Latest Posts

Spring is Springing

Spring is Springing

I’ve tried testing a recipe three times so far and it just won’t go right, so I’ll delay posting it until it does. Went out last night for a birthday celebration to Pilio, a fabulous small Greek bistro in Heathfield. It is extremely popular, so popular in fact, that...

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The Live Below The Line UK challenge, 2015 – LBLUK2015

The Live Below The Line UK challenge, 2015 – LBLUK2015

Here on Thrifty Lesley, we explore many ways of eating on £1 a day. And that is quite enough of a challenge for me. I couldn’t even contemplate existing on that £1 for everything. This email pinged into my inbox today and I reproduce it more or less in full as it...

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Gallivants and puddens

Got a very busy day today. Been catching up on paperwork and doing lots of little jobs - where do they all come from. I'm off to WI committee in a bit, a quick bite round the Presidents house, then we're off to see Love's Labour's Won, better known as Much Ado About...

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Cooking around the world

Had another brilliant evening at Claverham college yesterday. We did Empanadas, a similar recipe to this one from Good Food. Some people there hadn’t made pastry before, so that was bit of a challenge for them. I’ve made tons of the stuff in my time! Empanadas are...

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A not very nice lunch, summer sewing and too many earrings

A not very nice lunch, summer sewing and too many earrings

It was the WI lunch group last Friday and we went to The Middle House in Mayfield. It was not as good as usual with my John Dory being over cooked and one of the other parties lamb being tough, no veg for the fish eaters, and a couple of other quibbles. Had a laugh...

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Inventing wings,  folding a la Kondo and a good clean

Inventing wings, folding a la Kondo and a good clean

Saturday Have you ever heard of the Grimke sisters? I hadn’t, and I consider myself a feminist. I have just finished reading The Invention of Wings, by Sue Monk Kidd. It is the story of Sarah Grimke, a rich plantation owners daughter, and Hetty Handful, an enslaved...

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Snowdrops, friends and being perfect

Snowdrops, friends and being perfect

It was the WI garden group this afternoon. We were off to Sheffield Park to see the snowdrops. I anxiously looked at the sky all morning, it was overcast, drizzling a bit and generally not very nice. We met at the hall and car shared and as we were driving over, we...

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Going on a course

Going on a course

I am fizzing with enthusiasm this morning! I went to Claverham College last evening for the first of a five week course on Cooking Around the World. I was hoping that the tutor would be good as he does loads of different courses there, and he was. He was extremely...

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Spinach & Coconut Dahl

Spinach & Coconut Dahl

The tomatoes/spinach can be replaced with any other veg too. I shall try carrots, probably roasted, ditto parsnips, maybe leeks, fennel, it might work with dark green veg, spring greens or kale.

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A general Saturday

A general Saturday

Got a horrible shock this morning. Got out of bed, looked out of the window, and it was snowing. Really hard! Yuk! It snowed for several hours, piling up on the cars, path and road, then the sun came out and it melted away, then we had hail, followed by rain. We seem...

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