Author: Scottish Mum

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Strawberry Flapjacks Recipe

We’ve had loads of lovely strawberries from the plot this year, and more than we could simply eat as strawberries on their own.

I’ve made two batches of strawberry jam, and this flapjacks recipe was to keep the kids happy with some sweet munchies, and also save a few pennies from shopping for a few days, as I had all the ingredients already.

It’s very indulgent and uber tasty, and oh so easy to eat lots of it.

Enjoy.

Strawberry Flapjack

Lesley Smith

Strawberry Flapjack Recipe

This is an enormous recipe, that I used for kids friends coming over. Most people will only need around half these quantities for Flapjack making.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 20 - 40 pieces
Course: Dessert / Snack
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 750 g Porridge Oats or Large Oats
  • 400 g Butter
  • 300 g Strawberries washed, dried and finely sliced.
  • 200 g Golden sugar.
  • 4 Tablespoons Honey

Method
 

  1. Switch on the oven, to around 120/140C.

  2. Melt the butter in a pan, or in the microwave, until fluid.

  3. In a bowl, mix the oats, golden sugar and honey together with the strawberries. Tip in the melted butter and give it a good mix, until the oats resemble a sticky mix, as per the image above.

  4. Line a baking tray with baking paper and tip the mixture out.

  5. Use the back of a spoon to press the mix down firmly. If you don't do this, your flapjack will fall apart when you try to cut it.

  6. Bake for around 40 minutes. If the top begins to brown, your oven is up too high, so turn it down.

Strawberry Flapjack 3

 

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Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs

Ok, this is the cheats way to do it.  I never said I was mega original, did I?  Anyway, these taste lush, and have just the right amount of stickiness, but it does mean changing the recommended use of a standard Maggi, Teriyaki Chicken mix.

The Maggi pack, says that it’s made with natural herbs and spices and given that I managed to get 8 large kebab sticks from it, the added seasoning is only 22 calories and 5 carbs per kebab.  That’s pretty good when you consider that it makes chicken taste so much better than just salt and pepper, or some added spices.

I’m not sure this is really a recipe, but here you go.

Chicken Kebabs with Baked Camembert

Lesley Smith

Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs

I did not have vegetables available for adding to the kebab stick for this recipe. The fridge needed filling, so we had ours with a little lettuce on the side.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: Mains
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Chicken Breasts
  • 1 Pack Maggi So Sticky Teriyaki Chicken
  • Boiling Water
  • Required: Kebab Sticks or Forks
  • Baked Camembert

Method
 

  1. Simply cut each chicken breast into kebab sized chunks. I had large chicken breasts and got several good sized pieces for each kebab stick.

  2. Put your Maggi mix into a good sized bowl and add some boiling water. Not too much, but enough to give you a mixture for coating the kebabs. Stir until the mix is dissolved.

  3. Dip the chicken and roll it around in the Teriyaki mix, then pop it in the fridge for half an hour to marinate.

  4. Slip your chicken onto the kebab sticks, and lay on foil prepared flat baking trays.

  5. Cook at 160C for 20 minutes, or until your chicken is thoroughly cooked. Add your Camembert to the oven at the same time, following the instructions it comes with.

 

 

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Review: Trespass Zachariah Jacket – Limone

One of my boys has been looking for a yellow jacket for quite some time now. He’s used a high vis vest in the past when he’s on his bike in winter, but he has wanted a nice bright jacket that’s both windproof and waterproof.  One that isn’t too bulky, and means he can wear layers underneath.

Trespass offered me the chance to pick an item from their outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment website.  When I spotted this jacket, I knew immediately, that it was the one I wanted.

I chose the Limone coloured, Zachariah Trespass Jacket.

My kids are all outdoor fanatics, so good jackets are actually quite high on my list of priorities, to keep the wind and the rain out, especially in the cold weather.  The beauty of the Zachariah Jacket, is that it will do for both summer and winter.

Image Courtesy of Tresspass.com
Image Courtesy of Tresspass.com

My oldest son would have loved the navy version, but it was too tempting to tick the bright yellow jacket box for my middle boy.

Trespass Zachariah 3

It has something called the tres-tex membrane, which allows the jacket to be Waterproof, Windproof and has a Water Repellant Zip. Taped Seams stop the water from coming in, yet, it’s also breathable.

The jacket is part of the technical performance range, and has some extras that my cyclist will be pretty chuffed with.

