Meal Prep That Actually Works: Time-Saving Tips from The Batch Lady

In this episode of In Good Taste, I sit down with time management expert and six-time bestselling author Suzanne Mulholland, aka The Batch Lady, to talk about why batch cooking and batch prepping might just save your sanity (and your Christmas). From turning daily cooking drudgery into something manageable, to using your freezer like a pro, Suzanne shares the systems and shortcuts that help real-life home cooks get dinner on the table with less stress, less waste and way less thinking. WHAT WE COVER ➡️ Batch cooking vs batch prepping: cooking double for the freezer, and Suzanne’s game-changing method with raw-prepped meals ➡️ Why she never makes more than two of the same meal – and how to avoid being stuck with a depressing vat of the same dish ➡️ Freezer strategy 101: turning yours into a tidy “library” of flat-packed meals instead of a graveyard of mystery Tupperware ➡️ The problem with freezing random ingredients (hello, endless chopped celery) and why full meals beat “transferring the chaos” from fridge to freezer ➡️ What actually freezes well (dal, curries, stuffed chicken, paella, rice) and what doesn’t – plus how to avoid stodgy rice and sad watery veg ➡️ Suzanne’s Christmas game plan: do December in November so the festive season runs on autopilot – including planners, one-pot family dinners and leftovers ➡️ Entertaining without losing the plot: with things to make-ahead you'd never believe! ABOUT ME I’m Mallika Basu, food writer, advisor and spice obsessive, on a mission to make food matters accessible, joyful and useful for food lovers. My new book, In Good Taste: What Shapes What We Eat and Drink – and Why It Matters (paperback), is out 22 Jan 2026 and available to pre-order in the UK now. FOLLOW ME Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallikabasu_/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/ YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@MallikaBasu Substack: https://mallikabasu.substack.com/ Follow In Good Taste so you never miss a weekly episode on food matters for food lovers – and if you enjoyed this one, give us a like or share a comment to help others find the show.