Using frozen ingredients is a great way to prep for a picnic as the ingredients usually come pre-chopped, pre-portioned and de-boned for ease – so you won’t need the skills of Jamie or Nigella to whip something up. So go on, grab your blankets and baskets out of the cupboards and let’s picnic with frozen food!

Salads

We all love a good ol’ salad. It’s a great picnic staple that can be prepared in advance, stored in an air-tight container and chilled until needed.  We’ve got a great recipe from Young’s Seafood, Frozen Prawn, Avocado and Mango Salad which uses prawns that are pre-portioned – see the ease? Or why not try our Salmon Niçoise Salad recipe? These two light and refreshing recipes would be perfect for a day out in the sun.

Sandwiches

Now you know you can’t have a picnic without sandwiches – they are a must. Frozen prawns and avocados work particularly well on sandwiches with a little extra salad dressing. Or why not try some of our Riverside Foods recipes such as the Chicken Pitta or the Spicy Chicken Sub, which are all ideal to make in the morning before you head out on a picnic! All these sandwiches are packed full of delicious chicken frozen with its freshness locked in, which can be cooked from frozen and served with salad for that extra crunch.

Sweet treats

There’s always room for dessert, even after a savoury packed start to your picnic. Our blogger friend Slummy Single Mummy has a delicious Black Forest Breakfast Oats recipe which can be sliced into flapjack style pieces once cooled, making it a must-have when you’re on the move (the kids will definitely enjoy this!). If you fancy something light, why not take a selection of frozen fruits in a small cool box? Frozen mixed berries make a fruity addition to serve with a slice of cake, or you could mix them with some natural yogurt for a healthy option!

Frozen food means you can be much more adventurous with your picnic choices. There are countless options when it comes to making picnic food from frozen ingredients, and once you’ve cracked using frozen food there will be no stopping you. So fingers crossed that we get some sunshine this week so we can all enjoy picnicking with frozen! Happy National Picnic Week!

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The great thing about cooking with frozen food is that it allows you to choose from a vast selection of seasonal ingredients all year round, as they are picked and frozen in season. With the weather warming up, and some great summery recipes available, we’ve got a rundown of our frozen essentials for the season that are accessible no matter how confident a cook you are!

King prawns

We love prawns because they are quick to cook and great for salads, soups, pasta, curries, tapas and so much more! Feeding the family a delicious home cooked meal after a long day can be a challenge but using frozen ingredients means you can buy items such as prawns pre-peeled and pre-prepared, and only use as much as you need.

If you’re new to using prawns and not sure how to cook them, take a look at one of our light, fresh salad recipes perfect for lunch or a summery evening meal. We love this Frozen Prawn, Avocado and Mango Salad recipe because it uses frozen prawns, avocado (you can buy frozen avocados!), mango, lettuce and limes – and only takes 15 minutes to prepare. For that extra flavour, add sweet chilli sauce and serve it with toasted bread!

Did You Know?: Frozen prawns are perfect for portion control as you don’t have to cook the whole pack. Just take what you need and that way – you reduce waste!

Frozen Burgers

There’s nothing that celebrates warm weather quite like a BBQ with friends, family and hours of clear blue skies – hence why burgers are a must have for your freezer this month.

With the changeability of the great British weather, planning ahead for those precious sunny days can be a real challenge, making frozen your best option! Frozen barbeque food is becoming a real favourite with an array of choices ranging from veggie to meat and chicken burgers.

Did You Know?: Frozen burgers are not the only barbeque food you can buy from frozen. You can also get products such as marinated chicken skewers, sausage sizzlers and pork grills that can be cooked straight from the freezer! (Please refer to all packaging for instructions)

Frozen Fruits

Frozen fruits remain a favourite for many, mainly because they’re so easy to prepare and are available all year round compared to fresh fruits. Frozen berries are also much better for your wallet compared to berries bought in season – win win!

More and more people are becoming creative with frozen fruits, particularly berries, by using them to make desserts such as Filo Parcels. If this dessert is for you, then check out our quick and simple Filo Parcels with Summer Berries recipe. It’s the perfect pudding for a summer evening. You can even make a no-fuss sweet treat by piling whipped cream and frozen berries on top of ready-made meringue nests – tasty!

In addition to desserts, you can also use frozen fruits for overnight oats for your breakfast, smoothies or to make fruit sauce. The list is endless – making frozen fruits a definite freezer essential!

