Bite size cooking

10 minutes here, 10 minutes there – Part 1

Everyone cooks differently - if you are a household of only two it's probably more difficult not to waste food. For example, buying a smaller chicken isn't necessarily better value – you're paying for less meat.

If you're giving this “getting organised” malarkey a go you can use the slow cooker principle even in a household of two in fact it's very economical, all that happens is divide your ultimate pie into portions that suit your family appetites and freeze what's left. It's the beginning of your ready-meal stash in your freezer that now has heaps of newly created space.

You may pass the “meal deals” by, thinking you can't take advantage because there's too much or it's not convenient this particular weekend, but that ain't necessarily so – invariably whole chickens are part of the deal and they can be frozen whole but I appreciate that freezer space may be an issue – aim for a weight 1.5kg – 1.75kg. The cost is £3.33 ish – ignoring the bottle of wine in the equation. Instead of using chicken fillet in the pie recipe, slow cook a whole chicken and get the best value for your money.

It's the easiest recipe :

Slow cooked whole chicken

1.5kg chicken

1 chicken stock pot

generous sprinkle of oregano or

garlic Italian seasoning

2 tsps of garlic paste

Place your chicken in the slow cooker and mix the garlic and stock pot together and spread over the chicken. Sprinkle with herbs. Switch your slow cooker on low and leave it for 8 hours – no liquid required.

The resultant juices give you approximately half a pint (300ml) of stock. Strain the stock, cover and refrigerate until cold, ready for use or freeze if preferred.

Similarly don't rule out the deals on gammon joints - they usually have a good use by date because they are vac packed or they can be frozen. The gammon joints can usually be found at 3 for £10 – aim for a weight between 500g – 750g.

If you're following “getting organised” I'm taking it as read that you'll already have cooked, baked jacket potatoes and a box of grated cheese stashed in your fridge.

What follows is a series of 10 minute bites of time that, pulled together, create a supper and freezer stash using inexpensive ingredients and smart shopping! Each bite of time can be fitted in to suit you.

I should point out that you won't produce a dish until all the 10 minute bites have been completed. The idea is that you have a spare 10 minutes one day and may be two separate 10 minute time bites the next day and so on. Every element along the way is easily fridgeable so you can pull it all together when the mood takes you. If the mood doesn't take you, you can freeze it all and use when it does – a practical and efficient way of cooking!

Here we go ...