COOKING queen Sylvia Shaw has come up with a new way to banish ready meals for good.
The Almondbury mum-of-four is bringing out her first cook book – The Once A Week Cook Book.
Mrs Shaw came up with the idea after working full time and bringing up four children.
She spends one evening a week creating her mouth-watering dishes – then freezes them until she’s ready to eat them.
It means the tasteless ready meal is gone for good in the Shaw household.
Mrs Shaw, 62, said: “It’s such an easy system and involves cooking just once a week which is good for people who work or have busy lives.
“It’s also a lot better and cheaper than buying ready meals from a supermarket.
“I’ve done it myself for many years and can’t understand why people spend hours cooking each night when they could make it easier for themselves.”
Mrs Shaw lives with her youngest son Richard, 20, who loves his mum’s cooking.
She makes a batch of fresh and home-made chilli, lasagne, Bolognese or curry then freezes it ready to eat.
It means she spends a few minutes each night over the stove and has more time to herself.
“This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this,” she said.
“But I have wanted to bring out my own cook book for a very long time.
“So many people say it’s a good idea, so I hope they’ll learn from it.
“My other three children live away from home and they’re not as organised as me, but I’m hoping they’ll get there and learn from it too.”
Mrs Shaw is an office worker for Hepworth Building Products and wrote the cook book in lunch hours.
She and her late husband David ran a cafe in Cornwall and were renowned for their home-made pasties.
The Once a Week Cook Book is available to buy from Trafford Publishing.
