Northumberland Gazette Article - 20th November 2014

Northumberland Gazette Article - 20th November 2014

I've had a lovely month since I last wrote. We've enjoyed Halloween, with the kids revelling in trying to scare the neighbours, and bonfire night which ended up with no bonfire (well, a very flame retardant, damp one) but lots of fun with friends and neighbours and fireworks! Of course, the best thing about both of these occasions is always the food. The leftover (on purpose) pumpkin that makes it's way into soups, cakes, pasta and pies, and the traditional delights that we have to enjoy on bonfire night - for me it has to be tinned tomato soup, from a flask, and hot sausage sandwiches. It's the law. It makes me feel so nostalgic about lovely bonfire nights on the farm, as a child. Frugal or not, sometimes nostalgia has to reign.

I have been incredibly frugal this month, actually. I am always, of course, but this month was such a busy one that I didn't make it to the shops until today. And that was under duress. I had a few cherry tomatoes, some mushrooms, half an onion and a few spinach leaves in the fridge (not another veg to be seen. Oops) and I'd even run out of my staple tinned tomatoes in my store cupboard. Regular readers may be able to feel my panic. I found some pork mince and decided to concoct a recipe. It had to be something that the kids would eat as well so I decided to base it around pancakes. I've always got flour, milk and eggs so that's easy enough. Although even my flour ran out so my batter was rather runny! I added a little grated cheese so that we could have cheesy pancakes and decided to use these to layer up the mince.

I created a sort of pancake lasagne with mushrooms and pork mince! It was not bad at all. I cooked the onion and mushrooms in butter, oil and garlic and then added the mince. I turned the heat up to brown it and added lots of thyme, a splash of white wine vinegar, a squirt of tomato ketchup, a crumbled beef stock cube and some salt and pepper. I found some soft cheese with herbs that needed used and I mixed that in.

I had some natural yoghurt so I mixed in a beaten egg, salt and pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. I would have loved to have made a proper bechamel sauce but a) time was against me, b) I wanted to make it healthy and c) even though I'd have overridden points a) and b), I couldn't override the fact that i had run out of flour. So, healthy version it was! It worked pretty well, really!

In a buttered oven dish, I started with a layer of the mince, a sprinkling of tomatoes and spinach then added a layer of cheesy pancakes. I poured some of the yoghurt mix on top of this and then repeated the same steps, ending with a final layer of yoghurt and the best pancake that I'd made (obviously the last one. Why is that always the way?) on the top and a sprinkling of cheese for good measure. I baked it for 20 minutes (longer would have been better but my kids were ready for bed. I served it with some green beans I found in the freezer.

If I was to make this again I'd add some breadcrumbs to the mix to soak up some of the juices.



Whether you want to admit it or not, Christmas is almost upon us. Homemade Christmas cake, pudding and mincemeat just can't be beaten. It might feel like an initial outlay getting the dried fruit etc but it's so worth it when you're enjoying your own fare. And you can be enjoying mincemeat for months and months (or years! I’m still using mincemeat from 2 years ago!) to come and it makes a lovely gift too. Before you hit the shops, make sure you’ve delved right to the back of your cupboards as you might just find some of the ingredients there and they last for so long that I can almost guarantee they’ll be fine!

I'd especially encourage you to make your own mincemeat. I have to force myself not to eat it directly from the jar. It really is that good.

I make mince pies throughout the festive season but I also use it to jazz up ice cream or to make desserts out of apparently nothing. Try making a mincemeat sponge pudding - it gives a real wow factor yet fabulously frugal off-the-cuff pudd - or use it as a lovely addition to bread and butter pudding. Create little mincemeat sandwiches when you're assembling it.

I sometimes make individual sundaes as a sweet treat during the winter. It is rare that I wouldn't have ice cream and some frozen fruit in the freezer. Frozen cherries are great to have in the house for delicious impromptu puddings.

This is my go-to mincemeat recipe. I've made this for far too many years to mention. It's Delia Smith's and it's still the best. I'd encourage everyone to make this or to get children to make it. It's a fun and easy recipe to make as it's really just assembly and stirring, whilst surrounding yourself in the most amazing Christmassy smells imaginable.



The Best Mincemeat Ever (thanks Delia)

450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped.
225g shredded suet
350g raisins
225g sultanas
225g currants
225g mixed candied peel
350g soft dark brown sugar
Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges
Grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
50g sliced almonds
4 teaspoons ground mixed spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ nutmeg, grated
6 tablespoons brandy

Just mix all the ingredients, except for the brandy (although I sometimes add a little here too), together in a large bowl very thoroughly. Then cover with a cloth and leave for 12 hours. Place the mincemeat, loosely covered with foil, in a cool oven, 120c or gas ¼, for 3 hours. This process slowly melts the suet which coats the rest of the ingredients and prevents fermentation taking place if too much juice seeps from the apples during storage. Then allow it to cool, stir in the brandy and spoon into sterilised jars. Cover with waxed discs and seal.

Leave it for as long as possible before using but if you can actually stick to this, you’ve got more will power than I have!

Mincemeat Sundae

This usually comes about when I'm desperate for pudding but haven't got anything in or the time (or inclination) to create something from scratch.

As I mentioned earlier, frozen cherries are very handy and they form a base for this. They go nicely with the orangey, brandy flavours that come from the mincemeat.

I melt a knob of butter in a saucepan over a low heat, add about a tablespoon of honey and a couple of teaspoons of sugar. Stir until it’s a smooth consistency and add a handful of the frozen cherries. Stir frequently. I also add an extra squirt of orange (or Satsuma as they’re always in my kitchen at this time of the year).

Put a spoonful of the mixture in the bottom of a glass, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a spoonful of mincemeat, another scoop of ice cream and then I mix about a teaspoon of mincemeat with the remaining cherry sauce and pour it over the ice cream. If I had some amaretti biscuits I would have crumbled some through the layers or on the top with some toasted almonds but, alas, I had neither! It was still delicious though!

