All The Latest From Hydratem8

A lovely recipe for vegetarians and vegans for a warming lunch. Whilst a winter dish, it can also be served cold in the summer, so your insulated pots are a fantastic container for this meal whatever the temperature. Experiment with other vegetables and herbs if you want to change the recipe at all.

Many years ago, this used to be called ‘boiled beef and carrots’ – but it was never beef, always bacon! This casserole is really hearty, a little heavy on the calories and carbs but you can always balance that with other lower calorie and carb dishes throughout the day. You can either make it with leftover bacon joint (such as at Christmas) or in this case, we have used unsmoked bacon lardons. Whichever way, it’s a tasty meal! Much of the liquid will be absorbed and reduced, so don’t worry if it looks a lot to start with.

One for the whole family, or a great meal to give to the children if they have a group of friends round. Try to use some flavoured sausages as a variation to the normal pork ones, adds more flavour to this dish – ones such as pork and leek, pork and caramelised onion etc. Or go bold and use chorizo style with more spices contained in the sausages

A good old shepherd’s pie is a familiar and popular dish in British cuisine. We have deconstructed this – but it is more or less the same in a usual recipe! Enjoy this wholesome British classic which is enjoyable at any time, whether lunch or supper, or an overnight shift at work. No need to reheat!

You can buy readymade mini meatballs in supermarkets these days but making your own is more fun and tastier! You need about 6 small meatballs per person for this, but we have cut down the time for the overall recipe by using sofrito sauce in a jar and just adding a few bits to it to make it so much tastier. We have also added a little pasta in the form of broken up spaghetti, just to make the dish more filling if required. You don’t have to if you don’t want to!

A taste of the Caribbean will warm you up and think of holidays in the cold winter months! This delicious dish has a great depth of spice. Make no mistake, this stew is quite fiery, but with coconut milk it cuts through the heat and makes the dish creamier.

This recipe is a batch cook, so if you work strange hours like a night shift, you can just go straight to your freezer and take out a portion, defrost and reheat, and you are ready to go. Packed with protein and relatively low in fat and carbs, you won’t feel bloated or sleepy after you eat. The spices provide a delicious smoky flavour to the dish.

A great time-saving recipe for all the family and light on the washing up! Chicken and delicious earthy mushrooms are the focus of this dish, with gentle heat emanating from the paprika. We have added spinach and peppers as well for something green!