Cook these delicious recipes – then freeze them ready for a lazy day, says Clare Latimer

I have always felt precooked freezer meals have too many preservatives so why not get a group of neighbours together and cook a large amount of one dish and then swap dishes – therefore keeping a mixture of home cooked portions in your freezer.
Perhaps you could select say six neighbours and get each one to cook for example, cottage pie, steak and kidney pie, coq au vin, lamb tagine, cauliflower cheese soup and perhaps pork tenderloin with mushroom sauce.
If they are frozen straight after cooking they will come out as fresh when you are ready to eat them. It is much less trouble cooking one dish for 12 rather than six different dishes for two but if you are a keen cook then this can also be fun for a cold wet winter’s day.
The other alternative is to come and stock up with freezer portions from our shop like so many folks and then you can have a lazy day spoiling yourself instead.
All this is particularly good for mums with new babies or for older people who have had enough of cooking but still want to eat well.
Here are two recipes but browse around and find more for your collection for the freezer.

CHICKEN DIVAN
Serves six
Ingredients
50g butter;
50g flour;
15fl oz milk, warmed;
Four tablespoons of
sherry;
Two teaspoons of
Worcestershire sauce;
Freshly ground black pepper;
Five fl oz double cream, lightly whipped;
675g broccoli, blanched.
Six fresh chicken breasts, skinned and boned.

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C 350F Gas mark four. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and stir in the milk to make a smooth sauce. Add the sherry, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and then fold in the cream.
Lay the broccoli in a buttered, ovenproof dish and then place the chicken breasts on top. Pour over the sauce and bake for 40 minutes until slightly browned on top.
Put into portion containers for freezing. For serving, take out of freezer and put straight into med oven for about 30 to 45 minutes.

BEEF CARBONADE
Serves four to six
Ingredients
A little oil;
Two onions, peeled and chopped;
Two cloves garlic, peeled and crushed;
900g chuck steak, cut into 2.5cm cubes;
Two heaped tablespoon flour;
One tablespoon of soft brown sugar;
300ml stout or brown ale;
One bouquet garni;
Two bay leaves;
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method
Preheat oven to 160C 325F Gas mark three.
Heat the oil in a heavy based casserole, add the onions and garlic and fry for five minutes or until the onions are soft.
Coat the meat in flour, add to the casserole and brown slightly. Add the sugar, stout or ale, herbs and seasoning.
Stir, cover and cook for one-and-a-half hours or until the meat is tender. Remove the bay leaves and bouquet garni, squeezing the juice into the casserole.
Add extra liquid – water or beer – if necessary but the sauce should be quite thick. Put into freezer portions and freeze.
For serving, take out of deepfreeze and put into a medium oven, in ovenproof dish for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Clare’s Kitchen
41 Chalcot Road
Primrose Hill
NW1
Tel: 020 7586 8433
www.clareskitchen.co.uk