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00:01Suzanne and I are back together.
00:03Lead the way Professor Batch.
00:05Helping families up and down the country get control of their meal times.
00:10It is chaotic.
00:12That is an insane amount of snacks.
00:16As a dad of six kids, I know getting good healthy food on the table fast can be a nightmare.
00:21Grump is up!
00:23Like feeding the three bears, innit?
00:25With my batching tips and tricks, we're going to make those dreaded dinner times a thing of the past.
00:30Three minutes, your dinner is done, no fuss.
00:34We'll help struggling households.
00:36Oh! Could you eat that and not die?
00:39Who find feeding the family stressful.
00:41That chicken's off.
00:43We'll analyse what they eat.
00:45You're only getting a balanced diet 20% of the time.
00:50And what they spend.
00:52I thought that was a month.
00:53And thanks to some clever hacks and easy to follow recipes.
00:57Well done mate!
00:59We'll save them time.
01:00When in life does someone give you three weeks of your life back?
01:03And money.
01:04That's a good holiday isn't it?
01:06Revolutionising their meal times.
01:08What do we think boys?
01:09Come here John.
01:10Can we have this tomorrow?
01:12If you can't beat it, batch it.
01:15I can't see us ever going back.
01:18It's life changing isn't it?
01:19Definitely.
01:19It's a hug and a ball.
01:21Aw, come here.
01:28Today I'm meeting Suzanne in Knoxvishy.
01:32Hello, hello.
01:33Morning Joe.
01:33Welcome to the lovely market town of Banbury.
01:36I tell you what, I love a marketplace.
01:39What you got in that bag?
01:40These are Banbury cakes.
01:42Oh.
01:42They date back to the 17th century.
01:44But there's a secret recipe and nobody's giving it out.
01:47Oh, imagine if you kept your recipes a secret eh?
01:49No batch cooking.
01:50Talking about batch cooking, we are here to meet the Sellers family.
01:53Now, Dad Rudy loves cooking.
01:55Yeah.
01:55Loves being in the kitchen.
01:56But because of his full time work, the family are often eating after 9 o'clock.
02:01It's not great to eat really late at night.
02:04Studies have shown that it gives you higher blood pressure and can give you an increased
02:07rate of stroke.
02:08So I think we should get this family batch cooking, eating earlier, eating healthier.
02:12Right, Suzanne.
02:14Follow me.
02:14Let's go.
02:15Do you want to taste my cake?
02:17God, I love a little nibble.
02:23Buzz, not for you.
02:25Rudy.
02:27Hey.
02:28Technology sales manager Rudy and teaching assistant Sarah.
02:32Rudy.
02:32Live with the sports mad son Warwick and dog Buzz.
02:36Our home life is pretty busy.
02:38Both Rudy and me work full time and obviously have a 12 year old who I spend a lot of
02:44time
02:44taxing around to all of his activities, football, athletics.
02:49I describe our life as organised chaos.
02:52So I don't necessarily know where I'm going to be on any given day.
02:57While Sarah is busy ferrying Warwick around, Rudy gets home late from work and starts cooking dinner.
03:02I did used to do most of the cooking and then it came to Covid.
03:09Being a key worker I still had to go to work every day.
03:12Rudy would do one trip to the supermarket a week and because he had done the shop it just made
03:19sense for him to cook the meals.
03:22Since then Rudy has totally taken over in the kitchen.
03:26I have a control freak nature around the cooking, being alone in the kitchen.
03:31I'll kind of offer, do you need a little bit of help shopping anything whatever, but normally it's like, no,
03:35I'm fine and sorted.
03:36So I'll tend just to keep Will out of the way.
03:39I'd like to help him in the kitchen.
03:41I think cooking together would bring us together more.
03:44When Sarah and Warwick return home, dinner is still hours away and everyone resorts to snacking whilst they wait.
03:51I know Warwick snacks, I'm ashamed to say.
03:53I do often find myself looking around for a packet crisps or some crackers, biscuits.
04:00Dinner, come on.
04:01And when dinner is finally served, it's nearly bedtime.
04:04So about 9.30, dishing up and then straight to bed for work really and not too much long after
04:12for the two of us.
04:13It would be really nice just to not feel rushed spending time together.
04:18I think my dad probably could do with some help.
04:21Maybe he doesn't always want it, but he might need it.
04:24I tend to go for high fat, high salt options.
04:27I know that it's going to go down in treat and I won't get any rejections at the table.
04:31But Rudy knows these unhealthy habits can't continue.
04:36I've often thought a lot about turning 50 and that is largely down to the age that my dad was
04:43when I lost him.
04:44He only ever made it to 50 and so 50 has been as good a reason for me as any
04:49to make a change.
04:50Not just for me, but also for the family.
04:52I want to be around cooking for them for years to come.
04:55But I also want them to be eating healthy things so that, you know, they don't have the same worries
05:00when they reach this age.
05:02Sounds like Rudy and Sarah have called us in the nick of time.
05:06Exactly, Jo.
05:07And with the family out of the house, we want to understand where they're going wrong.
05:14Smells amazing in here, doesn't it?
05:15Smells so good.
05:16Really nice and fresh, doesn't it?
05:19Right.
05:19What are your first impressions?
05:22So clean.
05:23It's uncluttered.
05:25So far, so good.
05:26But as I always say, the key to organise mealtimes is an organised fridge freezer.
05:32Oh.
05:33Oh.
05:33It's clean, it's tidy.
05:36We've got some yellow sticker reduced items.
05:39There's not a lot of food in here actually.
05:41Let's hope better for the fridge freezer.
05:42Oh, we've got some more reduced stickers.
05:44They're the yellow sticker family.
05:47Someone likes a bargain.
05:48Are they buying what they need or are they buying it because it's a bargain?
05:51Wow.
05:52Discounted items can be great value, but only if they're part of a plan.
05:57Otherwise, they're just freezer clutter.
05:59Right, we'll leave that there for a rainy day.
06:02We've not seen no fruit bowl, no fruit in the fridge.
06:06There must be big fruit eaters in this house.
06:08To be honest, I'm not seeing that much food at all for feeding a family.
