In The Magic Fridge, the irrepressible culinary wizard Alex Mackay, who has taught at both Raymond Blanc and Delia Smith's cookery schools, reveals how to create easy and delicious stocks, sauces, butters, broths and preserves that you can keep in your fridge or freezer, ready to be turned into lunch, tea, supper or dessert at a moment's notice. This is convenience food done the right way - using one batch of a versatile base recipe to create a multitude of meals that are full of flavour but require minimal work. Choose from twenty prepare-ahead recipes including Cheese sauce, Ratatouille, Tomato chilli relish, Salsa verde, Almond cream, Raspberry jam and Lemon curd. These will keep, carefully stored in the fridge, for at least three weeks. They will also freeze, so you can make several portions each time and have bags of instant flavour that you can add to an everyday meal to turn simple into sublime. These basic recipes stay exciting because each one is transformed by what it is served with - turn chocolate mousse into a molten pudding or an upside down tart. Or try some basil pistou with fish, chicken, lamb, beef, risotto, roasted peppers and even cheese on toast. Come home, swing open your magic fridge door, choose today's trick and you're on your way to wonderful food.

Alex Mackay has worked as a chef at Michelin-starred restaurants in France, Italy and the UK. Having run Raymond Blanc's cookery school and taught alongside Delia Smith, he now cooks for Merchant Gourmet and is a patron of the Kids' Cookery School. His first book, Cooking in Provence, was a winner at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. alexmackay.com / @alexmackaycooks