I love a tray bake. Not just the cake-y sort but  the 'throw it in a roasting tin' main courses that make life soooo easy. 

Here are a few of my absolute go-to's that you totally need in your repertoire:

1. This chicken and plum dish from the lovely Honeys (Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer of Honey & Co) is a total winner. Full of seasonal fruit, you can make it with whichever plums you can get your hands on, so it can be different each time you make it. Marinade it the night before if you have time and just bang it in the oven about an hour before you need it. Genius. 

2. Denise Phillips' came up with this sweet and sticky orange and thyme chicken bake for Pesach, but it is sweet enough for your Rosh Hashanah table. The JC's features editor has made it her go-to Shabbat dish, so it's already a JC winner.

3. I've no idea how it got its name, but the Silver Palate's Chicken Marbella was tasty enough to inspire a slew of similar chicken bakes. Yotam Ottolenghi even coined one in his Simple cookbook. And my version - which I termed Rosh Hashanah fruity chicken is just as Simple. Another winner, full of apples and honey, to make your new year the sweetest - and easiest yet. 

4. If you've got a pomegranate thing going on - and who doesn't at Rosh Hashanah — Silvia Nacamulli's sticky chicken may be your pick. It's fruit-filled with orange, dates, silan (date syrup) and pomegranate molasses. Made on the hob, it's still a one-pot wonder, so will not incur endless washing up...

5. Anne Shooter's tray-baked chicken with pomegranates and walnuts from her fabulous Cherish cookbook is another simple-to-prepare, winner, from a time-starved working mum who knows how to cut corners without losing flavour. 

6. MasterChef finalist, Emma Spitzer, pairs sweet potatoes and dates for her simple but delicious go-to. The recipe, which is in her Fress cookbook, is from sister-in-law Michal in Israel.

7. For the red meat lovers, Fabienne Viner-Luzzato has a gorgeous sticky, pomegranate London broil that can be prepared in minutes and doesn't take much longer to cook.