Is batch cooking, the secret to saving money?

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, aged 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, The Batch Lady: Cooking On A Budget, 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…

Start small

“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.

Plan ahead

“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.”

Get organised

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.

The Batch Lady: Cooking On A Budget by Suzanne Mulholland is published by HQ. Photography by Haarala Hamilton.

The Batch’s Lady’s Chicken and mushroom humble pie

Ingredients: (Serves 6)

1tbsp olive or vegetable oil

115g frozen chopped onions

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

2tbsp plain flour

240ml chicken stock

200ml milk

1tsp wholegrain mustard

1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. 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.

2. 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 to 15 minutes, until thickened, then stir through the mustard and season well with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.

If you are cooking now, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/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 to 35 minutes, until golden and well risen. Cut into generous wedges and serve hot with mash and veg alongside, if you like.

If you are 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.

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 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and assemble, cook and serve the pie in the same way described above.

The Batch Lady’s Sweet potato

miso medley

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

115g frozen chopped onions

2tsp frozen chopped garlic

1 x 500g bag frozen sweet potato chunks

175g frozen sliced peppers

1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained

4tsp miso paste

1 x 400g tin coconut milk

Method:

If you are cooking now: Put all the ingredients in a large pan over a medium heat and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Spoon into serving bowls and serve hot.

If you are making ahead to freeze: Tip all the ingredients into a large, labelled freezer bag, then give the contents of the bag a gentle stir to combine. Freeze flat for up to three months.

Then: Remove the bag from the freezer and leave to fully defrost in the fridge, ideally overnight. Once defrosted, tip the medley into a large pan over a medium heat and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Spoon into serving bowls and serve hot.