Pre cooking food for freezing-recommended main meals

Hi jeanie, sounds like fun.

I'd make shepherds pie, lasagne, fish pie, chilli, curry, stroganoff etc. Buy cooked chicken, pizza and salad stuff. Get fish and chips. Hopefully in the summer it will be nice enough for a few barbecues too.

And enjoy.

And soup , I freeze industrial quantities , it is so handy for hungry people

I make quiches and they freeze well. Use large foil tart plates - handy if you don’t have a number of quiche dishes. I put sausages in them, as well as whatever veg are in season. Good for lunches with salad and crusty bread.

Kitty do you cook the shepherds pie completely before cooking?

I often do this and agree with kittylester's list. I also have a few tips:-

1. Freeze the shepherds pie (or whatever) in the dish in which you make it. When it is truly frozen, dip the bottom of the dish in cold water and turn the frozen lump out of the dish and wrap it separately in foil and/or a freezer bag. Label it (very important) and put it back in the freezer. When you want to use it, put it back in it's original dish still frozen and cook it. This saves space in the freezer and frees up cooking dishes for other frozen meals.

2. If you cook from frozen, I'd invest in a cooking thermometer that you can push into the middle of a heating dish, especially if it is a large one for several adults. In the past, I've had everone sitting around for ages waiting for me to declare a dish hot enough to be safe to eat.

3. If you thicken sauces, don't use cornflour as it breaks down in the freezer. If you need to thicken, either use ordinary flour or make a note on the frozen pack that it will need thickening when reheating.

4. You may need to keep salt levels low for children. I put childrens' portions separately in little containers before seasoning the bulk or cook with less salt and season after dishing out child portion.

5. Don't forget deserts for adults. Ice cream is a good standby, meringue nests have long shelf lives and make fresh fruit go a long way. Frozen raspberries are a great standby too.

I hope this helps, I've learned all this from bitter experience!

Most importantly, relax and enjoy yourself with your family.

Meant to say cook completely before freezing.

I would make pasta sauce and freeze to reheat with pasta, lasagna freezes well. But really stick to quick to prep meals, roast chicken with jackets and salad, stir fries, and don’t be ashamed to buy frozen roast potatoes etc, even frozen mash isn’t ok. You could slow cook pork for pulled pork with crusty bread and salads, salmon in cream sauce with pasta is quick and easy. Tesco also do good deals on prepared veg which I used last year on holiday,

Plan menus but be flexible,
Bbq, would get the men cooking, or have a pizza night, im sure they don’t want you cooking all the time either.

Do you have a good receipt for the lasagne and do you cook it completely before freezing?
I already cook and freeze fish pie but just for the two of us.
Due to the amount I need to cook I thought of freezing in two portion boxes and it takes less time to defrost.
I think I may have to cook different meals for the little ones with advice from the mums, the 9 month and 20 month I have no idea what they will eat.
I can do some baking but although I have two freezers they will soon fill up so will buy some desserts.
For lunch I thought of just sandwiches and say ready made Pizza.
I hadn't thought about a bar b que that's a great idea, I don't have one so will have to see what I can buy. Any suggestions I haven't a clue what to look for. I could even get the lads involved.
That's so much for the advice, I was getting really stressed already just thinking about the catering side of the visit but I feel much more organised now.

I often freeze large dishes of lasagne - cook completely (about 40 min) covered in foil but without cheese on top. When I want to use, I take out the night before so it thaws, then put grated cheese and cream on top and heat fully (without the foil) in regular oven- takes about 40 min for big one.
I can give full recipe if someone else doesn’t.

I wouldn’t try to cook different meals for little ones- they may eat a bit of whatever adults are having or ask mums to organize.

Handy dessert idea- make some crumble topping mix and freeze. Can then make quick fruit crumble by just sprinkling on top of fruit and baking. Make ice cream more interesting!

Sorry to keep posting but other ideas keep coming to mind! The par-baked bread rolls that come in plastic packets are handy to have in cupboard - staples like bread can run out with a crowd.

Whoops! Desserts, I was sure I typed desserts!

Some good ideas here, maybe add a chicken casserole dish to the selection? Frozen crumble topping definitely works and makes for an easy dessert that most people like. I often freeze cottage pie type mixes, it’s doubtlessly very lazy but I use the cheap tin foil containers to feeeze and cook, no washing up that way. If I’ve a crowd here I don’t make sandwiches as invariably everyone wants something different instead I put sandwich type fillings out with appropriate breads or rolls and just let people help themselves. If they like it a large fruit cake could be made well in advance, if the freezer has space you could make non- fruit cakes and freeze. Don’t worry too much, your family are coming to see you not to enter you into a cooking competition. All will be well.

There are lots of recipes for lasagne on the internet. I use Jamie Oliver's Bolognese sauce recipe.

I don't actually construct the lasagne until just before cooking as I use gluten free pasta which doesn't freeze well but you can freeze a whole, cooked lasagne successfully.

