One pot is all it takes..

Having spent 4 months in the back of an 80’s pop top camper in Australia, followed by 1 month travelling round in the back of a hatchback car in New Zealand, I have learnt the tips and tricks of eating well, for little money, without having to sacrifice taste. Taking these tricks around the world, camping and seeing other new places, its safe to say i’ve become the..

One Pot Queen

“Queen of cooking a whole meal in only one pot”

Its crazy how many different dishes you can make by only using one pot to cook them in. These dishes are not only great to make when you have limited cooking space, but are also just as delicious when you have a whole kitchen to spread out in.

It was in Australia were I first started rustling up my one pots. We bought an old school camper, which although it was cool as F***, we could only travel MAX 80kpm. Whilst travelling through the wilderness of the outback, days often passed without seeing anyone or being able to reach another town for supplies. So it was here where I learnt quickly, to use what you’ve got and make it fabulous! I would rustle together one pots, packing in cans of different pulses for protein, vegetables and all the herbs and spices you could imagine.

One of the best parts of cooking on the road is the beautiful back drops you have whilst working your magic. Theres nothing better than setting up your camp kitchen, getting yourself a glass of wine, and chopping your onions whilst watching the sunset over the mountains. One thing that I feel is very important when cooking one pots is herbs and spices, as this is how you can really ENHANCE the flavour of your dish, without even really changing the main ingredients.

Having cooked travelled our way around Australia, it was next onto New Zealand, where we bought a long hatchback car, and outdoor camping equipment to travel the country in. Swapping my spacious stood up two ringed hob and grill, for two little ‘ on the floor’ camping stoves, (which gas could run out at any moment) made one pot cooking a new type of adventure.

As we were in New Zealand during the Autumn season, it often became chilli outside in the evenings. So packing our one pots full of bubbling hot sausage and lentil one pot was a perfect way to end the day.

But you do not just have to be out an about on the road to get the most of your one pots. Cooking them at home for all the family is a great way to include 5/5 of your five a day, reduce costs and ensure everyone is super full by the of the meal. On the other hand you can also use them to impress your friends and family at dinner parties, with one pots such as paella and risotto. There really is no end to one pots than you can make and on my blog I shall share some of my favourite one pot recipes you can try for yourself at home.

Some of my favourite go to one pots include…

Sausage and bean one pot.

Mental lentil one pot.

Veggie Chilli con carne.

Jambalaya (all in one rice one pot)

Spanish style bean one pot.

Sweet potato and chickpea curry.

Mums heartwarming chunky chicken and vegetable soup

But FIRST here are a few of my main One pot tips for you to use to make your own creations straight away…

1. Herbs and spices are your saviour. Do NOT be scared to experiment with different flavours in your one pots and always remember QUANTITY. As your making a larger pot full of ingredients you will ALWAYS need bigger quantities of the spices you are using to ensure it combines with the whole dish.
2. ONION and GARLIC are you two of your most important ingredients. Packed with health benefits, these two ingredients give you so much flavour in your dishes and are something you can always have in your kitchen cupboards.
3. SLOW COOK: not necessarily in a low cooker, but ensure that you cook your one pot slowly, to ensure MAXIMUM flavour. Secondly to this add water to your dishes and allow them time to soak up the liquid to make that one potty goodness.

So check this space as I share my different one pot recipes for you to try yourself at home.

Emily

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