  • Adjustable Zip Off Hood
  • Venting
  • Snow Seal System
  • Zipped Pockets
  • Glasses Pocket
  • Phone Pocket
  • Adjustable Cuffs

The jacket is for one of my teens who is growing like a weed, but as it’s going to be part of his birthday present, one of my other boys stepped in to model it for him.

Trespass Zachariah 2

In fact, I actually think my other two boys were more than just a little bit envious of the nice bright colour, and the fabulous quality of the jacket.  Even the man was suitably impressed, wondering if he should get one for himself, but in navy.

Zachariah 4 Glare

My model for the day, was highly amused by the opening side vents, that allow air to circulate freely.  It’s the first time he’s seen anything like that, and the phone pocket is on the sleeve, beside the cuff, which makes it easy for access too.

I ordered the extra small (xs) from the Men’s range, which will fit my middle child perfectly, who is thirteen and quite slender.  It’s a tad long in the sleeves for my model, but as his brother has longer arms, it’ll be fine.

I can see this getting much love and attention from my boy when he gets his hands on it.

He already has a pair of bright yellow salopettes, which he adores, so this will complete his outfit for when it snows.

Salopettes for the legs, and a thinner jacket on top, one that can be layered, is perfect for sledging in the winter months.

I’m going to enjoy seeing his face when he opens this parcel….

Thank you Trespass.

 

 

 

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Making Burgers & the Quarter Pounder Burger Press

If you know where your mince has come from, then you can be sure that it isn’t full of additives or processed foods.  As a low-carb person these days, I also want to know exactly what is in my food, so that I can count it.

Burgers 1

Lakeland Quarter Pounder Burger Press. Ref-10481-£8.99.
Lakeland Quarter Pounder Burger Press. Ref-10481-£8.99.

I’d been tempted by the Lakeland Burger Press for a while, but to be honest, I hadn’t got round to it before now.

In the past, I tended to simply make a ball with my hands and then flatten it, but the burgers were usually pretty misshapen, and thinner at the ends than in the middle, so I thought it was worth a go.

While I was online for an order, I had to pop this beauty into my shopping basket.  It’s simple, yes, but also brilliant at getting regular shapes.

Burgers & Fillers

For my mince, I chose the food from my local butcher, Andrew Gordon, of the The Lean Butcher, who has recently rebranded (previously known as the Fresh Food Guru, online).  He has a lean steak mince deal which is perfect for 3KG of mince.

There are 153 calories per 100g and less than 0.1g of carbohydrate.  Perfect in my book.

To make my burgers, I simply chopped up some onion, then added a chunk of garlic from our plot.  It’s the first time I’ve tried our own garlic, and it beat the shop version hands down.

Lesley Smith

Onion and Garlic Burgers

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 5
Course: Burgers, Mains
Cuisine: Main Meal
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 kg Mince.
  • 150 g Onion chopped how you like it.
  • 1 Clover Garlic finely chopped.
  • Salt to taste
  • Pepper to taste.

Method
 

  1. This is actually really simple. I did not add breadcrumbs, as I wanted a burger without the added carbs. I put my mince and onions in a bowl, along with the chopped up garlic. Don't be scared to get your hands into the bowl, and really work the onions into the mince. I like large chunks of onions, but everyone is different.
  2. Stir in salt and pepper. We all know how much we prefer, so I just add a level teaspoon of both and mix that in too. You might prefer to do without, or add more.
  3. I split my mix into six even sized portions, ie rolling into a ball, then pressed each one into my burger press and push it down with a spoon, to make it firm.
  4. I've heard people worrying about getting their burgers out of the burger press, but I find it quite simple. When I push the top to release the burger from the base, I simply slide a long and narrow bladed knife into the place where the burger press and the burger meets. I've never had a failure yet, even though I don't use additional binders.
  5. Cook any way you like. I bake mine in a moderate heat for twenty minutes as my children like their meat well done, but you could flash fry or grill.

 

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An Underactive Thyroid

You know how it goes.  I’d get the kids up and ready for school, run the stress gauntlet of breakfast, get them moving, get my mum up and breakfasted, then myself ready for the day.  By 9am, all I wanted to do some days, was put my head back down and sleep for hours.  I ate as little as I could, given that I had terrible cravings, but still gained weight.

It did my head in.

Then…

When I got checked up recently for diabetes, other blood tests were done at the same time.  What that meant, is that I’ve found out my thyroid was blown, and probably has been for quite a while.

Healthy Thyroid

I’m not hugely under at the moment, but it’s low enough that it’s been causing me problems.  I just didn’t know what to look for at the time.

