🍉 High Summer Week

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BBQ Salmon, Dill & Preserved Lemon Butter 🕐 30 min ✋ ONE-HAND 🌱 FRESH

Wednesday 19 August · delivery lands 5-6pm, cooking ~7pm · light + fresh

Method (30 min)

Crushed potatoes: boil 750g M&S baby new potatoes whole, 15 min until tender. Drain, tip onto a tray, crush each lightly with the back of a fork, drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil + flaky salt. Into a hot oven 200°C fan for 15 min until the edges crisp.
Dill & preserved lemon butter: soften 80g butter (fridge). Mix in 2 tbsp chopped dill (garden), 1 preserved lemon finely chopped, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, a squeeze of ½ lemon, pinch salt.
Salmon: pat dry the 120g single fillet + 600g multi-pack (~720g, 5-6 fillets total). Season, place on a lined tray. Roast 200°C fan for 12-14 min until just cooked — still faintly translucent in the centre, it finishes off the heat.
Finish: melt half the flavoured butter straight over the hot salmon as it comes out of the oven.
Fennel & rocket salad: shave 1 fennel bulb thin, toss with 60g rocket, a squeeze of lemon, olive oil, salt.
Serve: salmon + crushed potatoes + salad, remaining butter on the side to spoon over.

⚡ Pull the salmon early: take it out while the centre still looks faintly translucent — carryover heat finishes the job on the tray. Overcooked salmon is the only real failure mode here.

👅 Taste before serving: the butter needs a proper hit of acid from the preserved lemon plus fresh lemon juice — taste it on its own and add more of either if it reads flat.

💸 Free upgrade: crisp the potato skins harder for longer if you have the time — the crunch against the soft salmon and butter is the whole point of the dish.

~720g salmon fillets 750g new potatoes 1 fennel bulb 60g rocket dill + preserved lemon + parsley butter

👶 One-hand-friendly: flaked fish, soft crushed potato — easy fork food.

Hamish daytime (Wed): Lunch — plain flaked salmon + potato + carrot sticks. Snack — banana + yoghurt + breadstick.

🥪 Thu adult lunch: any leftover salmon flaked into a wrap with rocket + lemon; otherwise Thu's Greek salad ingredients cover a quick plate.

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🇬🇷

Greek Salad Night + Spanakopita Pockets 🕐 20 min 🌱 VEG 🧊 FREEZER

Thursday 20 August · low-effort freezer night · fresh + veg

Method (20 min)

Oven: preheat 200°C fan. Lay 8 spanakopita pockets (freezer, straight from frozen) on a tray. Bake 18-20 min until golden and crisp — check the pack for the exact time.
Salad base: chop 1 punnet Isle of Wight tomatoes into wedges, ½ cucumber into half-moons, into a big bowl.
Add: 100g olives (pantry), thinly sliced ¼ red onion, and crumble over 150g Ocado Greek feta (most of the block).
Dress: 3 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tsp dried oregano (pantry) + salt + pepper. Toss gently — don't crush the feta.
Bread: warm 6 M&S pittas in the oven for the last 3 min alongside the spanakopita, or in a dry pan.
Serve: spanakopita pockets + Greek salad + warm pitta, extra olive oil drizzled over the top.

⚡ Dress right before serving: Greek salad goes watery fast once salted and dressed — don't get ahead of yourself and dress it early while the spanakopita's still in the oven.

👅 Taste before serving: it should taste sharply of lemon and oregano — feta alone reads flat. Add more lemon before more salt.

💸 Free upgrade: toast a spoonful of the flaked almonds (bought for Monday) for 2 min in a dry pan and scatter over the salad — free crunch, and only a spoonful's worth so Monday's still covered.

8 spanakopita pockets (freezer) 1 tomato punnet ½ cucumber olives 150g feta ¼ red onion 6 pittas

👶 One-hand-friendly: soft pastry, soft salad veg — fork or fingers.

Hamish daytime (Thu): Lunch — a spanakopita pocket (cooled, cut small) + cucumber + carrot sticks. Snack — hummus + breadsticks + melon.

🥪 Fri adult lunch: any leftover Greek salad + a spare pitta; otherwise pack cheese + crackers.

📆 Prep for tomorrow (Fri steak night): tonight, pat the 4 flat iron steaks dry and leave uncovered on a plate in the fridge overnight — a dry surface sears far better tomorrow.

