by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 27, 2023 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches
I bought a 200g packet of smoked mackerel fillets and wondered how I could stretch them into lovely meals for 2. The first one I tried was this recipe for mackerel pâté that is super simple and very delicious. What do I need to make mackerel pâté smoked mackerel...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 6, 2022 | All Recipes, Lunches, Round Up Post
School packed lunches – the dreaded chore! Can you feed a hulking teenager for 30p a head? Ideas for school packed lunches – many people with school aged children need them. Packing up a lunch box for children or an adult packed lunch is bad enough. It can...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 24, 2020 | All Recipes, Dinners, Meal Plan 1
Bacon & Sweetcorn Pie This post was first written in June 2013 and updated in June 2021. This recipe is one of those extremely variable ones. You can bake this as a pie, leave the top of and bake as a bacon and sweetcorn tart, or steam it as a pudding and change...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 25, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners
A gorgeous Chickpea, Mango and Coconut Curry First published in February 2014 and re-priced this week Making it up as I go along I have had a lovely play in the kitchen today and amongst other things, I made this chickpea, mango and coconut curry. It is gorgeous! I...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 9, 2017 | All Recipes, Dinners, Things You May Never Need To Make Again
Things You May Never Need To Buy Again – Fish Cakes Fish cakes Fish cakes are basically a bit of fish and some mashed potato, so are easily reproduced at home. They can be plain and simple, or have many different flavour additions. Make them yourself, and you...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 28, 2017 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Round Up Post
8 Sandwich Pastes for super cheap sandwiches and toast toppers I have made lots of different sandwich pastes and toast toppers. This round up post gathers together 8 of them. I’ve really liked each of them. They are quick and cheap to make, freeze well and can be used...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 1, 2016 | All Recipes, Dinners
A gorgeous home made Pad Thai I run a cooking group for the local U3A that meets once a month, and this months meeting was today. We made plain chow mein, a creamy leek cheese toast topper and this wonderful Pad Thai. It works out rather expensive for our budget here,...
by Thrifty Lesley | May 5, 2016 | All Recipes, Dinners, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
Sardine and Tomato Fish Cakes 26p a portion and Tuna Fish Cakes 36p a portion The budget cookery group for the U3A were here Tuesday afternoon and one of the things we made was fish cakes. We did one version using a tin of sardines in tomato sauce, and another using a...
by Thrifty Lesley | Apr 3, 2016 | All Recipes, Love Your Leftovers, Lunches, Other
Dead Good Old Tarts This recipe was given to me by a friend, although, I must admit, she didn’t call it Dead Good Old Tarts. The name just popped into my head when I was wondering what to call them, so Dead Good Old Tarts it is. I have been looking at ways of using...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 1, 2016 | All Recipes, Dinners
Goan Fish Curry, made with chicken, 56p. Plus the original fish recipe the budget cookery group Had the budget cookery group round this afternoon. We had our usual laugh, then made some Carrot and Tahini Hummus, a Mixed Nut and Seed Butter, then a glorious Goan Fish...
by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 28, 2016 | All Recipes
Picnics in the cold, and a tin of tuna Went to Glyndebourne yesterday, with the friend I go to see the live transmissions with. No, not the posh, picnic in the garden type. Very expensive! We went to see the youth group do a modern opera called Nothing. It was...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 7, 2015 | All Recipes, Lunches
Zombie burgers using dead bread Tried the first experiment with reviving dead bread stored as breadcrumbs today. Had a look in the fridge and found a few bits and pieces that I thought would work, got a bag of breadcrumbs out of the freezer and had a play. I have set...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 1, 2015 | All Recipes, Christmas, Other
Nibbly bits – spicy nuts, pastry nibbles, dips and mini bannocks Had the U3A budget cooking group here, at the house, this afternoon. I was wondering what to do. Thought it needed to be seasonal, but most definitely not mince pies. I ended up deciding to do a...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 19, 2015 | All Recipes, Dinners, Love Your Leftovers, Lunches, Round Up Post
Using breadcrumbs for dinner Went to a U3A meeting this morning on Science. One of our number talked about Astronomy. We discussed the immense distances involved and moved on to the possibility of life elsewhere. The presenter is a chemist, so we had a very...