Did you know?: Buying frozen fruits is the ideal way to enjoy some fantastic “not in season” produce all-year round!

Find a range of recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner using these three frozen must-haves here: https://frozenfoodrevolution.co.uk/recipes/.

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Jacket Potato Skins with Sour Cream Dip

The humble jacket potato breaks the mould when it comes to go-to foods. Versatile, it’s a lunchtime dish to keep you full for hours and can also be served as a teatime side. Despite its simple nature, there’s more to jacket potato making than just dashing a potato in the oven. Our Jacket Potato Skins with Sour Cream Dip recipe shares tips on making the best jacket. The crunchy bacon is the perfect addition to the soft and warm potato skins, making this recipe stand out from other.

Top tip: Some people wrap their jacket potatoes in foil, but if you are trying to get those skins lovely and crispy, avoid this approach as it will only retain steam and moisture!

Cassoulet with Pollock, Butterbean and Chorizo

This one-pan meal offers something a little bit different. Cassoulet is a wholesome meal that combines frozen pollock, frozen bacon, butterbean and chorizo. The beans are the backbone of this dish as they are very tender and absorb the aromas of all the other ingredients included. This exotic meal isn’t a dish that demands much in terms of vegetables, so feel free to have a side of spring salad. Follow our recipe for a meal that might just become a regular this season!

Top tip: If you opt for dried butter beans instead of canned, overnight soaking is advisable for better results. For more information on defrosting fish, check out our guide on how to defrost fish.

Frozen Fruit Crumble

An easy-to-make and diverse dessert, frozen fruit crumble can be eaten for breakfast or as a desert.  Traditionally a winter dessert, we love this as a spring classic and with frozen fruit you can use a mix of exotic fruits that are frozen at their peak. Our frozen fruit crumble recipe  is easy to make (and even easier to eat), served warm with ice cream or lashings of double cream.

Top tip: Instead of using frozen mixed berries, try a single fruit filling of frozen raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, redcurrants or blackcurrants.

Make the most of some of frozen food’s greatest ingredients and do something different in the kitchen this spring. Remember to check out our other recipes for more seasonal frozen food meal ideas. Happy cooking!

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Start the day with…

…a healthy breakfast before we gorge ourselves on chocolate. Can there be anybody who doesn’t drool at the thought of Eggs Benedict? Whether you prefer poached or fried eggs in your Benedict, nothing says ‘good morning’ on an Easter Sunday morning as much as this classic dish – it is the day of the egg after all.

If you’re up for something healthy and refreshing instead, then what could be better than a frozen fruit smoothie for breakfast? Fruit smoothies are great first thing in the morning as most of them have lots of protein all thanks to the milk and yoghurt used as the smoothie base. Try our Frozen Fruit Breakfast Smoothie recipe, it will definitely give you the energy boost you need for the fun-filled day ahead.

Later on…

…is when it all gets egg-citing! With the egg hunts and an overflow of candy, children are almost as excited for Easter as they would be for Christmas. On your marks, get set, GO! Nothing is as heart-warming as watching an older child pass an opportunity to get an egg by giving it to one of the little ones during the hunt. Because of moments like this, the annual Easter egg hunt is probably the highlight of the day for most families, so make sure you make it a memorable one for the kids (and the adults too!). However, don’t let the fun stop there – Country Living has some great ideas for fun Easter games to entertain your family – talk about egg-citing!

Finish the day…

…with a feast. Whether your family serves a traditional roast or a celebratory buffet, it’s always a highlight to sit down with your family and enjoy a meal together on Easter Sunday. Here at Fresh from the Freezer, we love to have lamb at Easter and one of our favourite go to recipes is this Heavenly Lamb Shanks Recipe which would be perfect for a large gathering. If you’re doing a buffet, you could include these Jacket Potato Skins in your menu and garnish them with frozen basil or coriander. We love cooking with frozen ingredients as they are easy to cook, limit food waste and reduce preparation time – which is great for special occasions.

When the wonderful food has been tucked into, bring the desserts out. Make sure you have some fantastic frozen treats in your freezer for everyone to enjoy. There’s a huge range of premium desserts you can find from your local supermarket that can be defrosted at home for a show-stopping end to the day, try them out.

Don’t forget to check out our website for all our blogs, competitions and recipe ideas this Easter!

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We are always on the look-out for those holy-grail products that not only cut down on prep and cooking time, but also maintain their high quality – proving that innovation is alive and well. Ahead are some of our favourite picks of frozen food products which will help you create restaurant quality meals at home.

