London Family Finds Cost-Effective Meal Solution Amid Busy Schedules

As a dual-career family of four in London, my husband and I were struggling to balance work and parenting responsibilities. Our days were filled from dawn till dusk with video calls, childcare duties, and household chores, leaving little time for meal preparation.

We had full-time childcare, but our families weren't local, so we didn't have the luxury of relying on relatives for help. Like many families in our situation, we often turned to supermarket-ready meals or takeout, but these options were limited and often high in salt and sugar.

I took to a Facebook group for Malaysian moms in the UK, seeking advice from others who might be facing similar challenges. In desperation, I posted about finding someone to cook for us, not a personal chef, but a reliable home cook who could prepare large batches of meals that we could freeze and reheat on busy weekdays.

Our budget was tight, so hiring a personal chef wasn't an option. We needed a cost-effective solution that would allow us to eat healthy, home-cooked meals despite our hectic schedules. I had in mind someone who could shop for ingredients, cook up big batches of food, and leave us with easy-to-reheat meals.

I was looking for a straightforward, no-frills arrangement, just a reliable home cook who could help us manage mealtime during those chaotic weekdays when every minute counted.

Evelyn was an experienced pastry chef who had been placed on furlough due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This made her a convenient option for our meal prep arrangement, as she lived in a neighboring borough in London.

Her culinary expertise extended beyond pastries, and she was particularly skilled at cooking Chinese-Malaysian dishes. Our family enjoyed these flavors, which is why we specifically sought out someone who could prepare them.

Before each visit, we would discuss the menu over WhatsApp to ensure that Evelyn knew what ingredients to bring with her. The meals had to be easy to freeze and reheat, so she would always plan for a variety of dishes that fit these criteria.

We would also shop for the ingredients she needed, which required a combination of online grocery shopping and trips to Chinatown for harder-to-find items. With this prep work out of the way, Evelyn could focus on cooking large portions of three dishes during her four- to six-hour visits.

These meals were then portioned out into nine servings each, frozen, and ready to be reheated as needed. The variety of dishes that Evelyn prepared included Malaysian Nyonya staples like ayam tempra, chai boey, babi pongteh, and chicken with ginger and spring onion.

The batch-cooked meals prepared by Evelyn greatly reduced our weekend cooking time, allowing us to spend more quality time with our children.

This extra free time was a welcome respite from our busy schedules, and we were grateful for the opportunity to relax and recharge together as a family.

While Evelyn's meals didn't eliminate the need for us to cook entirely, they did alleviate some of the daily drudgery associated with meal preparation.

On weekdays, I would often grab one of her prepared containers and pair it with plain white rice, providing me with a quick and easy solution to my evening hunger.

Evelyn's culinary expertise also had an unexpected benefit: she introduced us to more of our cultural heritage.

Watching Evelyn prepare meals for my family was an invaluable experience that taught me about various types of tofu and how to use them effectively in different dishes. She also shared her expertise on achieving a good sear on meat, emphasizing the importance of high heat and being willing to tolerate oil splatter.

Evelyn's visits continued for several years until we relocated from London about four years ago. After our move, we didn't establish a similar arrangement in our new home because our children were older and our work schedules had become more flexible.

I firmly believe that one must create their own support network in today's fast-paced world, particularly for those who have built careers far from their families of origin. I will always be thankful to Evelyn for her assistance during the challenging years with young babies and toddlers.