What kind of things does your nanny prepare for supper?

[PDR]

If your nanny prepares an evening meal for the family - what kind of thing does she prepare?
My nanny will finish at 5pm so it needs to be something that can be reheated later on. Just wondering what happens in other households?

I've never cooked for the family as a nanny - just for the children.

Oh right ok - she's a nanny/housekeeper so this is part of her role.

Tonight I made:

Sausage Rolls (shop brought sausage, deskinned and put inside homemade suet pastry)

Carrot Sticks

Peas and Baked Beans

Homemade chocolate meringue, homemade gingerbread, plus a selection of fruit was available for pudding.

I don't always do something hot... it can often be more a snack type tea, shortly after eldest child comes home from school. Such as sandwiches, veg sticks, cheese pieces, fruit, yoghurt.

Agree that a nanny would not usually be doing a meal for all the family... tends to be just the children. Though there can of course be left-overs available for parents, plus it will depend on the age of the children, as older children will eat later.

Reheated food does not tend to taste that nice... though some things can be made quickly if having part of it pre-done, such as spag bol.

How old are your children?

She would just cook for DS1 nick but that doesn't need to be the same thing as for us later on... My DH and DM (who lives with us) don't tend to get in before 6/7pm and bathtime starts at 6.15pm so not possible to eat with DS on weekdays.

She will be responsible for grocery shopping, meal planning and cooking for the whole family as I will have a newborn in a few weeks and this is normally my role. (She knows this by the way I am not springing it on her!) She worked as a cook in a nursery kitchen before so she should be pretty good just wondering what other people did and what she can prepare in advance seeing as she finishes at 5pm.

Perhaps it might be best if I get her to do some "ready meals" to put in the freezer and then I can bung in the oven after DS1 is in bed.

DS1 is 2.7 btw :)

I get home from work about 6.30 and don't like cooking from scratch when I get in so in my freezer I have chilli, spag bol, chicken curry, goulash, homemade pies. I get one out in the morning ready to reheat and just cook pasta/potatoes/rice to go with it.

That sounds good nbee I think I might invest in a little freezer for the garage as ours is integrated and quite small and is full of icecream and sticky toffee pudding homemade soup

So are you looking for adult meal suggestions? If so, then soups, quiche, curry, stew - that sort of thing could work with you just adding something to it (bread, salad, rice).

If they will be around the home a fair bit, then you should try to take advantage of that and have them do things like home made bread (using a panasonic breadmaker), cakes, pasta sauces.

Chilled/Frozen meals could also be done, cottage pie for example, macaroni cheese though I find it's never as good reheated.

how about making big

shepherds pie
lasagnes
fish/chicken pie
sausage/chicken casserole
chilli
spag bol
soups

and children eat and you reheat and finish off?

Hi blondes and nick yes I am thinking adult meals or better still meals DS can eat at tea time and then we finish off for supper later as blondes says. All good suggestions thanks - am writing down in a notebook saddo :)

Have you got a slow cooker? Or would you think about getting one?

Get nanny a slow cooker recipe book and there'll be loads of things that can be put in and eaten when you're ready

I have a slow cooker, but I'm out of the house for nearly 12 hours on work days and find it's too long for most things.

Yes I have nbee that's a good idea why didn't I think of that?! Will get order a book from amazon for her to use.

Not got a breadmaker but might get one now - am assuming Panasonic is the one to get then nick?

Nick - tell us more about the breadmaker, I might just have to start on daily bread baking

And I second the slow cooker!! :) I sometimes pop stuff in around lunchtime for the kiddies to eat at 5pm and on the quicker setting, it's perfect. I may have to investigate more receipes as getting bored of making the same stuff.

Not just me who recommends Panasonic - see Who can recommend a breadmaker (in this thread I link to an instruction manual - for the SD254 which is the older model we have at work, if you want to read the recipes used). Also see MrBreadMaker: SD254

SD256 is the current model on sale at Argos. There is also a SD257 which has an automatic nut dispenser.

SD256 was a Which Best Buy in Sept 2010. Panasonic UK: SD256 - Awards

It's just so easy to use and produces consistent results. The rapid bake bread is acceptable, the 4-hour bake is better but obviously takes longer. The roll dough I find is good. The Chelsea buns though I didn't get to work that well... maybe due to me more than the machine, hard to tell.

Yeast wise: Doves Farm Quick Yeast seems to work well, is a powder yeast and stores in the fridge for many weeks.
You don't need to use super top quality flour for a white general loaf, Waitrose Essential bread flour works fine.

Try the Morphy Richards Slow Cooker from amazon. The recipe book that comes with it has some good ideas to get you started.