With the evenings drawing in, it’s comfort food season once again, when we seek solace in heartier, stodgier foods. Who doesn’t want a plate of steaming cottage pie on a chilly autumn evening, or a bowlful of comforting crumble and custard? But our traditional British favourites often get a bad rap for being unhealthy – too many calories, an excess of fat, sugar, salt or all of the above. Indeed, even a small fish and chips from the local chippy packs nearly 1,000 calories and 50g of fat (NHS recommendations are 2,500 calories/90g fat per day for a man and 2,000 calories/70g fat for a woman).

Multiple studies have shown that diets high in saturated animal fat put us at a higher risk of heart disease and cancer, too much sugar can lead to Type 2 diabetes, and a surfeit of salt can cause high blood pressure which increases the chances of a stroke or heart attack. And a recent review of 38 previous studies has also identified a diet high in fat, sugar and salt as a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s. Scientists are still looking into the reasons for this, but it’s thought that a poor diet contributes to inflammaging, or chronic low-grade inflammation that progresses with age and increases the risk of a whole range of diseases.

As a nutritionist and chef I am always looking for simple ways to put good nutrition into practice in the kitchen, but I also have a hungry family to feed who love a fry-up or roast at the weekend. My solution? Tweak those classic comfort dishes to make them that bit healthier, by rebalancing the components to reduce saturated fat and sugar, and cramming in extra vegetables for more fibre, vitamins and minerals. Here are my top tips to make our favourite British dishes better for us, as well as a few genius ideas borrowed from my fellow food writers… 

Fish and chips: 946 calories per small portion

Pros

The good news here is the fish, a healthy source of lean protein and omega-3 that we are advised to eat at least twice a week.

Cons

The bad news is the very high fat content from deep-frying and the absence of vegetables for added vitamins, minerals and gut-friendly fibre.

Make it healthier (and save up to 400 calories)

If you have one, using an air-fryer is a healthier way to get that crispy fried texture using a fraction of the oil. If not, potato wedges with the skins on for more fibre, and fish coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and baked in the oven, are healthier alternatives to the deep-fried versions. And don’t forget the peas – mushy or otherwise – for more fibre, vitamin C, K, B6 and magnesium.

The traditional roast dinner: 1,005 calories per serving

Pros

Our beloved Sunday roast is, in principle, a well-balanced meal – protein (meat), starchy carbs (potatoes) and plenty of colourful vegetables such as carrots, peas and broccoli.

Cons

Unfortunately it also comes with a big side order of saturated fat from the meat (especially if you are having beef, pork or lamb), most of which ends up in the gravy. The roast potatoes are essentially little starchy fat sponges which don’t bring much to the nutritional party.

Make it healthier (and save up to 350 calories) 

Choose leaner meats such as chicken and turkey, and roast the meat on a trivet so the fat can drip away. When it comes to gravy, the clever people at slimming website Pinch of Nom have an excellent fat-free gravy recipe. Place carrot, onion and potato in a pan and add the water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 25, blend and stir in the gravy browning. 

For the roasties, leave the skins on for extra fibre, just rub with a little heart-healthy olive oil prior to roasting and halve the number of potatoes you have in favour of other vegetables.

The Full English: 836 calories per serving

Pros

The egg, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes are the redeeming features here, adding a range of essential nutrients including brain-building choline from the egg, fibre from the beans, vitamin D from mushrooms and vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene from the tomato.

Cons

Also known as a “fry-up”, it will come as no surprise that this is a fat-heavy way to start the day. Bacon and sausages are also processed meats which we are advised by the NHS to eat no more of than 70g a day: that’s only two rashers of thick bacon or 1.5 sausages.

Make it healthier (and save up to 400 calories)

The cooking method is key here. Switch to grilling your bacon and sausages and let the fat drip away. Look for reduced-fat sausages and use bacon medallions which have 50 per cent less fat than back bacon. In terms of portions, reduce the meat element in favour of veggies. Oh, and ditch the fat-soaked fried bread – have wholegrain toast instead.

Shepherds pie and cottage pie: 630 calories per serving

Pros

On the face of it a homemade shepherd’s pie, made with lamb mince, cooked with onions and carrots, and topped with mashed potatoes, seems a relatively healthy option: there’s no deep frying or processed meat here. 

Cons

Where it loses nutritional points is in the relative proportions of the ingredients – too much saturated fat in the mince and mash (if you are heavy-handed with the butter and cream) and not enough non-starchy veg, which means it lacks vitamins, minerals and fibre. 

Make it healthier (and save up to 200 calories)

Use lean (5 per cent fat) mince and replace half the quantity of mince you’d usually use with fibre-rich tinned (and drained) lentils, which have a similar texture. For the mash, take inspiration from the Hemsley sisters, authors of healthy-eating bible The Art of Eating Well, who top theirs with creamy cauliflower mash. In a saucepan, steam cauliflower florets and 2 garlic cloves with a few tablespoons of water, lid on, for 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid, add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tsp mustard and season well. Mash until creamy and smooth.

