all received, thanks!
We are massively economising. some ideas for cheap meals:
'minestrone soup' using cooking bacon, can tomatoes, onions, and any veg you have around, eg broccoli, cabbage, carrots, plus handful pasta and can of beans (kidney, haricot). SErve with sprinkle of grated cheese
Cheese and potato pie: make shortcrust pastry with favourite recipe (250g plain flour, 125 fat eg marg/butter, tsp salt, tsp sugar, one egg yolk and 3 tbsp cold water). Divide into 2/3 and 1/3 and put on fridge for about half an hour. Then knead and roll out bigger piece for the bottom of the pie and the smaller for top of pie.
cook diced potato until tender (or use leftover) and mix with grated cheese (strong cheddar, you can use mix of cheddar and red leicester for colour) and chopped onion.
Put bigger circle into greased pie dish (but i use springform cake tin abou 9 inches across) . Put in potato/cheese mix and flatten a bit. Salt and pepper.
Put the smaller circle on op and I then kind of crimp the edges together, usually by rolling in the bottom around the op and thumb printing them if tha makes sense. Brush with milk. Bake for around 30 mins on 180 deg (elec) or 4 (gas).
Serve with salad or baked beans.
I also do similar with decent sausages (like tesco finest type when cheap). par boil potatoes, fry crumbled sausages (out of skins) with chopped onion, and herbs if you have any. Put on the bottom of pie dish (with pastry as above). Add layer of tomatoes (optional) op with pastry as before and bake 35 mins no 4 or 180.
Also chicken, sweetcorn pie. Cooked leftover chicken, can sweetcorn and stock made with half chicken cube half milk tablespoon flour to thicken (i do it in microwave).Use about half a pint all told it is to moisten not drown!
We all love these recipes!