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🍂 Freeform Family Week

Joe, Flo, Hamish & the baby · Sun 27 Sep – Fri 2 October 2026

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Inspiration — No strict theme this week — Joe asked for freeform, so this one's built around using up what's already in the fridge (mushrooms, cabbage, peppers, limes, carrots) and restocking the freezer with a proper double batch. The Met Office has a mild, mostly BBQ-friendly week for Bath with just brief wet spells Sunday and Wednesday morning, and Michaelmas falls right in this window (29 Sep) if you want to mention it at the table without making a whole thing of it.
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Roast Pork Shoulder, Crackling, Roast Potatoes & Carrots 🕐 20 min active · 2.5 hr roast ★ ROAST 🍽️ Serves 4½

Sunday 27 September · roast lunch, light supper

Method (20 min active · 2.5 hr roast)

  1. Prep the joint: preheat oven to 220°C. Pat dry the 2kg pork shoulder joint's skin (score deeper if needed), rub 1 tbsp crushed fennel seeds and 1 tsp sea salt (🟩 pantry) hard into the scored skin.
  2. Par-boil the potatoes: peel and halve 1kg Albert Bartlett Rooster potatoes, parboil 8 min, drain and rough up the edges in the colander.
  3. Set up the tray: toss the potatoes in 3 tbsp oil (🟩 pantry) in the roasting tray. Halve 500g carrots lengthways and lay as a trivet under the pork so the fat bastes them.
  4. Roast: 20 min at 220°C, then drop to 180°C and roast a further 1 hr 40 min (2kg at roughly 40 min/kg after the initial blast), until the skin is bronzed and crackling-crisp.
  5. Rest & gravy: rest the joint 20 min loosely covered. Make gravy in the tray with 300ml chicken stock (🧊 freezer) and the tray juices.
⚡ Score deep, salt early: fennel seeds pushed right into the scored skin — not just scattered on top — is what gives crackling actual flavour, not just crunch. Do it as early as you can, even 20 minutes ahead helps.
👅 Crackling not crisping? 5 minutes under a hot grill at the very end, skin-side up, watching constantly — it goes from perfect to burnt in seconds.
💸 Free upgrade: Rocket & apple side salad using the 60g rocket and 1 Pink Lady apple (thinly sliced), dressed with a spoonful of the roasting tray's fat — cuts the richness for free.
🍽️ Serves 4½ — 2kg joint — plenty for lunch plus Monday's sandwiches.
60g rocket & apple salad 500g carrots
👶 Hamish tonight: Shredded pork off the bone (no skin), with mashed roast carrot — keep his portion away from the salt rub.

Light supper — Butternut Squash Soup & Garlic Sourdough 🕐 10 min 🧊 FREEZER

Method (10 min)

  1. Reheat the soup: defrost and gently reheat 1 portion butternut squash soup (🧊 freezer) in a pan over low heat, loosening with 2 tbsp milk (order) if it's thickened.
  2. Garlic toast: toast 4 slices sourdough (🛒 basket), rub with a cut garlic clove while it's still hot enough to sizzle.
  3. Serve: soup with a swirl of olive oil (🟩 pantry) and black pepper, garlic toast alongside.
⚡ The garlic toast is doing the work tonight, not the soup — rub the cut clove onto the bread while it's still hot; that's the only moment it actually perfumes it.
👅 Soup tasting flat after defrosting? a squeeze of lime and a pinch of leftover fennel seeds from lunch wakes it back up.
💸 Free upgrade: Crumble over any hard cheese going (cheddar) for a melting top — no extra shop needed.
🍽️ Deliberately light — lunch was the big meal. This is a bowl-and-bread evening, not a second roast.
🧒 Hamish daytime (Sun) — he is out today: snack plate: houmous, breadsticks, cucumber batons — he's out most of the day.
🥪 Mon adult lunch: Pulled pork & rocket sourdough sandwiches — shredded roast pork, rocket, a scrape of gravy, on the fresh sourdough.
🔔 Prep for tomorrow (Mon): 🔔 Prep for tomorrow: pull the venison burgers out of the freezer tonight to defrost in the fridge overnight — they need to be fully thawed to break up into tomorrow's ragù.

