Freezer essentials in the Edwards house

My little list of freezer essentials and bits that are just as good frozen

I must admit it; I am the worlds biggest fan of Farmfoods (and with my blog being born this evening we can all agree they do not sponsor me, so this is from the heart!) I am all for ethical, fair trade and organic but essentially when I have a £20 budget to feed my family for the week (and yes, that happens at the end of most months) Tesco, Asda and even Aldi just would not cut it. Besides, as a busy working family we do find that when we do a 'normal' supermarket shop we end up with mainly fresh food and a busier than usual week resulting in waste. When we buy frozen the food seems to go on and on and on. If you haven't already, please try it for just one week- you will be surprised. I have ALWAYS wanted a chest freezer but don't have anywhere to put it. With one of those babies I would be in batch cooking/stock piling heaven!

Without further ado, here is a list of our 'freezer favourites':

Frozen Peas - Are there any other kind?!
Frozen sweetcorn - Much cheaper than canned and we really cannot tell the difference. Works out half the price though and absolutely ideal last minute stirfrys/tuna and sweetcorn jacket potatoes etc.
Steak mince - Only from Farmfoods, nicer than fresh for all mince in sauce recipes (spag bol, chilli etc) but not so good for burgers as not as firm as fresh. Handy to have in the freezer.
Cubed Steak Chunks - THE nicest beef chunks we have tried, that included Waitrose - honestly. Fab. I will be posting a few beef recipes as soon as I buy beef (so I can add pictures)
Chicken breasts - Great value, they do shrink a little but the meat is always lovely. So versatile too- definately essential.
Quorn Mince - Even if you are not a veggie this is a cheap way to bulk steak mince out and fussy men and children will not notice :)
Frozen peppers - Ideal, last forever and always useful - As I post more recipes you will notice how often I use these!
Puff pastry - ideal to keep a block of this in the freezer to make a pie out of leftover mince/chicken etc. Farmfoods do two packets of these for £1 and I have never made a pie and had leftovers!
Frozen veg - Yes, fresh is better, but not when it is mouldy. I try to use veg in all recipes or as a side with all meals. Keeping a few bags of different veg in the freezer makes this so easy. Plus the freshness is sealed in so you will get a lot more nutrients from frozen veg than past its best fresh!
Milk - I always take advantage of offers and keep a spare in the freezer, running out of milk will cost £10 in the corner shop by the time you pick up all the 'bargains'. Having it in the freezer is a big save and convenient.
Bread - Ditto bread, I always take advantages of offers here and keep a loaf in the freezer. You can pop it in the toaster from frozen too.

Most items can be frozen, check packaging and if your not sure Google it - someone will have tried. I have gotten into the habit of scanning my fridge (on times it has food in it!) and if I have anything that will go out of date before it can be used I freeze it if possible. If this is not possible I try to use it in a recipe that is freezable. Once you start trying to cut the cost of your food bill you will find that waste REALLY annoys you and you become very creative at avoiding it!

What are your freezer essentials? Please share!

Kate x

A little introduction

Hello there!

If you are reading this you have some how stumbled across my own little corner of the internet- well done and thank you! Over the next few weeks I will be adding my family favourite recipes and any frugal tips I have. These are obviously based on my personal experience and opinion and are in no way conclusive :)
Anyways, as the blog is brand new tonight I will start by running through a little list of handy store cupboard items that I find are a god send for making cheap, last minute meals. This may be pointing out the obvious, or it may be more about personal taste but I do find with these bits and bobs in the cupboard and freezer I am able to get by on very tight weeks and keep us all fed.

• Herbs and spices- I try to get into the habit of picking a new pot or jar of something up every week- a simple bag of frozen chicken breasts can be reinvented a million times over with a well stocked selection of flavours! If you use a lot of a certain spice I advise using Indian/Chinese shops or the worldwide aisles in the major supermarkets- often they will have much larger packets for much cheaper prices.
• Tinned tomatoes and passata. The base of many a good meal and an absolute staple for the cupboard.
• Mayflower medium curry sauce, powdered. Available in Farmfoods (Frozen food specialist and all around life saver for food budgets) I know this is available in other places but is very reasonable from Farmfoods. It is a plastic container with curry powder in and it lasts forever. If you like Chinese chip shop curry you will love it- I will blog my chicken curry and egg fried rice recipe soon. Cheaper, healthier, very quick and I PROMISE just as nice as your local take away.
• Pasta, all types, cheap and filling- stock up :)
• Stock pots. I.am.in.love.with.these.little.guys - I always pick a few packs when they are on offer as I tend to use them a few times a week.
• Bulk bags of flour and self raising flour. Seriously, you would not believe how easy pancakes, naan breads, tortilla wraps, batter etc are to knock together and how few ingredients you need!
• Tinned tuna- ideal for the weeks when fresh shopping has taken a slide. They keep for years, are a family favourite and go with everything from Jacket pots to pasta to sandwiches. Well worth looking out for the BOGOF offers.
• Olive oil. There are always offers on this in the big supermarkets and Aldi do a huge bottle for a very reasonable price. I don't use this as our main form of oil but I do find a little of this drizzled on salads or used for dipping bread can give a cheap meal a touch of luxury.
• Tinned mushrooms. Are they any good for breakfasts? Hell NO. Are they good in a slow cooked dish? Hell Yes. Beats frozen, I always use fresh where possible but like to have a few tins of these there for emergency mushroom situations!
• Cous cous, cheap and uber versatile. It can be anything from plain to spicy- get experimenting with those herbs and spices! Best bit? Cooked in 5 mins!
• Garlic Puree- I use a lot of garlic, this does not go off, leave little lumps, need chopping finely etc. Besides its cheap. I buy the Sharwoods tube but I am sure all puree is created equal :)
• A packet of pizza dough, well under a £1 in Supermarkets and you only need to add water and oil to make a fab pizza base. Great fun spinning it around like a master chef with the kids! Great way to use up left over meat, veg, sauces and odd bits of cheese. Fantastic way to get the veggies into the kids- put them on first and then the cheese ;) 60p plus leftovers and you have a feast for 2-4. Add salad and potato wedges to bulk it out- or just make two!!

I will add to this list as I go along and will also add my freezer favourites and best fridge buys too.