Winter is on its way, and with it cold weather and coughs and colds! It’s also the time of year when electricity bills soar while you are just trying to keep warm. Here’s a way to save on those electricity bills while you make healthy food to help you to stay well this winter. If you heat up food and then put it into a hotbox, the food will go on slowly cooking without using any gas or electricity!

Making a Hotbox

You will need: a cardboard box; 2 pillows (you can also use, a sleeping bag, or cushions filled with polystyrene balls)

Get a cardboard box – large enough to fit a big pot into with enough room around it to put your pillows or cushions.

Put one pillow or cushion in the bottom.

Now bring your pot with your stew, pap, soup or rice to the boil on the stove.

As soon as it is boiling take the pot off the stove (make sure the lid is on)

Put the pot on the pillow/cushions then put the second pillow/cushion on top. Make sure the pot is tightly surrounded by the pillows so no heat can escape.

Close the box.

Leave the food to go on cooking slowly in the box. The great thing is you can leave it and it won’t burn! It’s best to leave the food to cook for several hours. So, make a soup at lunch and leave it to cook in the hotbox until supper. Or make your lunch at breakfast and leave it to cook! Leave pap or porridge overnight and have a delicious breakfast in the morning!

Have fun with your hotbox and keep warm!

Tell us: What are some more energy saving tips for winter?