How long do you keep frozen homemade meals?

[HiveChives]

I often freeze leftovers and have built up a handy stash of homemade meals in the freezer. They’re a fab solution when we’re all busy but naturally some get eaten quicker than others. Therefore I’m wondering how long others keep frozen meals for?
I ask because I read recently that frozen cooked food should not be kept for longer than a year because it would lose flavour. Because of that, I defrosted a big portion of vegan chilli that I cooked well over a year ago. I was prepared to chuck it out and go to a back-up plan for tonight’s dinner if need be but it was delicious and full of flavour. I can’t see a problem so I would love to hear what others tend to do. All our meals are vegetarian or vegan if that makes any difference.

I normally eat them within 6-9 months.

Anything bread-based, eat within 6m or so. IME bread does not keep well for long in the freezer. Cooked pastry can go stale, too, but I think can last longer. Other than that, I don’t really tend to pay attention. Taste it when it’s defrosted. If it’s good: good. If it’s lost flavour or texture: add ingredients and turn it into a stew or a pie or similar. If it’s stale: bin.

Until I eat them.

This is very dependant on how good your freezer is. A combined fridge/freezer type is not as good as a stand alone freezer and a chest freezer is even better though a bit of a nuisance! In a good freezer stuff lasts much longer. I would seldom have ready meals as in leftovers frozen for over a year but there are other things I would definitely have longer and never see any deterioration even in them.

If it has cream or meat in I go under 3 months. If it doesn't I could go under 6 but ideally I still like it eaten under 3 if possible (I'm sure it is fine for longer, but just a preference). I batch cook alot, but usually frozen meals don't last too long in my household!

9 - 12 months but we have a standing freezers and they're -21
I cook a lot so there's plenty of food on rotation - but I'm also between two countries. Usually we eat within 6m easily but less popular items can be there 12m. All items are dated and labelled and there is an inventory list.

So depending on your freezer, the temperature and the type of meals frozen, you can keep from 3m to 1 year (or more and lose texture quality).

This.