Sausage casseroles freeze really well. As do pasta sauces.

Sorry, I meant to say that as far as shepherds pies are concerned, I cheat and but ready made mash and let the mince cool down, top with mash (and cheese) and freeze. I buy cheap mash and add cream, nutmeg and pepper.

I once had 23 for lunch and made shepherds pie and was definitely not up for mashing that many potatoes!

No suggestions as I’d be buying in a supply of ready meals to cater for that many for that length of time if I wanted to keep my sanity and enjoy my time with them.

Yes, and takeaways and a couple of pub lunches too. BBQs are not much easier either as most of the catering falls on the women and men get the glory for burning a few sausage and beef burgers.

A large chicken can be bunged in the oven to cook and, depending on the weather served up various ways - likewise a gammon joint roasted???

Try not to stress and enjoy your time with your visitors.

Your DIL and her husband, one of your sons, don't cook - how does that work when they're at home?

Also, surely the responsibility of what the 4 young children eat lies with the parents.

It's a lot of stress and work for you having a houseful of family and no else will cook!

Gather together all your favourite recipes and dishes that are favourites of your families, make them in bulk and freeze them.

Apart from fresh fruit, I have found almost anything will freeze if you want it. Make crumble mix and stewed fruit to assemble a crumble on the day for puddings,

Why not delegate some of the catering to other people? DS and family always take on catering for a one day when they come and stay for more than 2 days. Just allocate them a day and say, OK you do the catering on........

I have family staying for 10 days every Christmas. I make a meal plan a couple of months in advance so that I can get everything cooked in advance. I also draw up the shopping list for the pre arrival shopping trip.

Breakfast is toast and cereal, serve yourself, clear up after yourself (including loading the dishwasher). Main meal from freezer/eat out/others cater, light meal is a salad. Cold meat, pork pies, smoked fish can all be frozen ready to be got out when needed.

I have always refused, point blank, to be a domestic martyr. All it takes is pre-planning, which you are doing and DELEGATION.

Looking at the sheer numbers you will be catering for, pre bought ready meals will cost a fortune and I personally do not think they taste very well. Ditto with takeaways.

I definitely agree re the delegation- you do not want the family going out enjoying themselves whereas you are having a nap because you are exhausted.

At least you are preparing well in advance even if that means slowly emptying the freezer to make way for what is about to come! Enjoy yourself.

Some great ideas which I'll be taking up.
I need to find some receipts though.
Cornergram
I like the idea for lunch of keeping the fillings for sandwiches separate for everyone to make their own. I can just add a large bowl of salad and jackets or new potatoes.

I had thought of the foil containers but have never used them. What size would you buy for 6 adults and 2 of the children. Do you put the container into a plastic bag?
Riverwalk
Son and DIL have their lunch and evening dinner delivered each morning so never cook.

The little ones can be picky so I will pass their meals over to the mums if they don't want what I am cooking for the adults, I've decided this.

I will cook a turkey for one evening meal.
Salmon for another with jackets salad and peas.
Buy fish and chips.
A Chinese takeaway also should be alright.
Vegetable curry(freeze) and chicken.
Add to this some of your freezer suggestions and I should be still sane at the end of the two weeks.

I had thought about asking if we could share the cooking but it's not going to happen, I know my family.

My son and son in law have large appetites.

Breakfast they can see to their own.

I am feeling much better now reading your encouraging comments.
Thanks everyone

I agree with Monica ask each couple to provide and cook one meal.
Be guided by the parents for the little ones. They may be happy with Ella's kitchen meals. Spaghetti bolognaise is a favourite with my GD. Get plenty of fruit and child yoghurts as they seem to be popular. Eggs are very versatile as well as being fairly cheap.
Chilli is a good dish and easily made and frozen. Morrisons do a fairly reasonable whole salmon which you could poach in advance and have in a buffet with salads and french bread.

I agree the part baked bread idea is a god send, how about cooking a ham, that would give you a main meal, and cold for sandwiches, get in some fish fingers/nuggets etc for the children, perhaps oven chips good for when they don’t want the adult food. You can get cheap bbq better than disposable. A full fruit bowl, yogurt/ice cream for deserts, meringue nests are good, or how about a sponge flan with tinned fruit and jelly.

I have thought about the sharing of the catering but son and DIL would not even consider it so wouldn't ask.
Son would buy in whatever everyone wanted.

Daughter would suggest buying the precooked Tesco type food so we could have more time together as she has the baby and son to look after.

Hubby will help with prep of vegetables but doesn't cook a full meal.

I've just had daughter and children up for a week without her hubby and I realised then my grandson has his likes and dislikes, some things he will not try.

Young mums these days generally now allow children to choose their own food as is my experience in our family.
When I raised my children I cooked a meal and the children ate it and certainly didn't eat any dessert if the main meal wasn't eaten.