Northumberland Gazette Article 25th Sept 14

Hello again! It's been a while! I'm afraid my busy life has interrupted my column a bit and I'll be writing on a monthly basis for a while. Thanks for all the great feedback I've had. It's lovely to hear!

Without a doubt the key to lowering your food budget is to learn to love your leftovers and use every last tiny bit of your ingredients and leftovers, not wasting a single thing.

Roast dinners are definitely the best way to work this strategy. Spending a few pounds on a joint of meat will give you multiple delicious meals, each one completely different. It will also provide you with the most amazing cooking fats and stocks.

I often buy joints of meat that are in the reduced section of the supermarket or I buy them when they're on special offer and freeze them for later. A roast dinner makes everything better so it’s good to have one in the house for when you need some TLR (tender loving roast).

I hope you were all able to get out and support theAlnwick Food Festival last weekend! It was great. The market place was a hive of activity with lots of delicious food and gorgeous crafts for sale.

I did a budget cookery demonstration on a Sunday which was terrifying and brilliant in equal measures!  There was a great turn out so I wanted to thank everyone for supporting the festival, to Karen Larkin for asking me to take part and to all the lovely people who were there helping me, particularly my lovely friend Gail for braving the stage with me!

I had a lovely time cooking for a lovely audience and chatting away – the hour went by very quickly.

I showed how to make some quick and easy meals from a leftover roast chicken. I promised that I would share the recipes with you all. So here goes!  Now you’ve got no excuse for wasting any of your lovely roast chicken from now on! 

Chicken Stock

Simply put the chicken carcass in a large pan and cover with boiling water.  Add carrot, celery and onion, roughly chopped into large pieces, along with 2 bay leaves and about 1 tsp of whole black peppercorns.

Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and leave it to simmer for about an hour and a half.

Sieve the stock into a large bowl and leave to cool before either using for a recipe straight away or freezing for later.

Chicken Rogan Josh

Heat some oil in a large frying pan or wok. Groundnut or vegetable oil would be best.

Add a chopped onion, a chopped red chilli, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1 tsp of salt to the oil and cook over a low heat until the onion has softened.

Add the following spices to the pan: garammasala, turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin and mild curry powder. Stir in to the onion to create a paste, adding extra oil if necessary.

Let it cook for a few minutes and then add the chopped chicken and some leftover gravy, if you have some. Stir it all together. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a little water. Let it cook for a few minutes and then add about 5 or 6 tbsps of natural yoghurt. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Use this time to get your rice on.

Add 1 or 2 tbsps of mango or apple chutney and a handful of chopped coriander. Stir in and remove from the heat. Sprinkle more coriander over the top and serve with the rice.


Chicken and broccoli gratin

Steam some broccoli and reserve the cooking water.

Heat some butter in a large frying pan or casserole over a very low heat so as not to burn the butter.

Add a couple of tbsps of flour and stir into a roux. Let it cook off for a few minutes and add the chicken. Stir it all together well.

Add the cooking water, gradually, stirring all the time. Season with some salt and pepper.

Add about 1 heaped tbsp of wholegrain mustard and a large handful of grated cheese. I used a mix of grana padano and cheddar.

If you have any chicken skin left, chop it into small pieces and fry in a dry pan until very crispy.

Pour the chicken mixture into an oven dish,sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs and cheese onto the top and dot with butter.

Grill under a medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Special fried rice

This recipe was used as a way of using left over chicken but also left over rice from the Rogan Josh. This can be adjusted to include almost anything you’d like and is great for left over vegetables from your roast dinner too.

This is a very basic and very quick recipe that you can have on the table within minutes.

Fry off some chopped chorizo in a dry pan and as the fat starts to render, add chopped mushrooms.

Let this cook off for a couple of minutes until the mushrooms start to soften.

Add the leftover chicken and heat through.

Now add some rice, spring onions and peas and stir to combine the flavours and heat the rice up. Season with salt, pepper and a few chilli flakes.

Finally, make some space in the pan and add a beaten egg.  Let it slightly set on the bottom, giving it a light stir, as if you are making an omelette.  When it’s still soft but starting to set stir it through the rice.  

 

 

 

Frugal dieting - super scrummy spicy soup

I just made such a scrummy lunch, I had to share it! It was SO tasty! So tasty, in fact, that I forgot to take a photo! I'll be making it again this week so I'll try and remember then!

Ok, you could definitely serve this to 2 people. Especially if you serve bread with it. I'm greedy though and am calorie counting and knew I was allowed all of it!

Total calorie count is approx 355 so you can indulge yourself and scoff the lot or share it (grudgingly) and only use 177 calories! 

I chopped the veg in the food processor so it was super speedy. 

Ingredients 

A little olive oil

1 onion, slices

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1/2 a yellow pepper, finely chopped

1 tsp of each: ground cumin, ground coriander, mild chilli powder, mild curry powder, dried thyme 

1/2 a tsp ground cinnamon, turmeric, crushed chillies

400g tin of tomatoes

Salt and pepper

1 heaped tsp coconut milk powder 

100g mixed bean salad 

1 tsp balsamic vinegar 

Method 

Fry the onion in the oil until softened. Add the chopped veg and all the herbs and spices. Cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes, keeping it moving. Add the tomatoes and about half a tin of water. Add the salt and pepper and the coconut milk powder and stir. Add the bean salad and balsamic, bring to the boil and reduced to a simmer for about 5 mins. 

Scoff!

Browsing the beautiful food at a Cretan market

I love a good wander round a food market. Especially in 30degrees heat in beautiful Crete!

Browsing the beautiful food at a Cretan market..

I love a good wander round a food market. Especially in 30degrees heat in beautiful Crete!

Northumberland Gazette Article 22nd May 2014

Tomatoes are such a staple store cupboard ingredient and, judging by the poll on my blog, tinned tomatoes seem to be most people's must-have ingredient. 

