Sought-after and secret recipes


Craving the Cheesecake Factory in lockdown? Fancy a McDonald’s in isolation? No problem. As most of us are stuck at home, some fast food chains have released recipes for their most popular dishes so we don’t have to miss out. Here are the official recipes for IKEA meatballs, Disney Park Beignets, a Sausage and Egg McMuffin, hash browns and more.




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Swedish meatballs with cream sauce, IKEA

Some people love the global Swedish furniture store’s meatballs so much they visit just to eat them. There won’t be any need to do that anymore, as IKEA has released a recipe for the dish in the form of flat pack instructions. The Swedish meatballs contain ground beef and pork, and can you guess the secret ingredient? It’s soy sauce.

Discover more secret pantry ingredients that can transform your dishes




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Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, The Cheesecake Factory

If you find yourself longing for Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from US chain The Cheesecake Factory while you’re at home, you’re in luck. The recipe is very similar to buttermilk pancakes but once the batter is in the pan, cinnamon swirl (a mix of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cream) is drizzled over in a spiral motion.




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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, The Cheesecake Factory

Craving The Cheesecake Factory cheesecake? Unfortunately the chain is still keeping the recipe under wraps, but the next best thing is its Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. The chain calls them cheesecake for the morning.




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Chicken Bellagio, The Cheesecake Factory

The fast food staple has posted recipes for a number of its savory main dishes. Try out Chicken Bellagio – crispy chicken breast served with creamy basil spaghetti, prosciutto and arugula. Your family will think you found the dish in a fancy Italian cookbook.




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Whopper, Burger King

Whopper fans have a lot to be grateful for as Burger King France released a short tutorial on social media showing how to create The Quarantine Whopper. The ingredients, to be assembled in this order, are a bottom bun, beef patty, cornichons, ketchup, slices of raw onion, tomato slices, lettuce, mayonnaise and top bun.




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PERi-PERi chicken, Nando’s

The home of PERi-PERi chicken (spicy Portuguese-style chicken), Nando’s has stores in three US states and a cult following in the UK. Stuck for dinner plans? Have a go at its trademark dish. All you’ll need is a bottle of PERi-PERi sauce and chicken thighs – chicken wings would work too.

Find more winning chicken dinners here




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Spicy Rice, Nando’s

No Nando’s meal is complete without Spicy Rice. Luckily the chain has posted the recipe for this super side. Basmati rice is cooked with chopped tomatoes, garlic, chili, pepper, onion and spices. You can also find the recipe for Macho Peas, the buttery, herby side dish, on social media.




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Coffee Frappe, Pret a Manger

Pret a Manger, the mainly UK-based coffee chain (although it has some locations in the States on the West and East Coasts), is helping those in quarantine keep their cool with the recipe for its coffee and ice cream frappe. You’ll need a blender to make this and some whipped cream or grated chocolate to garnish.




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Macaroni Cheese, Pret a Manger

Missing comforting Pret favorite Macaroni Cheese? Here’s the recipe to make the cheesy pasta and cauliflower dish at home. You could even add in bolognese, kale or prosciutto to feel like you’re really back in store.




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Dark Chocolate Vegan Cookie, Pret a Manger





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Yaki Soba, wagamama

Popular UK-based Japanese-inspired restaurant chain wagamama is doing a ‘wok from home’ series on social media, showing how to make some of its star menu items including yaki soba in your kitchen. New Yorkers and Boston residents may also be familiar with the chicken and prawn soba noodle dish, as the chain has a few outposts there too.




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Katsu Curry, wagamama

Fans of wagamama will be missing its famous chicken katsu curry. The dish consists of panko breadcrumbed chicken, fragrant curry sauce and rice. You can swap chicken with eggplant or sweet potato, and chicken stock with veg stock, to make its vegan yasai katsu curry.




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Firecracker Chicken, wagamama

In episode three of ‘wok from home’, learn how to make the spicy chicken stir-fry firecracker chicken. It’s a great dish to cook for the family and full of vegetables. You can make it spicier or less spicy according to everyone’s preferences, and substitute chicken for tofu to make it vegan.

Check out more sizzling stir-fry hacks




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Chocolate chip cookie, DoubleTree by Hilton

The famous global hotel chain has released the recipe for the soft cookie it gives guests upon check-in. Many people have tried to recreate it at home but now they can be sure of the exact quantities and ingredients to make the warm, gooey treat perfectly.




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Margherita pizza, Pizza Express

UK favorite Pizza Express posted instructions online to make its classic Margherita pizza. It doesn’t require anything out of the ordinary, just plain flour, water, sugar, yeast and olive oil to make the dough. The topping is passata, mozzarella, oregano and basil, and the entire dish can be ready in under an hour.




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Dough Balls, Pizza Express

If you’re lucky enough to have visited Pizza Express, you’ll be familiar with its famous Dough Balls served with soft garlic butter. Make them at home with this recipe that proves sometimes it’s the simplest things that are the best.




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Sausage, Cheese and Bean Melt, Greggs

UK bakery chain Greggs is famed for its Sausage, Cheese and Bean Melt – a hot, cheesy, saucy puff pastry parcel. Now you can make it at home thanks to a simple video tutorial. All you need is puff pastry, baked beans, frankfurters, grated cheese and an egg.




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Steak Bake, Greggs

British bakery Greggs is solving more lunchtime dilemmas with other recipe videos for best-selling items. The Steak Bake is slightly more complicated – you need to make the meat filling from diced beef, stock and cornflour – but by no means outside of a kitchen novice’s capabilities.




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Chicken Bake, Greggs

Ask anyone in the UK what a Chicken Bake is and they will undoubtedly be familiar with the creamy, filled puff pastry from Greggs. It’s crisp on the outside and filled with diced chicken in white sauce. Now, much to everyone’s delight, you can have a go at making it at home.

Now find out how to cook restaurant-quality steak at home




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Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana French Toast, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel

Add some magic to your lockdown breakfasts by recreating the Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana French Toast from Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel in California. The indulgent dish features enriched brioche-like challah bread, ripe bananas, chocolate chips, peanut butter, cinnamon and chocolate milk, and is big enough to feed a family of four.




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Churro Bites, Disney Parks

Here’s an idea for drizzly days – put on your favorite Disney film and fry up a batch of these Churro Bites. You probably already have all the ingredients in your cupboard and it’s a fun (and rewarding) project.

Discover our best baking hacks here




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Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

You might not be able to visit Woody in Toy Story Land, but you can make the Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Woody’s Lunchbox. The cheese-tastic dish is made using two slices of artisan bread, Cheddar, provolone, garlic mayonnaise and cream cheese. It’s toasted in a skillet until the bread is golden and the cheese has melted.




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Mickey Mouse Beignets, Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts

Surprise the family with fluffy, fried Mickey Mouse Beignets. You’ll need a couple of hours to make these as the yeast has to work its magic. If you don’t have a Mickey Mouse cutter, you could stencil around a larger cup and a smaller cup with a knife to shape the face and ears.




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Hash Browns, McDonald’s

To make the McDonald’s breakfast experience authentic, the fast food giant has posted how to make its hash browns too. You’ll need a potato, egg, seasoning and olive oil to get started. They’re easier to whip up than you’d think.




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Sausage and Egg McMuffin, McDonald’s





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