Ways with stale bread. Meals from nothing!

Eggy bread (French toast)

Mix an egg, a large splash of milk and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Soak your bread in the mixture. 

Fry on a low heat in melted butter. 

You could add sugar or cinnamon, if you fancy it sweet. Or have it with chocolate spread. 

The kids go crazy for this! 

Cheese pudding (that's what we call it, anyway!)

Slice the bread and remove the crusts. Lay the slices in a small oven dish, like you would for bread and butter pudding. 

Mix 2 eggs, milk,  grated cheese and seasoning. Pour it over the bread. (Just make sure you have enough liquid to fully cover it, so add eggs and milk, if need be). 

Pop it in the oven at about 200c for around 30 mins. 

It will puff up like a soufflé. It is delicious. I used to make it for the kids all the time when they were small. 

Bread and tomato salad

Sounds a bit odd but it's really yummy. I love this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/panzanella_tuscan_tomato_09380

Ingredients

• 5 handfuls chunks of stale sourdough or other bread

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 1 medium-sized cucumber, peeled, cut into small chunks

• 1 medium-sized red onion

• 6 vine tomatoes

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• handful torn basil leaves

  
  

  Method

  
  

  1. Tip the bread into a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper and add the olive oil and half of the red wine vinegar.

  2. Remove the tomato skins by placing the tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds and refreshing in a bowl of ice cold water. The skins should now peel away easily. Add the tomatoes to the bread, along with the cucumber and red onion. Scatter over the finely chopped garlic and add a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined.

  3. Pour in the remaining red wine vinegar, plus more to taste, add the basil leaves and mix together with your hands until well combined. Serve.

Breadcrumbs

You can whizz them and put them straight in the freezer. Or you can dry them in a low oven and either freeze them or jar them up. 

I often whizz them with Parmesan in the food processor and freeze them together.

They don't freeze hard, so you can just take out what you need. 

Use them for toppings, coatings or to bulk up meals. 

Bread and butter pudding 

Sure you know how to do this. I like to add pieces of fudge or individual chocolates (from a tin eg roses or quality street) in it. 

Special mushroomy ham and cheese on toast

I originally made this because I watched Nigel Slater make a similar thing on tv - 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mushroom_and_taleggio_46144

I make it differently as I use whichever mushrooms and cheese I have in the fridge and I like it with thyme. Dried is fine. 

Fry the mushrooms with butter, garlic and thyme. Add slices of cheese on top, when they're about ready. Let it go lovely and melty. Add a piece of ham to the cheese. Pour the mixture on top of some toast. Have it as an open or closed toasted sandwich. 

Very scrummy, comfort food!