Treat everyone to a tasty pork and cider casserole with The Batch Lady’s simple recipe

THIS week I have two lovely winter warmers for you.

As the weather gets colder and the nights draw in, my pork and cider casserole and lamb massaman curry recipes will give you that cosy feeling.

Both dishes are brilliant for batching as they freeze wonderfully.

The pork and cider casserole is a “no-cook bag” recipe, which you make up from all the raw ingredients and then freeze – perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

This week my top tip is to always make sure you label your freezer bags clearly using chalk pens or sharpies. This will avoid any unidentified frozen foods. Happy batching!

Pork and Cider Casserole

Serves 4

Prep time: 5 minutes.

Cook time: 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

YOU NEED:

• 4 pork shoulder steaks, diced and fat removed
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 200g smoked lardons
• 1tbsp dijon mustard
• 2tsp cornflour
• 1 braeburn apple, peeled and sliced
• 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
• 250ml cider
• 2 heaped tbsp creme fraiche or double cream, to serve

METHOD: Add all of the no-cook bag ingredients to a freezer bag, seal and label it. It’s as easy as that!

Ready to freeze: Place the freezer bag flat in the freezer.

Ready to eat: Remove from the freezer and leave to defrost. Once defrosted, add everything to a slow cooker for four hours on high or eight hours on low.

I recommend cooking on low if you can. Once cooked, stir in the creme fraiche before serving.

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• You can watch video of Suzanne preparing her recipes at thesun.co.uk/batchlady.