06:13Shall we have a look at this little cupboard down here?
06:15It's screaming at me.
06:17Ooh.
06:18Well, that's a lot of packets.
06:20I feel like we've found our hidden treasure trove.
06:23What does that tell you?
06:25I'm a fan of these micro-rices because they're really good on busy nights.
06:30But there's a lot of dried sauces.
06:32I wonder if they're using it in the dates.
06:35And these packet sauces can be expensive.
06:37It can be cheaper to make your own.
06:39At least then you know what's in them.
06:42Exactly.
06:43This is the doomsday prepping box.
06:46I'm not sure how long you'd last on packet sauces.
06:50Shall we have a look?
06:51What else?
06:53Oh, nice plates, bowls.
06:57Oh, this is where you find all of Grandma's old utensils.
07:01Now, be careful, cos, look, that is definitely a hazard waiting to happen,
07:06putting your fingers in there.
07:07Oh, here they come.
07:10Hello, everyone.
07:10Hello, hello.
07:11How are you?
07:12Nice to see you.
07:13Really good.
07:13Good to see you.
07:13Hi, guys.
07:14How are you?
07:15So, tell me, what are dinner times like?
07:18It's really samey, really, yeah.
07:20We have quite a lot of the same foods a lot of the time.
07:23I've been cooking a lot for a while, but not always the best things at the best times.
07:27Yeah, we just want to get into doing some different meals and things, really,
07:31rather than having the same thing all the time.
07:33Right, Warwick, do you mind if we bowl your Mum and Dad for a little while?
07:36Catch you in a minute.
07:36Mum and Dad, shall we have a little chat?
07:38Yeah, absolutely.
07:39To help us get to the root of the family's food issues,
07:42we've installed cameras into their kitchen.
07:46What's up, man?
07:48We've been keeping tabs on everything that they've been buying, cooking and eating.
07:56I know this is a time that everyone dreads, but shall we have a little look?
08:00Yeah, go on then.
08:01Are we ready?
08:02Yeah.
08:04This must be your daily shopping trip.
08:07We are seeing lots of shopping trips every day, every two days.
08:12At least, yeah.
08:12Sometimes twice in a day.
08:15The lack of an ordered plan is taking its toll.
08:18Our cameras showed that over a two-week period,
08:21the family only managed to eat dinner before seven o'clock once,
08:25with two school night meals post 9pm.
08:30We just sort of look in this corner and see the times of when you are cooking.
08:35Yeah.
08:36It's sort of after eight most nights.
08:38So I haven't seen you have dinner in sunlight for quite a while.
08:41A lot of your dinner times are at night time.
08:44Yeah.
08:44I'm often commuting back in from London.
08:46Get back around half seven, eight.
08:48Then I do a food shop.
08:49Then I come home and cook it.
08:51And then we eat.
08:52Everybody's always waiting for you at the table.
08:54Like, just nice and forks in hand.
08:56Come on, Dad, where is it?
08:58A continual late and irregular pattern to mealtimes can have negative impacts on sleep quality,
09:05which can cause daily tiredness.
09:07This is especially bad for 12-year-old Warwick,
09:10and the late meals aren't just impacting his sleep.
09:14But I know for a fact I can hear him eating when he's sort of waiting for me to cook
09:19something.
09:21But our cameras also show that Warwick isn't the only one with an unhealthy snacking habit.
09:26I don't like waste, so if there's something left behind, I'll tend to go for it.
09:31Because one of these was midnight.
09:32That can't be good for your digestive system.
09:35I kind of felt like it was worth it at the time, though.
09:37You like your barbecue sauce.
09:39You like my barbecue sauce.
09:40Listen, everyone feasts, everyone snacks.
09:43It's just what we snack on, so it'll be quite easy for us to replace some of this stuff for
09:47healthy snacks.
09:48Yeah, it'll be good.
09:49With all the yellow sticker food this family buyer, you'd think they'll be getting a bargain.
09:53But actually, it's costing them more than they realise.
09:58So, on average, you're spending £209.27 a week on your groceries.
10:06That's a bit disappointing.
10:07At work, I live on budgets and numbers, but when it comes to buying food and shopping, I don't really
10:13think about it.
10:13I think you're like a lot of people in the country.
10:16They just randomly, every week, just think, well, we need it, so we're going to have to pay for it.
10:21But we don't do it with anything else in our lives.
10:25Budgeting is becoming more important with increased food prices.
10:29But daily shops and unplanned meals don't just cost more money.
10:34You're spending 16 hours and 13 minutes a week shopping, preparing and eating.
10:40Yeah.
10:40Over the course of the month, you did 25 shops.
10:43You're spending more time with the lady in your grocery store than you are with your own wife.
10:47Yeah.
10:49That's a crazy amount of time to go shopping.
10:53It's time that we should be spending as a family.
10:55Joe and I couldn't find a fruit bowl in the kitchen.
10:58And that absence is reflected in our analysis of the family's diet.
11:03So you've got a nutritionally balanced diet around 40% of the time.
11:07And I think a lot of that is down to your not having very much fruit.
11:12I think Rudy and Sarah were shocked with some of the statistics.
11:15We just need to change the habits, you know, get them into a better routine.
11:20Things do need to change.
11:21If we spent a little bit of time planning, having meals ready in advance,
11:27things that we can eat earlier,
11:30we just make a massive difference to our family.
11:33This family love eating around the dinner table.
11:35We don't want to change that,
11:37but we want to make sure it's not at nine o'clock at night.
11:39He is working full-time and commuting a long way as well,
11:42so that time is really going to change his life if we can reduce that in any way.
11:47But before we get making meals and batching,
11:49I want to find out how eating late and having little family time is affecting Sarah.
11:54You know how much cooking did you do back in the day?
11:56I used to do all the cooking.
11:58I used to, like, plan it all, do the shop and cook every meal.
12:03Chilis and bolognases, all the kind of mince-based type things, lasagnas.
12:07It's mad, really, because even now when you're talking about cooking,
12:11you talk about it with a smile on your face.
