Make your own ready meals: Save time and money with these dishes from the new Batch Lady cookbook

SMOKY CHICKEN BURGERS

SERVES 4

PREP 5 MINS

COOK 25 MINS

• 400g (14oz) minced chicken
• 1tsp garlic granules
• 1tsp smoked paprika
• 25g (1oz) breadcrumbs
• ½tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten

TO SERVE 

• Burger buns, potato wedges and your choice of sauces (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix together until well combined. Turn the mixture out onto a clean work surface, then divide into 4 even pieces. 

Roll each piece into a ball, then press down to form a burger shape roughly the same circumference as a burger bun.

Freeze at this point (see below) or preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a baking sheet with kitchen foil. Lay the burgers on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly golden and cooked all the way through. 

Serve in burger buns with your choice of sauces, and potato wedges alongside, if liked.

Northern Monk Alcohol Free Holy Faith Hazy Pale Ale (0.5%) £1.80, Morrisons

FREEZE AHEAD

Cut 4 squares of baking paper roughly the same size as the uncooked burgers, then stack the burgers up, placing a square of paper between each one. Transfer to a labelled freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To cook, remove as many burgers as you need from the freezer and defrost in the fridge overnight. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and line a baking sheet with foil. Remove the paper backing from the burgers and lay on the baking sheet, then cook and serve as above.

BEST WITH BURGERS 

Northern Monk Alcohol Free Holy Faith Hazy Pale Ale (0.5%) £1.80, Morrisons

With mango and citrus splendour and pink grapefruit bite, this low-alcohol beer goes beautifully with burgers. 

SLOW-COOKED THAI BEEF CURRY

SERVES 4

PREP 5 MINS

COOK 3-6 HOURS (DEPENDING ON SLOW COOKER SETTING)

• 600g (1lb 5oz) beef brisket, cut into chunks
• 2-3tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 115g (4oz) frozen chopped onions
• 2tsp frozen chopped garlic
• 350g (12oz) frozen sliced peppers
• 1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
• 4tbsp soy sauce

ON THE DAY 

• 220g (8oz) green beans, trimmed
• 2tbsp frozen chopped coriander
• Juice of 1 lime

TO SERVE 

Put the beef, curry paste, onions, garlic, peppers, coconut milk and soy sauce in the slow cooker and stir to combine. Turn on the slow cooker and leave to cook for 3 hours on high, or 6 hours on low.

Morrisons The Best Chilean Carmenere 2021 (13.5%) £8.25

Add the green beans, coriander and lime juice 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Serve hot with jasmine rice alongside.

FREEZE AHEAD

Put the uncooked beef, curry paste, onions, garlic, peppers, coconut milk and soy sauce in a large, labelled freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months.

Remove the bag from the freezer and defrost in the fridge, ideally overnight. Tip the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook and serve as above.

TERRIFIC WITH THAI 

Morrisons The Best Chilean Carmenere 2021 (13.5%) £8.25

A red turned up to maximum volume, this Chilean champ splices blackcurrant with peppercorn – delicious with the aromatic spices in the Thai beef curry.

WONKY FRUIT TARTS

MAKES 12 TARTS

PREP 10 MINS

COOK 12-14 MINS

• Butter, for greasing
• 1 sheet of pre-rolled shortcrust pastry
• Flour, for dusting
• 1 x 340g jar of raspberry jam
• 200g (7oz) frozen berries
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and grease a 12-hole muffin tin. Unroll the sheet of pastry on a lightly floured surface and use a 10cm (4in) round cutter to stamp out as many circles as possible. Clump any remaining pastry together, use a rolling pin to roll out again, and repeat until all of the pastry is used up.

Sainsbury’s Asti (7%) £5.75

Push a round of pastry down into each hole in the prepared muffin tin so that the sides come up and form a rough tart case. These look lovely if they’re a bit wonky, so don’t worry if they’re not perfect.

Spoon a heaped tablespoon of jam into each mini tart case and top with a few frozen berries.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, then use a palette knife to remove from the tin. Dust with a little icing sugar before serving.

FREEZE AHEAD

Leave the tarts to cool to room temperature, then place in a large, labelled freezer bag in a single layer. Freeze flat for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature (about 1 hour). Enjoy cold, or warm for 30 seconds in the microwave.

FAB WITH FRUIT 

Sainsbury’s Asti (7%) £5.75

Stick this sweet fizz in the fridge and serve it as the wine equivalent of a dusting of elderflower sherbet. At just 7% alcohol, it’s light, frothy, sweet and lovely. There’s also no better match for the Wonky Fruit Tarts.

LOW-COST LENTIL SOUP

SERVES 4

PREP 5 MINS

COOK 45 MINS

• 1tbsp olive or vegetable oil
• 115g (4oz) frozen chopped onions
• 2tsp frozen chopped garlic
• 4 sticks of celery, finely chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 150g (5½oz) red lentils
• Salt and black pepper
• 2ltr (3½pt) vegetable stock
• Crusty bread and butter, to serve (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery and carrots, and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until starting to soften.

Stir in the lentils and season generously with salt and pepper. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, loosely covered, for 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

Aldi Specially Selected Pinot Noir (13.5%) £5.79

Remove the pan from the heat. If you like a smooth soup, use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Ladle into serving bowls and serve hot, with crusty bread and butter, if liked.

FREEZE AHEAD

Cool the soup to room temperature. Transfer to a large, labelled freezer bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months. To eat, place in the fridge to defrost, then pour into a pan and place over a medium-low heat until hot. Alternatively, put the frozen soup in a pan over a low heat and warm gently, breaking up the soup with a wooden spoon until fully melted and piping hot.

LUSH WITH LENTILS 

Aldi Specially Selected Pinot Noir (13.5%) £5.79

Packed with crunchy red fruit, this silky, lighter red from Chile features a subtle fragrance that offsets the earthy lentils in this soup with aplomb.

Extracted from The Batch Lady: Cooking On A Budget by Suzanne Mulholland, published by HQ, £22, out now. To order a copy for £19.80 go to mailshop.co.uk/ books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £20. Promotional price valid until 18/02/2023. Photography © Haarala Hamilton 2023.

Extracted from The Batch Lady: Cooking On A Budget by Suzanne Mulholland, published by HQ, £22, out now