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🍝

Venison Ragù Lasagne (double batch) 🕐 20 min active · 45 min bake 🧊 FREEZER 🍽️ Serves 9

Monday 28 September · double batch — one for tonight, one for the freezer

Method (20 min active · 45 min bake)

  1. Break up the venison: the defrosted 4 venison burgers (🧊 freezer) break up by hand into a large bowl — treat exactly like raw mince.
  2. Build the base: melt 1 tbsp butter (order) in a big pan, add 300g frozen soffritto base (🧊 freezer) and cook 5 min until softened.
  3. Brown the venison: add the broken-up venison and brown well, 8–10 min, breaking up any clumps as it cooks.
  4. Simmer the ragù: stir in 2 tbsp tomato purée, 4 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes and 300ml chicken stock (🧊 freezer); season and simmer uncovered 35 min until thick — venison is lean, don't rush this or it stays thin.
  5. Layer: layer into two dishes with 1 box lasagne sheets and a quick white sauce (butter, flour — 🟩 pantry — 400ml milk order, 100g parmesan grated in).
  6. Top & bake: tear 400g mozzarella over both, bake one at 180°C for 35 min until bubbling and golden; cool and freeze the second, unbaked, wrapped well.
⚡ Venison needs the fat beef mince gives for free — the extra butter in the soffritto step and the parmesan in the white sauce aren't optional here, they're replacing the richness venison doesn't bring on its own.
👅 Ragù tasting thin after 35 minutes? venison releases less fat than beef, so it can taste lean rather than rich — a knob of butter stirred in off the heat fixes it faster than more simmering.
💸 Free upgrade: Garlic bread from the sourdough end sliced, buttered, garlic-rubbed, under the grill for the lasagne's last 5 minutes — free, and better than shop bread.
🍽️ Serves 9 — Doubled deliberately — one tray for tonight, one straight into the freezer to replace the three lasagne portions that ran out this week.
60g rocket, dressed
👶 Hamish tonight: A small square of the meat-sauce layer only (no crisp top), cooled and cut into fingers.
🧒 Hamish daytime (Mon) — he is out today: snack plate: houmous, breadsticks, cucumber — he's out most of the day, but tonight's double batch is what feeds his lunch box tomorrow.
🥪 Tue adult lunch: Lasagne square, reheated, with extra rocket on the side.

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🌯

Chicken Fajita Bowls, Black Beans & Crispy Tortilla, Fried Egg 🕐 30 min 🆕 NEW ✋ ONE-HAND 🌱 VEG 🍽️ Serves 4½

Tuesday 29 September · Hamish home today

Method (30 min)

  1. Season the chicken: slice 900g chicken thigh fillets into strips, toss with 1 tbsp fajita spice (cumin, smoked paprika, chilli — 🟩 pantry) and a pinch of salt.
  2. Sear: fry the chicken in batches in a hot oiled pan, 6–8 min, until charred at the edges; set aside.
  3. Peppers: in the same pan, soften 3 mixed peppers (🥗 fridge, sliced) 6 min until charred and just tender.
  4. Beans: warm through 1 x 400g black beans (drained) with the peppers for the final 2 min.
  5. Egg: fry 4 eggs (🥚 own eggs) sunny-side up in a separate pan while everything else rests.
  6. Build: bowls of chicken, pepper & bean mix, a fried egg on top, a good handful of crushed tortilla chips (🛒 basket) for crunch, a squeeze of lime (🥗 fridge) and scattered coriander (🥗 fridge).
⚡ The fried egg isn't garnish — break the yolk into the bowl as you eat and it becomes the sauce; that's what turns a competent fajita bowl into a proper dinner.
👅 Bowl tasting a bit flat? more lime, not more salt — a full lime's squeeze per bowl, not a token wedge.
💸 Free upgrade: Crushed tortilla chips over the top, not on the side — they go slightly soft under the warm egg, which is the point. Using the M&S tortilla chips already in the cupboard.
🍽️ Serves 4½
👶 Hamish tonight: Plain chicken strips, mashed black beans, pepper cut small, no spice mix, egg yolk mashed through if he's happy with it.
🧒 Hamish daytime (Tue) — he is home today: he's home today. Proper lunch: reheated lasagne square from Monday, cut small, with soft pepper strips on the side.
🥪 Wed adult lunch: Fajita bowl leftovers, chicken and beans reheated, a fresh egg fried that morning.

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🍔

Beef Burgers, Crispy Onions & Lime-Cabbage Slaw 🕐 20 min ✋ ONE-HAND 🍽️ Serves 4½

Wednesday 30 September · beef burgers, swapped in for venison

Method (20 min)