12:13So I think it's such a shame that, through circumstances,
12:17you're falling into different habits and you're not doing it no more.
12:20Do you miss it?
12:23Erm...
12:24I think I probably do miss it.
12:25I miss that kind of doing something for my family that they,
12:29you know, they've really enjoyed it.
12:31Do you still want to reignite that passion you have for the kitchen?
12:35Definitely like to get back in there again
12:37and let Warwick see his mum actually doing something that's for him.
12:42When we were looking back at the videos,
12:44you were having dinner quite late.
12:46Cooking late means that you're tidying up late,
12:48so sometimes it's, like, ten o'clock before we get to sit down together.
12:51We really don't spend much time together at all.
12:53Use the time more wisely.
12:55Definitely.
12:55Don't waste it.
12:56No, definitely.
12:56It goes too quick, doesn't it?
12:58It does.
12:59She obviously has a history of cooking.
13:02It's just reminding her how much she enjoyed it.
13:05So we just need to get her in the kitchen a little bit
13:07and hopefully all those memories will come flooding back.
13:23We're in Oxfordshire helping the Sellers family,
13:26where late night dinners are leaving everybody exhausted.
13:31Rudy's taking control of the shopping and the cooking.
13:34When Rudy's in the kitchen, I try to stay right out of the way.
13:38I pretty much try to let him just get on with what he wants.
13:40We are largely focused on getting the food into our parties
13:43and then getting into bed shortly after.
13:45I don't spend time with my dad because he's working a lot.
13:49I don't really see dad too much.
13:51It's about time we got this family back on track and ready to batch.
13:56But before we can get cooking, it's time to get this kitchen organised.
13:59And whilst it might look pristine, the problems are just below the surface.
14:04So one thing I want to ask, the drawers.
14:08This one, we'll just sort it so that it's a little bit less hazardous
14:11and you can find everything.
14:14Typically we have around £500 worth of unused gadgets and utensils
14:17cluttering up our kitchens.
14:20This looks like my hairdryer cord.
14:22Sorting out their kitchen drawers makes cooking so much easier.
14:26I feel like some of these could go in a little nice pot.
14:29While Suzanne and Sarah roll up their sleeves at home,
14:32I'm taking Rudy to the supermarket.
14:34Let's grab ourselves a trolley.
14:36Let's go shopping.
14:37I want to show him how completing one big organised shop
14:41rather than daily trips will have a drastic effect
14:44in reducing the family's time spent on food.
14:47All right, here we are.
14:49The one thing we noticed, there was a lack of fruit.
14:52Yes, I'm doing the daily shop mainly focused on dinner time.
14:55Yeah.
14:55So I'm kind of forgetting it in the basket.
14:57Listen, don't worry, because only one in five adults
14:59are hitting the target when it comes to fruit and veg and stuff like that.
15:03Fruit is a great snack.
15:05It's naturally low in fat and calories,
15:07so let's get some in the trolley.
15:09Do you guys like some apples?
15:10I'm partial to a pink lady.
15:12If you like a pink lady, let's get a pink lady.
15:14There we go.
15:15I'll tell you what my kids love.
15:18Little oranges.
15:19The easy peelers.
15:20Hard fruits last much longer than soft fruits,
15:23like blueberries and strawberries.
15:25So all they need to do is eat the soft fruit first
15:28and keep the hard fruits for later on in the week.
15:31So all week long, you're going to have fruit in the house.
15:33It's a much better snack, isn't it?
15:35And it's not just the fresh aisle where Rudy should be looking.
15:39Frozen fruits are great too.
15:41Look, you've got mixed berries here.
15:42You've got strawberries.
15:44It's often just as nutritious as fresh.
15:47Frozen right after being picked,
15:49help and preserve the vitamins and minerals.
15:51These make the best smoothies.
15:53Bit of milk, bit of yoghurt.
15:55A smoothie's a great way to start the day.
15:57Quick and easy as well, all right?
15:58It keeps you off the pan of chocolate as well, doesn't it?
16:02Our trolley.
16:03It's looking good.
16:04It's looking healthy.
16:05Yeah.
16:06So I'm stopping here because these beans and chickpeas,
16:10they actually can as one of your five a day.
16:12Okay, wicked.
16:12They're full of protein, full of fibre,
16:15and it really beefs out a meal.
16:17Do you know what I mean?
16:18Yep.
16:18Shall we get a few?
16:19Let's get a couple.
16:21Legumes, like chickpeas, beans, peas and lentils,
16:24could be a great swap for me.
16:26As they're high in protein, inexpensive and have a long shelf life.
16:31Let's get going.
16:32Yeah.
16:33I feel like we've done a really good job.
16:34They're going to be proud of us, the ladies.
16:36Yeah, I'm looking forward.
16:36Hello, you all right?
16:38Where are you feeling about letting go of a little bit of control in the kitchen?
16:41Are you going to be one of those that are going to be looking over people's shoulders going,
16:45Oh no, that needs a stir.
16:46I'm definitely going to have a look, but I'm probably not going to say as much.
16:49You know what I mean?
16:49Exactly.
16:51Armed with bags of healthier food, it's time to head back to the house.
16:56Hello, hello, hello.
16:57Hello.
16:57How have you been getting on in the kitchen?
17:00Your drawers are now beautiful.
17:03Oh, wow.
17:04At least now you won't lose no fingers when you go in there.
17:07Exactly.
17:08And we've also given you a lovely fruit area.
17:11Hopefully you have bought fruit.
17:13Yes.
17:14Perfect.
17:14Keeping fresh and dried fruit readily accessible should encourage the family to swap some of
17:20their unhealthier choices.
17:21This is key to the Batch way of life, where small changes can make a big difference.
17:29Rudy has taken control of the cooking for years.
17:32I don't know that anyone else feels like they can even come into the space when I'm cooking.
17:37I try to be helpful, but actually it's the absolute opposite.
17:40I certainly need to give over a little bit of control of the kitchen back to the family.
17:45So today I want to get Sarah back in the kitchen with this comforting dish.
17:50It's my creamy mushroom Alfredo pasta bake.
17:55How does it feel to be cooking in the kitchen?
