We couldn’t help but notice Oxfam’s Green Granny this week – she’s becoming somewhat of an internet phenomenon, posting videos on how to save cash and live better – the perfect combination!
In this video she takes some keen young cooks through their paces as they use up bread that would otherwise go stale in a delicious bread and butter pudding:
Did you know we throw away 1m loaves of bread a day in the UK? That’s a lot of potential bread and butter puddings. Instead of throwing away bread away why not try storing sliced bread in the freezer? Just toast slice by slice from frozen. Delicious.
And in another video she shows that, just like us, she’s a big fan of the shopping list. Our research shows that half of us have got the shopping list habit, but we don’t always stick to it… well, it is hard to resist a bargain and so provided I’ve got cupboard or freezer space for my special offer deal; it goes in the trolley with the things I have planned to buy.
For more on Oxfam’s Green Granny visit the Oxfam website, and if you’re reading this Barbara, we’d love to hear from you!
In my experience, Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, is a great excuse to empty the fridge.
Pancakes are easy to make, perfect for the hungry hordes when they come back from school. But while they are delicious for tea, spread with jam or golden syrup, or a squeeze of lemon and a spoonful of brown sugar, pancakes also make a great supper dish. You can add almost anything and roll them up, in much the same way as a wrap.
Kids can be fussy little blighters sometimes. I used to despair when I opened their lunchboxes to discover half-eaten sandwiches, apples with only a bite taken out and everything smothered in leftover yoghurt.
Until I came up with a few ideas to make their lunch boxes more exciting and encourage them to eat everything.
The Husband works with a fruit and veg supplier. Every week he brings home a huge box of delicious fresh produce – particularly welcome because it’s free! However, quite often the box has things in it that are nearing the end of their life – squash that are…well, a bit squashed, apples with a few bruises, soft tomatoes and browning broccoli. If I act quickly, most of the fruit and veg is great. I just cut off the bad bits and no-one is any the wiser. Shoving most of it into the fridge, where it keeps for longer.
Why do we laugh about turkey sandwiches? I love them and let’s face it, after that huge Christmas lunch, I really don’t feel like cooking anything complicated again for a while. Throwing together a really delicious sandwich is a great way to get rid of some Christmas leftovers and contrary to popular belief, they don’t have to be boring!
Christmas is always expensive. It feels even more expensive this year, thanks to the gloomy economic forecast. BBC Spotlight Devon have made a series of four short films to help fight the Christmas credit crunch, two of which I thought were particularly helpful for shopping and cooking at this time of the year.
One of the children is sick. Very sick. And the washing machine has packed up. It’s cold. Everyone is tired, it’s nearly the end of term and, as my four-year-old complained, “Christmas is taking ages to come”.
Pasta has to be the ultimate convenience food. When I’m tired and haven’t got the energy to spend hours tinkering in the kitchen, I just reach into the store cupboard for a packet of dried pasta and fifteen minutes later, supper’s ready. The kids love it and it goes with just about everything, so its great for using up cooked meats and veggies and odd bits of cheese.
Sunday night always involves cheese in our house. After a big roast dinner, I really look forward to the evening when we can collapse in front of the telly and tuck in to cheese and biscuits. I have an absolute weakness for cheese in all its forms – which probably explains why I’m terrified to get on the bathroom scales.