I love them too and am always thinking of new ways to use them. They're a seriously fantastic source of goodness, even more so when they're cooked, and it's easy to get them into most kids so they're a no-brainer!

It amazes me how many jars there are of tomato-based pasta sauce in every supermarket across the land. I understand that we all have busy lives and the odd jar of something to speed things up is handy, occasionally, but it is so easy to make a far superior pasta sauce yourself. If you have the time to let it simmer for ages to let the flavours mingle together for longer then all the better (the preparation time is still quick though) but if you've got 10 minutes from start to finish, that's fine too. The good thing about DIYing, as always, is that you'll know exactly what's gone into it so it's not overloaded with salt or sugar or preservatives and it's cheaper. 

Add whatever vegetables that you fancy (if you're feeling extravagant you could add a tin of artichokes, some sun-dried tomatoes and chargrilled peppers) but I'm going to keep it very simple and give you a basic tomato pasta sauce recipe which you can dress up or keep simple and you could also whizz up and have it nice and smooth as a soup. It's also good as a pizza sauce if you let it simmer for longer to make a thicker sauce. 

I've just been to Crete and, as always, the tomatoes have been to die for (and a ridiculously regular part of my daily diet). I know that sounds healthy but I'm not sure the mountain of creamy tsatziki I've been enjoying, on an also ridiculously regular basis, has been quite as good for me! 

If you can get some lovely, fat and juicy tomatoes keep it fresh and use them in a bread salad. Just combine tomatoes, salt and pepper, a sliced red onion and some roughly chopped stale white bread. Pour over 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and lots of fresh basil. I like mine very vinegary so I tend to add more vinegar. It's all down to personal preference. 

Once you've tasted the bread salad you'll be letting your bread go stale on purpose and growing your own tomatoes! As soon as you taste it you'll be transported to your favourite sunny idyll for a few minutes. 

You're too late to raise your own tomato plants from seeds but you're not too late to buy a plant and grow your own delicious fruit. In fact, as it gets a little later in the season, you can often get some bargain plants that are desperate to be re-potted. Keep an eye out in your local garden centre. 

And if you're going to grow your own tomatoes, be sure to grow your own basil while you're at it!

I recently made an aubergine and chickpea lasagne. It was a massive hit with the kids and we all enjoyed it. It is really nutritious and something a little different. It takes a little preparation time but it's worth it. 

Or how about blitzing fresh tomatoes with garlic, chilli flakes, oregano, pesto and creme fraiche and having with prawns and pasta? Even better if you marinate your prawns in oil, garlic, lemon juice and more chilli!

A tin of tomatoes combined with loads of garlic and rosemary or oregano and some lemon zest is a lovely accompaniment to a slow roasted joint of lamb. Preheat oven to gas mark 6/ 200c. Smother a 2kg shoulder of lamb in the sauce, cover with foil, turn the oven down to gas mark 3/ 170c and cook for about 4 hours. I'll be making this soon to revive the Greek holiday memories!

Simple Tomato Pasta Sauce 

Serves4

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 red onion (you could use shallots or a white onion though), chopped

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

1 tbsp tomato ketchup 

2 tbsp tomato purée 

1 tsp dried oregano 

1/2 tsp chilli flakes 

Pinch of salt and black pepper 

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed 

Handful of fresh basil, chopped (optional)

Method

Heat the oil up in a large, heavy based, pan. 

Add the onion, garlic and salt and turn the heat to low. Cook until the onion is soft. Don't let the garlic go brown. The salt will help to soften the onions quicker. 

Pour the tins of tomatoes into the pan along with all the other ingredients except the basil and bring it to the boil.  Give it a good stir.  Lower the heat and let it simmer for as long as you can. If you are going to let it slow cook you'll need some extra liquid so just fill your used tomato tin with water and add that too.  Add the basil at the end, if using. 

Stir through cooked pasta and grate parmesan cheese over the top. 

Aubergine and Chickpea Lasagne

Serves 6

Ingredients 

For the tomato and chickpea sauce:

1 tbsp oil

A couple of inches of chorizo sausage, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

A handful of mushrooms (but I only had 3!), chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped 

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp mixed herbs

Half glass red wine

2 carrots, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

2 tins chopped tomatoes

1 chicken or vegetable stock cube

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

Salt and pepper

1 tin chickpeas

1 tbsp pesto (optional)

For the aubergine:

1 aubergine, finely sliced lengthways 

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp oil

For the cheese sauce:

Approx 40g butter

Approx 3tbsp plain flour

Approx 500mls milk

Lots of grated cheese

Salt and pepper

A grating of nutmeg

Method 

Dry fry some chorizo and then add the oil, onion, celery, mushrooms and garlic in a large pan with chilli powder and mixed herbs.

If you have some leftover wine (see tip) add this now and let it boil for a couple of mins so the alcohol cooks off. Add the carrots and any other veg that you want to use. I used a yellow pepper. Add tins of tomatoes, stock cube, a tomato tin filled with boiling water, balsamic vinegar, sugar, tomato ketchup, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 45 mins - 1 hour. 

Add a tin of drained chickpeas 10 mins before the end. 

Stir in the pesto, if you have any. 

Slice an aubergine, lengthways, and pop the pieces in a freezer bag with the oil and oregano. (You'll probably have to do this in 2 goes) Give the bag a shake and make sure all the aubergine slices are coated. Now fry these in a hot pan on each side. I use a griddle pan. 

Prepare a cheese sauce - make a roux with flour and butter in a saucepan. Whisk in warmed milk, season with salt and pepper and a grating of nutmeg. Add lots of grated cheese and stir it in until it's melted.

When all of the components are ready, assemble the lasagne in a large oven dish. 

Start with your tomato and chickpea sauce, sprinkle some grated cheese over it, add aubergine slices then cover with cheese sauce and repeat. Finish with a good top layer of cheese sauce, some grated cheese and a sprinkling of oregano. 

