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Garden Ta-dah!!

July 24, 2013, 9:05 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I've been seriously beating myself up about the state of my garden but I have to remember that it's rained for three years without any prolonged dry spells to make any impact in my garden. Over the previous years, it's dried out for a few days and we've got some work done and then it rained solidly for months on end. The picture above is of the 'before' and all the rest are of the 'after'. There's still work to do and we'll keep going. Apparently, we're due a rain storm later which usually precedes the end of summer and lots of cold wet weather. We'll wait and see.




In the photo above, you can see how high up we are as we look over all of the other houses.



The laundry won't be there when I have viewings.



We had a builder in to repair all the broken paths and a gardener to cut back all of the shrubs and hedges. There's far too much for us to do which is one of the reasons we're moving. I thought I like gardening but actually I can't bleedin' stand it! Not on this scale anyway. I would rather have more time for walking, sitting in a smaller garden reading or listening to the birds, for cooking, for writing and certainly not for what I view to be outdoor housework.



The photo above is of the 'front' of our house with the drive way.



Today I stained the summer house and deck.

There's a job...........the bird table needs re-staining. 

All the borders have been weeded, a membrane put down and landscape bark on top.



This is part of our drive way.........I love the stone wall.



There it is, the tour of the garden! I love it when it's tidy, neat and in order but I know it won't stay like this for long. I'm going to enjoy having a garden I can manage. Thanks must go to Dearly Beloved who did most of this! Our house goes on the market on August the first so watch this space for news. I could sell quickly, take ages or not sell at all! 

Thanks so much everyone for the good wishes - I'm on the mend xx

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxx
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Deals on Meals from a real Superscrimper

July 25, 2013, 12:55 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

I enjoy watching Superscrimpers for all the wrong reasons! It's car crash TV. Here's how it works. Get some hapless folk without a clue and edit the show so it makes them look like dorks with money! This week, a seemingly nice couple who spent £16K a year on food! That included eating out, throwing food away and having almost £1000 worth of food in their house. To be honest, a lot of people can't plan, budget or cook so this young couple were not out of the ordinary and by the end of the show had quickly learned how to make the most of their money. Good for them.

I am a superscrimper.  I know I spend a lot less than the average Joe on food so I feel I can comment on knowing something on deals on meals.

Where do I start? Firstly,I know what I have in my cupboards.Currently, I don't need to buy any starches or carbs as we're eating down the supplies of rice, pasta and cous cous. I'm using mostly veggie recipes at this time of year as meat prices are high due to barbeque season. The shops are not stocking many joints of meat as everyone wants simple cuts to put on the charcoal and they retailers have increased their prices. So, to beat them at their own game, I'm eating a lot less meat. We have meat once a week or use it as a flavouring in food. Today, I cooked a butternut squash and chorizo risotto - I used 50p worth of chorizo and it was enough to flavour the entire meal. As I know what I have in my cupboards, I can plan meals to use up the supplies I have.

Menu planning - Now this isn't difficult and I would suggest that families did this for the month. If you want variety then eat something planned for next week, this week. Look at what you can do with pasta or rice and vary your meals around those ingredients if that is what you have. Check that your meals are balanced nutritionally. We eat pulses for protein AND carbs as they are high in both. So, if we eat lentils, we cut back on other carbs. I'm a great fan of another West Country bird, atPenny's recipesand if you sign up she'll email you a week's menu plan every week and it will be healthy and frugal. 

Use up everything you have - Don't shop until you've used everything up! I am soooooooooo sick of rice, pasta and cous cous, but I bought the bloody stuff so I'm responsible for making sure we use it. I have been ill for a few days and my fresh foods are not looking so great but rest assured that I will find a way of incorporating them all into recipes. I have moudly mushrooms, flaccid carrots and a mountain of courgettes so I will be creative with them. I don't have much meat and I do have some tinned and frozen fruit and I will use them up.

Buy tinned and frozen  - I would love to wander around markets and climb back on my scooter and wizz back to my scrubbed farm house kitchen and cook on my Aga but reality isn't like that! I am utterly p****d off with the criticism railed at tinned and frozen food! It's cheap and nutritious and for folks who are struggling with all bills including the energy bills having food that won't go off it a total must. Like A girl called Jack  I use tinned potatoes as they are so much cheaper as is instant mashed potato. It doesn't go off and nutritionally is just as good as fresh. I use instant mash in fish cakes and on top of shepherdess pie. I used to be able to buy a family size sack of spuds for under a fiver and now you would be lucky to buy them for under ten quid. I buy bags of 'mixed' frozen veg and add the contents to paella, risotto, bolognaise and casseroles. I use frozen and tinned fruit. I eat frozen fruit with natural yoghurt most days and get my hit of protein and vitamins. I use tinned fruit all of the time as fresh fruit is prohibitively expensive. I always buy UHT milk as it keeps forever and doesn't go off. You can also buy UHT dairy desserts for children and stock pile them on pay day to keep their lunch boxes topped up for the week.

Eat on toast Once a week, give yourself a break. Grill some bread, spread with butter or marg and eat with a poached egg or some baked beans. We all deserve a break and aim for one 'on toast' meal a week. Try and think of the things that can go on toast. Baked beans, some grated cheese and a fried egg is a favourite here. If you ever had a takeaway night, then this is your break night. There's very little washing up either.

Cook once, eat twice.  We treat ourselves to meat every Sunday and then eat the same meal again on Monday. I buy very meagre portions of meat so there isn't enough to stretch it until Thursday! Take a look in Poundland or Ikea for the plate covers so you can plate up two extra meals and eat them the next day. If you make a cottage pie (shepherdess pie in my case) then make two and freeze one for a can't be bothered to cook day.

Treat yourself once in a while  We splurge once in a while but we do it at home. I'll make a stir fry, or homemade fish and chips, we don't eat curry but you could make your own. Beat the takeaways and restaurants and make your favourite meals at home. We love rustic French recipes and I will treat us to Beef in Burgundy with Tarte Tatin to finish but instead of heading to a restaurant; I'll cook it for us. You don't have to go without because you don't eat out.

Use BBC Food   - You can search for an ingredient and then find out what you can do with it. I will be investigating courgette recipes and rice recipes and vegetarian alternatives for traditional recipes. It's a great source of information when trying to use up what you have.

Eat less meat and fish  - We are eating less and less meat and fish. It's financially beyond our food budget and we're having to find our nutrition else where. Embrace pulses and find out what you can cook with kidney beans, lentils and chick peas - they are far more nutritious than you think.

Portion Control  - work on the basis that some is plenty and enough is too much. Always leave the table feeling you could eat more. A portion of meat should be no larger than a deck of cards, a portion of fruit or veg should fit into the palm of one hand, a portion of cheese should be the size of a small box of matches, a portion of cereal is one cup, a portion of cooked rice or pasta is one cup only. Look at the chair you are sitting on..........can you see the edge of it either side of your hips...............I'll say no more on the matter xxxxx

It's only food!  I hate the word 'foodie'! It has connotations of food snobbery and let us all remember that if you ate today, had a roof over your head and are healthy that in comparison to millions of people, you are so very very blessed! We need food to live, to sustain our bodies. Food does not love us, it doesn't care for us and it isn't our friend. When we share our table with the people we love, the food isn't the importance, the people are! If you are in a shop and you can get your nutrition for less, whether it's frozen, in a tin, homemade or simply raw, then make sure it fits your budget. I stick to a budget but make sure we have a balanced diet and that we are healthy.

Over to you Dear Reader. Leave your advice in the comments on deals on meals and how to be a superscrimper in the kitchen. Who else uses frozen, dehydrated and tinned with pride? Let me know!

(House sale progress - carpets cleaned, legal forms signed and we're on the market as of today!)

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx


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Let the downsizing begin!

July 26, 2013, 11:55 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

As promised, the house is on the market! We've had a wonderful time living here but it's time to move on and find a small home just for Dear Beloved and me. I've just surfaced from an eleven hour migraine and have had another day in bed! Hopefully, with a smaller house, I'll spend the first weeks of the school holiday in France and resting............well, that's the plan.

Click HERE to go to the Rightmove sight and the listing for our house. 

Tomorrow, we're off to view two cottages! One in a tiny moorland village and one here in Liskeard! 

Let the downsizing begin!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx
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Be Real!

July 27, 2013, 11:58 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

In the UK, we have see drastic price increases since 2007. However, on average, wages have risen by 1.5%. A lot of people have lost their jobs, their homes and are having real financial difficulties. We are faced with making a sensible choice with housing and downsize to a small house where we can pay off the mortgage sooner rather than later. Dearly Beloved and I both took pay cuts. My own, was my choice and I need go no further into the details on that matter. On the other hand, Dearly Beloved's public sector pay cut was not of his choosing. We now earn (after tax) £650 less a month than we did a couple of years ago. 

Our bills have not shrunk, they've just got bigger. Fuel is 52% more expensive than it was when we moved into this house is 2007. Food is 32% more expensive than it was in 2007. The huge increases in energy bills for our homes in the UK have risen 30% in the last three years. In real terms, we earn a massive amount less than we used to. Throughout all this, we've paid off debts, over paid our mortgage to the point that we've paid £52K back since we moved in here in 2007. Some where along the line, just to keep our heads about water, something has to give.

