If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that when baby Baldwin arrives, I won’t be doing much cooking while they (and I) get settled at home. After months and months of renovating our house, we’re pretty much finished, and I’ve really enjoyed being back in the kitchen again.
When Swaledale Butchers asked if I wanted to create some dishes using their incredible meats, I won’t lie I jumped at the opportunity. So, I thought I’d use the opportunity to create some homemade meals that I could stock up my freezer with.
Freezer meals for post-birth are something I’ve had many people say to me are ideal, especially if I end up having a caesarian for whatever reason. Now me personally, had absolutely no idea where to start when it came to what on earth to make with these mouth-watering ingredients.
When I placed my order I grabbed myself a variety of stuff. As it’s BBQ season, I thought I’d also pop some bits in my basket to treat James and I to! Here’s a rundown of what I ended up ordering:
- Minced pork
- Cote de Boeuf
- Free range herb-fed chicken thighs
- Pork belly
- Dry-cured smoked streaky bacon
- Minced beef
- Lamb merguez sausages
- Steak burgers
- Tomahawk steak
I think it’ll be a while till we make our way through some of the bigger joints (which are perfect for when you’re hosting your family or friends), but for the purposes of my first batch cook, I used the minced beef.
With that I made myself and James a big ol’ lasagna! Who doesn’t love a hearty Italian dish on a week night with some garlic bread 😉
Traditional Lasagne
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus extra for the dish
- 500 g beef mince
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 pack fresh lasagne sheets
- homemade white sauce or jarred if you'd prefer
- 1 leaf basil
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 200 g grated cheddar
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 180C fan / gas mark 4
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Finely chop your onion and garlic
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Add your oil to a pan and fry off the onion until soft
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Add your garlic and cook for a couple of minutes
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Add your mince and cook until browned off
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Add your tinned tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes
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Add in your tomato puree and stir through
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Season with salt, pepper and oregano
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Allow this to simmer away for 15 minutes or so. If you're opting for a homemade white sauce, now is the time to make this
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Time to layer! Add a layer of your mince, followed by your lasagne sheets, white sauce and grated cheese. Repeat until you've used up all your ingredients!
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Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the top is bubbling and lightly browned
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Finish with a sprig of basil if you're serving / eating straight away
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Alternatively, allow to cool thoroughly before boxing up and freezing!