  1. Slaw first: finely shred ¼ white cabbage (🥗 fridge) and 2 carrots (🥗 fridge), toss with the juice of 1 lime (🥗 fridge), a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp mayonnaise (🟩 pantry); leave to soften while the burgers cook.
  2. Cook the burgers: grill or pan-fry 8 beef burgers (🛒 basket), 5–6 min each side, until cooked through.
  3. Toast the buns: toast 4 brioche burger buns (🛒 basket) cut-side down for 1 min in the burger fat.
  4. Build: bun, burger, ketchup, a good pile of crispy fried onions (🟩 pantry) for crunch, slaw on the side.
⚡ Toast the buns, don't skip it — even 60 seconds cut-side-down in the burger fat stops a soft bun collapsing under the patty.
👅 Slaw needs balance, not more lime — a pinch more salt first; salt is what makes shredded cabbage taste of something, lime just makes it sharp.
💸 Free upgrade: Crispy fried onions inside the bun as well as on top — already in the cupboard, and doubling up is free crunch.
🍽️ Serves 4½ — 8 burgers across 2 packs — one each for the adults, an extra for lunch, Hamish gets a deconstructed portion.
👶 Hamish tonight: Burger patty crumbled (no bun), a few slaw strands, plain.
🧒 Hamish daytime (Wed) — he is out today: snack plate: houmous, breadsticks, cucumber batons — he's out most of the day.
🥪 Thu adult lunch: Extra burger patty, crumbled over the leftover slaw, cold.

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🍜

Dashi Udon Noodle Soup, Crispy Tofu Puffs & Soft Egg 🕐 25 min 🆕 NEW 🌱 VEG 🍽️ Serves 4½

Thursday 1 October · Hamish home today

Method (25 min)

  1. Broth: bring 1L water to a simmer with 2 tsp dashi powder (🟩 pantry), 2 tbsp light soy (🟩 pantry) and a thumb of sliced ginger (🛒 basket).
  2. Noodles: add 3 packs J-basket udon (🟩 pantry — check the packet: if dried/ambient, cook per packet first; if frozen, straight in from frozen), simmer 4 min until loosened and heated through.
  3. Pak choi: halve 2 pak choi (🛒 basket) lengthways, add to the broth for the final 2 min to wilt.
  4. Crisp the toppings: pan-fry 200g bacon lardons (🛒 basket) until crisp, and separately crisp tofu puffs (🟩 pantry, halved) in the same pan.
  5. Egg: soft-boil 4 eggs (🥚 own eggs) 6 min 30 sec, then halve.
  6. Serve: ladle broth and noodles into bowls, top with lardons, tofu puffs, egg halves, sliced spring onion (🥗 fridge) and ½ tsp chilli oil (🟩 pantry).
⚡ The tofu puffs need their own pan time, not just a float in the broth — crisping them separately in the bacon fat is what stops this being 'noodles in water' and makes it taste like something you'd order.
👅 Broth tasting one-note? more light soy before more salt — it's got sweetness plain salt doesn't, and the dashi wants a savoury partner, not just seasoning.
💸 Free upgrade: Furikake scattered over the top — already open in the cupboard from the Asian delivery, adds sesame crunch and umami for nothing.
🍽️ Serves 4½
👶 Hamish tonight: Noodles cut short with scissors, plain broth (no chilli oil), egg yolk mashed in, lardons chopped small.
🧒 Hamish daytime (Thu) — he is home today: he's home today. Proper lunch: burger patty (crumbled, from Wednesday) with slaw, plus a soft egg.
🥪 Fri adult lunch: Any leftover noodle soup reheated in a thermos, or — if it's gone — sourdough & cheese toastie.

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🐯

Thai Crying Tiger Steak (bavette), Nam Jim Jaew, Cucumber & Herb Salad 🕐 20 min ★ GREATEST HIT ★ STEAK NIGHT 🍽️ Serves 4½

Friday 2 October · Greatest Hit — cooked verbatim

Method (20 min)

  1. Toasted rice powder: dry-fry 2 tbsp jasmine rice (🟩 pantry) over medium heat 4–5 min until deep golden and genuinely toasty-smelling, then crush coarse — this is the dish.
  2. Nam jim jaew: mix 3 tbsp fish sauce (🟩 pantry), 2 tbsp lime juice (🥗 fridge), 1 tbsp soft brown sugar (🟩 pantry), 1 tsp chilli flakes (🟩 pantry), 2 tbsp finely sliced red onion (🟩 pantry) and the toasted rice powder; mix early and let it meld.
  3. Sear the steak: sear 800g bavette steak (4 x 200g) 2–3 min per side, medium-rare, no further.
  4. Rest & slice: rest the steak 5 min — do not skip — then slice thin, against the grain.
  5. Rice: cook 350g jasmine rice (🟩 pantry) according to packet.
  6. Salad: toss sliced cucumber (🥗 fridge) with coriander and mint leaves (🥗 fridge) and a squeeze of lime.
  7. Serve: fan the sliced steak over 4 bowls of rice, spoon the nam jim jaew generously over, salad alongside.
⚡ The toasted rice powder is the dish — dry-fry the rice properly until deep golden and toasty-smelling, then crush coarse. It's what makes nam jim jaew taste like nam jim jaew rather than a generic fish-sauce dressing — nutty, slightly gritty, clings to the meat. Don't skip or substitute it.
👅 Sauce needs more than salt to balance — more lime before more fish sauce if it tastes flat; more sugar if it's too sharp. It should hit sour, salty, sweet and hot all at once.
💸 Free upgrade: Fermented black peppercorns crushed into the sauce if there are any left in the cupboard — worked well last time.
🍽️ Serves 4½
👶 Hamish tonight: A little steak, cut small and cooled, plain rice, no sauce (too salty/spicy for him), a few cucumber batons.
🧒 Hamish daytime (Fri) — he is out today: snack plate: houmous, breadsticks, cucumber batons — he's out most of the day.
🥪 Sat adult lunch: Cold sliced steak & rice salad — leftover steak strips over the last of the rice with a spoon of nam jim jaew, if any remains.