Bake at gas mark 7, 220c for around 25 mins until golden and bubbling hot. 

Serve with garlic bread and a green salad. 

Tip: if you ever have any leftover wine freeze it in an ice cube tray and just use as many cubes as you need, as and when you need them!

Regrow your veg!

Have you tried regrowing veg before? I've  been trying it with celery and it's amazing! You can do it with lots of things. My friend, Victoria, has tried onions, spring onions and carrots and she's now trying pineapple! 

You just need to pop the root into water and watch it grow. The celery started growing almost immediately. I'm about to plant it out and start another one. 

Go try it! 

TIP: Get more out of your potatoes

I've just got back from my holiday and haven't been to any shops yet so have been cooking from what we have left in the cupboards for the last few days. 

I had some mince in the freezer that I bought on offer in lidl before the holiday (£1 for 500g!!! I bought 6!). And I had some potatoes left so I've just made a big cottage pie which should last is a couple of days. 

When I was making the mash, I decided to steam the potato peelings over the potato pan. I was really doing it to give them to the hens (spoilt chucks) but it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to do it other times too as most of the nutrition is in the skins so I guess some of this goodness should have worked it's way into the pan below. Just using common sense, so I may be wrong!!

I had a load of leeks that I dug before I went (to make way for new plants) that I didn't get a chance to cook so I desperately needed to use them. So I decided to make leek and potato soup for our lunches this week. 

To try and use fewer potatoes in the soup and to avoid losing any of the potential nutrients that I had (hopefully) just created in the mash water, I used all the potato cooking water in the soup. That way I would get the potato flavour and the starch needed to make the soup thick and creamy. 

It seems to have worked as it's super-creamy and really tasty! Fabulous!

Right, off to the shop to get some veg. Won't be long until I'm eating from my garden again. Can't wait!

Northumberland Gazette Article 1st May 2014

I've done it! My second month of £50 grocery shopping is complete. Now I need to check out my cupboards and get inventive again! 

It's also time to get planting. In all honesty, I should have done this earlier but it just means that some things will be ready a little later than usual. 

If you've been inspired to get your gardening gloves on for the first time, why not start with the really fresh, perishable ingredients such as lettuce, salad leaves and herbs? This is a great way to keep you out of the supermarket and they are the easiest things to grow, absolutely anywhere. Use pots, windowsills, borders or, if you've got the space, create a vegetable garden. Some leaves, like rocket, are so hardy that you are rewarded all year round. And some herbs will also stay throughout the year while others will pop up again every spring. It's a great feeling going out to the garden to get your own ingredients.  I have rosemary, sage, thyme, mint, oregano, parsley, chives, dill and tarragon. I have a constant great supply and all from a couple of hours work, a few years ago. Basil and coriander are great windowsill or greenhouse herbs and give you an instant taste of sunshine. Freeze herbs so that you have a year round supply. Either freeze them whole in freezer bags or chop them, put them into ice cube trays and cover with water. Freeze and you'll have lots of herby ice cubes at your disposal. 

Why not give radishes and spring onions a go too? They are also quick and easy to grow, anywhere. 

If you've got a small patio, you could grow a tomato plant in a sunny spot or you could stick some seed potatoes in a pot and have panfuls of buttery, minty new potatoes in the next few months. A top frugal tip is to plant out any potato skins that have started to grow shoots. Just peel them carefully, use the potato as normal and put the skin in some compost. Et voila, free potatoes!

If you would like to make your own compost, get savvy about what you can use. All our egg shells, tea bags, peelings etc make it onto the compost heap, along with any fresh things that the hens won't want.

Once you start growing, you'll want to grow more and more. It's therapeutic, rewarding and, most importantly, cheap!

Why not upcycle to create your own, unique, pots. An old sink, bath, watering can, bucket... The list goes on. You don't need to spend money on new pots. I'm going to use some old broken drawers to grow lettuce and herbs this year. Why not check out freecycle and get creative?

With grow-your-own in mind, here is a nice little potato recipe to whet your appetite. You can play around with the ingredients to use up any leftover meat or veg so it's a great way to avoid wasting anything. 



Rosti with poached egg

I love a rosti. I often make them for Saturday lunchtimes or Sunday suppers. 

Grate about 6 raw, peeled potatoes (I use the food processor), squeeze the excess water out of the potatoes, add a beaten egg, 1.5 tbsp flour, pinch of salt and pepper, some chopped herbs, a handful of grated cheese and any chopped veg and meat. I used some chorizo, an onion, a green pepper, a celery stick and a carrot. You could add a spoonful of Dijon mustard, if you fancy. 

Shape into balls and squash them down to about 1.5cm thick. 

Fry them in some oil on a low heat. Turn over when browned. 

While they're cooking make some poached eggs.

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add a pinch of salt and a capful of white wine vinegar and then break your eggs into the pan (I tend to do 2 at a time). Turn off the heat immediately and cook for about 3 minutes or until the yolk is at your desired consistency. 

Put an egg on top of each rosti and serve immediately. Call us Northern but we had it with some sweet curry sauce and it was lovely!

Northumberland Gazette Article 16th May 2014

Eggs are one of my go-to ingredients when I want something on the table quickly and without too much thought. They're cheap and nutritious and the kids love them. 

We have 4 hens at the moment and we're getting a few more over the coming weeks. They're really easy to keep and they're lovely to have around. When I'm in the vegetable garden and they're clucking around me it's so calming. 

They're like our dustbins. They eat anything that is left on our plates along with fruit and vegetable peelings, grass cuttings and weeds and they turn it all into the most delicious eggs. 

As well as the obvious - fried, poached, scrambled and boiled eggs - I make omelettes and frittatas, pasta, pancakes, Yorkshire puddings...you name it. 

