Blog » 20 Family Meals from Tins and Frozen Ingredients

20 Family Meals from Tins and Frozen Ingredients

Covid-19 has brought lots of uncertainty to families in the UK. We all know a lockdown is likely to happen at some point soon, but it’s hard to predict when.

Inevitably, many of us are thinking of ways to prepare ourselves and protect our loved ones. Many parents worry about how they’ll feed their families if people are not allowed to go out for a while, or if supermarkets struggle to stock items and we experience food shortages.

However, 12 of the biggest food retailers in the UK issued a joined statement over the weekend, aimed at reassuring the British public. In their words, they are working hard ‘to feed the nation’. They ask the public to remain calm and buy sensibly, and to avoid stockpiling items as there’s no need for it.

So we thought it’d be useful to have a few quick and easy family recipes you can put together in case of a lockdown, using long-life ingredients from your cupboard or freezer. We looked for recipes that are:

  • Family-friendly
  • Cooked using as few ingredients as possible
  • Cooked using ingredients you are likely to have at home already – check your cupboards, and the Use By date on each item.

We’ve included here:

  • 10 family dinner recipes
  • 10 family lunch recipes
  • A shopping list*

*We’ve given you a list with the cupboard and frozen products you’ll need – not the fresh and chilled ingredients as these don’t last very long. But please remember to only buy what you need and keep other families in mind when you shop. 

A few things to keep in mind…

  • Canned foods are high in sodium. You may want to buy unsalted products when possible.
  • Door delivery businesses like  may still be able to deliver chilled and fresh items during a lockdown; including dairy products, eggs, etc. We’ve listed it here
  • Canned fruit usually comes in syrup or juice, so it’s high in sugar. Not a healthy option in large portions but if you drizzle with a little condensed milk they make a yummy pudding.
  • When using canned meat for casseroles, bring up the flavour with a little splash of red wine.
  • Some supermarkets make tinned curries and casseroles, ready to heat up.
  • Add a can of sardines in tomato sauce to tomato-based pasta like puttanesca, it’s delicious.
  • You can buy frozen vegetables and other ingredients like chopped chorizo, and cook from frozen. But always check cooking instructions.

10 super easy family dinners

10 super easy family lunches

(F) Fish and seafood

(V) Vegetarian

(P) Pork

(B) Beef

We’ll publish ideas for indoors activities you can do with the kids to keep everyone active and having fun. Please get in touch here if there’s anything else you’d find useful.


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