17:58Yeah, I'm very excited.
17:59Start by slicing mushrooms and cooking them in a little olive oil.
18:03Do you ever get a chance to cook together?
18:05I will offer to help Rudy, but often he'll just tell me that he doesn't need it.
18:09Occasionally he'll ask me to grate some cheese or something.
18:12So you're like his sous chef is what you're saying.
18:14Basically, yeah.
18:15We want to change that.
18:16We want to make you feel like you're both in the kitchen working side by side as a lovely team.
18:22Right, how are we looking?
18:23Yeah, they look good.
18:24They smell lovely.
18:25That looks great.
18:25We're at the stage now that we can add our garlic.
18:27Minced garlic from a jar saves all the hassle of peeling and chopping fresh cloves yourself.
18:33I want to add some spinach to this now as well.
18:36I love spinach.
18:37It's packed with iron and vitamin K, which can be good for blood and bone health.
18:41So we just want it to wilt down.
18:43Smells lovely.
18:45Once the mushroom and spinach mixture is done, we can start making the sauce.
18:49I mean, Rudy loves a packet sauce.
18:52He does.
18:53We've seen his box.
18:54But actually it's really easy to make a sauce from scratch as well.
18:57OK.
18:58We're making a roux, which is the start of a simple white sauce.
19:01Begin by heating equal parts of butter and flour.
19:04Have you made a roux before?
19:05I have, but sometimes I do need to get my blender on it.
19:09The secret to avoid having to blitz a lumpy sauce is to stir in the milk gradually.
19:14It's quite satisfying.
19:16Think of the workout.
19:17When the sauce is silky smooth, add the cheese.
19:20So we're using granul padano, already grated.
19:24It's a similar flavour to parmesan, but it's less expensive.
19:28Now the sauce is done, we can add in our mushroom and spinach mixture.
19:31You give that a good stir around.
19:33Time to divide the sauce into two.
19:35One to cool to be batched and one to eat now.
19:39Perfect.
19:39Next, add the fresh tortellini pasta.
19:42These little parcels are great as they come stuffed with delicious fillings like ham and cheese.
19:47Ours are filled with mushroom to complement our sauce.
19:50Fresh tortellini, you don't need to cook it first.
19:53So you can just add it to the sauce and it will cook while it's in the oven.
19:56You could vary this recipe by swapping the cheese sauce for a tomato passata
20:00and using different tortellini fillings.
20:03We're going to add some mozzarella to it now just to make it even lovelier.
20:07And that's it.
20:08That is ready to go in the oven.
20:09190 for 20 minutes.
20:11It's going to be bubbly, brown, delicious.
20:14Once our second batch is cooled, we can label it, bag it and freeze it.
20:19I like to keep the pasta separate in the bag it came in.
20:22The mozzarella can be frozen and that is your meal kit.
20:26Everything that you need to cook that meal.
20:28One for the freezer, one for tonight.
20:31Yay.
20:32Well done.
20:33Thanks.
20:34Just look at that.
20:35A stunning dish 100% cooked by Sarah.
20:38Oh, this smells amazing.
20:40And for once the kitchen was a Rudy-free zone.
20:43Sorry, Rudy.
20:44We don't need you any.
20:45Oh, you don't need any in the kitchen.
20:47If I'm honest, I wanted to poke my head in a few times to see how everything was going on.
20:50Yeah.
20:51But I held on to my nerve and apparently I wasn't needed.
20:55Are you impressed to see how well your mum done in the kitchen?
20:58Yeah, definitely.
20:59So it was nice to have a nice earlier dinner all together and my mum especially made it.
21:06Rudy, Warwick, what's the verdicts?
21:09Is it a thumbs up?
21:10Ooh.
21:12Yes.
21:13Well done, Sarah.
21:14Thumbs up.
21:15It's nice to feel like you've done something for your family so that they enjoy and they appreciate.
21:21So, yeah, it was a really nice feeling.
21:24Sarah's got great confidence in the kitchen.
21:26She's not forgotten those skills.
21:27She just needs to keep getting in the kitchen so she keeps building on it day after day.
21:33Our stats showed that the Sellers family were struggling to hit their five a day.
21:38So in my test kitchen, I'm going to show Joe an easy way to pack our dinners full of veg.
21:44Joe wished all be eating more vegetables.
21:46So I want to show you three recipes that are all full of veg.
21:51Amazing.
21:51I'm always trying to get more vegetables into the kids so it's a great idea.
21:55Joe, I thought you'd give your chopping hands a rest.
21:57I've already chopped and roasted some veg so I'll put these to one side.
22:00Oh, you're so kind, isn't you?
22:01Roast your veg in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
22:05Hard veg like butternut squash and onion will take longer to roast than your soft veg like courgettes and peppers.
22:11Let's make some quiche.
22:12I love a quiche.
22:14I've just used ready-roll puff pastry and already done the tin so we're ready to go.
22:18Mix together six eggs with a splash of milk.
22:21And then you're going to whizz it up gently.
22:25Why do I say gently?
22:29Next up, add some grated cheese to the pastry tin before adding in a third of the veg.
22:34I love roasted veg. It gives off a lovely flavour.
22:38Pour over the egg mix, top with cheese and it's ready for the oven.
22:42It looks amazing already. It hasn't even been cooked.
22:46Next up is my super simple veggie lasagna.
22:50Start by mixing together tomato puree with passata.
22:54I just went for one of these pre-flavoured passatas which is onion and garlic so we don't even have
22:59to add any extra flavouring.
23:00No messing about.
23:02Stir through the veg and then make a white sauce.
23:04This version is even easier than the one I made with Sarah earlier.
23:08Just mix creme fraiche, milk and mozzarella.
23:11And that is our cheese white sauce.
23:14Amazing.
23:16Right, time to assemble.
23:18Perfect.
23:19And then let's get some lasagna sheets on the top.
23:22There we go.
23:22Layer up your white sauce, passata and pasta sheets until you're happy.
23:28It's made in perfect Joe style.
23:31Top with grated cheese and you're done.
23:33Just cook from frozen whenever you need it.
