I made 2 cottage pies using fresh meat and Aunt Bessie's frozen mash, we ate one and have one left. They say the mash should not be refrozen. However I have cooked the pies for 30 mins in an oven, so am I able to freeze as a cooked meal and re-heat?

The main issue here is the loss of quality, taste and texture when refreezing this kind of product. Remember the potatoes will have already been blanched to destroy all bacteria and enzymes that cause the product to deteriorate, before the initial freezing process. When the frozen mash is cooked, frozen and then reheated by yourself, at each stage a certain amount of nutrients will be lost. The advice on the Aunt Bessie’s packaging is likely to advise against refreezing, to ensure that you receive the best quality and most nutritional meal possible.

Food frozen at your home is not as high quality as foods frozen by manufacturers and will not last for such lengths of time as a result. Frozen meals and frozen ready meals are well packaged and so they last longer in the freezer as a result. Frozen ready meals can have the air pocket flushed out of them to create a vacuum between the food and the lid and this helps them to last longer in frozen storage too. Frozen ready meal packaging is air tight and so the moisture does not escape – this can happen with home freezing. Frozen ready meals rarely suffer from freezer burn. So, when you are next buying Aunt Bessie frozen meals why not take a closer look at your frozen food isle – there may be more be more frozen foods than you think. From luxury pre-packaged frozen foods and ready meals to tasty ice cream and frozen desserts – its all for you to discover! 

We hope this answer is helpful. If you need more information about this particular frozen food product we advise speaking with Aunt bessie's directly. They can be found on our frozen food links page.

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The New Ice Age Team