1. Frozen Vegan Pizza

Frozen pizza brand Goodfella’s is launching the first ever mainstream vegan frozen pizza. Offering a quick and convenient vegan meal, the pizza is topped with quality toppings including tasty falafel, delicious red peppers, spinach, white onion, spicy harissa sauce, and a moreish hummus drizzle for a meal that packs a punch and is fully approved by the Vegan Society. It will be available to vegans nationwide from March 2018.

Goodfella’s, £2.50, nationwide supermarkets

2. Cinnamon Ice Cream

Hand-made artisan ice cream maker, Simply Ice Cream, has launched its Cinnamon flavour in Waitrose for a limited time only. This new flavour offers a real aromatic taste of fresh cinnamon, combined with Simply Ice Cream’s signature rich indulgent creamy ice cream. The Great Taste gold two star award-winning Cinnamon flavour will be available throughout February, March and April 2018 – get it while you can!

Simply Ice Cream, £4.99 (500ml), Waitrose

3. Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets and Gluten Free Fish Fillets in Breadcrumbs

One of the country’s favourite frozen food brands, Birds Eye, launched two new gluten free family favourites, Gluten Free Fish Fillets in Breadcrumbs and Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets, adding to its already existing gluten free range. Made from 100% Fish Fillets, and 100% Chicken Breast, the Gluten Free Fish Fillets in Breadcrumbs and Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets allow you to enjoy the same great taste and high quality that you expect, without the gluten. These new additions to Birds Eye’s gluten free family are available to buy now.

Birds Eye, Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets – £3.50, Sainsbury’s / Gluten Free Fish Fillets – £2.99, Sainsbury’s and Tesco

4. Shellfish

Young’s Seafood’s new Shellfish range includes King Prawns, Jumbo Tiger Prawns & Fruits de Mer – making it perfect for those looking to creating a seafood restaurant experience at home. The exciting new range showcases the best quality shellfish from across the globe, frozen to lock in the freshness; simply defrost and prepare as per the instructions to create sensational shellfish dishes in minutes! With nearly two thirds of Brits admitting they look for new and exciting shellfish recipes, the Young’s shellfish range is the perfect solution to elevate a mid-week meal or add wow factor to any dinner party or occasion, and is available to buy now.

Young’s Seafood, King Prawns – £5.00 / Jumbo Prawns – £5.00 / Fruits de Mer – £5.00, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s

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However, staying indoors doesn’t have to be boring! Get your kids in the kitchen this half-term for a fun activity that also shows them how food is made. Deciding on what to cook with them can seem a bit daunting, so whether you want them to help you out with some tasty treats or a full meal, Fresh from the Freezer has some simple and fun recipes to start you off!

We’ve put together three different frozen food meal ideas from our recipe selection that can be fun to recreate with the kids. Let’s get cooking!

BREAKFAST

Frozen Fruit Breakfast Smoothie

Kids are always more inclined to eat something healthy if they have a hand in preparing it, and that preparation is fun. So one of the keys to getting kids interested in making smoothies is making the whole process exciting and fun – let them choose their favourite frozen fruits!  This quick and easy breakfast smoothie made with frozen fruits will refresh both you and the kids in the morning, with the vitality from the mixed seeds making it the perfect start to your day. The mixed seeds not only add texture but are also an extra health benefit – have the kids sprinkle extra seeds on top for presentation! Find the full recipe here.

LUNCH  

Fish Finger Club Sandwich

You can never go wrong with a fish finger sandwich, most kids love fish fingers – and adults too! They are easy to make, and because they’re a teatime favourite – it would be surprising if you didn’t get any volunteers to help you prepare them. After you finish cooking the frozen fish fingers and the bacon, get the kids involved in layering the bread with tomato and avocado (Did you know you can buy this frozen?). As it is a quick meal to make, you won’t hear anyone asking, “Is it done yet?” – win win!

DINNER

Chunky Chicken Salsa Wrap

The best thing to do when making kid-friendly wraps is to use familiar food and flavours that you know your little ones enjoy. This many also persuade them to help you prepare the meal. This Chunky Chicken Salsa Wrap, made from frozen chicken goujons is a quick and easy-to-prepare dish full of flavour. This recipe can also be used as a generic guide to make wraps with children. You can have a variety of other ingredients in different pots and have the kids choose their own. They can then help by topping the wraps themselves, and the actual wrapping!