23:35And that is a very quick, very easy roasted veg lasagna.
23:41Amazing.
23:42With the rest of our roasted veg we're going to make a curry.
23:44Lovely, lovely.
23:46Add olive oil and chopped frozen onions to the pan.
23:49Next we're going to use our cheats garlic puree and ginger puree.
23:53Then add in your chopped tomatoes and coconut milk.
23:56Looking good.
23:57Before mixing through your curry paste.
23:59And that's going to give it a lovely colour.
24:01All that's left is for you to put the roasted veg in.
24:04So easy to make.
24:06Cook together for another five minutes and your curry is ready.
24:09Incredible.
24:10From two trays of roasted veg we've got three tasty ways for the sellers to get more veg in their
24:15diet.
24:19Mmm.
24:20Mmm.
24:21That's lovely.
24:23A triumph to batch cooking.
24:25Well done.
24:31Back at the house our cameras discovered that Rudy cooks alone in the kitchen.
24:35Missing out on family time.
24:37It would be really nice spending time together.
24:40Mealtime is probably the one and only time that you can guarantee you have that every day.
24:46I'm keen to discover how this is all affecting Rudy.
24:49How important are your family to you?
24:52Family is everything.
24:53Genuinely it's all I have.
24:54I came to this country just me alone.
24:57So what I have here and what I've established kind of means the world to me.
25:01Is it stressful doing dinner for a family after coming home from work all day?
25:05The kitchen is the real one space where I can give back to the household.
25:08But yeah truth be told it is a bit of stressful.
25:11I do like to take control.
25:12I think where maybe I've gone a bit far is people don't feel like they can come in and join
25:17in.
25:18They kind of give that kind of grumpy chef vibe.
25:20But at the same time you know when Sarah does prepare a meal or even when work knocks up a
25:24piece of toast.
25:25I'm actually grateful for it.
25:27Would you find that you're now becoming more aware of eating healthy?
25:31Yeah.
25:31Because you're reaching that 50 mark.
25:34Yeah.
25:34My dad died when he was 50.
25:37Yeah.
25:37And I want to make sure that I'm living a lot longer than that.
25:40I can relate to that because I lost my dad when he was 39 and I was 11.
25:45So I had a real funny year a couple of years ago when I turned 40.
25:49Suddenly I was older than my dad.
25:51It just doesn't feel natural.
25:52It is something that I hold inside.
25:54I think about you know this kind of side of me is not something I show to a lot of
25:58people.
25:59Yeah.
25:59You've got to make a positive out of a negative.
26:02Yeah.
26:02You know it's completely negative what happened to your dad.
26:05But you're going to turn it around, break the cycle and use it to better yourself.
26:09Yeah I'm hoping for that really.
26:11Yeah.
26:11Here's to eating healthy.
26:12Cheers.
26:13Here's to seeing our grandkids.
26:16I can really relate to him with wanting to be in the kitchen.
26:19Because I don't think it's a controlling thing.
26:22I think it's more to do with the fact that he really loves his family.
26:25So when he's at home he takes great pride in preparing food.
26:29So that's exactly why batch cooking can really help.
26:31It will just give them a little bit of structure.
26:33And with that I feel like this family will really really thrive.
26:37Rudy is keen to have more family time.
26:40So I'm going to show him a home cooked dish that's quick, easy and delicious.
26:44My curried chicken and chickpea pie served with sagaloo that certainly packs a punch.
26:51I wanted to show you a dish today.
26:54It's a curry dish but we're doing it in a pie.
26:56Sound good?
26:57Yeah, awesome.
26:58Start by frying onions and peppers in olive oil.
27:01I'm keeping our prep time to a minimum by using ready chopped frozen veg.
27:06Right, while that's just cooking away we're going to dice some chicken thighs.
27:09Okay.
27:10You could use chicken breasts but chicken thighs are more flavoursome, juicier and often cheaper.
27:16And this is where we're using a paste so we're going to use a korma.
27:19A korma curry is known for its rich creamy flavour and mild heat.
27:23How about that?
27:24Perfect.
27:25These concentrated spice pastes deliver intense flavour and once opened they'll keep in the fridge for around two weeks.
27:31I'm just going to add this flour in and that's going to help for it to start to thicken.
27:35Okay.
27:36Now chickpeas.
27:37I think you might have picked some of these up at the shop.
27:40Guilty as charged.
27:41They make meat go further, saves money, really good for health as well.
27:45Packed with protein and fibre they're also a great source of iron.
27:49This is where we would add stock.
27:51We can just add in the water and then we're going to add in the grated stock cube.
27:55Rather than dissolving stock cubes in water it's much easier to grate them straight into the pan.
28:00That's great, I would never have thought to have done that.
28:03Next, mango chutney for some tangy fruit flavour and creme fraiche to make it creamy.
28:08So you can use reduced fat, you can use full fat, but just because you're health conscious you stick with
28:13the reduced fat.
28:13Unlike fresh cream, creme fraiche rarely curdles when stirred into hot sauces.
28:18And that's the filling done.
28:20Right, our pie dish.
28:21Always I'm conscious of if you make double, let's not eat double.
28:25Yeah, okay.
28:25Let's make sure that half of it ends up in the freezer for another night.
28:29Pop half the filling into a pie dish and leave the rest to cool ready to batch.
28:33Right, we've cooled down nicely so we can now put our pastry on the top.
28:37You could make your own puff pastry from scratch, but this is ready rolled and so much easier.
28:43You're going to just roll it all the way over.
28:45And then you can start to pull it off the paper.
28:49A quick egg wash and it goes in the oven, whilst the remaining pie filling goes in a freezer bag.
28:54And then what you do is you freeze it with your pastry.
28:58And Rudy's got a batched pie ready to assemble for another day.
29:01It's a balanced healthy meal on its own, but as a treat we're going to serve ours with a classic
29:05Indian side dish, Sagaloo.
29:07I have a man who makes amazing Sagaloo.
29:11Yeah, it's Joel Slash!
29:14Right, Rudy, here we go.
29:16These potatoes are already pre-cooked, which is brilliant.
29:19Also, someone's already peeled them, which is the worst job.