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Ocado — Sun 27 Sep, 7:00–8:00am

£150.12 total, 54 items. Two things worth knowing: this ran well over the usual £100–125 band — the pork roast joint, the full 4-steak bavette deal quantity, and the M&S beef burgers that replaced the vetoed venison all added up. And the Wildfarmed sourdough got swapped for Jason's Majestic Malted mid-shop (same price bracket, no impact on any dish) after a mis-add.

🟩 Pantry — not bought oil · flour · sea salt · mayonnaise · fajita spice (cumin, smoked paprika, chilli) · dashi powder · light soy · chilli oil · tofu puffs · furikake · jasmine rice · fish sauce · soft brown sugar · chilli flakes · red onion · crispy fried onions
🧊 Freezer chip-away this week butternut squash soup (1 portion, Sunday supper) · venison burgers (used up whole, into Monday's ragù) · chicken stock (used twice) · frozen soffritto base
🌱 Garden — not used this week dill's spent and the rest wasn't enough for this week's volumes, so coriander and mint were bought fresh instead.
🍖 Meat
  • M&S Heritage Gold Pork Shoulder Joint 2kg £12.80
  • Canvin & Gunner Beef Bavette 200g x4 (deal) £20.00
  • Ocado British Chicken Thigh Fillets 450g x2 £7.58
  • Ocado Smoked Bacon Lardons 2x100g £1.80
  • M&S Only 3 Ingredients Beef Burgers 454g x2 £11.00
🍞 Bakery
  • Jason's Majestic Malted Sourdough 450g £2.20
  • St Pierre Sliced Seeded Brioche Burger Buns x2 £5.80
  • Ocado Original Mini Breadsticks 100g £1.05
🥬 Fresh veg & fruit
  • Ocado Washed Wild Rocket 60g £1.00
  • Ocado Mixed Peppers 3-pack £2.10
  • Ocado Root Ginger 125g £1.56
  • Ocado Cucumber £0.99
  • M&S Spring Onions £0.70
  • Cook With M&S Large Coriander 100g x2 £3.40
  • Cook With M&S Large Mint 100g £1.70
  • Ocado Limes 5-pack x2 £2.40
  • M&S Pink Lady Apples 6-pack £3.00
  • Ocado Garlic 4-pack £0.88
  • Albert Bartlett Original Rooster Potatoes 2kg £2.50
  • Ocado Pak Choi 250g x2 £3.00
  • Ocado British Carrots 1kg £0.69
🧀 Dairy & deli
  • M&S Greek Style Natural Yogurt 1kg £2.00
  • M&S British Extra Mature Cheddar 350g x2 £5.20
  • All Things Cottage Cheese Natural 450g £2.95
  • Ocado British Salted Butter 250g x2 £3.70
  • Ocado British Whole Milk 4 Pints x4 £6.60
  • Galbani Cucina Mozzarella 400g £4.00
  • Ocado Parmigiano Reggiano 200g £4.00
🧒 Hamish snack plates
  • Ocado Houmous 300g x2 £2.40
  • Ocado Original Mini Breadsticks (see Bakery) —
🥫 Store cupboard & tins
  • Del Monte Tomato Ketchup 550g £2.00
  • Ocado Black Beans in Water 400g £0.47
  • Cirio Polpa Finissima Chopped Tomatoes 4x400g £5.00
  • Ocado Italian Tomato Puree Double Concentrated 200g £0.65
  • Barilla Pasta Lasagne Sheets 500g £1.75
  • Cook With M&S Fennel Seeds 31g £1.50
  • M&S Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips 200g £1.25
🍌 Already in the order (staples)
  • Ocado Rainforest Alliance Bananas x2 £1.90
  • M&S Marksologist Amaretto Sour 50cl £18.00