Hopefully these meal ideas will go a little way to making the rest of this half-term lighter, especially if the weather is uninviting! For more suggestions on making half-term a breeze, just click here.

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With William’s expert hints, tips and recipes, you’ll find that switching to home dining can be the perfect way to save money whilst still enjoying a special night with that special someone. So, follow these easy tips and recipes to wow your partner, friends or family this Valentine’s Day.

1) Set the scene

Once the table and dining area is clear it’ll be ready for cutlery, plates and napkins. Forks sit on the left; knives and spoons on the right. The glass goes just above the blade of the knife, on the right-hand side. The napkin should then be placed to the very left-hand side of the setting. Having all the dining equipment laid out will mean you are ready to eat once dinner is served.

2) Use the nicest dinnerware

Make a meal of your meal! Get your nicest dinnerware out and use it to hold your mid-week fare. There’s no point it just sitting in the cupboard. Quality china and porcelain should be seen and enjoyed – not hidden away!

3) Find a centerpiece

You needn’t polish up your best candelabra for this one, a simple unscented candlestick alone can give that no man’s land in the centre of the dining table a certain je ne sais quoi! For daytime meals, you could use a small, low floral arrangement, bowl or platter of fruit.

4) Dress for dinner

The dinner jacket may be a step too far for a Tuesday night (I certainly won’t stop you) but at least change out of your work clothes and put on something decent. You won’t eat properly in pyjamas or loungewear. Keep it simple, chic and above all, fresh!

5) If music be the food of love…

Use music to give the room some aural atmosphere. Some streaming services even have dinner time playlists, to save you the time and effort of putting together your own mealtime mix-tape.

6) The big turn off

Switch those phones and tablets off! You don’t need a screen to eat your delicious dinner and you should be focussing on eating as well as chatting to your dining companions. Even if you are alone, use meal times to detox and switch off from the techno world.

7) Perfect plate presentation

Don’t just chuck the food onto the plate and hope for the best. If you’ve cooked a good meal, spend an extra 30 seconds to lay it out on the plate to make it look as visually tasty as possible – we eat with our eyes first! The high-end restaurant rule that you can follow at home is to place the meat or fish in the bottom section of the plate and then have the vegetables laid out above.

8) Salt and pepper

Taste is so subjective and you or your fellow diners may wish to heighten the flavours of the meal by adding a touch of salt or pepper, or another condiment. Remember to move the salt and pepper mills or shakers to the table – the salt one gets placed just in front of the pepper. When adding salt to your plate, correct etiquette is to just pour a little pile on the edge of the plate, using your knife to add a few granules of salt at a time to each mouthful.  (Pepper can just get sprinkled everywhere!)  But do try your food first to check the seasoning before adding anything.

9) Getting saucy

Don’t stop there… perhaps for some dishes some table sauces may go well, such as tartare with fish. Please avoid plonking the jar or bottle on the table. Decant the sauce into a small dish or ramekin instead.

10) Elbows in

Sit up straight and put your shoulders back!  We don’t want your meal to be spilled down your fresh clothes. Using good table manners will give the respect the food and its chef deserve – as well as help you to eat it properly.

11) Cheers!

Don’t worry about what wine snobs say about pairing food with wine. Pair your dinner with whatever wine you want, despite what the puritans may say. There are some excellent lighter reds that go with fish, contrary to that old ‘white wine with fish’ rule.  And it needn’t be wine that you enjoy with your meal – a swish carafe of cordial or juice can add something even further to your meal.

12) Elegant Entertaining

Nothing forces one into making an effort than knowing that friends and family are going to join you for a meal. Use the opportunity to catch up with your neighbours and friends, as well as build friendships by giving them some tasty dishes.

If you are looking for meal ideas to execute this effortless restaurant dining experience at home, take a look at the Valentine’s meal suggestions we put together from our recipes selection – which are ideal for different tastes. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Feeding the family doesn’t have to cost a fortune if you plan it right. A few tweaks to your weekly shop can save you a large amount of money while making sure you’re getting healthy, tasty meals! Here are a few tips that could help you fight against the January Blues.

Be Frozen Savvy

One of the best ways to save money is through buying frozen food. Not only does it cost less than fresh food on average, but it is also cost effective. Frozen food can be stored longer than fresh refrigerated food, most of it can be stored for several months without losing its quality.

Another advantage of adding frozen food to your shopping list is that it minimises waste as most of it comes pre-portioned. You will no longer be ‘guesstimating’ how much food you need to make for your family and any food that is unused can go straight back into the freezer for use another time!

