Autumnal Recipe Tips

Hi everyone,

So were are in the midst of Autumn and it won't be long until we start talking about Christmas! So in our last post we talked about our favourite autumnal recipes and I promised to share some tips to help us through particularly if we are doing roast dinners.

Now one thing I always do around this time of year is to meal prep. I plan all the meals for the month and try my best to stick to it. I also make batch meals as it can often be very busy for my husband and I around this time of year.

So my tips are as follows:

1. Plan meals- use a meal planner (you can get them from the Card Factory, WH Smith etc.) especially if you have a family or are hosting people for dinner.

2. Keep it simple- I can't stress enough that simple hearty meals are better than meals that have taken you all day to cook/prepare/plan etc. I find using my slow cooker this time of year is an absolute lifesaver! The last thing you want when your guests arrive or when your family gets home from a day of work/school etc. is for you to be exhausted as it can spoil your enjoyment of time together.

3. Prepare as much as you can (if possible) the day before. I find that preparing ahead is always good as it gives you time to focus on the key bits of your meal (such as the joint).

4. Try doing batch meals- if you are on the go a lot in the week then batch meals are for you. I tend to make batch meals every two weeks and it lasts us a good while as there is only two of us. But things like my butter chicken curry and my mac 'n' cheese recipes are good examples of batch meal making.

5. Pack out your meals- for my butter chicken recipe I pack it out with potatoes and other vegetables (that I have to hand) as then it means I don't have to use a lot of chicken (thus saving money) but also it means that it will be very hearty too.

6. Get the children involved- Children love to help cook and bake! Teach them how to fold napkins, to knead dough or even to make apple crumble (with assistance)- the possibilities are endless!

Those are just a select few of my tips for autumnal recipes. There will be a blog next week on hosting a dinner party for your closest friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. Although I'm not American, I have an aunt who lives in America and loves hosting her friends for Thanksgiving. I will be also picking her brain about Thanksgiving traditions etc.

What tips do you have for autumnal recipes? What tips do you have for hosting a dinner party? Let us know!

Lily

x