Recipe developer Zena Kamgaing and food writer Sam Gates talk easy, low-cost meals, plus how to turn leftovers into lunchbox specials
1 CREATE LEFTOVERS WITH PURPOSE Sam: “I hate waste and having things left in my fridge. So, I’m a big fan of using leftovers. When you batch-cook, you create leftovers for the sake of it, purposefully. I look at it as cook once, eat thrice.”
Zena: “It’s a fun little challenge. You get into your fridge and it’s like, okay, you’ve had this great meal, how can you turn it into something even better and different and cool?”
2 COOK WHAT YOU WANT, BEFORE YOU WANT IT Sam: “Batch-cooking is about cooking the food that you want when you have the time to enjoy it. Then, when you come home and you’re exhausted at the end of the day, you have something to eat that you actually want. Set aside a few hours at the weekend and put a great podcast on and really relax and enjoy the cooking process, rather than having to just be in a frenzy after coming home and trying to feed the kids.”
3 COOK AS A TEAM AT THE WEEKENDZena: “I love making dumplings, but I don’t have time to make them after work on a Thursday, so I’ll batch-cook. In fact, I’ll get the whole family involved. It requires quite a bit of effort, so spend a Saturday making dumplings together, or spring rolls – something that you can then store in the freezer for whenever you need dinner fast.”
4 BATCH-COOKED BREAKFASTS Sam: “I batch-cook things that you wouldn’t normally think of. I do a lot of breakfasts, for example. It makes perfect sense because that’s the time in the day where you have the least time – you’re racing out the door. In my case, I’m always late because everybody’s trying to remember bags and stuff. So having breakfast prepped is ideal. I do things like potato farls, which can be frozen, and muesli bars.”
5 MAKE A MULTIPURPOSE SAUCESam: “I make a vegan bolognese with lentils and loads of spices, and use it for everything from cannelloni and lasagne, to shepherd’s pie. I have a recipe that makes a vast amount – enough for about 12 people – that we eat over time. It’s always at its best on about the third day.”
6 TRY A SALAD JAR INSTEAD OF A LUNCHBOX Zena: “You might not have time to assemble it at work, so prep your salad the night before. You don’t want it to get soggy, so use a big jar and put the wetter ingredients at the bottom, then your dressing on the first layer, then things like tomatoes or peppers after that, some shredded leftover chicken, then lettuce leaves or rocket, or spi
