Latest Posts

Frozen Pea Soup

Frozen Pea Soup

A lovely quick and simple soup using frozen garden peas and not a lot else. Use a plant milk to make it vegan

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All things Christmas

All things Christmas

Everything related to Christmas on Thrifty Lesley. The Christmas Meal Plans, Christmas recipes and lots of ideas for all those leftovers

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To Black Friday, or Not to Black Friday, that is the question

To Black Friday, or Not to Black Friday, that is the question

I can’t tell you how tired I am of hearing the words ‘Black Friday’! To me it says ‘buy something, buy something, buy something ……. Please, buy something, anything, please’. I have had endless emails all saying it’s Black Friday, spend some money with us.

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Vegetarian Christmas

Vegetarian Christmas

If you are on a tight budget, Christmas food can be very difficult, causing stress, and maybe even debt too. No need to get into debt, when with a bit of extra planning, you can enjoy a delicious vegetarian Christmas festive meal, without spending a fortune. If you don’t know where to start, or would like a few vegetarian christmas recipe ideas, have a look at this detailed, 2 person, 7 day Christmas dinner menu for the entire Christmas week.

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Christmas Week Food. Lots of festive flavours & not many £££’s

Christmas Week Food. Lots of festive flavours & not many £££’s

If you are on a tight budget, Christmas food can be very difficult, causing stress, and maybe even debt too. Happily, no need to get into debt, when with a bit of extra planning, you can enjoy a delicious festive meal, without spending a fortune, and continue festively all week for around £2.60pppd!

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Spinach Dumplings with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Spinach Dumplings with Spicy Tomato Sauce

I tried these several years ago as my brother is coeliac and these, if you use the gram flour option, are gluten free. They are easy to make, freeze well and taste delicious. This recipe serves 4 adults. Great for kids as it’s easy to portion, they can just have fewer dumplings, and for the veg phobic kids, they don’t even taste of spinach!

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Lentil Soup, my go to lunch time soup

Lentil Soup, my go to lunch time soup

I love this soup, it is my go to for a soup for lunch. I usually add a tsp of ginger paste from a jar, a tsp of garlic paste, and a tsp of turmeric to give it a lovely spicy kick, and it’s cheap enough to have a big bowl.

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Beetroot Ragu Lasagna

Beetroot Ragu Lasagna

A beetroot ragu vegetable lasagna for a budget family dinner. Swap the beetroot layer out for all kinds of different savoury mixes

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BBQ Sauce, it’s vegan too

BBQ Sauce, it’s vegan too

This vegan BBQ sauce recipe is pretty simple, just bung everything in a saucepan and reduce it down a bit. It’s a very versatile and useful condiment to have around the place

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