We heat only part of our house with a wood stove instead of running the central heating. We have four minute showers and no longer have baths. We cook in our mini oven and use our microwave. We fill a Thermos flask with water to save boiling the kettle repeatedly. We wash our car with a bucket and sponge to save water. We only buy what we really really need. We save every penny we can so we can cover any eventualities. We even got married on a tiny budget and just had FM and MW for guests and ate lunch in a fish cafe. I make any gifts I give. We don't eat out. We home cook everything but even that is getting more and more expensive.

I look for alternatives so we don't have to give up fruit and vegetables completely. I eat natural yoghurt with tinned fruit (in juice) to get protein and vitamins for breakfast. I supplement our shopping bill with frozen fruit and veg and some tinned too. I am not going to beat myself up any further because I can't buy a veg box. I would love to make cut backs but when I look at everything we've cut back already, I just wonder where I can cut back any further. 

I am not going to feel guilty about buying my clothes in Matalan (for work and about once every two years), shopping for groceries in Aldi or opening a tin of 19p spuds (we had some roasted and they were fine). I am not going to feel guilty about having to admit that I need to downsize to pay off my mortgage sooner rather than still have it to pay when I'm retired.

Let's be real! There are families out there who only ate today because a food bank fed them. Today and every day, families are losing their homes, their jobs and desperately trying to cope with benefits cuts, bedroom tax and reduced wages and ever increasing prices. My message to everyone is just to do your best, if you best is frozen fruit with Aldi plain yoghurt then give thanks that you can afford that! 

It's a hard world, I'm coping but thousands and thousands don't - let's give them, and their 19p tinned potatoes, a frickin' break!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxx

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Cauliflower cheese and courgette frittata - 58p per person

July 28, 2013, 11:04 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I'm feeling better and ravenous so only a big cheesy supper would do!

Cauliflower cheese

25g of cornflour - 3p - 2WW/PP
50g of half fat grated cheddar - 30p - 4WW/PP
250ml of skimmed milk - 13p - 2WW/PP
half a cauliflower 35p - 0WW/PP

Total - 81p - serves 3 - 27p each. 3WW/PP per person


 I usually eat the greens around my cauliflower but it has been in my fridge for over a week as I've been too ill to eat much but dry toast. Trim your cauliflower but use the greens too and the stalks. They are nutritious and taste just the same. Don't over cook them as these will finish cooking in the oven. Bring to the boil and then gently simmer until cooked but not soft. Leave to cool.

To make the cheese sauce.


Weigh everything into the same microwave proof bowl or pyrex dish if you are worried about plastic. You will need 25g of cornflour, 50g of grated cheddar or any cheese of your choice (save 10g for the topping) and 250g/ml (it's the same!) of skimmed milk. I always use UHT milk and haven't died so if I'm an example of cheap food then go ahead and risk it. Stir the milk in so there are no lumps until all dissolved and microwave for three minutes. (I don't add salt as the cheddar is salty - but I did add some pepper and a sprinkle of nutmeg)


The blurry photo is due to the steam. Each time you take it out of the microwave, whisk to remove any lumps. Too thin, put it back in the microwave, too thick and whisk in some more milk. Leave to one side when it is at the right consistency.



Courgette Fritatta

Half an onion - 9p - 0WW/PP
1 large courgette - 23 - 0WW/PP
3 eggs - 45p - 6WW/PP
1/10 of punnet of value mushrooms - 15p 0 WW/PP - 2 points per person.

Total 92p - serves 3 - 31p each (Serves 3? I've portioned one meal for my lunch tomorrow as DB's summer break is over and I'm home alone for five weeks - I shall eat well regardless.)

Chop onion, courgette and mushrooms and fry with frylight or a little oil. Decant into a small oven proof dish. Season and beat four eggs and stir through.


Just to prove you can eat well on the cheap - you can buy lovely British free range eggs in Aldi - 15p each.


The uncooked fritatta  will need cooking for 15 to 20 minutes in a hot oven.


Top the cauliflower cheese with a sliced tomato and 10g of grated cheese.


Here's the final result. Just perfect for a cheesy, stuff your face kind of supper. 


.....and here are the close ups. All the ingredients came from Aldi where I buy their Super 6 vegetables that are on offer, such as three large courgettes for 69p or one large butternut squash for 69p


I'm still a believer that you can buy value brands, from value supermarkets and turn them into something tasty, nutritious and a still be a hit with your family members. You could serve this with steamed veggies or some bread to make it go further but it's certainly enough on its own.

I hope you enjoy the recipe, it's certainly cheap and tasty.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx


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How to make mint sauce

July 29, 2013, 9:29 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I'm no gardener but I do grow herbs in tubs on my patio. I also have mint that has self seeded all over the garden. I'm not sure if anyone outside of the UK (and probably Oz and NZ) are familiar with mint sauce. It is the condiment to have with cooked lamb. I relented and went to the butchers and bought a half leg of lamb (needed a bleedin' sit down after paying for it) for £5. It has to have mint sauce and this is how to make it.


Pick the mint and wash it. Remove the leaves from the stalks.


Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and three tablespoons of granulated sugar.


Finely chop. Pivot the tip of a very sharp knife on the board and hold the pointed end down, use the handle to move across the mint in a chopping movement. Drag the mint into the middle to incorporate any leaves that haven't been chopped. Keep chopping as this will take about ten minutes.


You want chopped mint and not a pulp.


Add to a jam jar and add four tablespoons of boiling water and four tablespoons of vinegar. Any vinegar will do, I just used cheap malt vinegar. Put the lid on and shake. It's best to make the mint sauce a few hours before you need it or at least an hour.


Once you've made it, taste it. Does it require more salt or sugar to suit your taste?


The vinegar and sugar will preserve this for months if the jar was full. No need to add heat or do anything else to it. Ha! Contains salt, sugar and preservative!


Yesterday, we visited my parents who filled carrier bags potatoes, green beans, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, radish and lettuce all grown in their garden. As usual, our roast dinner will be stretched to four meals, two of which we will eat tonight and two we will eat tomorrow.

Who else makes their own mint sauce? Is this a British thing? Do Americans eat roast lamb with mint sauce? I'm sure you'll let me know.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Chocolate and Banana Muffins

July 30, 2013, 8:14 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Usually, I have an appetite and wake up ready for a big breakfast. My favourite is natural yoghurt, fruit and bran flakes but I didn't eat much at all for a week and have fruit that is well past its best. I don't like soft bananas so decided to use them up by making Chocolate and Banana Muffins.

Recipe.

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6

300g SR Flour (or plain with 1tbsp of baking powder)
100g sugar
100g of melted butter
2 large eggs
2 tbsp of cocoa
200ml milk (I used UHT skimmed)
2 soft mashed bananas.



Mash the bananas with a fork and blend the cocoa into the banana.



Add all the other ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. I used a hand held electric mixer. Pour into lined muffin tins/or greased and bake for 20-25 minutes.



Whilst the chocolate and banana muffins were cooking I made another batch using up the remnants of some Lidl frozen fruit that I had. Even though it's frozen, it soon passes its best once the bag has been opened. 



I used the same recipe as above but omitted the banana and chocolate and added 200g of defrosted blackberries, raspberries, blueberries red currants and black currants (£1.80 for 750g of fruit which I usually eat with natural yoghurt for breakfast or as a dessert).



I will bag these up, two at a time so Dearly Beloved can take a treat to work each day. They are relatively low in fat and sugar and make a good mid morning or afternoon snack and would be brilliant for picnics or children's lunch boxes. They are also so incredibly easy to make. The flower motif on the few middle muffins are from a silicone mould.



Well Dear Reader, we made it to the end of July and I hope we've eaten down a lot of the stock in our store cupboards. However, I will not be rushing out to fill the freezer with shoulders of pork! Oh no! As I'm moving at some stage in the future, there will be costs and I need to save up for them. Welcome to Austerity August! I'm going to make sure I upcycle lots of clothes and fabric into quilts for gifts for family and friends. I'm also going to make bags for gifts and I've plenty of food in my store cupboards and my job will be to make sure we don't get bored by eating the same things over and over.

August is going to be my month for finishing UFOs, making gifts and cooking with what I already have in the house! Thanks so much to everyone who's joined in with 'just make do with what I have July'. Thanks to the fellow bloggers who have linked to my blog or mentioned it when writing about their own stockpile menus, thanks to everyone who has written or commented on the recipes this month. There are more to come, money saving, finding bargains for necessities. I'm also going to be working with a sponsor to bring money saving deals on back to school 'kit' such as uniform, shoes and getting us clothed and fed for less with voucher codes and links. I hope some of them might be of use to you, I know I will be looking for some additions to my winter wardrobe and I'll need all the discounts I can get. 

Tomorrow's  the last day of July and I'm going to dig through the cupboards, tins, the freezer and pantry and just cook with what I have left. 

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Make a difference!

July 31, 2013, 8:27 am
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Jack Monroe - food poverty campaigner and blogger.

Hello Dear Reader,

My eldest is now 27 and when he was the size of Jack's son in this photo, he and I lived alone and on benefits. We lived through an incredibly cold winter without heating as that was the only way I could afford to make sure he was fed. We used to receive our benefits by queueing up in the Post Office once a fortnight and would walk out with cash. Even then, my housing benefit didn't cover my rent. I used to take a bus to the rent office of my landlord and pay out the difference. We were given enough money to live on, after paying the rent.................there wasn't enough to live on! Twenty five years later and nothing has changed. In the mid 80's, jobs were hard to come by and it's the same now but to compound poverty to an even deeper level the difference in the cost of living means that even working families are going hungry these days.