I make poached eggs for breakfast most days and add them to lots of other dishes. If you fancy a weekend treat with your poached egg, try my fail-safe hollandaise sauce and you've got homemade eggs benedict. It's certainly not slimming but it's seriously yummy. 

Melt 100g butter.

Separate 2 eggs. Put the egg whites in the fridge or freezer, for future use. 

Add the juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper to the egg yolks. 

Using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks on a medium speed until they go paler and start to thicken. 

Up the whisk speed and gently pour the melted butter into the egg mixture until you've got a nice thick, creamy consistency. 

Pour it over your freshly poached eggs and serve immediately. Now, shut your eyes and pretend you're sitting in a trendy cafe in downtown New York. That might just be my daydream, though.  Sorry. 

Want a good recipe to mop up the odds and ends that are hanging around and making your fridge look messy? A frittata is a great choice. It serves 4 and is really easy, fast and the added bonus is there is very little washing up required!

I like to use cooked potatoes, chopped into chunks, pretty much any cooked veg, chorizo, chilli flakes, spring onions and herbs. 

Cook the chorizo, potatoes, and veg in some oil in a frying pan. When the potatoes are starting to brown, turn the heat down and add 6 beaten eggs (seasoned with salt, pepper and chilli flakes). If you're not as greedy as we are, you might get away with 4!

Sprinkle in some herbs of your choice. Some chopped chives or dill, or dried mixed herbs or oregano are nice. 

I often pop in some halved cherry tomatoes at this point too. Sprinkle cheese over the top. Any cheese is fine. I happen to love feta though. 

Cook for around 8-10 mins until the the bottom and sides are set. Then pop it under the grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and the egg is cooked. 

Serve warm or cold. It's great for picnics. 

Or how about this? Combine flour and an egg and you've got pasta. Add some herbs or wild garlic and you've got something really special. Tweaking it with whatever you fancy can create a unique dish that you'd be proud to serve to friends. 

This is so worth the initial kneading. It's so tasty and really easy. And really, you can't get much more frugal than this so your piggy bank will thank you too. 

Wild Garlic Pasta

Serves 2 people. Easily doubled. 

Ingredients

150g Plain flour

1 egg

1 tbsp oil

Handful of wild garlic

Salt and pepper

Method

Put all the ingredients in the food processor and whizz. It should be a nice green dough now. 

Pop it on an oiled surface and stretch it, turn it over and stretch it again to make it more workable. Then knead until your dough is nice and smooth and elastic. 

Roll the dough out as thinly as you can (if you have a pasta machine, you're luckier than me! Use it!) and slice it into the shape of your choice. I like long fat strands, a bit like tagliatelle. 

Pop it all in a pan of salted, boiling water and cook until you reach the desired texture. About 5 mins should do it. 

As it's already flavoured, I would favour a knob of butter and a scant sprinkling of Parmesan to a sauce but if you were desperate for a sauce, a tomato base would probably work the best. 

If you like pancakes (of course you do! Who doesn't?), why not try stuffing them (sautéed leeks or mushrooms are particularly good) covering with a sauce (I love a cheese sauce) and some crunchy breadcrumbs, and baking it. It's real comfort food and about as cheap as it gets. 

Talking about comfort food, toad in the hole is a particular favourite in our house. We often have it as a roast dinner substitute. I also like to add extra flavours such as sautéed leeks, onions or peppers into the dish just before I pour the batter in. You could also add some robust herbs to the batter - rosemary or thyme would both be great.  

Here is my basic toad in the hole recipe that always provides a fantastic rise and never hangs around very long in our household. We usually serve it with peas and gravy. It's the law, right? It is quite a naughty dish so feel free to serve with loads of veg to lessen the guilt! A nice walk might also be in order!

Toad in the Hole 

Serves 4

Ingredients 

8 fat sausages

3 eggs

115g/ 4oz plain flour

285mls/ Half pint milk 

Pinch of salt 

(This can be easily be doubled, and usually is in our house!)

Method

Preheat the oven to 230c/ gas 8.

Heat some oil in an oven tin. Add the sausages and cook them for around 15 mins or until very lightly browned. 

Meanwhile, mix the other ingredients together and whisk until you have a smooth batter that just coats the back of a spoon. 

Pour the batter over the sausages and cook for 30 minutes. Do not open the oven for at least 20 minutes or it will deflate. 

Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get too brown. Turn the heat down slightly, if it does. When it's huge, golden and crispy it's ready. 

Remove from the oven and enjoy!

If you've enjoyed the eggs feature of my 'ways with...' series and would like to see an ingredient featured, feel free to tweet me and I'll do my best to come up with some tasty, yet thrifty, dishes. 

My basic bread recipe

This is my basic bread recipe that I tend to make most days. 

Ingredients 

300g wholemeal bread flour

200g white bread flour

7g fast action yeast

290mls water

1 tsp sugar

20g oil

1 tsp salt

Method 

1. Combine the flours, salt and oil in a bowl. 

2. Combine the water, sugar and yeast* in a bowl

3. Combine the water mix with the flour mix and mix until you have a sticky but kneadable (is that a word?!) consistency (if using a mixer, mix with a dough hook for approx 5 mins and then knead for a couple of mins by hand until you have a fairly smooth - note that, as it is mainly a wholemeal bread recipe, it will never be completely smooth - dough that feels quite elastic. If you press it with your finger it should spring back to about half way).

4. Knead for around 10 mins. See above for the consistency that you are looking for. 

5. Make a ball shape and leave in the bowl, covered with cling film, to prove for around an hour and a half.

6. Knock the dough back and knead again for a couple of mins. Shape your dough to however you wish and, if using, place in a loaf tin. Leave to prove for a further 45 mins to an hour, in a warm place. Turn the oven on to 220c/ gas 7

7. Place in the preheated oven and throw in a couple of tbsps water in an oven tray underneath. Cook for 15 mins at 220c/ gas 7 and then reduce the heat to 200c/ gas 6 for a further 30 mins. If it is looking too brown just reduce the heat further. 