I should have known better as my mother has been underactive for many years, but hers was knocked out as a result of treatment for an overactive thyroid.

Underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism is easy to miss in the early stages.  I had no idea.  At all.  I knew I was tired, and finding end of the day difficult, although I couldn’t fall asleep, but I put that down to caring for three kids, one with special needs, and two elders with dementia.

The symptoms can be mistaken for other things, so it’s worth knowing what to look out for.  Since I’ve been put on Thyroxine, the pain I had 24/7 in my thumbs seems to have taken a walk off a cliff, leaving me pain-free, but that could also be due to having the diabetes more under control now.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it stays like that.

Symptoms Can Include

  • Weight gain.
  • Extreme tiredness.
  • Sensitive to cold.
  • Depression.
  • Slowing down of movement and thought patterns.
  • Muscle aches.
  • Cramps.
  • Dry skin.
  • Brittle nails and hair.
  • Pain and numbness in hand and fingers.

What Does The Thyroid Do?

Our thyroid regulates our metabolism.  The butterfly shaped gland in our necks is responsible for almost everything our bodies.  In other words, the hormones produced by the thyroid are dumped into the blood stream and are necessary for all the cells in our bodies to work properly.

An unbalanced thyroid will interfere with the way your body uses fats, and can make our body cells work slower than normal in hypothyroidism..  I’ve often been given sideways glances when I said that I put weight on around 1200 calories a day, and couldn’t understand why.  No-one ever believes you.  They really do think you’re trying to make excuses for putting on weight, or think you’re just lazy.  Now I know I wasn’t going mad…..

When the cells slow down, so does the heart rate, and can increase the risk of heart disease, increase the levels of cholesterol in the blood and cause fatty deposits to build up in arteries.  For that reason, it’s important to get diagnosed if your thyroid is out of sync.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is quite a simple blood test, that shows the levels of T3 and T4 hormone in our blood.  The doctor can tell immediately if you have it, by your results.

The Future

As hypothyroidism is often a result of our own immune system malfunction, treatment is usually needed for life.  The drug of choice seems to be Levothyroxine, and I can feel it helping already, despite only having taken it for a fortnight so far.  The disease could also simply be a result of having virus that puts our hormones out of whack, or Hashimoto’s disease, which is often hereditary.

How Can I Stop Underactive Thyroid Developing?

The simple answer is, that you can’t.   Having an underactive thyroid is quite common, more so in women, with around 15 in every thousand women developing it.

Find Out More

Find out more about thyroid conditions at Thyroid UK.

 

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No Weigh Pear Crumble Recipe

Another no weigh crumble recipe for you.  It’s the only way to make it.    Find my no weight rhubarb crumble recipe here.

I’d walked into the local Co-op this week and found lots of bags of marked down pears.  I snapped up four bags, although I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them, but the man loves crumble so he asked for them to be turned into his favourite dessert.

Pear Crumble

Lesley Smith

No Weigh Pear Crumble Recipe

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 6 - 8 Servings
Course: Pudding
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • Pears - I used four bags of small pears with 6 pears in each bag. Topped and tailed, then cored and sliced.
  • Sugar.
  • Plain Flour.
  • Oatmeal.
  • Butter.

Method
 

  1. Wash the pears, core them, then chop them up.
  2. I put these into the crumble bowl, put the oven on to 140C and baked them with some water and two tablespoons of sugar for 20 minutes.
  3. Tip out some of the excess water if there is more than a centimetre or so in the bottom of the bowl, then sprinkle on some sugar. The more sugar you add, the sweeter your crumble will be. I added very little as pears are sweet anyway.
  4. I simply tip some flour into a bowl, then top up with oatmeal. I'd say it was likely to be around 100 grammes. I added about four times as much oatmeal, them mixed it well.
  5. Add sugar. Do it to taste. I just tipped some out of my pack, about the same amount as for the flour.
  6. Add in a couple of tablespoons of soft butter, then work the mix into breadcrumbs. Add a little more butter if you need to.
  7. Bake in a moderate oven, around 160 degrees C for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the top begins to turn golden brown in colour.
  8. Serve with cream, custard, toffee sauce, or just on its own. Fabulous

 

 

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Soup Maker Recipe: Asparagus and Spring Onion Soup

I wanted something slightly different for my mum and asparagus is one vegetable I have tended to avoid fairly often, but it’s also a good one for us to eat, so I’ve started experimenting.

