How freezer blocks work

You cook one big pan, portion it into 70g blocks and freeze them; on the night you reheat as many as you need. Every recipe makes 13 to 28 blocks. Two blocks make a light lunch; three make a proper dinner with rice, pasta, a wrap or a jacket potato. Most batches cost under £11 to make, so a three-block meal usually comes in at under £1.50, and the plant-based ones under a pound.

The recipes are grouped into chicken and turkey; pork, beef and lamb; and plant-based. Each tells you how long it takes, how many blocks it makes, what a block costs, and roughly what is in it nutritionally.

Making your blocks

1. Get a tray. A silicone “soup cube” or large ice-cube tray with cells of about 70ml. Three 8-cell trays cover most batches.
2. Cool fast. Spread the cooked dish out in a wide, shallow dish so it cools within 1–2 hours.
3. Portion. Spoon about 70g into each cell. Weigh the first few until you know what 70g looks like.
4. Freeze. Freeze flat overnight, pop the blocks out and bag them, labelled with the dish and date. They keep for 3 months.
5. Reheat from frozen. Microwave about 1 minute per block plus 1 minute, covered, stirring halfway. Or put them in a pan with 1 tbsp water, lid on, about 1 minute per block plus 5 minutes. Heat until piping hot and never refreeze once thawed.

Spice ratings

Every recipe with chilli in it has a rating from 1 to 5, shown in the strip under its title; recipes with no chilli at all show fibre there instead. For ways to spice up any block, see Turn up the heat; the Hot & spicy collection has seven properly hot recipes.

Cooking notes

Soften means a medium heat, brown or sear means medium-high, and simmer means small, steady bubbles. A large, heavy pan or casserole suits every recipe.

Where a recipe says season, start with ½ tsp salt for the whole batch, taste, and add more a pinch at a time. Freezing dulls salt and spice a little, so season slightly more boldly than you would for eating straight away.