8. Remove from oven and check that it's ready by tapping on the bottom. It should sound hollow. Place on a rack and leave to cool. 

9. Enjoy with lashings of butter! 

*If you're not using fast action yeast, combine the yeast with 200mls warm water and the sugar and leave for about 10 mins until it is all frothy. Add it to the flour mix and then add the remaining water. 

Culling the Easter eggs!!

I've decided I've restrained myself long enough now and I'm going to start gradually, and secretly, melting down the Easter eggs. They're taking up too much space! And this way I can have a piece or 2 and not, accidentally, inhale the whole thing. 

This time I melted a few chocolate eggs down in a bowl over some boiling water. 

In another bowl I put some Rice Krispies, chopped marshmallows, a chopped kit kat chunky (from an Easter egg!), salted peanuts, dried cranberries, currants and cherries. 

Mix it all into the melted chocolate and spread onto a baking tray. 

Put it in the fridge until set and break into chunks for easy future devouring. 

Northumberland gazette, 8th May 2014

At this time of year, I am never without wild garlic in my fridge. It's the ultimate in frugality - it's free - and it grows in abundance in most woodland/ riverside area. As I live next to a river and a wood, there's never a shortage here! I featured 'ways with wild garlic' a while ago on my blog. It's such a versatile ingredient. I make hummus, pesto, flavoured oil and butter, pasta, bread and lots more and I add it to my cooking all the time, at this time of year. 

Get yourself out foraging. Making delicious food out of free ingredients is a great feeling. The season lasts until around the end of May, so don't delay.  Wild garlic pesto lasts for absolutely ages, so make lots and keep it in the fridge and you'll be enjoying it through to next year's season. And whizz it up with some oil and have garlicky oil at your fingertips for months to come. Check out my blog for the most moreishly delicious focaccia smothered in wild garlic oil. Might not be great for the bikini diet but it's good for the soul! Or treat it like a herb and chop it finely, and cover with water in ice cube trays. When they're frozen pop the ice cubes in freezer bags and use a few cubes whenever you fancy in your cooking. 

At this point in the season, you'll start finding pretty white flowers on the garlic. These are perfectly edible and make a pretty addition to salads or to beautify a bowl of wild garlic soup. 

I also always have chorizo in my fridge. It lasts for ages (far longer than I ever manage to keep it) and you only need a small quantity to make a real flavour difference to your food.  I use it as a base in so many dishes and practically all of my soups.  I often add it to my pasta when I'm having pasta with wild garlic and hazelnut pesto. The smokey paprika flavour complements the wild garlic beautifully. 

With this in mind I devised a nice little cheese scone recipe with chorizo and wild garlic. 

Scones are a great, cheap and filling treat. You can adapt them to include whatever you fancy or whatever you have! Or you can enjoy them plain. I've said it before but if you have a bag of flour, you'll never go hungry! 

Cheese, chorizo and wild garlic scones 

Ingredients 

500g Strong white flour

2 tsp baking powder 

80g Butter

200g Grated cheese plus some extra for sprinkling on top

1/2 tsp of salt 

40g Chorizo, very finely chopped

2 spring onions, finely chopped

30g wild garlic, finely chopped

200g milk plus extra for brushing on top

Method

Put the flour and baking powder in a bowl.  

Rub the butter into the flour, with your fingertips, until you have the consistency of breadcrumbs. 

Meanwhile, fry the chorizo on a low heat until it has rendered it's fat and add the spring onions. After a couple of minutes, add the wild garlic. Let it wilt for about 30 seconds and turn the heat off. Add this, along with the salt and the grated cheese, to the flour mixture. 

Gradually add the milk (you may not need it all) until you have a soft, sticky dough. Don't make it too wet.

Knead it for a couple of minutes on a floured surface. Then roll it out to approximately 2cm thick. 

Cut them into about 18 scones. If you don't have a cutter, rather than roll the dough out, you could just make lots of balls and flatten them out to around 2cm thick. They won't have the nice straight sides but they'll have a lovely rustic appearance!

Brush some milk over the tops and add a sprinkling of grated cheese. 

Put on a hot baking tray in a preheated oven at 200c/ gas mark 6. Cook for around 15 mins until they are golden brown. 

Enjoy warmed with lots of butter and a cuppa. Or go all Spanish and complement them with a glass of Rioja!

Indian-style chickpeas and rice

Yum, yum, yum.  I have just has such a delicious lunch. It felt so decadent for a frugal lunch, just for me, but it consisted of chickpeas, a cup of brown rice, a droopy stick of celery, half a red pepper, a soft carrot, a shallot, a small piece of chorizo, some wild garlic (freshly picked this morning), a few cherry tomatoes, half a lemon, a tsp coconut milk powder and lots of herbs and spices. Nutritious and yummy. 

I stood and looked in my, end of budget, fairly bare fridge. The salad and veg drawers had the following:

A turnip

Some cherry tomatoes 

3 carrots 

1 stick celery

Half a red pepper

A yellow pepper

2 shallots

An onion

2 potatoes 

I have run out of my staple, go-to ingredient, tinned tomatoes so I had to get a bit creative. 

I love spicy food and playing around with spices. If you understand herbs and spices, and keep a nice selection of them in your cupboard, it is possible to make the most delicious, flavoursome food from very few ingredients. 

Yesterday, I had an almost identical set of ingredients in my lunch and, by using a different combination of herbs and spices, and lime, I had a delicious Caribbean/ Mexican-style (leftover) rice dish. 

Method

Cook the rice and heat a frying pan. Add groundnut oil, the chopped chorizo and veg. While the oil is still very hot add a sprinkling of mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, caraway seeds, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, pounded coriander seeds and chilli flakes. Stir. Add a, drained, tin of chickpeas, some hot water and the coconut milk powder, and stir. Add some lemon zest and a good squeeze of the juice. Stir in some chopped, fresh mint.  Taste and add salt, if needed. Simmer for a few minutes. Just before serving, add some chopped wild garlic. 