29:23Defrost and drain the frozen spinach.
29:26Heat it through in olive oil and add the potatoes.
29:29We've got a little potato in it, it escapes.
29:32Oh yeah, oh yeah!
29:34Potatoes are a great source of fibre, which is essential for gut health.
29:38Right, Rudy, get some curry paste in there.
29:41I'm using tikka paste.
29:42A blend of spices, garlic, ginger and tomatoes that's packed with flavour.
29:47I'm going to give it a good old toss.
29:48Go on, give me some!
29:51Perfect, the pie's done, time to tuck in.
29:53Shall I serve up?
29:54I think you should.
29:56Hummeroo, don't be shy, give us a nice big beer.
29:59The sellers struggle to get their five a day.
30:02With the onions, peppers and chickpeas all in the pie, plus the spinach here,
30:06they'll be hitting four portions of veg in this one meal alone.
30:09Get in there, oh it smells wonderful.
30:13It's delicious, I love the creaminess of it and it's kind of mild enough for everyone to enjoy,
30:18but spicy enough for me.
30:20Oh good, so it ticks a lot in the boxes, didn't it, for you guys?
30:23Sarah, do you want to come and try some of our curried pie?
30:27Ooh, smells lovely.
30:31Yeah, it's really delicious.
30:33I think Warwick would love this.
30:35I could eat more of this.
30:36I'm really getting the grips with the benefits of batch cooking.
30:39It's amazing to know that we'll be able to plan ahead.
30:42And even better for me, the flavours are really amazing.
30:44A real triumph, I think.
30:46With the sellers, it's all about cooking in advance before it's late at night.
30:50They're able to then produce meals that are healthy and ready and convenient for them in the freezer.
31:05We're in Oxfordshire, helping the sellers family, where Rudy's taking control of the kitchen.
31:10What are we having with it?
31:11Sweet chilli wings, and for mum, mac and cheese.
31:14I'll kind of offer, do you need a little bit of help chopping anything or whatever,
31:18but normally it's like, no, I'm fine and sorted, so I'll tend just to keep Will out of the way.
31:22You're thinking, when's my dinner time?
31:24Where are you going?
31:25OK.
31:26But serving up late is leaving everybody exhausted.
31:29I certainly need to give over the control of the kitchen.
31:33I don't know that anyone else feels like they can even come into the kitchen,
31:35and it's kind of the opposite of what I would like it to be.
31:39Cooking together would bring us together more.
31:42To get Sarah and Rudy in the kitchen cooking side by side,
31:45I'm showing them a twist on a cottage pie, my tasty beef and potato dough from Waz.
31:51I've got you both in your kitchen at the same time.
31:55Tender beef topped with thinly sliced potatoes baked in cream.
31:59This is a perfect dish to get Rudy and Sarah cooking together.
32:02And to put an end to their late night dinners, we're batching.
32:06This time I'm not doubling the ingredients, I'm tripling them.
32:10Start by frying chopped frozen onions in a pan.
32:14Whilst they cook, peel and chop the carrots.
32:17When was the last time you cooked together?
32:19The last time we cooked together was Christmas.
32:21Yeah.
32:21We typically share that duty.
32:23Great, so maybe we need, I don't know, a Sunday cooked together.
32:26Yeah.
32:27Ready for the week ahead.
32:28That would be quite nice.
32:30Then add your beef mince.
32:32For this dish we're using 5% fat.
32:34Just break it up with the spoon as you're putting it in.
32:37We want to add some flavour.
32:39So we've got some tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce.
32:42We've got some thyme.
32:44It's all starting to come together.
32:45I want to add in some flour now.
32:47Flour absorbs the liquid, thickening the sauce.
32:50Now to grate in the stock cube and Rudy can share my little hack with Sarah.
32:54What you'll do now is grate it in and that way it doesn't get sticky and thick.
32:58Ah.
32:59Suzanne, you're a culinary cupid.
33:02I'm bringing them together one batch tip at a time.
33:04Don't worry about if it starts to smash a bit.
33:06OK, and the other one?
33:07Yeah, I'm going to open that for you.
33:09Teamwork makes the dream work.
33:10That's what they say.
33:11There you go.
33:13And we're going to add the water.
33:14Pass that to you.
33:18Bab, we want to add in our peas, OK?
33:20We've left them until the last minute because they don't take long to cook.
33:24OK.
33:24So we don't want all the goodness to cook out of them.
33:26We can add some salt and pepper in there as well.
33:29That's the meat sauce done.
33:31So we can divide it into three.
33:33One for our dauphinois to cook now and two to batch.
33:36That is perfect.
33:37Look, we can just give it a little smoosh down with the back of the spoon.
33:40Now to thinly slice the potatoes for the topping.
33:43We don't need to peel them.
33:44I've given these potatoes a good wash and instead we just want to cut them really thinly.
33:51How are you doing there?
33:52Yeah, all right.
33:55And what do you know?
33:56They're actually having fun cooking together.
33:59Concentration.
33:59I think I've got this now.
34:01Yeah, I've got it, I've got it, I've got it.
34:03Parboil the sliced potatoes.
34:05We don't want them to cook completely as they'll finish cooking in the oven.
34:10Drain the potatoes and add the cream.
34:13Now we just want to layer the potatoes on top of the mince.
34:16A bit slippery.
34:17Yeah, they are.
34:18Great.
34:20That looks good.
34:21Before we finish up, we've just got some grana padano that can go on the top.
34:26And one of them we're going to put in the oven and the other one, as soon as it's cool,
34:31we're just going to put a lid in it and put it in the freezer.
34:33The final third of the meat sauce can be bagged up and frozen.
34:36Do you need a hand?
34:38Let me jump in.
34:39These will be perfect for another day on top of jacket potatoes.
34:42Well done you guys.
34:43Thanks.
34:44You did it.
34:46So there you have it, my delicious beef and potato dough from Waz.
34:50Served with a side of nutrient packed green beans means this meal hits three of your five a day.
34:57All right.
34:57All right.
34:58All right.
34:58Here we go.
34:59Oh, look at those.
