Change how you cook for good

THERE were two moments in Kate Hall's life when she fell in love with her freezer.

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The first occurred in 2006, when she was suffering with blood clots in her shoulders caused by a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome, where blood vessels and nerves are compressed, stopping blood flow.

She was in her early 20s, living far from home and her mother loaded up a small freezer with meals, helping to feed her daughter in her time of need.

"My vein got trapped behind the top rib, like a kinking hosepipe," said Kate, who lives in Orpington, London.

"My arm really hurt and it turned out I had a 6in blood clot in my shoulder.

"The way my condition was later diagnosed was when my doctor lifted my arms over my head and said, 'You haven't got a pulse.' It was quite horrific and I was living away from home.

"I was on a placement year at university. When I went back to work, my mum came with me, she brought a freezer and filled it with batch-cooked meals it was the only thing she felt she could do. It meant that even if I was feeling absolutely rubbish I could have a good home-cooked meal."

As her health battle continued (she had more blood clots, and the following year had her top ribs removed), Kate, the author of The Full Freezer Method, who regularly appears on BBC Morning Live and Lorraine, spent a decade leaning on the freezer.