Recipes always for four people!

I just halve the amount of main ingredients and use the same amount of seasoning or spices as I found that halving these made for very bland meals.

I always cook for 4 but I use the slow cooker a lot and freeze a meal for another day. Otherwise put in the fridge and we have it next day. My husband is not one for cooking much himself but when I’m working he can put veg together with a frozen defrosted casserole or pasta sauce and we have a nice home cooked meal. We also use our soup maker a lot and Chuck in any veg looking sorry for itself and have homemade soups. BBC Good Food is good plus Mary Berry cookbooks, and Jamie Oliver.

I usually make double most recipes anyway so I have a constant supply of frozen meals for 2 for the days I don't want to cook or I am eating alone. I love cooking but some days it is nice to just defrost a casserole or pie.
My wonderful Wonder Pot is in constant use too & the pressure cooking mode makes it easy to prepare a good rich stew in around 40 mins so I always make a double portion- one for the freezer!

I rarely follow a recipe word-for-word (or rather ingredient-for-ingredient) anyway, but adapt it to use ingredients that I already have and need to use.

Recipes are often very imprecise anyway, asking for things like one medium carrot or half an onion, where no weight is given and different people's interpretations of those sizes will very hugely.

To be honest, I am another of those who nowadays will almost always make a big batch of something anyway in order to have enough for two or three meals, either from the fridge or the freezer, and very very rarely find things any less pleasant to eat after they have been reheated.

Forty years ago, I did have a little book from Sainsbury's called, I think, Cooking for Two, but we found the portion sizes too small for our northern appetites

If I need half a beaten egg in a recipe, I freeze the other half in an ice tray for next time I make the recipe

Sometimes recipes can "split" when defrosted. This disappears when it's reheated though and doesn't alter the flavour. We frequently batch cook and freeze half, that way we have home cooked quick food for busy days.

Also, don't see the problem with halving recipes, seasoning can be adjusted during the cooking process. It's all a bit of trial and error.

Freeze the half you don’t use - simple.

Lots of websites with recipes have an inbuilt calculator where you can put in the number of portions and then it rejigs the quantities. I find the best way if doing it yourself is to write the quantities out on another piece of paper as it is very easy to forget to halve something. If you write it out, you can check it again before making the dish!
I also have one portion for tea and the other for lunch which works well. I have a very, very full freezer but nothing to eat!

I often do halve a recipe. Sometimes halving the flavourings or liquid doesn’t quite work, but it’s good enough, (or can be rescued!) and I make a note for next time to adjust things. You can’t always sort it out by tasting as you go, I wouldn’t taste a partly cooked curry, and you can’t just put a load more spice in at the end, it needs to cook.

I half the recipe as we are only two, if I do the whole recipe for four, we eat what we want then, as I dont like the same meal two consecutive days we freeze the rest, simple as that.

I like cooking but also like not having to cook so leftovers are fine by me, although my son used to describe this as 're-gurge' (sorry, he was a teenager then!) Now he shops & cooks for himself & girlfriend he has become quite competitive about frugality & sends photos of his own leftover efforts!

I actually cook more than I need for one meal - if its stew, I have pie filling; if it's broth, I have extra potatoes to make cottage pie; if it's vegetables, I have stuffing for wraps; if it's pasta, I have what to put in soups. I call it kangaroo cooking. In any case, this might help: www.msn.com/en-gb/foodanddrink/foodnews/here-are-5-mistakes-to-avoid-when-you-freeze-your-leftovers/ar-BB100J1J?ocid=spartanntp

I have the same problem as BBbevan, as I had a stroke and have one useful hand, I can cook, but serving out and carrying is difficult -, so other half does that. Even if I tell him that half is for the freezer; home made soup appears in HUGE bowls, and all of everything gets used, or there's a tiny bit left to freeze - hardly enough for one.
Delia Smith's Cooking for One, is great, and you can double up.

Just half the ingredients then it's for two .

I can't remember when I last followed a recipe. I have so many favourite dishes that I cook from memory that I don't see the point of trying something new that I might not like.

Now that I am on my own I usually still cook for two and am happy to eat the same meal two days in a row.

I live alone but often batch cook and freeze meals, or if there isn't room in the freezer just keep in the fridge. I've been known to eat the same thing three or four times in a week as it isn't always possible to buy small enough quantities for single meals without going to a butcher, as supermarket pack sizes are usually designed for families. If I only ever cooked single portions I'd get much less variety in my diet.
Whenever my family visit I like to make a meal for us all with enough left to freeze for later. Having a home-cooked ready meal in the freezer is a delight especially after a tough day at work.

My husband always cooks for about 4, he eats a meal on the night he cooked it, one meal goes in the fridge for the next night and another goes in the freezer. Yes I know that only comes to three lol he’s a big eater

I like Nigel Slater too, he often suggests slightly different combinations of ingredients that are very interesting. But to be fair I find that once you've made a recipe you can make it again without having to follow the exact quantities.
I went from cooking for six or more to cooking for two and still find that I tend to buy and cook too much, but just freeze the left-overs in single portion sizes if the food is suitable. I use small bags and tip them into the cooking pan or dish to defrost (the bags or boxes can be reused).
Fortunately DH is easygoing on what he will eat, so if I cook a joint we're happy to eat the leftovers either with jacket potatoes or in a new dish such as risotto, fajitas or curry.
We both love fish and it is so easy to just buy enough for two portions so no problems with left-overs.

I bought a recipe book for one person. Amazon has a brilliant selection for two people.

I use Nigel Slater's cookery books a lot. His recipes are usually for two and are absolutely delicious. He doesn't go in for tons of ingredients either. I've never forgotten spending nearly £40 on condiments for a recipe once and they sat around in my store cupboards for months afterwards, looking reproachfully at me.

Miguel Barclay £1 meals are all for one and can be doubled plus they are easy and delicious as well as money saving.Personally although there are 2 if us I always cook for 4 and freeze what is left over.I always have a meal ready in the freezer for the nights when I work.I have never had any problems with what I freeze but I always date and label them. I love getting a nice curry at chilli etc from the freezer and only needing to heat it up later

The Green Roasting Tin has a lot of recipes for 2 . Available on Amazon for £7 .

(I can’t link it for you because it shows all my orders )

Or there is Delia’s One Is Fun which you could double

I always half the recipe and cook for two
If I cooked for four, intending to freeze some, experience has shown that DH will have a very large portion. Leaving only enough for one. I once made a very large lamb casserole. He ate all the meat out of the bit destined for the freezer.

I prefer to cook small amounts. I hate feeling obliged to eat something next day (unless its leftover pizza). And often frozen food doesn't look that appetising. And sometimes you forget its in the fridge as today when we realised we had cooked four turkey breast fillets on Tuesday and left two in tinfoil for sandwiches. Now in the bin with left over tinned rice fresh pesto stewed apples......and more.
Sometimes when reducing recipes its difficult. Like if I want a few fresh scones, dividing the quantity of buttermilk and egg ( half an egg?) Or 1/4 teaspoon of herbs, spices, lemon juice etc.
Having said all that I often find recipes for two online.

I prefer to reheat dishes such as stew, bolognese sauce etc in a saucepan on the hob, keeping on stirring, not in the microwave.