Pork pies: 503 calories, 145g pie

Pros

Clutching at straws here, but pork is a good source of protein. If you are simply in need of a calorie-dense snack – perhaps midway through a strenuous hike – then this may be something to have in your pocket.

Cons

Given that pork pies are made up entirely of fat, salt and processed meat, they are not going to win any prizes when it comes to good nutrition. They come in at more than 500 calories each. A 145g pork pie also contains 58 per cent of the recommended daily intake of sat fat (30g for a man and 20g for a woman).

Make it healthier (and save up to 250 calories)

The best thing you can do here is to cut the portion size and have a mini 75g mini pork pie instead, which contains just 266 calories and 6.3g saturated fat. Focus on quality by choosing pies made with high welfare meat. Pair your pie with salad or veggie sticks and a spoonful of gut-friendly spicy kimchi for a more nutritionally balanced snack.

Sausage and mash: 719 calories per serving

Pros

It’s a get-out-of-jail-quick meal for parents around the country and sure, there’s protein in the sausages and carbs in the mash, add a serving of veg and it would seem to do the job.

Cons

The devil is in the detail here. Sausages can be poor quality concoctions of processed meat and fillers; peeling the potatoes for the mash removes most of the fibre; and the fat in the sausages and the butter in the mash are saturated animal fat.

Make it healthier (and save up to 200 calories)

Choose a low-fat, good-quality sausage, like M&S “Butchers’’ low-fat sausages, which have 65 fewer calories per sausage than their regular ones and 3.3g less saturated fat. For the mash, leave the skins on the potatoes, add a drizzle of olive oil and crush lightly with a fork. Or, for a creamier mash, use half potatoes and half another sturdy veg like carrots, swede, celeriac or cauliflower to increase the fibre and micronutrient content. And the gravy? Use what’s left over from the roast dinner!

Sticky toffee pudding: 697 calories per serving

Pros

Well you certainly don’t eat sticky toffee pudding when you’re on a health kick, so there’s not much upside health-wise, but there’s no denying it is one of our tastiest home-grown puds.

Cons

At the risk of spoiling your enjoyment forever, one serving of traditional sticky toffee pudding contains 71g of sugar, which is more than double the recommended daily intake of 30g, and 21g of saturated fat.

Make it healthier (and save up to 400 calories)

Make this healthier, fat-free version that more than halves the calories, takes out over 30g of sugar and provides a useful 3.5g of fibre (of the recommended 30g per day).

Classic trifle: 581 calories per serving

Pros

Trifle certainly has that retro “wow” factor, there’s a little fruit and some protein lurking around in the custard but, let’s face it, this is no healthy choice.

Cons

This is one pud that is unashamedly decadent – it’s big on calories and has 60g of sugar and 14g of saturated fat per portion.

Make it healthier (and save up to 300 calories)

Private chef and co-author of The Little Growers Cookbook, Ghillie James, is all about healthy, seasonal family food and a trifle is a firm favourite at Christmas. She uses sponge fingers soaked in fresh apple juice for the base; next a layer of fresh raspberries, half mashed into a chunky compote; then custard made with semi-skimmed milk and plenty of vanilla; topped off with a layer of half whipped cream and half low-fat Greek yogurt, decorated with a few toasted flaked almonds.

Treacle sponge: 763 calories per serving

Pros

Other than tasting absolutely delicious, from a nutritional standpoint there aren’t many positives, unless your only requirement is a dense source of calories and quick-release energy.

Cons

Calorie-laden and full of refined sugar (56g per serving) this will give you an almighty blood glucose spike after eating, and the subsequent crash will leave you feeling heavy and lethargic.

Make it healthier (and save up to 400 calories)

The BBC Good Food website has a fabulous recipe for Healthier Treacle Sponge which slashes the fat content of the regular recipe in half by using yogurt and rapeseed oil instead of butter, uses fewer eggs and less sugar and syrup. If you want custard, as for the trifle, make it with semi-skimmed milk or try a dollop of crème fraiche instead – the sharpness is a nice contrast to the sweet pudding.

Fruit crumble: 608 calories per serving of apple crumble

Pros

Any pudding containing fruit is a good start as it contains important micronutrients and fibre. A portion of traditional apple crumble for example contains vitamin C, potassium and 5g of fibre.

Cons

It’s a familiar story here with the pros far outweighed by the copious amounts of fat (24g, of which 14g is saturated) and sugar (55g).

Make it healthier (and save up to 300 calories)

Switch from apples to berries (frozen are fine) which contain more antioxidants to protect cells and prevent inflammation. To make a healthier crumble with only 7g sat fat and 16.3g sugar per serving, melt 100g butter in a saucepan, add 75g oats, 40g flaked almonds, 30g sunflower seeds, 70g wholemeal flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 50g brown sugar and 3 tbsp maple syrup. Place 500g mixed berries in a baking dish, top with the crumble mixture and bake for 25 minutes at 180C. Serves 8.