Episode 5

Can batch cooking truly transform our dinnertimes? Joe Swash and batch cooking expert Suzanne Mulholland, aka The Batch Lady, dish out a proper helping of inspiration as they help families with great time-saving tips and easy-to-follow recipes, and prove that anyone can make mealtimes stress-free. Joe and Suzanne meet the Knight family in Cambridge. Single dad Darran balances his full-time job as a teacher with looking after his two children. With so much on his plate, Darran's fallen into a cooking rut, relying heavily on the same jarred sauces and quick oven meals. Joe and Suzanne uncover Darran's habits and reveal the total time he spends in the kitchen, the number of trips he makes to the shops, and how his cooking habits are affecting his budget and the family's nutrition. To revitalise Darran's dull routine, Suzanne kicks off with a kitchen makeover, re-organising the space to make it perfect for batch cooking. She shares valuable time-saving tips and introduces delicious, batchable recipes that are perfect for his busy schedule, such as a sausage traybake, slow-cooked beef Massaman curry and pizza-flavoured stuffed chicken breasts. The kids also join in to help lighten Darran's load. When Joe returns to see how things have changed, has Darran's new batch cooking routine transformed his hectic life?