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🥩

Flat Iron Tagliata, Rocket & Parmesan 🕐 40 min ★ STEAK NIGHT

Friday 21 August · Steak Night Friday · flat iron swap — Joe's own call, cheaper and he loves it

Method (40 min)

Rosemary potatoes: preheat oven 200°C fan. Cut 800g Albert Bartlett rooster potatoes (from the 2kg bag) into wedges. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp chopped rosemary (garden) + salt. Roast 35-40 min, turning once, until crisp.
Rest the steaks: take the 4 Canvin & Gunner flat iron steaks (800g) out of the fridge — they've been drying uncovered since last night — and let them come fully to room temperature, ~20 min before cooking.
Sear: get a heavy pan smoking hot. Oil the steaks, season with salt only. Sear 2-3 min per side for medium-rare — flat iron is thin and lean, it goes from perfect to tough fast, so don't overcook it. Rest 5 min under foil.
Salad: toss 60g rocket with Ocado Parmigiano Reggiano shaved thin (a vegetable peeler works well) and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar + olive oil.
Serve: slice the rested steaks thin against the grain, fan over the rosemary potatoes, salad on top, more shaved Parmesan + a final drizzle of balsamic.

⚡ Flat iron is not sirloin: it's a thinner, leaner working-muscle cut — sear hard and fast, then rest properly. Don't cook it like a thick sirloin steak or it turns tough within a minute of going past medium-rare.

👅 Taste before serving: taste the balsamic drizzle before you commit — some bottles are sharp, some already sweet-reduced. Adjust the oil-to-balsamic ratio accordingly.

💸 Free upgrade: a spoonful of the preserved lemon liquid from the jar whisked into the balsamic dressing — unexpected, and works brilliantly against the richness of the steak.

🍽️ Serves 4½ — Joe swapped the planned sirloin (3 steaks, ~700g) for flat iron himself, mid-shop. Flat iron packs run smaller, so I bumped it to 4 packs (800g) to keep the night at a proper 4½ portions — worth knowing if the trolley total looked heavier than expected on this line.

800g flat iron steak 800g rooster potatoes 60g rocket parmesan balsamic garden rosemary

👶 One-hand-friendly: knife-and-fork for the grown-ups; Hamish's steak finely chopped and soft.

Hamish daytime (Fri): Lunch — leftover spanakopita or plain pasta + carrot. Snack — melon + grapes + breadstick.

🥪 Sat lunch: tonight's leftover steak + potatoes, sliced cold or warmed through — no dinner tomorrow night, so this doubles as tomorrow's lunch.

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🛋️

No Dinner Tonight — Not Eating In

Saturday 22 August · night off · Hamish still needs feeding

🧊 Hamish's tea (freezer, 15 min)

Oven: preheat 200°C fan. Bake 6 fish fingers (freezer) for 12-15 min, turning once, until golden.
Sides: raw carrot sticks + cucumber — whatever's easiest, no extra cooking needed.
Parents: nothing to cook tonight — enjoy the night off.

6 fish fingers (freezer) carrot cucumber

Hamish daytime (Sat): Lunch — leftover Friday steak + potatoes, finely chopped. Snack — hummus + carrot + breadstick.

🥪 Sun lunch: no packed lunch needed — Sunday's brunch covers it.

🥑

Brunch for 8 + Beef & Black Bean Estofado 🕐 45 min brunch · 2hr braise dinner ★ SHOWSTOPPER

Sunday 23 August · brunch late morning, guests for 8 · dinner is a slow braise, mostly hands-off

🥞 SUNDAY BRUNCH (serves 8, 45 min)

Bacon: grill or fry all 28 rashers streaky bacon (2 packs) in batches until crisp, keep warm.
Halloumi: slice 2 blocks Cypriot halloumi (500g) into 1cm slices, fry 2-3 min per side until golden.
Avocado smash: mash 5 avocados with the juice of 1 lime, salt, pepper, a pinch of chilli flakes (pantry) if liked.
Baked eggs (the "slightly nicer" option): heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan, soften ¼ red onion, add 1 punnet tomatoes chopped + 200g frozen spinach (straight from the freezer). Simmer 8 min until it collapses into a sauce. Make 8 wells, crack in 8 eggs, cover, cook 6-8 min until whites are set but yolks soft. Scatter coriander.
Bread: warm 16 brioche rolls in the oven, split.
Fruit platter: cube 1 melon, halve a bunch of grapes, scatter torn mint over.
Lay it out: build-your-own rolls (bacon or halloumi + avocado smash), baked eggs straight from the pan, fruit platter on the side.