When Jack speaks, the nation listens.Read her blog from yesterday when she spells out cheaply and simply what each of us can do to help. 

This is what Jack wrote in her blog one year ago

"Poverty is the sinking feeling when your small boy finishes his one weetabix and says ‘more mummy, bread and jam please mummy’ as you’re wondering whether to take the TV or the guitar to the pawn shop first, and how to tell him that there is no bread or jam."

Here's how you can help this Saturday! Go to your local ASDA - buy what ever you can afford to donate off the following list. (OR! Clear out your cupboards of any of the below as long as it is 'in date, or shop at any shop you like and take it to the collection point either in ASDA, your local church anywhere local to you)




On Saturday 3rd August we'll be holding foodbank collections at 200 ASDA stores across the country to help provide emergency food to UK people in crisis. 
ASDA will donate all profits to Trussell Trust foodbanks, making your gift go further. Here are foodbanks that are hoping to hold collections, we'd love to see you there!
Store Name Address Store Type Foodbank

ABBEY PARK Abbey Park, London Road, Whitley, Coventry, CV3 4AR Small Coventry
ABERDEEN BEACH Unit 1 Beach Boulevard Retail Park - Links Road, Aberdeen, AB24 5EZ Asda Superstore Aberdeen
ADEL Holt Road, Adel - Leeds, LS16 7RY Small Leeds North
ANDOVER Anton Mill Road, Andover, Hants, SP10 2RW Asda Superstore Andover
ANTRIM 150 Junction One International Outlet, Northern Ireland, BT41 4LL Asda Superstore Ballymena
ARDROSSAN Harbour Road, Adrossan, Ayrshire, KA22 8BZ Supermarket North Ayrshire
ARNOLD 111-127 Front Street, Arnold - Nottingham, NG5 7ED Asda Superstore Arnold
ARROWE PARK Woodchurch Road, Birkenhead, CH49 5PD Asda Superstore Wirral
ASHTON Cavendish Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne - Lancashire, OL6 7DP Asda Superstore Tameside East
AYR (NEW) Liberator Drive, Ayr, KA8 9BF Asda Superstore South Ayrshire
BANGOR 2 Market Lane, Bangor, BT20 4SD Small Bangor NI
BANGOR FARRAR ROAD Farrar Road, Bangor, LL57 1LJ Supermarket Caernarfon
BARKING Station Parade, Ripple Rd, Barking, IG11 8DJ Asda Superstore Barking
BARNSLEY Old Mill Lane, Barnsley - South Yorkshire, S71 1LN Asda Superstore Barnsley
BARROW Walney Road, Barrow-In-Furness - Cumbria, LA14 5UG Asda Superstore Barrow
BASINGSTOKE Brighton Way - Brighton Hill, Basingstoke, RG22 4DH Asda Superstore Basingstoke
BEDMINSTER East Street, Bedminster - Bristol, BS3 4JY Asda Superstore East Bristol
BENWELL Benwell Shopping Centre, Adelaide Terrace, Benwell, NE4 8LU Supermarket Newcastle West
BIDEFORD Clovelly Road, Bideford, Devon, EX39 3QU Asda Superstore Bideford
BISHOP AUCKLAND South Church Road, Bishop Auckland - County Durham, DL14 7LB Asda Superstore Durham
BISHOPBRIGGS 276 Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs, G64 2PT Asda Superstore East Dunbartonshire
BLACKBURN Lower Audley Retail Park - Grimshaw Park Road, Blackburn, BB2 3DY Asda Superstore Blackburn
BODMIN Launceston Road, Bodmin - Cornwall, PL31 2AR Asda Superstore Wadebridge
BOOTLE 81 Strand Road, Bootle, Liverpool, L20 4BB Asda Superstore South Sefton
BOSTON Lister Way- Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 8EQ Asda Superstore Boston
Asda Stores planning to hold a Trussell Trust foodbank collection on Saturday 3rd AugustBRADFORD Rooley Lane, Bradford, BD4 7SR Asda Superstore Bradford
BRIDGE OF DEE Garth Dee Road - Bridge of Dee, Aberdeen, AB10 7QA Wal-Mart Supercentre Aberdeen
BRIDGEND Coychurch Road, Bridgend, CF31 3AU Asda Superstore Bridgend
BRIDGWATER East Quay - Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 5AZ Asda Superstore Bridgwater
BROADSTAIRS Westwood Road, Broadstairs - Kent, CT10 2NR Asda Superstore Deal Area
BROMSGROVE 21 Market Street, Bromsgrove - Worcestershire, B61 8DA Asda Superstore Redditch
BRYNMAWR Lakeside Retail Park - Nantyglow, Ebbw Vale - Gwent, NP23 4SL Asda Superstore Ebbw Vale
BYKER Unit 5 Newcastle Shopping Park, Foss Way, Byker, NE6 2UJ Asda Superstore Newcastle East
CAERPHILLY Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly - Mid Glamorgan , CF83 3SX Asda Superstore Rhymney Valley
CANNOCK Avon Road, Cannock - Staffs , WS11 1LH Asda Superstore Cannock & District
CANNOCK LICHFIELD ROAD Rumer Hill, Lichfield Road, Cannock, WS11 8UF Supermarket Cannock & District
CAPE HILL Off Windmill Lane - Smethwick, Cape Hill - West Mids - Bham , B66 3EN Asda Superstore Smethwick
CHADDERTON Milne Street - Chadderton, Oldham - Lancashire, OL9 OJE Asda Superstore Oldham
CHATHAM 387 Maidstone Road, Chatham, ME5 9SE Asda Superstore Medway
CHEADLE Ashbourbe Road, Stoke On Trent, ST10 1HF Supermarket Stoke on Trent
CHEADLE HULME The Precinct, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 5BB Supermarket Chelwood
CHESSER 3 New Market Road, Edinburgh, EH14 1RJ Asda Superstore Edinburgh SW
CHESTERFIELD 358 Sheffield Road, Chesterfield, S41 8JZ Supermarket Chesterfield
CLYDEBANK 31 Britannia Way, Clydebank, G81 2RZ Asda Superstore Glasgow NW
COLCHESTER Turner Rise, Colchester - Essex, CO4 5TU Asda Superstore Colchester
COLERAINE 1 - Ring Rd - Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT52 1QP Asda Superstore Causeway
COVENTRY Brade Drive, Coventry, CV2 2PN Wal-Mart Supercentre Coventry
COVENTRY JUBILEE CRESCENT Jubilee Cresent, Radford, Coventry, CV6 3EX Supermarket Coventry
CWMBRAN Llewllyn Road, Cwmbran - Gwent , NP44 1UL Wal-Mart Supercentre Eastern Valley
DAGENHAM SUPERSTORE Merrielands Crescent, Dagenham, RM9 6SJ Asda Superstore Barking
DALGETY BAY Fulmar Way, Dalgety Bay, Fife, KY11 9YX Small Dunfermline
DARWEN School Street, Darwen, BB3 1BE Supermarket Blackburn
DONCASTER Gliwice Way - Bawtry Road, Doncaster, DN4 5NW Asda Superstore Doncaster
DOVER Unit 1, Charlton Green, Dover, CT16 2QH Supermarket Dover
DUNDEE WEST Kingsway West, Dundee, DD2 3XX Asda Superstore Dundee
DUNDONALD 1009 Upper Newtonards Road, Dundonald, BT16 1RN Small DundonaldDUNFERMLINE Halbeath Retail Park - Halbeath Road, Dunfermline - Fife, KY11 4LP Asda Superstore Dunfermline
DUNSTABLE Court Drive, Dunstable - Bedfordshire, LU5 4JD Asda Superstore Dunstable
EASTBOURNE The Crumbles - Pevensey Bay Road - Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6JH Asda Superstore Eastbourne
EASTGATE Eastgate Shopping Centre, Basildon - Essex, SS14 1AE Wal-Mart Supercentre Basildon
EDINBURGH STRAITON New Pentland Industrial Estate, Loanhead, Mid Lothian , EH20 9TF Asda Superstore Midlothian
ELGIN Edgar Road, Elgin, IV30 6YQ Asda Superstore Moray
ELLESMERE PORT Grange Road - Ellesmere Port, Merseyside, CH65 0BZ Wal-Mart Supercentre Chester & Ellesmere Port
FALKIRK 3 Newmarket Street, Falkirk, FK1 1JT Asda Superstore Falkirk
FALMOUTH Jennings Road - Penryn, Falmouth - Cornwall, TR10 9LY Asda Superstore Penryn & Falmouth
FARNWORTH Brackley Street - Farnworth, Greater Manchester, BL4 9DT Asda Superstore Farnworth & Kearsley
FENTON Victoria Road, Berry Hill, Fenton, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2HE Supermarket Stoke on Trent
FLINT Holywell Road, Flintshire Retail Park, Flint, CH6 5BG Supermarket Flintshire
FOLKESTONE 19 Bouverie Place, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 1AU Asda Superstore Dover
FORFAR Unit 1 New Road, Forfar, DD8 2AE Asda Superstore Angus
GATESHEAD Gibside Way, Gateshead, NE11 9YA Wal-Mart Supercentre Gateshead
GLASSHOUGHTON Leeds Road, Glasshoughton, Castleford, WF10 5EL Asda Superstore Knottingley
GLENROTHES Queensgate Industrial Estate, Fullerton Road, Glenrothes, KY7 5QB Asda Superstore Glenrothes
GLOUCESTER Bruton Way, Gloucester, GL1 1DS Wal-Mart Supercentre Gloucester
GOSFORTH Hollywood Avenue - Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 5BU Asda Superstore Newcastle West
GRANGEMOUTH Dock Road, Grangemouth - Scotland, FK3 8TY Asda Superstore Falkirk
GRAVESEND Thames Way, Kent, DA11 0DQ Asda Superstore Gravesham
HAILSHAM 3 The Quintins, North Street, Hailsham, BN27 1DP Supermarket Hailsham
HAREHILLS Harehills Lane, Leeds, LS9 6EU Supermarket Leeds East
HARLOW Watergardens - Southgate, Harlow - Essex, CM20 1AN Asda Superstore Harlow
HARROGATE Bower Road, Harrogate, HG1 5DE Asda Superstore Harrogate
HARTLEPOOL Marina Way, Hartlepool, TS24 0XR Asda Superstore Hartlepool
HAVANT Larchwood Avenue, Bedhampton, Havant - Hampshire, PO9 3QW Wal-Mart Supercentre Portsmouth
HAZEL GROVE 114 London Road , Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 4AG Supermarket Stockport
HESSLE Hessle Road, Hull, HU3 4PE Asda Superstore Hull
HODDESDON High Street, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon, EN11 8HD Supermarket Broxbourne
HOLYHEAD Kingsland Road, Anglessey, Holyhead, LL65 2RN Supermarket AngleseyHUNTLY Steven Road, Huntly, AB54 8SX Supermarket Aberdeenshire North
HYDE Water Street - Hyde, Cheshire, SK14 1BD Asda Superstore Tameside South & Longdendale
HYSON GREEN Radford Rd - Hyson Green, Nottingham, NG7 5FP Asda Superstore West Nottingham
IRVINE Rivergate Centre, Irvine, KA12 8EH Asda Superstore North Ayrshire
KENDAL Burton Road, Kendal, LA9 7JA Asda Superstore Windermere & District
KIDDERMINSTER NEW ROAD New Road, Kidderminster, DY10 1HG Supermarket Kidderminster