This came out quite thick, so I added a little milk at the serving stage for her, and she loved it.

Asparagus and Spring Onion Soup2

Lesley Smith

Soup Maker Recipe: Asparagus and Spring Onion Soup

5 from 3 votes
This is a 1600 l recipe. Make up your stock to the limit of your own machine.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 Bowls
Course: Soup Maker
Cuisine: Soup
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g Asparagus Chopped
  • 125 g Spring Onion Chopped
  • 100 g Onion Chopped
  • 150 g Potatoes Cubed
  • 1 Teaspoon Butter
  • 2 Chicken Stock Cubes
  • Up to 800ml Boiling Water

Method
 

  1. Saute the onion and spring onion with the butter, until the onions are soft, then add in the chopped asparagus and stir well.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  3. Choose the smooth setting.

 

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Egg Pizza with Ham & Tomatoes (Low Carb)

For me, this is just a throw it all in kind of meal.  Fast, simple, and fills hungry bellies.

It’s a favourite of my eldest in the evening if he’s peckish.

This Egg Pizza is a five minute low carb meal.  Yes, it’s fairly high in fat, but if you’re eating low carbs, then you’re fine.  This comes in around 7.3 carbs for the whole thing, which is low for a fairly hefty meal and most people will eat half a portion.  It really does count if you’re keeping to very low carb levels, ie around 30 a day.  Also a perfect meal for diabetics doing LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat)

For everyone else, it’s a luxurious meal that you can use lower fat alternatives for fewer calories.

 

Egg Pizza - Ham and Tomato

 

Lesley Smith

Egg Pizza with Ham & Tomatoes (Low Carb)

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course: Main Meal
Cuisine: Low Carb
Calories: 371
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Medium Eggs
  • 40 g Cheddar Cheese Grated
  • 100 g Ham Shredded (I used Ham Hock for this recipe)
  • 4 Cherry Tomatoes Halved
  • 2 Pats of Butter

Method
 

  1. Add the butter to your frying pan and let it gently heat up.
  2. Crack the eggs into a bowl and give them a good whisk with a fork.
  3. Turn down the heat of your pan and tip the egg into the frying pan, on a low heat.
  4. Leave the egg to cook for a minute, then put your ham, tomatoes and cheese on the top.
  5. Leave the Egg Pizza to cook for a couple of minutes, until all the egg is fully done.

 

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No Base – Low Sugar & Virtually Fat Free Cheesecake

Using up the Quark I bought as a tester was easier than I thought.  As a diabetic, I don’t want the sugar that is usually added to cheesecake, but I also didn’t want the calories from some of the other options, nor the carbs from a stodgy base.

This is a light and different way to make a type of cheesecake that I think I will go back to, again and again with different flavours to disguise the taste of the quark.  It’s almost fat free and has a very low sugar content.  It’s magic stuff for cheesecake.  It’s mixed well to add air into the cheesecake.  Be warned.  When you get this right, you might never want to go back to horrifically high calorie content cheesecake again in your life.

I ate a whopping serving and a half of this and broke neither my diet nor my carb count.

Quark Cheesecake 2

Lesley Smith

Baseless Virtually Fat Free Cheesecake

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 6 - 8 Servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Calories: 116
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Quark Soft Cheese - 2 x 500ml Tubs
  • Stevia - Powdered - To Taste
  • Vannila Essence - To Taste
  • Strawberry Freeze Dried Pieces - 6g - I got from Sainsburys
  • Gelatine - 1 Sachet or 4 Leaf Sheets

Method
 

  1. In your mixer, put your quark, along with four teaspoons of the Stevia, then add in some drops of vanilla. Set your mixer to whip up the cheese.
  2. While the cheese is mixing, dissolve your gelatine in a small amount of hot water.
  3. Add the gelatine to the cheese and do a taste test. If it is not sweet enough, add a little more stevia until you are happy with it. My kids did the taste test and we used 8 teaspoons of Stevia and five capfuls of Madagascar Vanilla.
  4. Put your mixer on high for a couple of minutes, to whip some air into the mixture.
  5. Pour into dishes and leave for an hour to set.
  6. Serve with fresh fruit on top, or use another sachet of gelatine to create a jelly like fruit topping.

Notes

Nutrition count is approximate. I couldn't find the right information for the vanilla extract or the gelatine.

