'I save £520 on my food shop by using this cooking tip - and everyone can do it'

A mum has found a way to batch cook six weeks' worth of in just four hours, freeing up more time for her family and herself. Plus it helps her every month on her food shop.

Amy Jones, 40, felt constantly tied to the kitchen, preparing meals from scratch every day for her husband Richard, 38, and their, Leo, nine, and Sebastien, eight.

She felt she had no time to "breathe or hang out with her kids" and began to "resent" cooking. But now, Amy spends just four hours whipping up six weeks' worth of dinners for her family of four, claiming it gives her "more free time than ever."

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The mum of two never makes less than four meals at once and usually has around 40 servings ready in her compact 85cm by 58cm under-counter freezer, all stored in reusable plastic bags. Amy reckons this saves her 50 minutes a day as she only needs to microwave and reheat dishes.

She believes that having a stockpile of food is the best way to ensure "a meal is always at hand" and has hit back at critics who label her habits as "disgusting. "Amy, a home educator from Aberystwyth, Wales, told : "Batch-cooking has given me the capacity to be myself again.

"I always wanted to cook homemade food, but I was constantly just in the kitchen. Having meals on hand in the freezer that can be microwaved and reheated has saved me hours. And I have the headspace to breathe. People may think it's odd, but batch-cooking has been extremely helpful."

Amy took up extreme batch cooking in May 2024, following her sister's stroke, which she describes as wake-up call that made her see the value of spending more time with family. She discovered that preparing meals for the month ahead could free up precious hours.

She reckons that this forward-planning approach has clawed back a whopping 200 hours over a year. Not only does it fend off the lure of easy but costly takeaways on exhausting days, but it also slashes food waste, as she uses up fresh produce within two days max.

Her go-to dishes include stews, lasagne, sausage casserole, and chicken pie, although she mixes things up throughout the year and the seasons.

Throughout the month, Amy rotates these homemade delights, throwing in extras like bread, salad, or fresh veggies to keep things interesting. She shared: "I plan my meals by collecting recipes online and making a vision board.

"I'll do a seasonal plan and group meals that I know will cook together nicely. I cook all my chicken meals together and then all my beef. And I also tailor my meals to the season - I make more soups in the winter and more salads in the summer."

She doesn't stick to a strict schedule for her batch cooking sessions, saying: "I don't have an exact day when I batch cook; it's just when I have energy. We have so many meals frozen that I'm not worried about when we will eat next."

Amy's culinary routine involves dedicating a couple of hours to whipping up multiple meals in one go, making sure to have at least four different dishes cooking simultaneously - two on the stovetop and two in the oven. This efficient process is carried out twice every six weeks, yielding no less than 10 diverse meals each time.

Once she's done cooking, Amy meticulously seals her dishes into reusable bags, which she then flattens and stores in the freezer. As a result, she can enjoy the convenience of having all her meals prepared for the weeks ahead, courtesy of just one evening's labour.

"I was most surprised about how much I could fit into my freezer," she admits.

Amy also takes the time to date and label her frozen meals using reusable bags, ensuring she keeps track of their contents and preparation dates. Her meals are never frozen for more than three months, and when she notices an empty shelf, she takes it as a cue to start planning her next batch cooking session.

This clever approach to cooking has enabled Amy to save a remarkable £520 per month on her food expenses. She manages to prepare 20 to 30 meals with a budget of just £200 - a stark contrast to her previous weekly expenditure of £180.

Her thriftiness extends to buying reduced-priced meat and vegetables, which she incorporates into her meals. As Amy explains, "Buying in bulk goes further, especially with meat, as it's hugely expensive and I don't buy 'dinners' anymore."

Her methodical approach also means that every item purchased is utilised in their family meals or transformed into a separate, freezable meal, resulting in significantly reduced food waste. The only meals she keeps in the fridge these days are pre-prepared salads for the week.

Despite the benefits of her time-saving strategy, some online critics have expressed disapproval, stating they would "never just eat frozen food."

Despite some scepticism, Amy insists she "always" sticks to the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) rules when she's whipping up meals in advance. "You always get the odd comments," she shared, adding, "But you wouldn't think frozen peas are disgusting."

Amy is a firm believer in sharing her kitchen habits online as she hopes to help others with their food costs and batch making skills. Other tips she shares include tidying up your freezer beforehand, having ample containers and bags ready to pack away the grub, and not biting off more than you can chew with an "ambitious meal-making marathon".

She explained: "It may seem like a lot at first. But, it has been extremely freeing for me and my family. I can spend more time with my kids and I have developed some good habits out of it. I never turn the oven on for one thing, as it seems like a waste."

Amy has no plans to hang up her apron just yet, stating: "Even as my kids get older, I don't think I'll ever stop because there's no reason to. I can't bear the idea of doing daily prep anymore, and I find that batch cooking will be the main thing that works. I essentially have my life back."

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