⚡ Don't rush the baked eggs' lid-on stage: the steam is what sets the whites gently without the yolks going hard — resist lifting the lid more than once to check.

👅 Taste before serving: the avocado smash needs real acid and salt or it disappears against the bacon and halloumi — lime plus a proper pinch of salt, tasted before serving.

💸 Free upgrade: fry the halloumi in the same pan as the bacon fat rather than clean oil — free flavour, no extra cost.

28 bacon rashers 500g halloumi 5 avocados 8 eggs 200g frozen spinach 1 tomato punnet 16 brioche rolls melon + grapes + mint

👶 One-hand-friendly: soft egg, torn bacon, mashed avocado — all fine on Hamish's own little plate.

Hamish daytime (Sun): the brunch itself covers lunch — soft egg + avocado + a small piece of bacon + melon. Snack later — carrot + hummus. Evening: a small bowl of the estofado (mild, before extra chilli) + rice + avocado.

🇲🇽 SUNDAY DINNER — Beef & Black Bean Estofado (2 hrs, mostly hands-off)

Brown the beef: pat dry 1kg diced British beef (2 packs). Brown hard in batches in a splash of oil in a large pot — don't crowd the pan. Set aside.
Base: soften ½ red onion + 2 garlic cloves (paste is fine) in the same pot, 5 min.
Spice: stir in 3 tbsp estofado powder (Joe's Mexico stash, pantry) + the browned beef. Add 1 tin chopped tomatoes (pantry) + 400ml stock or water. Cover, simmer low 1.5-2 hrs until the beef is falling-apart tender, stirring occasionally.
Beans: stir in 1 tin Ocado black beans (drained) for the final 15 min to warm through.
Quick slaw: shred ¼ white cabbage fine, toss with a squeeze of lime, salt, pinch of sugar if you have it, leave 10 min to soften slightly.
Pickle: thinly slice the remaining ¾ red onion, cover with a splash of vinegar + pinch salt, leave while the estofado finishes.
Serve: estofado over rice (pantry), with the quick slaw, red onion pickle, a wedge of avocado, coriander and lime.

⚡ Brown the beef properly, in batches: crowd the pot in step 1 and you steam the meat instead of building the fond that makes the whole braise taste of something.

👅 Taste before serving: the braise should taste rich but bright, not flat — taste and adjust with lime and salt; lime cuts through the fat where more salt alone won't.

💸 Free upgrade: a spoonful of the chipotle in adobo from the fridge door stirred through at the end, if you want extra smoky heat — costs nothing, already open.

1kg diced beef 1 tin black beans estofado powder red onion white cabbage avocado + coriander + lime rice

💜 Flo Sunday batch bake: while the estofado braises low and slow, Flo's bake happens (see Flo tab) — cheddar-chive muffins + banana-tahini loaf, take 2. Oven's free either side of the braise.

👶 One-hand-friendly: the braise is soft and mashable for Hamish; chop the slaw a little finer for him.

🥪 Mon adult lunch: any leftover estofado reheated over rice; otherwise Mon's halloumi couscous doubles as lunch fixings.

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🧀

Halloumi Couscous Salad, Preserved Lemon & Tahini 🕐 20 min 🌱 VEG ✋ ONE-HAND

Monday 24 August · fast assembly night · uses up the week's tomatoes and red onion

Method (20 min)

Couscous: put 300g couscous (pantry) in a bowl, cover with 350ml boiling water + pinch salt, cover, leave 8 min, fluff with a fork.
Chop: 1 tomato punnet into small dice, ½ cucumber into small dice, ¼ red onion finely sliced, 1 preserved lemon very finely chopped (rind and all).
Tahini dressing: whisk 3 tbsp tahini + juice of 1 lime + 3 tbsp water + 1 tbsp olive oil + pinch salt until it loosens to a pourable dressing — it seizes up at first, keep whisking, the water brings it back.
Halloumi: fry 2 blocks Cypriot halloumi (500g) sliced 1cm thick, 2-3 min per side until deep golden.
Toast: 2 tbsp flaked almonds + 1 tsp sesame seeds in a dry pan, 2 min, until golden — watch them, they burn fast.
Build: couscous folded through with the diced veg + preserved lemon, tahini dressing drizzled over, sliced halloumi on top, toasted almonds + sesame + coriander scattered over.

⚡ Whisk through the seizing-up stage: the tahini dressing looks broken and grainy halfway through step 3, then suddenly loosens into a proper dressing once enough water is in. Don't give up on it early.

