The first meal in your new home is often an emotional affair as you’re surrounded by boxed-up belongings, on the cusp of a new adventure. With Home Reach, you’ll have a fully purposed kitchen - no need for takeaway pizzas in an unfinished living room, unless you’re really exhausted. We’ve included some quick meal ideas below, so what meal will you cook to mark the occasion?

Pasta – simple, quick and delicious

Ah, pasta! The rustic national dish of Italy and a staple food of groups as diverse as Italian nonnas, students, (and if Hollywood is to be believed, the Mafia!). When you think of pasta, it might conjure up images like a plate piled high with a mountain of long spaghetti strands, or a gooey, cheesy macaroni. We’re not trying to make you hungry, but rather inspire you, to remember the deliciousness of pasta.

Aside from the obvious benefit of being quick to prepare and tasty to boot, pasta will give you a much-needed energy boost when you’re surrounded by unopened and unsorted boxes. That’s because pasta is packed with carbohydrates – a group of organic compounds found in food, including sugars, starch and cellulose, which when broken down by the body, release energy into our systems.

10 minute pasta – BBC Good Food

You’ll need:

• 350g pasta
• 1 carrot, ½ small onion, ½ stick celery, 6-8 ripe plum tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp red pesto
• 2 tsp raspberry vinegar or sherry vinegar
• Grated parmesan
• Fresh basil

Method

Or, if you want something more memorable, you can dust off your underused pasta maker you were gifted several Christmases ago and make a fresh pasta dish.

One pot meal ideas – minimal washing up!

The beauty of one pot, or slow cooker meals, is you can put them on the hob and leave them for hours on the stove or resting on the counter just bubbling away, as the flavours get to know each other. Meanwhile, you can continue unpacking your boxes, and move furniture into the best positions.

One pot meals also free you from the tyranny of washing up! No need to wash up three saucepans, two frying pans and an oven tray with an economical and zero fuss one pot. Most one pot meals cook in one-three hours, and if you choose a slow cooker meal, they can take up to eight.

Don’t panic though - slow cooker meals may take a long time to for all the flavours to mingle, but they require almost zero maintenance or attention.

One pot meals:

• Chili con carne
• Beef stew
• Chicken cacciatore

Zesty Jamaican Jerk Chicken -  Schwartz.co.uk

You’ll need:

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tsp jerk seasoning, ½ tsp dried thyme, ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 green pepper
• 3 tbs tomato puree
• 75ml water
• 425g tinned pineapple

Method

• Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
• 2Sprinkle in the Perfect Shake Jamaican Jerk Special Blend, Thyme and Cumin and add the rest of the ingredients including the pineapple juice, but reserving the pineapple chunks. Season to taste.
• 3Bring to the boil, stirring.
• 4Cover the pan, turn down the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes, adding the pineapple chunks for the last 5 minutes. Ensure the chicken is piping hot and cooked through before serving.
• 5Vegetarian Suggestions:
• 6Simply replace the chicken breasts with meat-free chicken-style steaks or strips.
• 7Jamaican Jerk Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash - Try replacing the chicken with a tin of drained chickpeas and a combination of diced sweet potato and butternut squash. Follow the instructions above but increase the water to 125ml (4fl oz) and increase the final cooking time to 25 minutes, or until the potatoes and squash are cooked through and tender.
• 8Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onion gently for 1-2 minutes.

Takeaway – you deserve it

Go on, you deserve it! You’ve been working all day - actually scratch that. You’ve been  working all week, or even all fortnight - and have been planning your home move for much longer.

Your phone is in reach and you have a number of food delivery apps pre-loaded, or as you’re in a new area, you could always search Google for the ‘best takeaway near me’. Your only choice now is choosing what you fancy. Will it be pizza, Chinese, a curry…?

As your food is delivered and you unwrap it in your brand-new kitchen, or let’s face it, living room, you can reflect on the hard work you’ve done, and the exciting times ahead. Enjoy!

Moving in day

Your first meal in a new home is a memorable landmark. Whether you cook a feast to mark the occasion or you’re simply too tired to cook, what’s certain is that you’ll remember the moment.

With Home Reach, moving in is simple. On moving day, you’ll collect your keys, move in and enjoy your home without any need to complete further paperwork, or cross paths with former owners.