I get a lot of strange looks these days.  It’s normal in conversation when meeting someone new to enquire about their line of work.  I used to say “accountant” and boy did their eyes glaze over.  Now I say “cookbook author”.  It gets a much better response!  Then they ask me what kind of food appears in my cookbooks and I say “it’s regular food but everything is freezable”.  That’s when I get the blank stare.  They don’t know what to say in response to that.  

Occasionally I’ll meet someone who loves to fill their freezer and we have a lively discussion about food and recipes, but most people say “I don’t freeze many things, just bolognaise”.  So my big question is: why did our generation stop freezing?  Our mothers froze just about everything – food on sale at the supermarket, leftover fried rice from the Chinese takeaway, school lunches for the week.  Yet we are the generation of women who are trying to do it all.  We juggle kids, work and a social life and we still try to “plate up” food worthy of Masterchef.  

I decided to do something about it and tested a squillion recipes and was surprised how many things were perfectly fine after a stint in the freezer.  

Ladies, it’s time to reclaim that big appliance that sits in your kitchen and make it work for you.  Now you can make all sorts of weeknight meals (beyond spag bol), make a dinner party recipe in advance because your Saturday is full of kids sport and family madness, or you might like to freeze some meals for a friend with a new baby/sick husband/lost their job.  You’ll be glad you did!

Follow Susan on her website/blog www.frostbitefood.blogspot.com and on facebook www.facebook.com/frostbitefood. You’ll find lots of new recipes, cooking and freezing tips and details of giveaways and promotions.