KILLINGBECK Killingbeck Drive, Leeds, LS14 6UF Asda Superstore Leeds East
KILMARNOCK 10 Queens Drive, Kilmarnock, KA1 3XF Asda Superstore Ayrshire (East)
KINGS HEATH 99 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7BW Supermarket Sparkhill
KIRKCALDY Carberry Road - Kirkcaldy, Fife, KY1 3NU Wal-Mart Supercentre Levenmouth
KIRKTON 7-9 Derwent Avenue, Dundee, DD3 0SZ Asda Superstore Dundee
LANCASTER Ovangle Road, Lancaster, LA1 5JR Asda Superstore Morecambe Bay
LANGLEY MILL Wesley Street, Langley Mill, Nottingham, NG16 4ED Asda Superstore Clay Cross
LARKHALL Broomhill Drive, Larkhall, ML9 1QP Supermarket Clyde, Avon and Nethan Foodbank 
LARNE 1 Redlands Road, Port of Larne, County Antrim, BT40 1AX Small Larne
LEAMINGTON Chesterton Drive, Sydenham Industrial Estate, Leamington Spa, CV31 1YD Asda Superstore Warwick & Leamington
LEEK Springfield Road, Leek, ST13 6EN Supermarket Leek and District
LEIGH Atherleigh Way, Leigh - Lancashire , WN7 5RZ Asda Superstore Atherton & Leigh
LEIGH WINDERMERE ROAD Market Place , Leigh, WN7 1QX Supermarket Atherton & Leigh
LINCOLN NETTLEHAM ROAD 323 Wolsey Way, Nettleham Road, Lincoln, LN2 4SX Supermarket Lincoln
LINWOOD Phoenix Retail Park - Linwood Road, Paisley, PA1 2AB Asda Superstore Renfrewshire
LISCARD Sea View Road, Wallasey, CH45 4NZ Asda Superstore Wirral
LLANELLI Murray Street, Llanelli, SA15 1BX Asda Superstore Llanelli
LLANGEFNI Ffordd Cae Sel, Llangefni - Anglesey, DWLL77 Supermarket Anglesey
LONGSIGHT Stanley Grove, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4NH Asda Superstore Manchester Central
LONGWELL GREEN Craven Way, Bristol, BS30 7DY Asda Superstore Keynsham
LOWESTOFT Belvedere Road - Off Horn Hill, Lowestoft - Suffolk , NR33 0PX Asda Superstore East Suffolk
MALTON Norton Road, Malton, YO17 9RD Supermarket Ryedale
MEANWOOD 34 Green Road, Meanwood, Leeds, LS6 4JP Supermarket Leeds north
MERTHYR TYDFIL Dowlais Top, Merthyr Tydfil - 'Mid-Glamorgan, CF48 2YF Asda Superstore Merthyr Cynon
MIDDLESBROUGH 2 North Street - South Bank, Middlesbrough, TS6 6AB Asda Superstore MiddlesbroughMILL LANE BENWELL Mill Lane, Benwell, NE4 6QA Supermarket Newcastle West
MILTON OF CRAIGIE Milton Of Craigie - Longtown Road, Dundee, DD4 7RX Asda Superstore Dundee
MINWORTH Walmley Ash Road, Minworth - Sutton Coldfield, B76 1XL Wal-Mart Supercentre Erdington/Aston & Nechells
MORECAMBE Lancaster Road, Morecambe, LA4 5QW Supermarket Morecambe Bay
MORLEY Howley Park Road, Morley, LS27 OBP Asda Superstore Leeds south
NEWARK Beaumand Cross, Lombard Street, Newark, NG24 1XG Small Newark
NEWPORT Pencarn Way - Coedkernew, Gwent - Newport , NP10 8XL Asda Superstore Newport 
NEWPORT PILLGWENLLY East Market Street, Newport, NP20 2BH Asda Superstore Newport 
NEWTON MEARNS Ayr Road - Newton Mearns, Glasgow, G77 6EY Asda Superstore East Renfrewshire
NEWTOWNARDS Ards Shopping Centre - Circular Road, Newtownards, BT23 4EU Small Newtownards
NORWICH Drayton High Road, Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 5DT Asda Superstore Norwich
NUNEATON Newtown Road, Nuneaton - Warwickshire, CV11 4FL Asda Superstore Nuneaton
OLDBURY Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury - West Midlands, B69 4PU Asda Superstore Quinton
OLDHAM HOLLINS ROAD Hollins Road, Oldham, OL8 4JZ Supermarket Oldham
PARK ROYAL 2-20 Western Rd, Park Royal - London, NW10 7LW Asda Superstore Brent
PARKGATE Taylors Lane, Parkgate, Rotherham, S62 6EE Supermarket Rotherham
PARKHEAD 1300 Duke Street - Parkhead Forge, Glasgow, G31 4EB Asda Superstore Glasgow NE 
PERRY BARR Walsall Road - Perry Barr, Birmingham, B42 1AB Asda Superstore Aston & Nechells
PERTH 89 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 5AP Asda Superstore Perth and Kinross 
PETERLEE Surtrees Road, Peterlee - Co. Durham, SR8 5HA Asda Superstore Durham
PLYMOUTH Leypark Drive - Estover, Plymouth, PL6 8TB Asda Superstore Plymouth
PORTADOWN Bridge Street, Portadown, BT63 5AW Asda Superstore Craigavon Area
PORTSMOUTH The Bridge Shopping Centre, 11 Somers Road North - Portsmouth, PO1 1SL Asda Superstore Portsmouth
QUEENSFERRY Aston Road, Clwyd, CH5 1TP Wal-Mart Supercentre Flintshire
QUESLET 6 Old Horns Crescent, Off Queslett Road, Great Barr West Mids, B43 7HA Wal-Mart Supercentre Great Barr
QUINTON Hagley Road West, Birmingham, B68 0PH Supermarket Quinton
RHYL St Asaph Avenue North, Kimnel Bay, LL18 5EQ Asda Superstore Abergele & District
ROCHDALE The Old Cricket Ground - Dane Street , Rochdale, OL12 6XT Asda Superstore Rochdale
ROCHDALE KINGSWAY Unit 2 Kingsway Retail , Kingsway, Rochdale, OL16 5AF Supermarket Rochdale
ROTHERHAM Aldwarke Lane - Off Doncaster Road, Rotherham, S65 3SW Asda Superstore Rotherham
RUGBY 12 Chapel Street, Rugby, CV21 3EB Asda Superstore Rugby SALTNEY River Lane, Saltney, Flintshire, CH4 8RH Supermarket Flintshire
SCUNTHORPE Burringham Road - Scunthorpe, North Lincs, DN17 2XF Asda Superstore Scunthorpe
SEFTON 126 Smithdown Road, Liverpool - Merseyside, L15 3JR Asda Superstore Central Liverpool
SHAW Greenfield Lane, Oldham - Lancashire, OL2 8QP Asda Superstore Oldham
SHEFFIELD Handsworth Road, Sheffield, S13 9BN Wal-Mart Supercentre Handsworth
SHEFFIELD CATCHBAR LANE 98 Catchbar Lane, Sheffield, S6 1TA Supermarket Sheffield S6
SHEFFIELD CHAUCER ROAD Chaucer Road, Parson Cross, Sheffield, S5 8NH Asda Superstore Sheffield Burngreave
SHEFFIELD QUEENS RD 405 Queens Road, Sheffield, S2 4DR Supermarket Gleadless Valley
SHORE ROAD BELFAST 219 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 3PR Small North Belfast
SKELTON Pheasant Fields Lane, Skelton, Saltburn by the Sea, TS12 2LQ Supermarket Redcar
SLOUGH Telford Drive, Slough, SL1 9LA Asda Superstore Slough
SMALL HEATH 859 Coventry Road - Small Heath, Birmingham, B10 0HH Asda Superstore Sparkhill
SOUTH WOOTTON KINGS LYNN Langley Road, South Wootton, Kings Lynn, PE30 3UG Supermarket Kings Lynn
SOUTHGATE CIRCUS Asda Southgate Circus Supercentre, 130 Chase Side, Southgate, N14 5PW Asda Superstore North Enfield
SOUTHPORT Central 12 Shopping Park - Derby Road, Southport, PR9 0TY Asda Superstore Southport
SPENNYMOOR St Andrews Lane - Spennymoor, Co Durham, DL16 6NE Small Durham
ST AUSTELL Cromwell Road, St Austell - Cornwall, PL25 4PR Asda Superstore St Austell
ST HELENS Kirkland Street, St Helens, WA10 2EF Asda Superstore St Helens
ST LEONARDS-ON-SEA Silver Hill, St Leonards on Sea, Hastings, TN37 7AA Asda Superstore Hastings
ST.LEONARDS St Leonards Street, Dunfermline, KY11 3AY Small Dunfermline
STAFFORD Queensway, Stafford, ST16 3TA Asda Superstore Cannock & District
STANLEY Front Street, Stanley - County Durham, DH9 ONB Asda Superstore Durham
STENHOUSEMUIR 17 Hallam Road, Stenhousemuir, FK5 3DB Small Falkirk
STOCKPORT Warren Street, Stockport, SK1 1UA Asda Superstore Stockport
STOCKPORT BELMONT Hamilton Square, Belmont Shopping Centre, Stockport, SK4 1JG Supermarket Stockport
STOCKTON Portrack Lane, Stockton-On-Tees, TS18 2PB Asda Superstore Billingham
STOKE SCOTIA ROAD Scotia Road, Tunstall, Stoke On Trent, ST6 4HE Supermarket Stoke on Trent
SUTTON IN ASHFIELD Priestic Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, NG17 2AH Asda Superstore Clay Cross
SWANSEA Upper Forest Way , Swansea, SA6 8PS Asda Superstore Swansea
SWINDON HAYDON Orbital Shopping Park, Thamesdown Drive, Swindon, SN25 4BG Wal-Mart Supercentre Swindon
TAMWORTH Ventura Road Retail Park - Bitterscote, Tamworth - Staffs, B78 3HB Wal-Mart Supercentre TamworthTAUNTON Creechbarrow Road, Taunton, TA1 2AN Wal-Mart Supercentre Taunton
TONYPANDY Colliers Way, Tonypandy, CF40 2JQ Small Rhondda
TORYGLEN 555 Prospect Hill Road - Toryglen, Glasgow, G42 0AE Asda Superstore Glasgow SE
TRAFFORD PARK Barton Dock Road - Trafford Park, Manchester, M41 7ZA Wal-Mart Supercentre Salford Central
WALKLEY 330 South Road, Walkley, Sheffield, S6 3TD Supermarket Sheffield S6
WATFORD Odhams Industrial Estate, Watford, WD24 7RT Wal-Mart Supercentre Watford
WEMBLEY Forty Lane, Middlesex, HA9 9EX Asda Superstore Brent
WEST BRIDGFORD 184 Loughborough Road, West Bridgford - Nottingham, NG2 7JA Wal-Mart Supercentre NG11 Clifton
WEST SWINDON West Swindon Shopping Centre, Swindon, SN5 7DL Asda Superstore Swindon
WESTBROOK Westbrook Shopping Centre, Warrington, WA5 8UQ Asda Superstore Warrington
WESTERHOPE Stamfordham Road, Westerhope, NE5 2LD Supermarket Newcastle East 
WIDNES Widnes Road, Widnes - Cheshire, WA8 6AH Asda Superstore Widnes
WINSFORD The Drumber, Winsford, CW7 1BD Asda Superstore Mid Cheshire
WISBECH North End, Leverington Road, Wisbech, PE13 1PE Small Wisbech 
WITHAM HIGHFIELDS ROAD 24 Highfields Road, Witham, CM8 2HJ Supermarket Braintree Area
WOLSTANTON Wolstanton Retail Park, Staffordshire, ST5 0AP Asda Superstore Newcastle-Staffs
WOLSTANTON MORRIS SQUARE Morris Square, Kyme, Wolstanton, ST5 0EN Supermarket Newcastle-Staffs
WOODSEATS 801 Chesterfield Road, Woodseats, S8 0SQ Supermarket Sheffield S6
WORCESTER Silver Street, Lowesmoor, Worcester, , WR1 2DA Asda Superstore Worcester
WORKINGTON Dunmail Park, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 1NQ Asda Superstore North Lakes
WREXHAM Holt Road, Wrexham - Clywd, LL13 8HL Asda Superstore Wrexham
YORK Monks Cross - Huntington, York, YO32 9LF Asda Superstore York

