• Blackberry infused gin and vodka

    Published On: August 21, 2023Categories: Foraging For Food, Frugal Festivities

    Flavoured gins and vodkas are all the rage now, but they can be expensive.  The nicest ones I have ever tasted are home made blackberry gin and vodka.  They bring back that taste of summer [...]

  • Easter no bake dessert

    Published On: March 19, 2023Categories: Frugal Festivities, Recipes

    I am trying to do less baking to save money on energy, but we still like our sweet treats, especially during school holidays and special events like Easter.  This is based on a recipe I [...]

  • Ways to make Simple Food Feel Festive

    Published On: December 23, 2022Categories: Frugal Festivities, Saving Money

    There are so many ways to make your meals feel festive even if you do not have the money to buy special food at Christmas time.    Here are some ways that I add Christmas [...]

  • Stove Top Potpourri

    Published On: December 22, 2022Categories: Frugal Festivities

    I got myself into the mood of Christmas yesterday by having a stove top potpourri on top of my wood burner.  I only discovered these last year.  They are pots of simmering water with various [...]

  • 2 kinds of frugal chocolate truffles

    Published On: December 22, 2022Categories: Frugal Festivities, Recipes

    These are some truffles that I made last year for a Christmas buffet and to wrap in clear bags with ribbon as presents.   They are cookie and cream ones, and some peanut butter ones. Cookie [...]

  • Lemon Curd for Hampers

    Published On: December 21, 2022Categories: Frugal Festivities, Preserves, Recipes

    I have sometimes found myself a couple of days before Christmas and I find myself without enough preserves for my hampers. This is a quick and easy alternative to spending hours making jam and you [...]

  • Homemade Pork Pies

    Published On: December 20, 2022Categories: Frugal Festivities, Light Meals, Mains, Recipes

    Christmas is the one time of year when we splash out on food. We like to make it special, entertain, and spend time with family. Mr S loves pork pies (I am not so keen [...]

  • Being more intentional this Christmas

    Published On: December 15, 2022Categories: Frugal Festivities

    This year seems a good time to reset Christmas. The financial crisis and and a hard few years for many makes it seem like the right time. I have always felt pressured at Christmas time [...]

  • Biscoff Truffles

    Published On: December 10, 2022Categories: Frugal Festivities, Recipes

    I made these for a friend last year who loves biscoff.  I didn't use the real biscuits or spread but used Aldi copy cat product that tastes the same. They were made by whizzing a [...]

  • Shortbread

    Published On: December 10, 2022Categories: Baking, Frugal Festivities, Recipes

    Home made shortbread tastes so much better than bought shortbread if it is made with proper butter. I got a gadget a few years ago from Amazon which makes shortbread look fancy for the hampers [...]

  • EASY 3 INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE FUDGE

    Published On: December 4, 2022Categories: Baking, Frugal Festivities, Recipes

    This fudge is so quick and easy to make, and you can add anything to it.  At Easter I will add the little crushed eggs and for Christmas I add pistachio nuts or dried cranberries [...]

  • CHRISTMAS CAKE

    Published On: September 29, 2022Categories: Baking, Frugal Festivities, Recipes

    A good Christmas cake is so expensive to buy. We make our own from a frugally adapted recipe. Prices have risen in 2022 but with the icing and the marzipan it was under £10 last [...]