35:01And this looks incredible, guys.
35:02Fantastic.
35:03Right, do you want some beans?
35:04Yes, please.
35:05Warwick, what do you think of the potato dough from Waz?
35:08It's really nice.
35:09Do you like it?
35:09It's this just ranked here.
35:11I really enjoyed cooking together.
35:13It was fun.
35:13It was really nice to have someone next to me doing some of the tasks that I couldn't do as
35:17quick.
35:18We all know Rudy loves being in the kitchen.
35:20He's made that clear.
35:21But he just needs to let Sarah in every now and then, you know?
35:24And relax.
35:25It's your turn to sit down and be cooked for.
35:33The sellers don't currently eat much fruit at all.
35:36So in the test kitchen, I'm going to show Joe a fantastic occasional sweet treat that's packed full of fruit
35:42flavour.
35:43Joe, I want to make a cheap version of your favourite fast food restaurant, apple pie.
35:48I think I know the ones you're talking about.
35:50OK.
35:50The ones that are sort of molten lava when you bite into them.
35:53Yes.
35:54We're going to make a version of those.
35:55OK.
35:56Unroll your puff pastry.
35:58Even if you're super busy, you can still rustle up this classic apple pie in minutes.
36:03I'm going to use a pizza cutter.
36:04What a brilliant hack.
36:06Yes, it's also great for slicing sandwiches and fresh herbs.
36:10Because it's a cheap version, we're going to use already made applesauce.
36:14So we just want to put a spoonful of it on one edge.
36:18You'd usually buy applesauce for a pork roast, but it makes a great filling for sweet treats too.
36:23We're leaving a gap at the bottom so that when you fold it over, the pastry will stick.
36:29Now to add a dash of cinnamon, dust evenly over the applesauce and the pastry.
36:33Perfect.
36:34Then all we want to do is fold it over.
36:37You don't want a big wadge of pastry.
36:39You just want it to cover the filling.
36:41Seal the pies by crimping the edges with a fork.
36:44You don't want to press it all the way through.
36:46You just want it enough that that filling when it cooks is going to stay in.
36:50We're just going to give them a little egg wash.
36:53We're going to brown the pastry and give it a lovely crispy top.
36:57Finally, sprinkle with brown sugar.
36:59Looking lovely.
37:00So they can just go into the freezer on a tray like this for a couple of hours to flash
37:04freeze and then we can bag them up.
37:05Or they can go into the oven just now.
37:07I reckon we get them in the oven, eh?
37:08Oh yeah.
37:11Bake at 200 degrees for 20 minutes or 24 minutes from frozen.
37:17Suzanne, let's not beat around the bush.
37:19Let's go for it.
37:20Let's get it tasting.
37:23Mmm.
37:24Oh, they are lovely.
37:25The hint of cinnamon is delicious.
37:27Yeah.
37:28And the thing is, these cost under 40 pence each.
37:30You're joking.
37:3140 pence.
37:32My children will love these.
37:34Well done.
37:35Cheers.
37:40Before we arrived, meal times at the Senna's family were a complete mess.
37:45Rudy had pushed Sarah out of the kitchen and eating late meant that they were all reaching for unhealthy snacks.
37:50I can hear him eating when he's waiting for me to cook something.
37:54To make sure the family are set up for success once we're gone, I've created a complete 28-day personalised
38:01meal plan.
38:02It looks pretty impressive.
38:04Full of healthy dishes that I know they'll love.
38:07You'll recognise some of the ones that we've cooked together.
38:10Sarah, you'll see that your mushroom pasta is here and then you'll see it later on in the month as
38:14well.
38:14You can have it in different ways and you've already batched it so you're only cooking it once at the
38:19beginning of the month,
38:20then you've got it for later on at the month.
38:23Having nutritionally balanced meals throughout the day and fruit on display means I won't need to reach for unhealthy snacks
38:29any longer.
38:30I like the fact that the meals aren't too close together so it'll be a while before you have it
38:34again.
38:34As delicious as it is, it's nice to have variety.
38:37Batching means that they don't need to cook from scratch every night so the whole family can sit down much
38:42earlier to a healthy meal from the freezer.
38:45You don't have to come home from work, find food for the night or the night after. It's all here,
38:51you know.
38:51The planner will save them so much time, like batching extra cheese sauce during the week so that they can
38:57have a quick mac and cheese at the weekend.
38:59And we've chosen nights that we know that one of you is going to cook so the other gets the
39:03night off and then the next night I've maybe chosen something that I know you would cook so you can
39:09each take it in turn and then there's plenty here for weekends where you can get together and think let's
39:13spend a few hours and batch some stuff for the week ahead.
39:16Great.
39:17With Sarah's Alfredo pasta and Rudy's curry chicken pie already batched and in the freezer, the cellars are off to
39:23a great start.
39:25How do you feel?
39:26Yeah, I'm excited now. I want to get on and make some of the recipes and get them in the
39:30freezer.
39:31I think this is going to make a huge change for the family. They were spending lots of money. Only
39:36one of them was in the kitchen.
39:37Now they're going to be able to work together as a family, creating family meals together, which is really nice.
39:43I think maybe Rudy, he might struggle a little bit to let go of the reins, but I'm sure he
39:49can do it.
39:58When the cellars family called us in to help, their dinner times were a disaster.
40:03Our cameras revealed that Rudy had made the kitchen his domain.
40:07Late night food shopping and cooking from scratch meant dinners sometimes weren't served until gone nine o'clock.
40:12They were snacking on biscuits and crisps and hardly eating healthy fruit and veg.
40:17You've got a nutritionally balanced diet around 40% of the time.
40:21That's a bit disappointing.
40:23To help the family get back on track, we left Sarah and Rudy with a 28-day batch cooking meal
40:28plan,
40:29which, if they stick to, could make them huge savings in time and money.
40:33Wow.
40:34Great. That's loads of pairs of shoes.
40:37It's been a couple of weeks since we left and the cellars are already making great progress.
40:42We need to find some meals for this week. Burgers, buns...
40:46Yep.
40:47Cheese.