Foodbanks are a sticking plaster over a gaping social wound and I wish people didn't need them but they do. Set any political ideals aside and make time on Saturday to donate food. I'm off to ASDA in Estover in Plymouth on Saturday, so look out for me and if you see me then come up and say hello. If you are outside the UK, there will be a foodbank of some sort near you. Join in with us on Saturday and take them some food. Yesterday, almost 10,000 people viewed Frugal Queen and if only a fraction of you donate to your local Foodbank on Saturday then that simple compassionate act will make such a difference to the small child who is told that today he can have jam on his bread.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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How to make Quiche and supper for 72p

August 1, 2013, 11:15 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Ages ago, someone asked for a recipe to make quiche. It's such a versatile dish, which is basically a savoury flan to which you can add any cooked ingredient. You could take the idea here and add cooked broccoli and tinned or cooked salmon instead - you only need the tiniest amount. One small tin of salmon would easily spread between two quiches. You can add any vegetables and squashes are particularly good in quiche. If you sliced red onion and sauteed it in some butter or oil until caramelised and then add one tablespoon of brown sugar (but any sugar would do) to make it sticky and then add some goats cheese or feta to make a real celebration quiche. 

Here's how I made mine.


It's been a long while since I bought 'proper' bacon and buy the offcuts, which are similar to great chunks of gammon in a pack. I buy two kilos at a time for £3.50 from our butchers. It's goes in anything and keeps in the fridge for quite a while.

I used one courgette, one onion, 200g of chopped bacon, six mushrooms and one sweet pepper. I chopped them and fried them. I didn't add any oil as there is some fat in the bacon. These will take about twenty minutes to cook which gives you enough time to heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas6


I bought my pastry today. It's £1 for 500g in Morrisons (the cheapest place from my research). It isn't much cheaper to make it when you consider the increasing cost of lard and butter. I used my cake tins (that I use for making Victoria sponge cakes) as they are deep sided with a loose bottom so I can remove them easily. 


 I don't pre-cook the pastry as the baking tins conduct the heat so well that the pastry crisps without doing so. However, if you have a ceramic quiche dish then place some greaseproof paper over the pastry, add some baking beans or dried beans such as kidney beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. 


I used nine beaten eggs, which I seasoned with salt and pepper and added 125ml/half a cup of skimmed milk but any milk would do. The recipe books will all suggest half eggs and half cream which works out expensive unless you have cream already. Most recipes suggest using quite a lot of cheese too but I find a sprinkling on the surface is far more economical and just as tasty.

Spoon the cooked bacon and veggies into the pastry and spread around.



Pour the beaten eggs and milk over the top. You can now sprinkle with cheese but you don't need to. I used about 100g of half fat cheddar between the two quiches.

I had a stray tomato and sliced it finely to decorate the top. The quiches will take about thirty minutes to bake, but check and if the egg is set, and the pastry is browned then they are cooked.


I just have to share the next bit with you.............confession? On Wednesday, I went to have my eyes tested and to get new glasses. I was too early and as my appointment was before lunch (in my mind only but I was an hour out) I needed to find something to eat. I went to Marks and Spencers which is the world capital of all snacks and bought roasted carrots and butternut squash with yoghurt and tahini dressing. It was a lovely snack to keep my going and I've replicated it as a side dish to eat with our quiche.

I peeled six medium carrots and used half a butternut squash. I rolled them in some oil, sprinkled them with garlic powder and some salt and roasted them for half an hour. 

Tahini and yoghurt dressing. I used: 3 tablespoons of natural yoghurt and one heaped teaspoon of tahini, with some lemon zest and lemon juice. I just stirred it all together.


Quiches freeze well, I'm not precious about the tomato being frozen and if it's no good, I'll just pick it off. It also keeps in the fridge for a few day and is great wrapped in foil and taken for lunch.