When the rice is ready stir it into the chickpea mixture and serve. 

Enjoy! 

Northumberland Gazette Article Thurs 24th April 2014

For those of you who didn't see last week's gazette, I have been challenging myself to only spend £50 per month on my grocery shop, which has earned me the nickname of the frugal foodie. 

It's nearing the end of month 2 of my £50 challenge. I'm still in budget and feeling pretty confident. 

So many people have told me how inspired they are to become a bit more frugal, to grow a bit of veg and even to get themselves some hens. I think it's great! 

Anything that makes people think about what they're buying and, more importantly, wasting has got to be a good thing and that's what people are telling me they're doing! 

This week I have had friends using their chicken carcasses to make meals and foraging for wild garlic. Something that they had never done before! This makes me feel warm and fuzzy! 

In order to stick to budget it's been really important to make every ingredient go as far as it possibly can. I have become the queen of bulking meals up and you really can't tell the difference. They are just as delicious and knowing that you've saved lots of money makes it taste all the better! I thought I would share some of my vital ingredients and tips with you. 

I use breadcrumbs all the time. I always have jars of them in my cupboard. Whenever you have a bit of stale bread, if you're not going to use it, whizz it up into breadcrumbs. Stick them in the oven on a low heat until they are all completely dried. You'll have to give them a stir, midway. Then you can put them in sterile jars to use whenever you need them. 

Use them to coat fish and chicken, for fish cakes and pie toppings and for adding to dishes to make a little meat go a long way. They're so versatile. 

If you haven't got time to cook your breadcrumbs, just stick them in the freezer and take what you need, as and when you need it.  Why not try whizzing some Parmesan cheese up with it too. You'll have a great cheesy topping at the ready, whenever you need it. 

I am never without tinned tomatoes in my kitchen. If you have a tin of tomatoes, you can rustle up so many meals out of what seems like nothing. Use them to make pasta and pizza sauces, soups and to make fresh vegetables and meat go further.  Remember, too, that tomatoes are even better for you when they're cooked!

I challenge you to see how many meals you can make from 500g beef mince. I made mince and potatoes for the kids one night. I split the remainder into 2 and made a lasagne and a cottage pie that would easily feed 6 adults each. In fact, all 4 of us had 2 meals out of each and I also had lasagne for my lunch on another day! Check out my blog for full recipe details but, suffice to say, breadcrumbs and tinned tomatoes, along with, the indispensable, plain flour, played a big part in making this possible!

It's not just breadcrumbs that I use stale bread for. I can make numerous meals where the stale bread, that would otherwise end up in the bin, is the star of the dish. One of my most popular blog posts has been 'ways with stale bread. Meals from nothing'.  Tuscan bread salad is to die for, eggy bread is one of my children's favourite meals, cheese pudding is like a super-simple, comforting, soufflé without the faff or worry! Make a gourmet toasted sandwich that is far too good for a quick lunch! And treat the family to a bread and butter pudding. Jazz it up with fudge, marmalade, banana or chocolate or go adventurous with coconut and cardamon. This can easily be frozen and you've got a fantastic pudding at your disposable if you have impromptu guests or just fancy a treat. Or go all American and make a meat loaf! And then there are the obvious things (aren't they?) like croutons, bruschetta, stuffings and toast. The world's your crumb-topped oyster! 

Chickpeas are another amazing way to make really filling meals with little or no meat in them. I use them so often, nowadays, that they've become almost as important as tinned tomatoes in my cupboard. I'm going to add to my 'ways with...' series with chickpeas in a couple of weeks. They count towards your 5 (or 7!)-a-day too.  Remember, it's not just fresh fruit and veg that count, beans and pulses count too.

Although, they might not count towards your 5-a-day, potatoes are an essential ingredient if you want to make your, more pricey, meat and fresh veg go further.  I'm about to publish 'ways with potatoes' on my blog. Keep an eye out for it!

Other absolute essentials are flour, sugar, eggs, butter and milk. Have these and you have batters, doughs (breads, pizzas, scones etc), pastries, custards and sauces at your fingertips to make the cheapest possible everyday meals. If you've got the freezer space, buy milk and butter in bulk so that you can stay out of the shops and away from temptation as much as possible!  It may sound silly but learn what your dairy products should look and smell like. You get a lot longer out of them than you may think! 

I'm going to share a classic bread and butter pudding recipe. You can add so many different flavours to this and I was tempted to use peanut butter however I decided to stick with the original as it really is the ultimate frugal store cupboard treat. 

Bread and Butter Pudding 

Butter approx 6-8 thick slices of stale bread and cut them into triangles. Leave the crusts on - they're lovely when they're are sugary and crunchy. 

Soak a handful of currants in some tea for around 15 minutes or as long as you can. 

Arrange half of the bread in a buttered pie dish, slightly overlapping each triangle.

Sprinkle most of the currants over the first layer of bread. 

Arrange the rest of the bread on top and sprinkle the remaining currants on it. 

Beat 3 eggs and whisk together with 350mls milk, 60g caster sugar and a pinch cinnamon. If you have any vanilla sugar, you could use this or substitute some for it. 

Pour the custard mixture over the bread and leave in the fridge for 30 mins but longer is better. 

When you're ready to cook it, mix 1 egg with 2 tbsp sugar and 100mls milk. Pour over the bread. 

Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the pudding and bake for around 50mins at 180c/ gas 4. 

Serve with custard. 

Does it get any more frugal?  

Frugal cleaning!

I ran out of rinse aid a few weeks ago and I've been trying to save money on cleaning products too so I poured some cheap-as-chips, bog standard malt vinegar into the rinse aid drawer of the dishwasher and it worked! 

Since then, I've been trying out alternative cleaning products elsewhere too. 

