Save money with The Batch Lady’s recipes and meal prep tips
Meal prepping is the gold standard of saving money, reducing waste and keeping healthy – but have you ever made 10 meals in an hour?
It might seem like an impossible feat, but it’s a regular event for Suzanne Mulholland, AKA The Batch Lady (@thebatchlady) – and the key to success is all about making a plan.
For an example of how she does it, Mulholland, who is based on the Scottish borders, starts with a meal such as fajitas. “In the pot is mince and onions, and everything else for fajitas,” she says – and this also works as a base for two other dishes: chilli and spaghetti Bolognese.
“While the meat’s browning, I make two family portions of burgers and meatballs, which I freeze raw. Then I divide up my pot, to make two portions of the other three recipes.”
You’ve then got 10 portions of five different meals for your freezer.
This way of cooking comes naturally to Mulholland, 47, who used to work as a time-management expert. She took all the tools from her previous job and applied them to cooking when she had children. After sharing recipes on YouTube and Instagram, The Batch Lady was born (she currently has around 27.7K subscribers and 157K followers on each platform respectively).
Batch cooking doesn’t have to be an endless parade of stews, either – the recipes in Mulholland’s new book,
, are vibrant and interesting. “We’ve got churros, dirty fries, calzones, cheesecakes, koftas and ramen – all really good stuff,” she says.She might now be on her fourth cookbook, but Mulholland doesn’t claim to have perfected everything. When asked if she’s ever had a disaster in the kitchen, she laughs: “I had one last night! I’m always trying out new recipes… So, I was doing a Christmas dinner for a reel, and it worked perfectly. But I wondered if I could make a Christmas pasta bake… “It was not nice. Don’t chop up your Christmas dinner and leftovers and make it into a pasta bake, because it really wasn’t good.” You can’t deny the benefits of batch cooking, though – particularly in a cost-of-living crisis.
“My whole ethos is, you don’t need to cook every single night, you don’t need to cook when you want to eat – you can cook whenever you want to,” Mulholland says. And this could help save money on takeaways or last-minute trips to the supermarket, too.
If you want to save time and cash by batch cooking, here’s how to get into it…
“I always say start small,” Mulholland advises. “All you need to do is choose two meals a week that you eat regularly, and find a recipe you can freeze.
“Every time you make it, double it up – have one that night, put one in the freezer. That means, another night, you won’t need to cook, because you’ve got a meal in the freezer.” She suggests this type of cooking is “addictive” – once you’ve started, you’ll want to do it more and more.
“You don’t have to plan every meal, planning just one extra meal will save you money,” she says.
“These days, we all shop back to front – we arrive at the supermarket, then we think, ‘Right, what do I want to eat? What do I want to buy?’ – and of course, supermarkets are set up for you to pick items they’re going to make the most money on.
“So, before doing your food shop, decide what you want to eat, then see what you’ve already got in. This will stop you wasting food and save you money.”
Unsurprisingly for a time-management expert, Mulholland has plenty of handy tips for making batch cooking as quick and easy as possible.
“When you’re going to batch cook, it’s good to be organised – lay out all your ingredients and have everything else you need ready,” she advises. “It’s also worth having an empty dishwasher, or a sink full of hot, soapy water.” This way, when you’ve finished cooking, you’re not then faced with “a huge kitchen to clean up” – potentially putting you off for life.
Oreo peanut butter ice cream cake recipe
A decadent delight you can make months in advance.
Preparation Time
19 mins
Ingredients
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1 x 154g packet Oreos
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60g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
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200g chocolate digestive biscuits
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80g smooth peanut butter, plus a little extra to drizzle over the top
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1 x 900ml tub of vanilla ice cream, softened
Method
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Grease an 18cm springform tin with butter and set aside.
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Set aside three Oreos to use for decoration, then add the rest to a large freezer bag along with the digestive biscuits and smash with a rolling pin to fine crumb consistency. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter and stir to combine. Tip the crumb mixture into the prepared springform tin and press down into the base in an even layer. Transfer to the fridge to firm up while you prepare the topping.
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Tip the ice cream into a mixing bowl (it should be soft but not runny). Put the peanut butter in a separate small microwavable bowl and microwave for a few seconds until runny, then pour the peanut butter into the ice cream and beat together with a wooden spoon until combined.
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Remove the base from the fridge and pour over the ice cream mixture, levelling it out in an even layer. Dot a little more peanut butter over the surface, then use a knife or skewer to ripple through the ice cream.
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Crush the remaining Oreos and sprinkle over the top, then cover the ice cream cake with clingfilm and transfer to the freezer for at least three hours to set.
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If you’re serving now… Once the ice cream cake has fully set, remove from the freezer and leave to thaw slightly for around 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the tin, then open the springform tin, cut the cake into wedges and serve.
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Or, simply leave the cake in the freezer for up to three months. Then remove the cake from the freezer and leave to thaw slightly for around 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the tin, then open the springform tin, cut the cake into wedges and serve.
Chicken and mushroom humble pie recipe
You can make this dish vegetarian by swapping the chicken for a similar meat substitute.
Preparation Time
20 mins
Ingredients
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1tbsp olive or vegetable oil
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115g frozen chopped onions
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4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
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300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
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2tbsp plain flour
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240ml chicken stock
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200ml milk
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1tsp wholegrain mustard
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1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry
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1 egg, beaten
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
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Heat the oil in a large, deep-sided frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onions and chicken pieces and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and the chicken is sealed. Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and stir to combine with the chicken and onions, then cook, stirring occasionally, for five to seven minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms have released all their water.
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Add the flour to the pan and stir to coat the chicken and vegetables, then pour in the chicken stock and stir well. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring and thickening the sauce as you do, then bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat to low and leave to cook for 10–15 minutes, until thickened, then stir through the mustard and season well with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
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If you’re cooking now… Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Pour the pie filling into a large, ovenproof baking dish smaller than the sheet of pastry, then lay the pastry over the top of the filling and tuck in the edges. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg, then transfer the pie to the oven for 30–35 minutes, until golden and well risen. Cut into generous wedges and serve hot with mash and veg alongside, if you like.
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If you’re making ahead to freeze… Leave the filling mixture to cool to room temperature, then ladle into a large, labelled freezer bag and freeze flat with the sheet of pastry alongside for up to three months.
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Then… Remove the pie filling and pastry sheet from the freezer and leave to defrost in the fridge, ideally overnight. Once defrosted, preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4 and assemble, cook and serve the pie in the same way described above.
- The Batch Lady: Cooking On A Budget by Suzanne Mulholland is published by HQ. Photography by Haarala Hamilton. Available now.