'My six-week food routine saves me £500 and gives me time with kids'

A mum batch cooks six weeks worth of meals in just four hours - so she can spend more time with her family and focus on herself. Amy Jones, 40, felt like she "lived in the kitchen" cooking meals from scratch everyday for her husband Richard, 38, and their two children - Leo, nine, and Sebastien, eight.

She didn't feel like she had time to "breathe or hang out with her kids" and "resented" cooking. But now, Amy spends just four hours preparing six weeks' worth of dinners for her family-of-four - and says it leaves her with "more free time than ever".

The savvy mum never prepares fewer than four meals at a time - and typically has 40 servings on the go in her pint-sized 85cm by 58cm under-counter freezer, all in reusable plastic bags. Amy says it saves her 50 minutes a day - by only having to microwave and reheat dishes.

She says that stockpiling food is the best way to ensure "a meal is always at hand" - and has clapped back at trolls who brand her habits as "disgusting". Amy, a home educator from Aberystwyth, Wales, said: "Batch-cooking has given me the capacity to be myself again.

"I always wanted to cook homemade food but I was constantly just in the kitchen. Having meals on hand in the freezer that can be microwaved and reheated has saved me hours. And I have the headspace to breathe. People may think it's odd, but batch-cooking has been extremely helpful."

Amy began extreme batch cooking in May 2024 - after her sister suffered a stroke. It "put things into perspective" for the mum and she realised monthly batch cooking was an effective way to make herself more available to her loved-ones.

She claims that making meals in advance has saved her 200 hours over the year. It also removes the temptation to order last-minute takeaways when she's too tired to cook and reduces food waste because the fresh ingredients are only in the fridge for two days - at most - before she cooks with them.

Amy typically makes stews, lasagne, sausage casserole and chicken pie, but says "it varies depending on the season."

The mum will rotate the meals throughout the month and will add other ingredients like bread, salad, or fresh vegetables for bulking and variety. Amy said: "I plan my meals by collecting recipes online and making a vision board.

"I'll do a seasonal plan and group meals that I know will cook together nicely. I cook all my chicken meals together and then all my beef. And I also tailor my meals to the season - I make more soups in the winter and more salads in the summer.

"I don't have an exact day when I batch cook; it's just when I have energy. We have so many meals frozen that I'm not worried about when we will eat next."

Amy typically spends two hours in a single session batch cooking her meals and would never prepare fewer than four different meals at once, with two food items on the hob and two in the oven. She does two batch cooking sessions every six weeks - and would aim to make at least 10 different meals.

Once made, the meals are sealed into reusable bags which are flattened and put in the freezer, so the savvy mum has everything she needs for the weeks ahead after just an evening's preparation. "I was most surprised about how much I could fit into my freezer," she added.

"I date all my food in reusable bags with labels so I know when it was made and what's in them. Our food is never frozen for longer than three months and once I spot a shelf that's free it's time to start planning a batch cooking session."

Amy said batch cooking has saved her £520 a month on her food bill - as she only spends £200 on food for 20 to 30 meals compared to her previous £180 weekly shop - and saves more pennies by buying reduced meat and veg. She said: "Buying in bulk goes further, especially with meat, as it's hugely expensive and I don't buy 'dinners' anymore.

"I ensure that everything we buy is either added into our family meals or turned into a separate meal to be frozen. We definitely waste a lot less food and the only meal in my fridge now is salads I've prepped for the week."

Despite her time-saving ways people online have not been impressed, saying they'd "never just eat frozen food."

However, Amy claims she "always" abides by the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) guidelines whenever she meal preps. "You always get the odd comments," she said "But you wouldn't think frozen peas are disgusting."

Amy frequently shares tips online to help others batch cook safely - including clearing out your freezer before you start, having plenty of containers and bags ready for storage, and not overloading yourself with the task of preparing hundreds of meals.

She said: "It may seem like a lot at first. But, it has been extremely freeing for me and my family. I can spend more time with my kids and I have developed some good habits out of it. I never turn the oven on for one thing, as it seems like a waste.

"Even as my kids get older, I don't think I'll ever stop because there's no reason to. I can't bear the idea of doing daily prep any more and find that batch-cooking will be the main thing that works. I essentially have my life back."