September, we’re on the floor, feeling worse than ever and ready to crawl under a duvet until Christmas party season.”

The former ladette, who has lost more than 4st with her curated diet plan, shares a selection of recipes from her book, It’s Not A Summer Diet, that will help you shed your summer weight gain in two weeks.

From It’s Not A Summer Diet (Amazon e-book, £2.99)

BREAKFAST

Scrambled eggs (serves 1)

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YOU NEED:

• 3 eggs
• A good knob of butter
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Melt butter in a pan over a medium heat and crack eggs into the pan.

Using a wooden spoon, gently scramble the whites, trying to leave the yolks intact.

Remove from the heat. Or keep heating if you like eggs firmer.

Add salt and pepper at the end to prevent eggs going grey.

Greek yoghurt (serves 1)

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YOU NEED:

• 2 heaped tbsp of full-fat Greek yoghurt
• Handful of blueberries and/or strawberries
• Small handful of any unsalted seeds or nuts
• 1 tsp of honey

METHOD: It is important to use full-fat yoghurt here, for maximum protein and less additives.

It is also so much nicer and keeps you full for longer.

Dollop yoghurt into a bowl, add the berries and nuts or seeds then drizzle the honey all over.

Protein pancakes (serves 4-6)

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YOU NEED:

• 1 banana
• 20g of almond flour
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1½ tsp of baking powder
• 1 egg
• A knob of butter
• 1 tbsp of full-fat Greek yoghurt
• A handful of blueberries
• A drizzle of honey

METHOD: Pop banana, flour, protein powder, baking powder and egg into a blender until smooth.

Heat a frying pan and melt butter. Ladle the batter into pan and flip after a minute. Repeat. Drizzle with yoghurt, honey and fruit.

LUNCH

High-protein wrap (serves 2)

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YOU NEED:

• Two wraps
• Cooked chicken breast
• 4 boiled eggs
• Bag of rocket leaves
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Fill wrap with high-protein chicken breast, eggs and rocket leaves.

Season with salt and pepper. You can use mayo, but avoid ones made with vegetable oils.

Mackerel pate with crackers (serves 2)

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YOU NEED:

• A packet of smoked mackerel
• 1 tsp of capers
• 1 tbsp of sour cream
• 1 tbsp of full-fat cream cheese
• A sprinkling of chopped chives
• Crackers

METHOD: Tear up mackerel and pop in a blender. Add capers, sour cream, cream cheese and chives.

Whizz it all up and top with a few more capers and chives if desired.

Spread on to crackers and enjoy.

Watermelon and feta salad (serves 2-4)

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YOU NEED:

• ½ cucumber, sliced
• 180g watermelon, cut into cubes
• 100g feta
• Bunch of chopped mint
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Balsamic dressing

METHOD: Put cucumber and melon in a bowl and sprinkle over with chopped-up feta and mint.

Drizzle with oil and balsamic dressing. Season to taste.

DINNER

Steak and salad (serves 2)

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YOU NEED:

• A good handful of chopped coriander or any leafy herb
• A good glug of olive oil
• ½ tsp of turmeric
• 2 good quality beef steaks
• Green salad mix
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Chop leafy herbage, then pour a glug of olive oil into a bowl and sprinkle in turmeric to make a marinade. Add a shake of salt and pepper and the chopped herbs.

Give it all a good mix. Dunk meat in marinade and leave for an hour before cooking.

Cook meat as desired and serve with the salad.

Fish with vegetables and new potatoes (serves 2)

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YOU NEED:

• 2 cod fillets
• 2 handfuls of baby potatoes
• 6 garlic gloves
• 150g green beans
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil

METHOD: Preheat oven to 200C. Halve the potatoes and boil for 15 minutes in salted water. Drain and let dry for 2 minutes.

Add 1 tbsp of oil to a roasting pan, along with the 6 unpeeled garlic cloves. Add potato halves and roast for 15 minutes.

Ten minutes before potatoes are done, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the cod fillets, skin side down.

Cook for 4-5 minutes until the edges start to colour. Turn the fish over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Trim the green beans and add to a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes or until al dente. Season with lemon and enjoy.

Crust-less quiche (serves 6-8)

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YOU NEED:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 handfuls kale
• 1 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 2 courgettes
• Knob of butter
• Olive oil
• 1-2 tsp thyme
• 4 cloves garlic
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 150g Cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
• Salt and pepper

METHOD: Preheat oven to 200C. Peel sweet potatoes and thinly slice width-ways to give you circles. Pop into a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over it and season.

Arrange potato in your quiche pan, lining the bottom and sides and put in the oven for 20 minutes, until potato starts to crisp up.
Chop kale (remove the stalks), onion and pepper and grate courgettes.

Over a medium heat, melt butter or some oil in a large frying pan. Sauté onion until it becomes soft and add the pepper.

Cook for five minutes so pepper softens. Meanwhile, de-stalk the thyme and chop garlic and add to the pan.

Stir through. Add kale and stir through until it starts to soften. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the cherry tomatoes.

Grate Cheddar cheese and crumble into a bowl.

Crack eggs and stir in cheese. Decant veggies into quiche tray.
Pour cheese and egg mixture on top, mixing it with veggie filling.

Pop it back into the oven for 25-30 minutes until the top starts to brown.