10 minutes here, 10 minutes there

Part 1

Everyone cooks differently - if you are a household of only two it's probably more difficult not to waste food. For example, buying a smaller chicken isn't necessarily better value – chances are you're paying for less meat.

The next postings are concerned therefore with a small household, less waste of food and making the most of your time.

I'm going to scale down an original recipe given in Liberation - Gammon, Chicken and Leek pie using the recipe slow cooking a whole chicken in Monday Chuck.

A couple of comments first up. You may pass the “meal deals” by, thinking you can't take advantage because there's too much or it's not convenient this particular weekend, but that ain't necessarily so – invariably whole chickens are part of the deal and they can be frozen – aim for a weight 1.5kg – 1.75kg. The cost is £3.33 ish – ignoring the bottle of wine in the equation. Similarly gammon joints usually have a good use by date because they are vac packed or, can be frozen too. So don't rule out the deals. The gammon joints can usually be found at 3 for £10 – aim for a weight between 500g – 750g.

If you subscribe to the multi tasking morning theory, I'm taking it as read that you'll already have cooked, baked jacket potatoes and a bag/box of grated cheese stashed in your fridge.

What follows is a series of 10 minute bites of time that can be pulled together to create a supper or a lunch using inexpensive ingredients or smart shopping! Each bite of time can be fitted in to suit you. The idea here is that you'll have the wherewithal to produce a main meal with a side, a soup and a bonus, with minimum fuss and no waste - you can freeze any or all the elements.

I should point out that you won't produce a dish until all the 10 minute bites have been completed. The idea is that you have a spare 10 minutes one day and may be two separate 10 minute time bites the next day and so on. Every element along the way is easily fridgeable so you can pull it all together when the mood takes you. If the mood doesn't take you, you can freeze it all and use when it does!