Costs for 12 portions.
pastry - £1
eggs - £1.48
Courgette - 23p
pepper - 23p
mushrooms - 14p
cheese - 75p
bacon - 35p
£4.18 for two quiches and £2.09 each and 34p per portion.

Carrots - 8p and Butternut squash 38p - which was enough for two of us for supper tonight. All prices, except the bacon are from Aldi and I buy their 'super 6' vegetables for 69p each or per bag.

Our supper tonight cost 23p+ 34p+ 15p (dressing) so the total was 72p


Ready for the close up?


This can be eaten hot or cold and I like to eat it warm.


You don't have to have the yoghurt dressing and we usually eat quiche with a salad or homemade coleslaw.


Over to you, what do you like in your quiche? All suggestions are welcome. You can even make a meat free vegan version of this with 'cheezly', crumbled tofu all mixed together with a splash of soya milk. 

How do you like yours?

Thanks to everyone who has retweeted yesterday's blog about the Foodbank collections and for all your heartfelt comments.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxx

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Frugal Tartiflette

August 2, 2013, 10:21 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I've eaten Tartiflette in France on many occasions. I've bought it in French open air markets from street vendors cooking in the streets and taken it away to eat it later. I've also bought it from hot food counters in the supermarkets. It seems to be a favourite takeaway dish. I'll often replicate this but in a cheaper form. The original dish requires Reblochon cheese, shallots, white wine and cream. None of which can I afford so here's my affordable alternative. 

Serves 4
200g of chopped bacon pieces - 34p
60g of cornflour - 18p
spoon of butter
100g of grated half fat cheddar - 75p
2 onions - 34p
250ml skimmed milk - 13p
500g tin of new potatoes - 14p
4 cloves of garlic- 6p

Total Cost - £1.94 - per portion - 49p each - serve with salad or steamed veggies to have a meal for under £1.

Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 6


1. Chop bacon pieces into small chunks.
2. Slice the onions into half moons.
3. Peel and squash (I do this on a chopping board with a fork) four garlic cloves.
4. Fry in a pan, the bacon has enough fat to not add any more.

5.Open a tin of potatoes and arrange in a baking dish.
6.Pour the bacon, onions and garlic over the top.
7.Gently stir around.



Make a cheese sauce in the microwave.

8.Place the butter in a microwave proof jug or bowl and microwave until melted.
9.Blend in the cornflour
10.Blend in the grated cheese.
11.Blend in the milk.
12. Place back in the microwave on full heat for five minutes - Half way through, take out and whisk any lumps away. Keep returning to the microwave/removing and whisking until you have the consistency you like. Feel free to add more cheese if you wish, but I find it expensive and try to use it as a flavouring.

Pour cheese sauce over the top and bake for 20 minutes - if it hasn't browned, put it back in for longer.




Serve with salad, or green vegetables. My salad came from Aldi's 69p range which keeps the meal affordable. (I'm rushing as there is a massive thunderstorm and I may lose power at any moment!)



 I hope you're all enjoying the Frugal Food recipes. Over to you. Who else has favourite recipes that they can't afford but find alternatives which the can? I always look forward to your comments.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxx
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"Financial struggle with bills and debts worsen" - BBC

August 2, 2013, 12:27 pm
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Hello Dear Reader,

BBC News

Sky News 

I was contacted today by Sky news but didn't read the email until the end of the day. They wanted to interview me by Skype, which would have been fun. The big news of the day is that across the UK, 50% of people are struggling to keep up with their bills. They would have had short shrift if they had interviewed me as I don't struggle to pay my bills but certainly don't have anything left after I have paid them.

Soon, the new school term will start and the news will be all about families who have to find a lot of money to buy uniform and equipment for their children as well as money for school trips. I thought I would share my views on budgeting and saving for the future.

1. The money in and the money out.

You all have to know how much money is coming in - that's it! You can not spend it all, you can spend 90% of it (on bills and food and necessities and save 10%) but you can not spend any more. 

You have to know what all your bills cost. If you haven't sorted out monthly direct debits for all of your bills then do so now. Arrange that payments go out the same day as pay day. 

What should be paid by direct debit? - Mortgage/rent, council tax, water bills, energy bills, car insurance, home insurance, debt repayments such as credit card bills.

2. There's no such thing as disposable income!!!! 

Get this and hear it loud and clear. No one has any spare money! If you want clothes, to go out, to go on holiday, to buy presents then you have to budget for it. You have to plan all your spending. Every single month! If you have debt or no substantial savings then you can't afford any luxuries what so ever!

3. Some things happen every year!

If you have children, they will go to school and they will need money for uniform, books and trips. This happens every year. You need to set aside money every month to pay for shoes, coats, clothes, school equipment and even Boy Scout subscriptions.

Birthdays and Christmas happen every year and they are not  a shock, you need to save money all year for this and it doesn't have to be much as you don't have to spend much but you need to set the money aside and make sure it fits your budget.

4. Plan your spending every month.

You will have one calculation each month

Salary -
Mortgage/bills/debts/direct debits =
What is left.

When you have calculated the figure that is left, then work out how much for food, for getting to work, and make sure what is left goes to savings. 

5. You have to make cut backs - we all do.

Everyone can save money by planning their meals for the month. Nothing fancy, just beans on toast if that's your budget but plan it. I think an adult can eat everything they need for £2 a day and all other items including toiletries will require another £1 a day. We can 'get by' on £40 a week. It can be a bit meagre at times but our cut backs mean we can pay every bill and save money every month just in case the SHTF. Everyone can save money by making sure they have used price comparison sites to find the best deals for energy, car and home insurance, mortgage deals, 0% credit card deals to pay off debts more quickly and making sure they have the best energy deals.

6. The **** WILL hit the fan and you have to be financially prepared for it.

I'll start this by saying we didn't have any savings until our debts were paid off. Consequently, when the boiler broke down we just had to be cold/freezing until we could afford to get it fixed. We took drastic steps to pay off our debts and life is a little more relaxed now we are debt free but we still save in case anything goes terribly wrong. We still live on the small amount of money we allocated to ourselves when we were in debt and now the extra money goes into savings. Your car will break down, your roof tiles will slip and your roof will leak, your boiler will break down, the crown will fall off your tooth and your filling will fall out, you will lose your keys and you will have to call out a lock smith. Something will go wrong and you will have to save money every month.

7. What do we need to save for?

Car tax, home insurance, new shoes, new underwear, occasional new clothes, household items such as washing machines, car repairs and servicing, the next car, home maintenance, children's needs such as school requirements. You need to work towards having three months salary saved in case you lose your job - this will take you years and years to save for - until you've got this amount put away - consider yourself penniless as you haven't got enough until you've saved for redundancy. Beware of thinking you'll get a redundancy payment, companies who went bust left their employees without wages and no redundancy payments.  

8. What do you not need?

No one needs a holiday, no one needs to eat out, no one needs a SKY/cable package, no one needs a mobile phone (no you don't and we lived without them!), no one needs heating on all day every day in the winter (layer up!) , no one needs to keep up with the Jones, no one needs to be fashionable, no one needs to have their hair 'done', no one needs to 'update their home'. If we get real and look at what we need, then we'll all have a lot less wants and our lives will be much simpler.

9. What do you need? You need security of food and shelter. You need to be able to pay your bills on time every month, you need to be able to feed your family every month. Anything else that you can afford is a luxury. If you manage to get the car serviced, new tyres, and you can afford to get to work then you are doing well.

10. What is the biggest changes you can make to ensure you have financial well being? Pay off your debts. If you have any debts then don't spend any money until they are gone. Cut up every credit card and get rid of them. Once you have paid debts off, close down credit card accounts. Never mind the bollocks about it worsening your credit rating as only a ninny would ever borrow money ever again! Also, now is the time to stop spending money. When you are debt free, then and only then can you save for planned spending.

Just say no! Mostly, you are going to have to say no to yourself and then to others. I still can't fully engage in societies niceties as I don't have any disposable income. I can't afford to socialise, or go to my husband's Christmas 'do' and I certainly can't afford to dress to suit any social occasion. That's my reality and I just have to get on with it.

My reality is still that to reduce my mortgage, to increase my savings, to be prepared for the shit that will hit the fan and that I will have unforeseen expenses still means I have to watch every penny. I can pay my bills and I can eat well but I can't afford anything else and that's the reality most people have to face every day.

There you are SKY news, that's what I would have said if I could have spoken to you today.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs 


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Frugal Brownies

August 3, 2013, 11:01 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I have guests for lunch tomorrow and in true come dine with me style, I've practised the food we will eat tomorrow. I haven't made this version of Brownies before so I had a dry run today. Two of the guests are teenage boys so I hope they can help devour the mountain of Brownies so we are not left with chocolate temptation.

The recipe is from BBC food and I can guarantee that it's lovely. It make 16 brownies and I will serve them warm with vanilla ice cream, which I bought from Aldi.

100g of cocoa - 91p
250g butter - 98p
500g of sugar - 40p
4 eggs beaten - 66p
100g of dessicated coconut - 40p
100g SR Flour - 3p

Total - £3.38 - 21p each Brownie

Tub of dairy vanilla ice cream - £1.50 and there's easily eight serving (double portions for the teenage boys who are coming tomorrow!)


Heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan oven/Gas 4

Line a square cake tin with baking parchment/greaseproof paper.

Melt the butter, sugar and cocoa.