I've got loads of bottles of the cheapest vinegar that you can get because I make chutneys so I've been using it all over the house now! It's fabulous! 

Uses so far:

Pour some in your washing machine drum and powder and softener drawer and put it on a normal cycle to clean the machine. 

Use it instead of fabric conditioner in the washing machine. 

Clean your windows with it. 

Use it to clean greasy cookers and splash backs. 

Top up your washing up liquid bottle with some vinegar and it'll go much further. 

Pour it in your loo and leave overnight to give the bowl a good clean. 

I'll add more to this list as and when i find more uses! 

I'm now challenging myself to find a cheap alternative for all my cleaning needs!! 

I'm going to try and make a dishwasher detergent next..

Something else that I've done in the past is pour a bottle of the cheapest cola you can find down the loo and leave overnight.  Sparkling loo to follow! 

I've also been all round the house with a cheapy bottle of bleach and a toothbrush. God it is seriously satisfying!! Sad, I know!

Bicarbonate of soda is next on my list to find lots of uses for... Watch this space..

Meal planner

Hi! 

Feels like ages since I've been on here properly. Been busy getting my pieces for the paper sorted but think I'm finding my feet a bit now so it shouldn't affect my frugal blogging!

We have been away down south for the long weekend with Ian's family so I've not done much cooking since last week. 

We got home on Monday so I made a quickie supper of pasta with wild garlic pesto, prawns, chorizo and lots of grated Parmesan with a crunchy breadcrumb and chilli flake topping. 

I did a serious stocktake in the freezer and cupboards on Monday night. It is amazing what I've uncovered from under mounds of ice! I found a pack of chicken thighs and a homemade beef and Guinness pie. Total result. Tasty, speedy suppers to follow! 

On Tuesday I had leek and potato soup with some sorry looking rolls from the freezer. In the evening I made the chicken thighs into a cheesy chicken & broccoli bake with the purple sprouting broccoli from my dad's garden. I poached the chicken in water with a stock cube, some asparagus stalks, a celery stick send a carrot for about 15 mins, until cooked through. Just before I took the chicken out I chucked the broccoli in for a few mins, until tender. I then strained the chicken and veg and removed the stock veg (and gave it to the hens). I put the stock to one side. 

In a large pan I melted some butter, mixed in a few spoons of plain flour and whisked in some of the stock until I had the desired consistency. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, a tsp curry powder, added a large splash of white wine, a good grating of cheese. 

I took the chicken off the bones, discarded the skin (well, gave it to the cat actually!) and chopped up the meat. I added the meat and broccoli to the sauce, covered with a mixture of dried breadcrumbs and crushed salted crisps. I baked it for about 30 mins at gas 6/ 200c until bubbling and calling my name. 

While it was cooking, I rustled up a lovely pan of creamy mashed potato with lots of wild garlic butter. I also made some rice for Robin as a going back to school treat! It went very nicely with both but the mash is definitely the winner!

With the leftover mash from Tuesday's supper I made easy pea-sy fish cakes for the kids (and, although Ian and I were going out for a cheap and cheerful Italian with friends, we also had some!!). 

I defrosted 1 fillet of pollack and 4 raw king prawns. I then poached the fish with some milk, seasoning and a pinch of paprika. Just as it was about to be ready (only takes 5 mins), add a small handful of frozen peas and the prawns. When it's all cooked drain the fish, prawns and peas and save the cooking liquid. 

Chuck the fish etc in a food processor along with some mash, salt and pepper, a few chilli flakes, some fresh herbs (I used mint, chives and oregano from the garden), some grated cheese and some dried breadcrumbs. Whizz it together and then let it cool in the fridge until you're ready to use. My mash was very milky already so I didn't add any wet ingredients but you could add an egg, some of the cooking milk or some mayonnaise. 

When ready, shape them into balls (about the size of ping-pong balls) and then slightly flatten. Coat in more dried breadcrumbs. If the mixture isn't very sticky, you may need to use a little beaten egg before the crumbs. 

Heat a frying pan, add 1 tbsp groundnut oil and add the fish cakes. When browned, turn them over and continue to cook on a low heat until brown on both sides and heated through. The combination of the fish, peas and mint was delicious. We all enjoyed them with carrots and chips and there wasn't a crumb leftover!

So, we're at Thursday already. I've just inhaled an enormous bowl of bread and butter pudding and ice cream so nothing else for me until tonight. I'm going to give the leftover chicken bake to the kids, with rice, for supper and Ian and I are going to have the beef and Guinness pie, with the rest of the freebie purple sprouting broccoli and some minty peas, for ours. Then Ian will have the leftover pie on Friday night as I'll be gallivanting in Harrogate at the Good Food Show Live (my birthday present from my lovely friend, Gail) with, aforementioned friend, Gail!

On Saturday my menu consists of fish pie. If you are making my menu make extra mash for the fish pie and fish cakes, when you're making it for the chicken bake. And, when you make your fish cakes, poach extra fish and prawns and use them for the fish pie, using the poaching milk for the cheese sauce. Use hard (but soft, if you know what i mean?!) boiled eggs and peas, spinach and sweetcorn are all good additions too. 

To make your eggs, put them in cold water and bring the water to the boil. Take them out of the pan 6 mins after putting them in. Put them in iced water to cool quickly and then peel them and half them for the pie. 

I assemble all the fish, nestle the eggs in amongst it, add the veg and then pour lots of cheese sauce over the top. I top it off with crumbs and bake until bubbling. 

Freeze if you're not using it for a few days. 

The kids are at a party on Sunday so we'll just grab a toastie and/ or soup for lunch. For supper I'm going to make an oven-baked risotto with some peppers  and cherry tomatoes I've got in the fridge.

Hope this has given you a little inspiration. 

Next week I will, almost certainly, be melting Easter chocolate to create something to share with friends and get out of our house whilst I'm working on my bikini body!!