 

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Rhubarb Jam Recipe: Garden Goodies

Rhubarb jam has to be one of the easiest to make.  I’ve been a bit lazy with the first batch from our allotment this year and just used preserve making sugar instead of adding lemon juice.  Last year, my rhubarb jam was just a tiny bit too runny, although it tasted gorgeous, but the hope was to have a slightly more set jam this time round.

I used the red stalks to make rhubarb crumble, so this jam is more brown in colour than the lovely reds that come from using red stalks.

Rhubarb Jam 2

Lesley S Smith

Rhubarb Jam Recipe: Garden Goodies

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Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course: Preserve
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 kg Rhubarb washed and cut into 1cm lengths.
  • 1 kg Preserving Sugar

Method
 

  1. Put the rhubarb and sugar into your pan, mix and leave overnight. There will be a fair amount of slushy watery content in the morning. You might want to use a hand blender to mush down your rhubarb now, or you can wait until the mix is boiled, but at that stage, you would need to take much care, as you are dealing with boiling sugar.
  2. Bring your rhubarb to a slow boil, melting the sugar.
  3. Let the rhubarb bubble on a simmer for around 5 minutes, then test the jam on a plate, with a drop, then see if it sets. If it does not thicken, simply put it back on the heat for another few minutes until it reaches the desired consistency.
  4. Take the jam off the boil and leave it for ten minutes before you put it into you readied containers. Make sure these are sterilised and warm before you put hot jam into them.

 

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No Weigh Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

The first time I did this, we were in the motor home, but the man had pulled some sticks of rhubarb before we left and thrown them into one of the cupboards.  I can’t say I was best pleased at the thought of making puddings on holiday, so I wanted something fast, easy and without any hassle to make.

I had little faith that it would turn out well, so I went into it sort of half-heartedly, just throwing stuff into a bowl and mixing it around, but it worked so well, that it’s the only way I make crumble now.   Who needs to waste time being precise and measuring for this.  Not me, that’s for sure.  With this recipe, the aim is to actually cook the rhubarb in the microwave by steaming it, and just putting it in the oven to mesh the rhubarb with the crumble and cook the topping itself.


Rhubarb Crumble 7

Lesley S Smith

No Weigh Rhubarb Crumble

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Pudding
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • Rhubarb Stalks
  • Sugar
  • Plain Flour
  • Oatmeal
  • Butter

Method
 

  1. Wash the rhubarb and chop into 1 cm lengths.
  2. In a bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of water. Mix, cover the bowl, and microwave for five minutes. If the rhubarb is still a little hard, give it a good stir and microwave for a little longer.
  3. Tip out some of the excess water if there is more than a few mms in the bottom of the bowl, then sprinkle on some sugar. The more sugar you add, the sweeter your crumble will be. I added about four spoons to this crumble for six people.
  4. Mix well, then add to a baking dish.
  5. I simply tip some flour into a bowl, then top up with oatmeal. I'd say it was likely to be around 100 grammes. I had sachets of Hamlyns Golden Syrup Porridge Sachets, so I tipped four into the bowl with the flour.
  6. Add sugar. Do it to taste. I just tipped some out of my pack, but I made sure the rhubarb in the oven dish was sweet enough for my kids first. The porridge sachets would add sweetness to my crumble, so I kept the sugar content low. I added around the same volume wise as I did for flour.
  7. When I first made this, the butter was incredibly soft as I'd forgotten to put it in the fridge. I find it works easier like that. I add a tablespoon at a time, until the dry ingredients form what looks like breadcrumbs.
  8. Bake in a moderate oven, around 160 degrees C for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the top begins to turn golden brown in colour.
  9. Serve with cream, custard, toffee sauce, or just on its own. Fabulous

Rhubarb Crumble 3

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World Hunger Day Challenge – A Meal For 33p A Head

The 28th May is World Hunger Day

When I was asked to take part in the recipe challenge, to create a healthy meal for just 33p a head in aid of World Hunger Day, I decided to take part in the dine below the line campaign when MyVoucherCodes offered to donate £40 to the cause on my behalf for taking part.Carrot and Ginger Soup 2

At 33p per head, I found it difficult from the get go.  The main challenge is to live on less than £1 per person, per day, or otherwise known as eating ‘below the line,’ however I took part in a one meal challenge for 33p a head.

The project says.

When women are empowered and supported, everyone rises. Make some change happen from £1 and support our partners in 17,000 communities working to end hunger and poverty by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centred strategies.

To be honest, I’d actually have found it easier to live on £1 per person per day than simply 33p per person for one meal, as that would give me £30 to spend on food and drink for the full 5 days, which would make recipe planning a whole lot simpler, but still a major challenge.