Beat the eggs and add to the previous mixture.

Mix in the flour and coconut.

Pour into the lined cake tin.

Bake for 30 minutes and then check - I don't bake mine any longer as I wanted them squidgy enough to eat with a spoon. It should feel firm but springy when you press it down gently with your fingers.

Leave to cook in the tin.

When cool - cut into 16 squares - beware - each of these hip widening delicacies are 350 calories each!



To serve - dust with icing sugar and serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you were to eat this in a fancy gastropub, it would cost £5.95 a serving. Instead, make it at home and eat with ice cream for 50p a serving. It always makes sense to entertain at home!

You certainly can have treats and indulgences and remain frugal!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxx





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Rhubarb Chutney for 60p per jar

August 5, 2013, 2:43 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Sorry I didn't get round to chatting to you yesterday. We had guests for lunch and has such a lovely relaxing afternoon. They brought me some rhubarb from their garden and I thought I would share with you how to make rhubarb chutney. I know I'll have mostly lovely American readers asking me about canning or freezing this. It doesn't need 'canning', pressurising or freezing as the process of making chutney means that the fruit or vegetables are cooked in vinegar which inhibits the actions of food spoiling moulds. When I make jam or chutney, I also pour it hot into hot (out of the oven hot) jam jars and screw the lids straight on. The cooling process also creates a vacuum (see! we do use our O level physics!) which, along with the vinegar, high level of sugar and acidity stops the jam or chutney from growing mould. 

We eat chutney with cold meats, cold meat pies and I always try to make some to eat over the winter period. I like my chutney well cooked and reduced to a viscous consistency that will stick to my ham sandwich. I thought I would mention this whilst I'm here; Poundland are selling huge bags of dates for £1 - if you buy them now and keep them until you can get some free windfall Bramley apples, then you can make some lovely date and apple chutney really cheaply. I've got mine and stashed them away. Also, keep your ketchup bottles, your jam jars, coffee jars and containers as the autumn glut will be with us soon and you'll need to freeze fruit and veg and make jam and chutney to keep you going through until spring.

Rhubarb Chutney,

You will need a wide deep saucepan or jam pan - look out for these in charity shops which is where I found mine for a fiver. It's the best £5 I've ever spent. You will also need 5/6/7 jams jars - it of course depends on the size of the jam jars. You will also need the lids.

Sterilising jam jars

Wash them well and remove the labels if you can
Place them on a baking tray
Set the oven to the lowest setting
Place jams jars and lids in oven whilst you make the chutney.


Ingredients.

900g/2lbs chopped and washed rhubarb,- free
900g/2lbs sugar - I use cheap white granulated. 72p
1 450g bag of sultanas - 85p - Aldi
1 pint of vinegar - I use supermarket cheap malt vinegar - 44p
25g/1oz salt 1p
25g/1oz of powdered ginger - I got mine from Aldi and it came in a 35g pot - 79p and I used all of it.
1 onion finely chopped - 17p
1/2 teaspoon of paprika - 2p - I buy in bulk.
1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper - 2p

Total £2.17 - 60p per large jar.

(Thanks to the Dear Reader, who pointed out that I'd missed the sultanas - I'm sure you could use raisins instead)





Stir the lot together and place on the heat - Bring to the boil stirring occasionally.

Turn down the heat and let if plop away and stir occasionally. It doesn't have the sugar content of jam and doesn't burn or catch so easily. I managed to get the ironing done whilst waiting for this to cook

Leave it plopping away to itself for about an hour or longer if you want it dark and sticky.



Above, you can see the chutney half way though the cooking.



I just placed the jam jars on a tray and put them in the oven.



The finished dark and sticky rhubarb chutney.




I use a jam funnel and a ladle to pour it hot into the hot jam jars. Hold the jars with oven gloves and be careful that the chutney doesn't splash you. Put the lids on straight away as they cool down andcreate a vacuum that will help keep the chutney. It will last for years and is best eaten three months after you have made it.

You may have noticed that I've catalogued my recipes and you can use the tabs at the top to find 'Frugal Recipes'. Every time I write about frugal food,  I'll make sure I do my best to make the recipe and instructions clear for you and include a link in the frugal food section so you can easily find the recipe again.

I'm getting into the swing of being a summer break housewife and finding loads to do. I've pulled out my sewing machine and I'm working on some unfinished quilts. This time of year always has me preparing for winter and our home made quilts keep us cosy on many a cold night. Thanks to everyone who has taken time to write to me and my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has offered me fabric to keep me quilting.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxx
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Finally finished - Scrappy Trip around the world

August 6, 2013, 12:05 pm
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(there's a dent in this bed - I questioned Dolly to see if she had been sleeping on it but she totally denied it )

Hello Dear Reader,

I've been neglecting my quilts! I have three UFOs and this is one I finished yesterday. I had quilted it but it wasn't bound. I finally got round to it. Of all the quilts I have made so far, this is my favourite. It used up all the odds and ends of fabric I had left. When I look at this I can also see so much of the fabric that you, my dear reader, have sent to me. I can also see thrifted shirts and gent's pyjamas, vintage pillow cases and some real treasures that I've bought from the quilt festival. It's so easy to make .


I bind my quilts by machine by sewing them onto the reverse of the quilt and having a 'neatish' stitch where it can be seen. If I were to hand bind my quilts, in truth, I would never ever finish them. I've backed it with an old 1970's single St. Michael quilt cover that I've unpicked and opened out. Even that wasn't big enough and I've used the backs of thrifted shirts to patch alongside to make the backing big enough.


I'm far more forgiving of my quilt making now. I know it's not perfect and I can't sew a straight line if you were holding a ruler next to me. I'm a wonky imperfect kind of girl and so is my quilt making. I know Dearly Beloved really loves this quilt and he wanted it on our bed instead of the Jubilee Quilt I made last year. 


Here's a close up for you.


You sent this fabric to me Dear Reader and there's loads of it. I'm going to be making a girly quilt for a very special baby and this will go onto the back. Today, I used it to bind my scrappy quilt.



I love the tutorials by the Missouri Star Quilt Company and this is the tutorial I used to learn how to bind quilts with a machine. It's really quick and I had my Queen size quilt finished in a couple of hours.



I have an unfinished quilt that was one of my earliest quilts and it's massively out of kilter, needs patching in on one side to make it even and the colours are not great. But, I'm going to finish it any way. I'll use it on a spare bed or for a chair throw and I'm also going to forgive my mistakes and remember that it was an early quilt and it still needs finishing. I'm free-motion quilting this one and it's a monster to handle even with sticky gloves. I'm setting myself the target of a UFO a week as I have two quilts that I have been asked to make and so little time.............I better get going!

Over to you. Does anyone else bind with their machine? 

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx
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Courgette and Carrot Falafels.................and marmalade?

August 7, 2013, 4:40 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Don't panic! I'm not eating falafels with marmalade! In this post, I'll share how I made the falafels and marmalade!

I bought the falafel mix from Approved Foods and the mixes were three for £1. They are really caloric and a box doesn't make many. I decided to pad them out, to make them healthier and to make them 'go further'. My answer to everything is to add grated carrot. It makes any thing go further.

Firstly, you will need a falafel mix or falafel recipe. They can be expensive to make but you can decide what level of seasoning you want. I usually just add garlic, cumin and corriander powder to make them more affordably. I grated two carrots and one large courgette and mixed them into the falafel mix. I followed the instructions on the pack to make up the falafel mix first and then added the grated carrots and courgettes.

I mixed them well and then formed them into patties. We have ours burger size but you can make these smaller.

Costs - falafel mix 33p
2 Carrots/ 150g - 11p
Courgette - 23p

Total Cost - 67p and I made ten small 'burger' sized falafels - at 8p each! They are so lovely too!


I fry them in as little oil as possible. Anyone else finding oil increasingly expensive?


I make these in advance and warm them through in the mini oven. I make a mint dressing by adding mint sauce to yoghurt and sprinkling the yoghurt with smoked paprika. We will eat them for supper with cauliflower cheese. It makes me hungry just thinking about it!


And onto the marmalade. 

I use the tinned prepared seville oranges made by Hartley's. It contains prepared oranges, citric acid, water and pecitin. The oranges come from Spain. The tin cost £1.75 and I buy sugar for 80p a kilo and used 1.8kg. The total cost was £3.19 and I made seven large jars. The total cost was 45p a jar, which is about what a jar of 'value' marmalade will cost. This is 47% fruit in comparison to the 20% fruit that you will find in a 'value brand'. Even Robertson's marmalade only has 20% fruit per 100g. Tesco's 'finest' has 30g of fruit per 100g. The nearest brand which has this much fruit is Wilkin and sons 'Tiptree' marmalade at £2.09 a jar. I think my 45p a jar competes with marmalade four times the price! 


I used one tin of prepared seville oranges, 1.8kg of sugar and 425ml of water and stirred it all together.  


 I brought it to the boil and kept it on a rolling boil for fifteen minutes stirring all the time.


Whilst that was boiling, I sterilised the clean washed jam jars and lids in the oven by heating them for fifteen minutes.


 I allowed the marmalade to cool for five minutes and then used my jam funnel to pour the marmalade into jars. I never test to see if it has reached setting point but it always seems to set. The secret is having the marmalade on a good rolling boil for fifteen minutes.