👅 Taste before serving: preserved lemon is intensely salty-sour, so taste before adding any extra salt to the dressing — it's easy to over-season on top of it.

💸 Free upgrade: char the halloumi slices a little harder than feels comfortable — proper deep golden-brown edges, not just pale gold, make a real difference here.

300g couscous 500g halloumi 1 tomato punnet ½ cucumber ¼ red onion preserved lemon tahini flaked almonds + sesame

👶 One-hand-friendly: soft couscous + halloumi cut small — fork or fingers.

Hamish daytime (Mon): Lunch — couscous (no preserved lemon, milder) + a piece of halloumi + cucumber. Snack — melon + carrot + breadstick.

🥪 Tue adult lunch: leftover couscous salad cold — the dressing keeps it moist overnight.

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🍜

Miso-Ginger Ramen, Tofu & Veg Gyoza 🕐 25 min 🌱 VEG 🧊 FREEZER

Tuesday 25 August · slurpy finish to the week · tofu + freezer gyoza

Method (25 min)

Broth: heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a big pan, fry 2 tbsp grated ginger + 2 garlic cloves (paste ok) 1 min. Stir in 3 tbsp miso (pantry) + 1 tbsp gochujang (pantry) and fry 1 min more. Pour in 1 litre stock (Marigold bouillon, pantry), simmer 10 min.
Tofu: pat dry the 2 blocks Cauldron tofu (800g), cut into cubes, pan-fry in a little oil 6-8 min until golden on most sides. Set aside.
Gyoza: pan-fry or steam 16 frozen veg gyoza (freezer) per pack — usually a splash of water + lid on 5 min, then uncovered 2 min to crisp the base.
Noodles: cook the 4 packs Amoy udon noodles (600g) per pack — usually just a quick dunk in boiling water, 1-2 min, drain.
Build bowls: noodles → ladle broth over → tofu + gyoza on top → a good pile of kimchi (fridge, ~¾ tub) → sliced frozen spring onion straight from the freezer (it wilts in seconds) → grated ginger + coriander to finish.

⚡ Fry the paste before adding liquid: toasting the miso-gochujang mix in the oil in step 1 deepens the broth — skip it and dump straight into stock, and it tastes flat and one-note.

👅 Taste before serving: the broth should taste rounder and more savoury than you expect, not thin — adjust with more miso for depth or a splash of soy for salt.

💸 Free upgrade: a soft-boiled egg (6 min 30 sec, ice water, peel) halved over each bowl — free protein lift, and it's what finishes a proper ramen bowl.

800g tofu 16 veg gyoza (freezer) 600g udon noodles kimchi ginger miso + gochujang frozen spring onion coriander

👶 One-hand-friendly: noodles + broth in a bowl, spoon; tofu cut small.

Hamish daytime (Tue): Lunch — plain noodles + tofu + carrot (no gochujang, mild). Snack — banana + yoghurt + breadstick.

🥪 Wed adult lunch: leftover ramen broth + noodles reheated with a splash of water — or start fresh with next week's plan.

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💜 Flo Sunday Batch Bake — cheddar-chive muffins + banana-tahini loaf (take 2)

Both bake Sunday around the estofado braise — the oven's free either side of it. ~35 min active. One savoury, one sweet, both freezer-friendly and one-hand grab-and-go for feeds.

1. 🧀 Cheddar & Chive Muffins (savoury, ×12)

Oven + tin: 190°C fan. Line a 12-hole muffin tin.
Whisk: 2 eggs (Joe's chickens) + 150ml milk + 60ml oil.
Dry mix: 250g self-raising flour (or 250g plain + 2.5 tsp baking powder) + pinch salt + pepper.
Fold: combine wet and dry gently, then fold in 120g grated cheddar (most of the block) + 3 tbsp chopped chives (garden) — don't overmix.
Bake: divide between the 12 holes, top with a little extra cheddar. Bake 20-22 min until risen and golden, skewer comes out clean. Cool 10 min in the tin before turning out.

2. 🍌 Banana-Tahini Oat Loaf — take 2 (1 loaf / ~10 slices)

Oven + tin: 170°C fan. Line a 900g / 2lb loaf tin.
Wet: mash all 5 ripe bananas — genuinely spotty and soft this time, not the 3 half-ripe ones from last time (~500g mashed). Whisk in 3 tbsp tahini + 2 eggs + 3 tbsp honey + 50ml oil + 1 tsp vanilla (pantry).
Dry: mix 150g plain flour + 100g porridge oats + 1.5 tsp baking powder + ½ tsp cinnamon + pinch salt.
Combine: fold dry into wet until just mixed — don't overwork it once the flour's in.
Bake: 50-55 min — longer than last time, since there's more banana and moisture in it. Check with a skewer from 45 min and don't pull it early just because the top looks done. Cover with foil if it's browning too fast.