I’m a big soupie, so my first thoughts turned to my soup maker.  naturally.  Even then, I found that with some good planning, and some cautious shopping at the end of the day, I could get a good lot of veges, but my choice of veg would be limited to what was on offer.

But whoa, my whole budget for the meal was £1.98.  I simply had to take what they had on offer, which would not have filled my boys with joy, but a bit of rooting around at 4pm found a 500g bag of carrots going out of date for 50p.  Eating on a budget really does need some precision planning and strategic shopping.

I used Tesco as my reference point for most ingredients, although I found carrots at my nearest co-op for pricing my meal.  I added two pudding variants, as my first option relied on garden produce, which is not always available for people to use.

Budget £1.98 – Healthy Meal For 6 People.  My meals came in at £1.92 and £1.89, including accompaniments and pudding, or add 6p for a glass of squash each .

How To Get InvolvedCarrot Soup

Visit the hunger project and you can even take part in the dinner party challenge, to feed everyone for 33p or less per head.  Honestly, you think it’s easy, but it really is not.  Or join the campaign that runs until June 27th, 2015, to live on £1 per day, per person for 5 days.  You can also find some of their own recipes to try.

My Recipes

Soup – £1.02

Ingredients

– 500g Carrots (or whatever vegetables are on offer-even frozen will do) – 50p

– 1 Onion – 16p

– 2 Value Stock Cubes – 6p (From a pack that costs 30p for 10)

– 1 Baking Potato – 30p

– 800ml Boiling Water – 0p

Method

Peel and chop your vegetables.

In a pan, add your ingredients and simmer until your vegetables are soft, then simply purée your mix to make it more palatable.  If it’s too thick, just add a teaspoon of boiling water at a time until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.  For additional taste, add a little salt and pepper, or other spices if you have any in the cupboard.

Accompaniments – 42p

– 1/2 Value Loaf of Bread – 20p

– 1/4 Block of Butter – 22p (86p for 250g)

Pudding

Unfortunately, with the paltry 52p I had left for pudding, it was difficult.  I couldn’t find anything in shops that was reduced and although I have rhubarb from our garden, it does take a little planning and working out to get it right.

Pudding 1 – Rhubarb Crumble 47.5p

Plot Rhubarb

Ingredients

– Rhubarb (Free from our garden)

– Plain Flour 120g – 6p (45p for 1.5kg Value Flour)

– Sugar 100g – 6p – (59p for 1kg)

– Oats 100g – 7.5p (1kg Value Oats 75p)

– Butter 31g – 11p

– Custard – 385g Tin – 17p

Method

Pre-heat your oven to around 180 C.   Wash and chop your rhubarb.  If you have dessert rhubarb, the sugar content isn’t so crucial, but if you have any other kind, be tempted to use up the remaining pence on extra sugar to sweeten the dish.  Pop your chopped rhubarb into an oven dish and add a couple of tablespoons of water over the top.

Put your flour, sugar and oats in a bowl, then rub the butter into the mixture until it looks like breadcrumbs.  Layer it over your rhubarb and bake in the oven for up to around 40 minutes, or until the crumble is nice and golden on top.  To serve for six people, a couple of dessert spoons of custard each will spin it out.

Pudding Alternative 2 – Bananas & Porridge – 45p

Ingredients

– 200g Oats – 15p

– 900 – 1000ml Water – 0p

– Pinch Salt – Negligible and Optional.

– 2 Bananas – 24p (12p each in Tesco)

– Sugar 100g – 6p

Method

Add the oats and water into a pan, stir well on top of a medium heat level.  Adding salt is optional, although it does bring out the flavour and does not affect the taste in conflict with the sugar added later.

Stir porridge continually, or you are likely to find it ending up in a gloopy mess.  It will take five to ten minutes for the oats to be cooked and for your porridge to look like porridge.  If it’s too thick for you, add a little more water.

Some people will add the sugar at the cooking stage, but I don’t like the potential for burning, so I simply add it at the serving stage.  Chop your bananas into small pieces or thin slivers.

Split your porridge into bowls, sprinkle the sugar on top.  You can choose to mix it through the porridge or leave it for the person to choose for themselves.  Evenly distribute the bananas among the bowls, and serve.  With a few pence left over, you could even add a tablespoon of milk to each portion when it is served.

Drinks

– Water – 0p

– Extra Value Squash – 1 Glass – 6p (42p per bottle of 750ml double concentrate squash)