Busy mum-of-three shares tips to make food last longer during coronavirus lockdown – and they won’t cost you anything
A MUM has revealed how you can make your food last longer during the coronavirus lockdown without spending a penny.
Sam Burton, 32, a stay at home mum-of-three from Cheltenham, claims batch cooking helps her make meals last much longer.
Sam told money-saving community : "I started batch cooking as my partner started an apprenticeship position and our money dramatically reduced so I got inspiration from a few Facebook pages and it was the best thing I ever did.
"It’s not just saved us money but it’s helped massively time wise as I have a very active toddler and while my partner is at work it's hard to watch her and cook a meal from scratch.
“Since the lockdown I’ve had a week's worth of meals already prepped in the freezer already. It’s so important to me to not waste food, especially with what’s happening right now.
"There are so many ways you can batch cook and freeze items and it means you can stay at home and not have to worry about popping to the shops especially when it’s so important to stay indoors to help protect others.
"I have only managed to get two deliveries on lockdown and only half of the items I needed arrived.
"Not only have I been able to save money, I’ve been able to help neighbours as I have batched cooked, frozen items like milk, vegetables and fruit.
“It’s been a godsend as I have three girls, a fiancée and a baby on the way so I can’t go out!”
Sam has plenty of savvy techniques for making each food delivery last as long as possible.
She continued: "I make sure I get fruit, such as bananas, and then chop and freeze them as soon as they arrive so they stay fresh and they can be used for my baby’s porridge each morning and snacks for my other girls.
"I also cut all the potatoes either chip shape or roast potato shapes, parboil them and freeze them so all I need to do is spray them with fry light and put them in the oven when we need them.
"I use leftover breast milk pouches to fill with milk and freeze so if we do run out of milk I can just get one out of the freezer.
"I bought a big portion of chicken fillets which I diced straight away and put in the freezer and then portioned the others into freezer bags, I cook mince as soon as I get it and make a huge bolognese and flat pack it in freezer bags so they stack up on top of each other and saves freezer space.
"It has saved me money as I’m buying fresh, cooking and storing or dicing and freezing. It also saves so much time as with three girls aged 12,10 and 18 months, it can be hard to cook fresh nutritional meals every day.
“For example, the roast dinner was all from batch cooking: I literally got it out of the freezer and popped it all in the oven and just steamed the vegetables. I also love batch cooking soup and casseroles.”
Sam says that this organised approach to cooking is the perfect way to stave off panic and make the most of each delivery during the coronavirus.
"It’s a hard time for everyone and it’s been so lovely being able to help neighbours who are struggling as well,” she adds.
“I’ve been very fortunate that my neighbours if they do go out they get me a few everyday essentials like milk and bread, but I’ve always got items stocked in the freezer if needs be.
"Don’t waste food. If it’s going out of date, cook it and freeze it. Especially items like onions and peppers as they are perfect to make homemade pasta sauces!
"Each delivery costs me £60 a week for food for a family of five, and I can make it last a week and a half. Before I started batch cooking I was spending over £100 a week!”
Tom Church, co-founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, comments: “I’ve long been a fan of batch cooking and meal prepping: it’s healthy, money-saving and time-saving too. It’s great to have an army of meals ready in the freezer to be cooked after a long day.
“It’s especially useful in these unprecedented times as all of us are having to make food deliveries last longer: using Sam’s tips, families can be extra-prepared to always have an affordable meal on the table during the lockdown.”
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