The garden is slowing down and the leaves on the trees are starting to go yellow. This has given me a nudge to start getting ready for Autumn and the following winter. I can't believe [...]

Every day is a school day, and every year I like to feel that I am still learning in my kitchen and garden. I have been growing food and cooking for so many years, but [...]

I am on a mission to have healthy snacks in September. We have a wedding to go to in February but I usually put weight on over winter. I am therefore trying to get into [...]

I needed to make some turkey burgers in a hurry but didn't  have a lot of turkey mince. The turkey mince had been in the freezer a while. I was worried that it wouldn't taste [...]

This potato, cheese, onion, and bacon layer bake is a meal that my family and I like to eat when we have lots of potatoes. It is tasty without bacon, but family were coming for [...]

I am trying to be more imaginative with the way that I use my crops. The idea is that they form part of the main dish rather than a side. Today I made filled beetroot [...]

We have had to eaten similar food each day recently as there is just no room in the freezer. My priority is to freeze vegetables and fruit for winter nutrition. During the summer when the [...]

Managing a low food budget is not easy, and takes time and planning. I seem to be spending a lot of my time preserving food at the moment. Trying to be food secure is a [...]

When I gave up my allotment, i knew that I wouldn't be able to grow the same amount of food in my suburban garden. Being on a fixed low income, I needed to subsidise for [...]

One thing that I like to do to save money, and cut down on shopping, is to buy ingredients that I can use in lots of recipes. One of these items is oats. Having them [...]

My lifestyle involves spending as little money as possible and making good use of any resources that I already have. Some one asked me the other week if my little, extreme, frugal habits actually make [...]

We try to use the seasons to our advantage to save money. I wish that we had solar panels to use the free sun's energy, but we don't. When I enquired 25 years ago I [...]

We have a massive bag of foraged apples to process, and we went blackberry picking today. I managed to squeeze one bag of blackberries into the freezer, but had lots left. Water bathing  blackberry and [...]

I was lucky to get one of those £1.50 Lidl veg boxes last week. It is produce that needs selling quickly before it deteriorates. Luckily everything was in reasonable condition. Mr S was happy as [...]

Last January I got one of the £1.50 veg boxes from Lidl. It had a few yellow and orange tomatoes in it. One was squashed and so I saved some seeds. Only one germinated, but [...]

At last it is raining. Apologies if that sounds insensitive to any one who has experienced flooding. I know that it has caused devastation to many. We have just had a drought and hosepan ban. [...]

My daughter rang me today asking me for the recipe of a lentil salad that I made for her birthday buffet. It is full of flavour, has great texture and lasts 4 or 5 days [...]

We were up at 5am walking with a tub in our hands this morning. Bramble/blackberry season has just started here in Yorkshire. Luckily there were not too many ripe ones yet and so that should [...]

I don't have a large area to grow food. In fact a lot of it is grown in raised boxes and tubs. We  therefore have to make sure that I can get the largest harvest [...]

It is time for picking the last of my rhubarb now. I rarely pull rhubarb past the end of July. This helps it preserve it's energy and produce a good crop next year. We have [...]

The free energy supplement is nettle seeds! Today I was collecting female seeds from nettles when on my walk. I dry them out in order to use them in bread, porridge, smoothies, and seed bars. [...]

These courgette fritters are very similar to the courgette waffles, but cheaper as no egg is needed. I make these a couple of times a week now that courgettes are in season. They are great [...]

Air fried courgettes is a fairly new way to cook courgette for me. I had seen it on a couple of videos on Youtube. Mr S loves it, and it is quick and easy. As [...]

Yesterday it was Operation Black currant leathers, and making  cordial. When dehydrated I will cut and roll the leathers up in grease proof paper for a sweet treat for myself and my grandson. These last [...]

I had been given some out of date pastry. Friends give me their out of date food as I am always banging on about not wasting anything. However, except for fruit, I didn't have anything [...]

During the 2nd World war there was a slogan in the UK to help people to save resources. "Use it up, wear it out, or do without," posters were prominent. I still live by this [...]

It was a use up what we have in the fridge day today. I will often have half a tin of beans in the fridge and one or two of our thicked, cooked sausages. If [...]

This is a really busy time of year, and some days I feel like I am on a production line. I often get two harvests a day. We have to make sure that the garden [...]

A friend asked me to help her balance her budget last night. She is worried about how she will survive all of these recent price hikes and the threat of more to come. I know [...]

People usually think of rice pudding as a winter dish, but I make it throughout the year. During the summer, we usually eat it cold and it makes an easy accompaniment for berries growing in [...]

I have lots of big rosemary bushes in my garden, but have never bought any.  They are evergreen and last for years.  The blue flowers are so pretty. Rosemary is easy to propagate and mine [...]

It has been really hot and sunny recently. I love a cool snack or dessert after a meal but am trying to be a bit more healthy. 😇 As usual, I am trying to save [...]

Awe is an emotion that you feel when you are amazed, full of wonder, and feels like you are witnessing something extordinary. It is seen by psychiatrists as being positive for a person's wellbeing. I [...]

We had a glut of strawberries which needed using up. I wanted to preserve them by making something refreshing as we are experiencing some hot, sunny days. My daughter and family are coming for a [...]

We like waffles. We can batch cook them, freeze them, or store them in the fridge to use during the week. We cook different kinds for different uses, but these are a new savoury one [...]

After a busy day in the garden I  was craving a magnum. We had finished all of the ice cream off last week. It is a no spend day today and I am saving my [...]