 You can get perfectly good sticky labels from Poundland! I'm yet to buy any. Dearly Beloved loves toasted homemade bread for breakfast with marmalade. He gets through jars and jars of it and he prefers my homemade marmalade to anything I can buy.


I'm off to do some quilting and I'll see you tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Make me a German?

August 8, 2013, 10:46 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

Blogosphere is hot on the BBC programme which you can watch from here for the next five days. Click HERE to watch 'Make me a German'. A British journalist and his wife, who is a writer and their two youngest children went to live in Nuremberg for a week. I was fascinated by the programme and wondered what we can learn from it. There's part of me that's ever so German as I believe in hard work. I think work is important, that it is part of who we are and we should aim to do the best we can whether that's making pencils in a factory or sorting the recycling in a council run centre. 

I hope some of you saw it and I'm sure it'll make its way to BBC America and sydicated and globalised BBC in no time at all. Here's my take on it. Women have a really good deal or a totally subjective and shite life depending on your viewpoint. I stayed home with my children, but then I had no skills or qualifications and being at home meant time away from minimum wage cleaning and skivvying. I enjoyed being home but went back to work when I chose to and managed to be a mum and have older children quite happily. Mothers in Germany are all very wholesome and part of the running of a well ordered country where workers and mothers who are after all workers, are well respected no matter what they do. There's even the culture of the Swabian housewife who I can identify with (to a degree). It's women in the German culture who manage the household budgets and make sure that money is saved where ever it can. They are very thrifty but who knows whether that is by choice, or out of necessity. They usually save 50% of the price of their homes and rent for the first part of their working lives and then buy in the latter half. On average, they save 10% of their monthly income. There's a lot about their working lives that are to be admired and to a point, envied.

The documentary hinted at a national psyche that worked collectively within small groups and within communities, which would send me to anarchism. There's something about me that likes to set my own standards and evaluate which rules I think are important or not. Whilst I think it's great for women to have the choice to stay home and look after their children, I wouldn't want it to be an expectation that I would be compelled to comply with or to be called a "Rabenmutter" or raven mother. No wonder employment is so high and men are working as so many women would find themselves 'at home'. As I said, if that's by choice, then fine, but if not then it's shite for the German women who must find it difficult to get back to work some fifteen years or so later when the children can look after themselves.

So, all in all, I admire those Germans. I like a nation that doesn't run up personal debts and uses cash instead of credit cards. I'm all for hard work and being proud of what you do, whether that's looking after your own children or working in a pencil factory. I like the idea of financially savvy, thrifty households who save for what ever they need. I like the idea of some one in the house (better than no one!) managing the household budgets, planning meals and running the home like a business.

I've never been to Germany and I'm not likely to ever get there for a holiday but it looks like a fascinating country. 

Over  to your Dear Reader, any German readers? Any Swabiain housewives? Is there anything German about your housekeeping style? Did any one see the programme? Would we benefit from being more like the Germans? 

Something for you to ponder.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxx
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Sausage Casserole

August 9, 2013, 9:54 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I love Fridays! Throughout my summer break, Dearly Beloved has Fridays off work. He helped me with the house work, he's passed pegs as I've hung out washing and we went off for a walk together and ended up at the local car boot sale. We bought a couple of prints to brighten up our plain (the way we like it!) living room walls. It might be the middle of summer but this man loves sausage casserole, mash, carrots and peas. How can I resist that?

It's the simplest supper to make and as usual, I cooked for two days and he, to his great delight, can have the same again tomorrow. To make this, you will need

1 pack of sausages,
1 onion,
8 mushrooms,
1 pack of sausage casserole sauce mix


Slice the onions and mushrooms.


Brown the sausages.


Combine the sausages, onions, mushrooms with the sauce mix which you will blend with half a pint of water. 


Cover and cook in the oven on 180/350/gas mark 4 for one hour. Plenty of time to go for a walk to the local car boot sale at the cricket club.


It has a sticky and quite spicy sauce and cooking it this way keeps the sausages moist and tasty. 


He's convinced me too! It might be the middle of summer but we've both worked hard all day and this is just perfect for an evening meal. 

Over to you Dear Reader, does anyone else break at the first point of asking when your Dearly Beloved asks for his or her favourite supper? 

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxx


Disclaimer - this is a sponsored post but when he asks for sausage casserole, I can not say no! However, all views and opinions expressed here are genuinely my own.
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Buttery Gingernut Biscuits

August 10, 2013, 3:46 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I'm cooking today so come back later for the rest of the recipes. I don't know about you but there is no face as sad as that of a bloke looking into an empty biscuit tin. These homemade crunchy Gingernuts are buttery, full of ginger and very simple to make.

Ingredients.

100g of butter - 40p - Aldi/Tesco - 99p for 250g
100g sugar - 8p - Tesco 5kg bag - 80p a kg.
350g Self Raising Flour - 11p - Tesco Everyday Value
2 teaspoons of ground ginger - (65p for 85g) - 3p - Rajah Ginger in bags - I found this in Morrisons.
8 tablespoons of golden syrup.(approx 200g- 34p - Tesco Everyday Value.

Total Cost - 96p - 30 biscuits - 3p per biscuit. Now that's a cheap treat!

As I said, they are very easy to make.

Preheat the oven to 190/170fan/Gas5

1. Melt the butter, syrup and sugar.
2. Add the flour and ground ginger
3. Mix together.


Measure out the amount for each gingernut with a teaspoon.



Form into a ball by rolling between your hands.



Place on a greased baking tray - I always use greaseproof paper.



Flatten with your fingers, a fork or a flat knife.



Bake for 15-20 minutes and then cool on a wire rack. Do not put them into the tin until they are completely cool.



Store in an air tight tin. They may not last as long as you think.



When they are completely cool, they are hard and crunchy. They smell and taste buttery and like the most expensive cookies you can buy in a posh bakers but these are 3p each and have five ingredients.

Let me know if you try these - they are so much better than the ones you can buy.

I'll be back sooner than usual,

Love Froogs xxxxxxx
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Homity Pies and Scotch Eggs

August 10, 2013, 5:59 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I first met Dearly Beloved in 1988 when I was working in Bath. He was a friend of a friend then but we both remember two local bakeries: Devon Savouries and Scoffs. I have no idea if Scoffs is still there and I know that Devon Savouries have been bought out. Both used a lot of spinach in their veggie recipes and I have copied several of them over the years. 

I've also owned and used the Cranks vegetarian cookbook for years and my Homity pie is a variation of theirs.

I'll start with showing you how I make my Scotch eggs.

1 pack of sausage meat - £1
5 eggs - 82p  - 4 hard boiled and 1 beaten for the coating
4 Bread crusts made into breadcrumbs in the food processor - 10p

Total costs - £1.92 - 48p each. They seem expensive but they can be an entire meal if eaten with salad.


Pre heat your oven to 200C/gas 6
Divide your pack of sausage meat by four.
Use a flour coated board.




Flatten out each portion of sausage meat.


Shape around your egg.


 Firm with your hands until they are completely sealed.


Roll in the egg and then completely coat in breadcrumbs pressing them in place if you need to.


Place in an oven proof dish - drizzle with oil and put some in the dish too.
Bake for 15- 25 minutes - check and turn them so they become crispy on the outside.
Best eaten cool with salad or in your hand on a picnic.

Homity Pies.

My version is slightly different as I add spinach. Normally, I would use leeks but there are none at this time of year. I also use defrosted frozen spinach as it's so much cheaper.

150g of frozen spinach - defrost on low in the microwave - 19p
Tin of potatoes drained - 14p or 350g of cooked potato in chunks.
1 onion - 17p
100g grated mature cheddar - 46p
2 crushed garlic cloves - 4p

You will also need to make pastry from the following

250g plain flour - 8p
60g butter - 25p
60g lard - 10p

OR - buy ready made from Morrisons for 99p a pack

Total cost - £1.43 - 36p each if you make the pastry yourself or 50p each if you, like I did, buy the pastry.


1. Fry the onions in a little oil until soft.
2. Combine the potatoes, spinach and garlic.


Add the onions and half of the grated cheese and combine.


Roll out the pastry and place the fillings in each pastry case before you trim the pastry.
Top with the rest of the grated cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until completely golden.


These are big and fillings and totally delicious and a complete meal in themselves.


Of course, the obligatory closeups - aren't they lovely?


They smell wonderfully cheesy and garlicky. 


I'm all done in with cooking now and I'm going to treat myself to some quilting time.

Over to you, does anyone else remember Scoffs? How about Cranks? They are in London and Dartington? Does anyone else use any of the Cranks cookbooks?

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxx

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Upcycling on Radio Cornwall

August 11, 2013, 7:31 am
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Hello Dear Reader,

I hope you don't mind the photo, I took it from Radio Cornwall's Facebook page. I was on air today as one of Tracy Wilson's guests and we talked about amusing children in the school holidays on a limited budget. We also discussed the 'Kirsty Allsop' effect and the interest in upcycling. I knew we would discuss this so I took my latest quilt which is mainly made of shirts, pyjamas, dresses, skirts, old sheets and duvet covers and a few bits of cheap fabric too. The link to listen to the radio programme is HERE and it's available on line for the next seven days. I'm on in the last hour and you can move the cursor to just listen to that bit.

Well my lovelies, the sun is shining and I'm off out for a walk xxx

I'll speak to you all again tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxx
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