For an easy, inexpensive family favourite using mainly frozen ingredients, why not try our Sweet Potato Cottage Pie.

Planning

The classic fail to prepare, prepare to fail! It may sound a bit boring and time consuming, but writing a menu for the week will help you get only what you need when you go shopping and actually help you save time and money.

Planning your meals for the week will give you a clear idea of what you need but before you hit the supermarket, check your fridge, freezer and cupboards to see what you already have. Write a detailed shopping list to follow as this will keep you from panic buying expensive meals in the evening, and it will also save you from doubling up on what you already have. Let’s face it, no one really needs 18 tins of beans!

Checking what you already have in the kitchen and planning your meals for the week before hand will guide you on what your budget for the week should be and save you over-spending.

Shopping

Try and pick out one day of the week that’s your shopping day and stick to it. If you make a stop at the store every day or several times a week, you’ll end up spending way more money in the long run.

Make sure you use your list and don’t get distracted by offers such as BOGOF which can easily lead you to buying food you don’t really want or need. If you do take advantage of them, be sure that you need the products, and will use them all.

More often than not, loyalty to one supermarket can work against us in terms of saving. We should always be aware that prices fluctuate between stores. You might find yourself making a substantial saving on your weekly shop by going to a different supermarket rather than staying loyal to one store. Shopping online allows you to compare baskets and also keeps you away from distractions as you make your way up and down the aisles!

Follow these tips and see how much saving you do this January! If you want to get started on making the most of your frozen ingredients, check out our Freezing & Defrosting FAQs and tasty frozen recipes.

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What would happen on Stir up Sunday?

Families would gather on the fifth Sunday before Christmas to make and ‘stir-up’ their Christmas pudding. Stir up Sunday has some strong traditions and religious connotations attached to it. For example, only 13 ingredients (Jesus & 12 disciples) would be added to the pudding. The pudding mix would traditionally be stirred by each member of a family from East to West (to remember the Wise Men of the East that visited Jesus in the Nativity Story). Beyond this, a customary garnish of holly and the addition of a lucky coin would be added.

Our favourite Christmas pudding recipe…

To help you get in the ‘Stir-up’ spirit we wanted to share our favourite Christmas pudding recipe – the cherry pecan Christmas pudding.

This BBC Good Food recipe puts a twist on the traditional pudding recipe, with the addition of cherries and Disaronno. Why not ditch the glacé cherries and replace with frozen cherries, to add moisture and extra tang to your pudding? You can also use frozen orange and lemon zest in this recipe to save waste and add a punchier flavour than freshly grated.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cherry-pecan-christmas-pudding

Simply adding a few extra touches to your Christmas pudding can make a big impact! Take the plunge this Stir up Sunday, and get adventurous with your puddings.

Don’t like Christmas pudding? You can still serve a show stopper of a Christmas dessert with a huge range of high quality frozen desserts. Most can be cooked straight from frozen or simply defrosted before serving, Coppenrath and Wiese have some of our favourites including a Black Forest Kirsch Torte:

http://www.coppenrath-wiese.co.uk/products-and-stockists/coppenrath-wiese-gateaux-tortes/

Once your pud is ready – it’s time to get ready for Christmas…

Stir up Sunday provides a great opportunity to get yourself ready for the Christmas season – and what better place to start, than with your freezer. It’s never too late to organise your food or learn how to stock the perfect freezer. Christmas is often a time where your freezer is filled to the brim with Christmas goodies, so now is time to get organised. Let us help you with these simple steps…

Always follow the ‘top, middle, bottom’ drawer rule when organising your freezer

If you’re not aware of these freezer drawer rules, let us help:

• Top drawer – Cream, brandy butter, ice cream, frozen fruit, pre-made goodies
• Middle drawer – Vegetables, roast potatoes, soups
• Bottom drawer – Turkey, ham and goose

Fill your freezer up – but not too much

The temptation at Christmas is to go overboard and fill your freezer to bursting. Despite freezers working at their most efficient when they’re full, they still require room for cold air to circulate. Filling your freezer to around 75% capacity is the sweet spot you should look for.

Make a Christmas list and stick to it

Making a list for Christmas may seem obvious, but it’s really easy to over-buy. Buying too much and leaving ourselves open to limited freezer space is a common Christmas fail.

Has your Christmas countdown begun? Check out our Top tips for a terrific Christmas blog post to ensure your Christmas runs as smoothly as possible!

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