🍽️ Fixing last time's miss: the previous loaf went in with only 3 half-ripe bananas and came out under-baked. This batch uses all 5 genuinely spotty bananas plus the extra 5-10 min bake time and a proper skewer check before it comes out.

💜 Flo grab-and-go summary

Sunday = 2 bakes, ~35 min active, both sharing oven time with the estofado. Savoury cheddar-chive muffins (protein + salt hit) + banana-tahini loaf take 2 (iron from tahini + slow-release oats, properly ripe banana this time). ~22 snacks total (12 muffins + 10 slices). Both freeze well — bag up what won't get eaten by midweek. One-hand fuel for night feeds.

Ocado basket — Wed 19 Aug 5-6pm delivery

Total basket £182.89, 77 items. Well over the usual £100-125 — the brunch for 8 accounts for a chunk of it (bacon, halloumi, avocados and rolls at that scale add up fast), and the rest is a genuinely full week of fresh veg, herbs and citrus rather than any premium extras.

Pantry / cupboard — assumed present Couscous · jasmine/basmati rice · estofado powder · miso · gochujang · rice wine vinegar · chilli flakes · cornflour · olives · dried oregano · harissa · honey · vanilla · plain flour · baking powder · cinnamon · self-raising flour (or plain + extra baking powder) · olive oil · salt + pepper · eggs (Joe's chickens)

Freezer chip-away this week 8 spanakopita pockets — Thu · 200g frozen spinach — Sun baked eggs · 16 veg gyoza — Tue ramen · frozen spring onion — Tue ramen · 6 fish fingers — Sat, Hamish's tea. Five items chipped away this week — a proper dent in the freezer.

Garden herbs used (not bought) Dill — Wed salmon butter · chives — Flo's muffins · rosemary — Fri potatoes

🍖 Meat + fish

M&S Scottish Single Salmon Fillet 120g £2.75
M&S Scottish Skin On Salmon Fillets 600g £11.50
Ocado 14 Smoked Streaky Bacon Rashers ×2 £9.20
M&S Select Farms Diced British Beef 500g ×2 £28.00
Canvin & Gunner Flat Iron Steak 200g ×4 £20.00

🥬 Fresh veg

M&S British Baby New Potatoes 750g £1.85
Albert Bartlett Rooster Potatoes 2kg £2.50
Ocado Washed Wild Rocket ×2 £1.70
M&S Fennel £1.15
Ocado Cucumber ×2 £1.98
Isle of Wight Cherry Tomatoes ×3 £12.00
Ocado Red Onions (3-pack) £0.95
M&S White Cabbage £1.00
Ocado Medium Ripe Avocados ×4 packs (8) £6.00
Ocado Mixed Peppers £2.10
Ocado British Carrots 1kg £0.69
Ocado Honeydew Melon £1.90
Ocado Mixed Seedless Grapes £2.00
Ocado Root Ginger £1.56

🌿 Fresh herbs + citrus

Ocado Coriander ×2 £1.00
Ocado Mint £0.50
Ocado Flat Leaf Parsley £0.50
Ocado Lemons ×4 £1.45
Ocado Limes ×5 £1.20

🧀 Dairy + dips

Ocado Greek Feta 200g £2.25
Ocado Cypriot Halloumi 250g ×4 £9.00
Ocado Parmigiano Reggiano 200g £4.00
Ocado Houmous £1.40
M&S British Extra Mature Cheddar 350g £2.80

🍞 Bread

M&S White Pittas ×6 £0.65
Brioche Pasquier Rolls ×2 packs (16) £3.70
Ocado Original Breadsticks £0.49

🫙 Cupboard + tins

Ocado Balsamic Vinegar £1.65
M&S Beldi Preserved Lemons £2.00
Belazu Tahini 500g £7.15
Schwartz Sesame Seeds £2.15
M&S Flaked Almonds £1.85
Ocado Black Beans in Water £0.47
Amoy Udon Noodles ×2 (4 packs) £4.30
Cauldron Organic Tofu Block ×2 £5.80

💜 Flo's bake

Ocado Rainforest Alliance Bananas ×5 £0.95
Cheddar (shared with Dairy) —
Tahini (shared with Cupboard) —