40:48The new regime means that they're planning, cooking and stocking up the freezer together.
40:53Chinese honey chicken. We've got some of this in the freezer. Go on, have a look.
40:57Yeah, you want me to have a look?
40:58Yeah.
40:58Yeah, you can have a look.
40:59You can have a look.
41:01I'm the boss.
41:02Can you just check for me?
41:04Yeah.
41:04We've got the Cajun salmon.
41:06Tick.
41:07It's fantastic to see them working together as a team.
41:12Rudy sometimes shop 25 times a month.
41:15Today, rather than shopping solo, he's got the whole family involved.
41:19I've come armed with the shopping list.
41:21He normally turns up and just pretty much grabs whatever he feels like.
41:25So if he's got his eyes on anything else in there, I'll have to tell him.
41:28The challenge is to stick to the list and get everything they need in just one shot.
41:32We've got quite a bit to get.
41:33This week's meal plan includes lots of healthy dishes like chicken cashew curry, smoked haddock
41:39bake and, of course, lots of fruit.
41:41What shall we replenish the fruit bowl with?
41:43I'm going to go for my pink ladies because those are my faves.
41:47Maybe some pears?
41:48Top marks for filling the trolley with fruit.
41:51Having lots in the house will mean they're less likely to graze on unhealthy snacks.
41:55What fruit would you like?
41:56Cherries, please.
41:57Cherries are a great choice.
41:58They're loaded with powerful antioxidants that help protect cells from damage
42:02and fight inflammation.
42:04You really like that mushroom Alfredo?
42:07Yeah, I do.
42:08Should we make that one again?
42:09Yeah.
42:09It's fantastic to see that my pasta recipe was such a hit.
42:13Great.
42:14So that's the weekly shop done and in just one trip.
42:17All right, you guys, you OK?
42:18Yeah, fantastic.
42:19Right, slow this on.
42:21When Rudy was in control of the shopping, the average weekly food bill was £209.27.
42:27That was £94.55.
42:29Batching really is making a difference, slashing their food bill by over half.
42:37Back home.
42:40Sarah's enjoying being back in the kitchen again.
42:42Who wants a sausage roll?
42:44Yeah, Buzz does.
42:45Rudy is beginning to let me get into the kitchen a bit more and take a bit more control.
42:51How do these compare to the shop bought ones?
42:54Definitely much nicer, I'd say.
42:56I am more comfortable not being as involved in what happens in the kitchen.
43:00But in particular, I actually really enjoy Suzanne's recipes and Sarah's execution.
43:05Did you take some of these to school? What ones do you like?
43:08The bananas and the raisins.
43:10They're eating healthier and the fruit station has been a huge hit.
43:13I 100% know that we're all eating better.
43:16I have at least five portions of fruit and veg every day now.
43:19At least.
43:20We're going to make the cashew chicken curry.
43:22OK.
43:23We will make two lots.
43:24So we'll have some tonight and then some meals in the freezer.
43:28You're the boss.
43:28I'm glad that you've realised that after 26 years that I'm the boss.
43:32We're able to have everything organised in advance so we can eat earlier.
43:37I am enjoying the batching.
43:40It's almost like a challenge now to see how much we can get in the freezer.
43:46Crucially, batching means that they're eating in daylight.
43:50What's for dinner?
43:51Cashew chicken curry.
43:53And it's freed up time in the evening to have fun together as a family.
43:5714 on zap. Game over.
44:01How about I zap you back?
44:04Now we actually have quite a decent amount of time after our dinner just to chill out with each other.
44:10For our diet, for our health, there's so many changes that have been really positive.
44:14I see us sticking with this for the long term.
44:16The sellers have really embraced the batch cooking way of life.
44:20And we want to make sure they stick to it.
44:22So I'm going to show them the difference it will make if they keep it up.
44:27Hi, come on in.
44:28How are you? Nice to see everybody.
44:30It's good to see you again.
44:31How are you?
44:32You remember the stats from when we first started?
44:35Yeah.
44:35Fingers crossed they look a lot different this time round.
44:39Okay.
44:39Soap so.
44:39Are you ready?
44:40Yeah, go on.
44:41Here we go. I'm excited.
44:44Wow.
44:45So if you stay on this journey for the next year, you're looking at saving just under £6,000 a
44:52year in your back pocket.
44:54Great.
44:55That's loads of pairs of shoes.
44:56There you go, Rudy.
44:57She spent it already.
44:59It's gone.
45:00Yeah, I was thinking a holiday.
45:01But yes, okay.
45:02Loads of pairs of shoes.
45:04Now the time wasted.
45:06Remember last time it was 16 hours a week.
45:10You're going to be looking at saving 323 hours a year.
45:15That is so much time.
45:17That's a lot of time.
45:18Health wise, you're going to be in such a better place.
45:20You're saving so much money.
45:23More importantly, the time that you're going to save to spend as a family.
45:27Is this enough of an incentive to stay on the journey for the next year?
45:30Yeah, I could do with £6,000, so why not?
45:33Who wouldn't?
45:33Well, I'm not sure it's going to be your £6,000.
45:36Well, no.
45:38Batch cooking is something that's really going to change our lives.
45:41I was shocked by the amount of hours that we were going to be able to save.
45:4513 days found.
45:47I'm excited for the future.
45:48It would be great just to work as a team together in the kitchen.
45:52There's a lot of opportunities there for us to just have fun.
46:00Next time.
46:01It's just chaos every second of every day.
46:04A single mum of six, tight on time and budget.
46:08We're going for pizza or hot dog.
46:11You're like a restaurant and you just take orders.
46:13Trying to help is an iron-watering experience.
46:16Who's got a little bit of onion juice in there right there?
46:27How Caterpillar Wars went to court.
46:29Aldi vs M&S Battle of the Brands stream.
46:32All watch tomorrow at 8.
46:34Next, there's a model in the mud.
46:36A millionaire out his bubble.
46:37And two political opposites joined at the wrist in new handcuffed last pair standing.
46:42He's outstanding.
46:44Awesome.
46:48It's amazing.
46:51all the time says its name,
46:52For the rest of your time,
46:52could wsp
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