by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 7, 2026 | Lunches
This is a very simple soup using a pack of frozen mixed vegetables and not a lot else. Tasty, filling and very variable, depending on what you have in. This post was first written way back in 2014. It’s been completely re-written What do I need to make frozen...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 29, 2025 | Dinners, Love Your Leftovers
Chicken curry, a top dish in the UK, made and enjoyed by millions. This recipe is one that has evolved over the years and comes out often. It’s simple, quick, flexible, cheap and, most importantly, delicious! Table of Contents ToggleWhat do I need to make this...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 26, 2025 | Christmas, Love Your Leftovers
Many whole turkeys come with a little paper plastic wrapped gift tucked inside the cavity: the giblets. For many cooks, they’re an afterthought— something to discard while focusing on the bird itself. But hidden in that bundle is the real prize: the turkey liver. With...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 3, 2025 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
I invented this soup one day when I had barely anything in the larder, and it was so good, I’ve made it lots of times since! It only has three ingredients! First of all, and most importantly, it’s delicious. There is not a lot of point making frugal food...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 22, 2025 | Round Up Post
This series starts off with a poached chicken and stretches that chicken out to last a family of four for a whole week. Yes, 7 days of recipes from 1 chicken! Coronation chicken jacket potato Red cabbage and Chicken Waldorf Salad Chicken with butternut squash and...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 24, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 1, Meal Plans For 2
Looking for a cheap meal plan that’s healthy, filling and easy to follow? This 7-day budget meal plan uses red lentils, chickpeas, bacon and everyday ingredients to create a variety of tasty, nutritious meals — all for around £1.15 per person, per day. Whether you’re...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 27, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 7, Meal Plans For 2
Repriced at the end of April 2024. You will need £27.29 at the checkout, with £21.43 worth of food used during the week, or £1.46 pppd This is our Seventh Meal Plan. As for all the others, it shows 3 meals a day, plus some cakey extras to fill any gaps, for 7 days,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 27, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 4, Meal Plans For 2
Meal Plan 4 As at the time of writing, August 2025 you will need £23.73 in your purse at the checkout, but the amount of food actually consumed (if you follow the plan fully) comes to £18.74, so £1.34 a day per person, and you still have some supplies to start you off...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 25, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 3, Meal Plans For 2
Meal Plan 3 And here we have our Third Meal Plan. Based around chorizo/salami, chick peas and, of all things, dried mashed potato. Bear with me here, this idea is from Miss South on NorthSouthFood.com. Miss South is quite a potato connoisseur, so if she likes them,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 25, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 2, Meal Plans For 2
Meal planning and using a shopping list are a standard way of saving money on groceries. It’s simply astonishing how much we spend on impulse purchases without a list – the supermarkets are super skilled at making that happen! It’s estimated that the...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 24, 2025 | All Recipes, Dinners, Meal Plan 7
This recipe uses a one third portion of an easy beef ragu made for use in Meal Plan 7. The picture shows my portion, which is a quarter of the finished dish, not a half, so this dish could feed 4, and not the 2 originally thought. What do I need to make beef ragu...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 24, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Dinners, Meal Plan 7
In meal plan 7 we have a cottage pie, a lasagna and spaghetti bolognese. All three recipes use the same easy ragu as a base. What do I need to make Beef Ragu – used 3 ways 500g beef mince. The 20% fat beef mince is usually cheapest, but 20% of it is fat –...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 8, 2025 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
Do you love those little deli pots of cheese and onion sandwich filling sold in the supermarkets? If you do, then this post is for you – you can make an even more delicious sandwich filling at two thirds of the price! What do I need to make a cheese and onion...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 17, 2025 | Dinners, Lunches
This is a delicious salad that takes just a few minutes to make. It is creamy from the dressing and has a wonderful balance of flavours, with little pops of sweetness from the currants and savouriness from the sunflower seeds. It doesn’t taste particularly...
