FREEZE-AHEAD ENTERTAINING

Prepare for the celebrations with these special freezer- illers from Diana Henry

Ididn’t have a clue how to use my freezer properly until lockdown. Up to then, it was a bit like a broom cupboard. ‘I’ll work it out later,’ I’d mutter to myself. And, like a broom cupboard, things would fall out when I opened the door. Peas would skitter across the floor, or a pack of chicken thighs, hastily shoved in, would fall onto my foot. Those frozen packs are heavy!

The freezer we had when I was growing up, a big chest model that lived in the garage, was a vast box with ice-lollies, sorbet and frozen Florida orange juice (with bits in), always at the top. In summer, there was a lot of running to the garage to retrieve those lollies.

Come lockdown, we started to organise food as a family and use the freezer properly. At home with my sons, we’d sit at the table to work out what to cook. The freezer became streamlined, because my sons are bossy (the eldest would hold up frozen packs of stu and ask me accusingly what they were). We needed to think further ahead, because we weren’t going out every day to shop, so the freezer became important. Chicken thighs, stock, peas, sweetcorn, soup in food bags, berries – all had a designated area.

I’ve never been the kind of cook who’s organised enough to fill the freezer with dishes to be defrosted and heated for unexpected guests. I cook nearly everything fresh. But the casual dishes you serve over the Christmas holidays – braises, lasagnes, gratins, pies – are perfect for the freezer. Otherwise, in my house anyway, there’s an endless diet of smoked salmon and soup. Apart from the boredom of eating the same thing, these meals made from bits and pieces don’t create the feeling you want. When I have family around, I want there to be a sense of togetherness, which you get with one big dish. Cooking these in advance and freezing them leaves you, if you’re in charge of the food, with more freedom.

For many women – and it’s still mostly women who are in charge here – Christmas can feel like a marathon. I look forward to Boxing Day because I don’t have to cook anything. With a few dishes in the freezer, you’ll have more time to chat and drink. Because remember: Christmas is for cooks, too.