Indeed, Sillygirl1, there are almost many ways to spell dal(l)/dhal(l)/dahl(l) as there are delicious ways to prepare it! Hmm, using tinned toms as a basis for a 'vegetable splodge' offers some tantalising variations. If you are partial to frozen veg, I'd recommend Aldi's chargrilled veg which include onions, red peppers and aubergines - tastier than the popular peas, sweetcorn and carrot mixes. Bon appetit!

Yabbadoo hi, I would ask you to edit your previous post and delete the comments about my case; you have made several incorrect assumptions/statements and this is not helpful to me. I sympathise with your case, but would remind you that you started a thread to discuss your own problem with Hastings Direct - it is established forum etiquette not to hijack someone else's thread with your own problem, in this case about length of ownership. Thank you for your advice, but before posting here I read previous threads - I am not the only person to raise the problem of Hastings Direct making unauthorised payments and some of these people appear to have had unauthorised debits refunded.

Thanks for the approvedfood link, Locutus. I'll be passing on the link to others.

Thanks for the approvedfood link, Locutus. I'll be passing on that link to others.

My trusted ingredients for dishes in hard times include: Dall (lentils cooked until they go mushy) - you can add an onion, or a stock cube and curry for taste - this is cheap and filling and can go with bread, pasta, rice or couscous - can be thinned down to make lentil soup. Cooking time 20 mins Porridge - if you are feeling flush you can add milk and sugar or dried fruit, but it is a healthy super-cheap meal if you just add water. Cooking time 5-10 minutes. Bacon bits (usually bought in markets and local variants of Farmfoods or Iceland) - can be used the basis from soups stews and egg'n'potato/tomato'n'potato bakes - soak in water to get rid of the salt, then dry and fry to bring out the flavour. Cooking time 5-20 minutes. Gone-past-sell-by-date tins (usually bought in markets and local variants of Farmfoods or Iceland) - savoury contents can be thrown into stews or soups, various beans can be used to make salads. Cooking time 0-10 minutes. Offal and cheaper cuts of meat such as ham shank, pig foot, sheep's head, goat (various) - can be used to make nourishing and tasty soups, stews, casseroles, fry ups, roasts or used as the basis for pate's or meatloaf. Cooking time 5-90 minutes. Toast - can be adorned with spreads, beans, sardines, jam, etc. - cheap and filling. Cooking time 5 minutes.

I also noticed OU have some free videos and audio clips on iTunes U.

I've been taking thyroxine for over 10 years now and have not noticed a problem gaining permanent weight. What I have noticed is that when I have gained weight it is much harder to lose it than before I became hypothyroid. After gaining extra pounds in the winter months, I find that I have to exercise and diet for three months before I see any changes. I take account of this now and have changed my winter diet - I no longer feast on traditional roast dinners, stews and casseroles.

Hi Folks, here is an update for this thread. Following my email to Jamie Wicks, I received a generic letter from Hastings Direct telling me that my concerns would be responded to within 20 days (I was also given a copy of Hastings Direct complaints procedure). Yesterday, 20 days later, I received a written response from Hastings Direct - they outlined their version of events from my applying for car insurance with them. They claim that when I applied for an online quote with them I had an entered an ownership date in 2004 and the original quote they had given me was based on that date. Having not received the documentary evidence they required to verify my original claim, they then amended my policy so that the original cost was increased to approximately £566 and made an unauthorised withdrawal of this amount from my bank account using the debit card details I had given them. When they eventually received my V5 and details from my previous insurer they amended my policy for a second time to approximately £96 pounds more than the original quote and repaid £470 into my bank account. The reason for the £96 increase was that the V5 indicated that I had bought the car on the day I took out the insurance policy - 07 April 2012. #1. In the letter, Hastings Direct have neither acknowledged or addressed the main issue I have raised here (and with Jamie) in that they took unauthorised amounts of money from my account. I emphasised to Jamie that any unauthorised amounts that Hastings Direct took from my account must be repaid! A reputable commercial organisation does not take unauthorised withdrawals from a customer's bank account; they invoice the customer! Should a reputable commercial organisation discover that they have inadvertently taken an unauthorised amount from a customer they refund the money immediately and without argument! #2. I did not enter a date in 2004 as the date I became the owner of the car when I sought a quote for car insurance with Hastings Direct. It would appear Mr. Yabbadoo's daughter encountered a similar data capture error with the web apps Hastings Direct use. #3. I agreed to insure my car based on the original quote I was given - the proposed increase of approximately £96 makes Hastings Direct offer on a par with my previous insurer- had I known the cost of insuring my car would have been £96 more I would have stayed with my previous insurer. One might view my experience such that Hastings Direct offer unrealistic quotes and then 'snare' customers into taking out insurance with them - the customer does not easily get the opportunity to quickly cancel the insurance and find another insurer without forfeiting a sizeable proportion of an inflated cost. Here is my proposal, Jamie: Hastings Direct must reimburse me for the unauthorised withdrawal they took from my bank account; if they have a shred of honour they will do so immediately! Once the money is returned we can agree that the my current policy now costs approximately £96 more than I originally paid. Since I am dissatisfied with how Hastings Direct have dealt with the matter I shall (following the refund) cancel my policy with Hastings Direct. I expect Hastings Direct to charge me pro rata for the annual policy according to their terms - I would expect to recover a proportion of the money I originally paid to Hastings Direct on 07 April 2012. Forum members, I would appreciate any advice on how to resolve this matter swiftly. My impression so far is that the suggestion to contact Jamie Wicks has merely given Hastings Direct more time to retain my money and prepare for any action I may bring to recover the unauthorised amount of money they took from. This may seem a trivial matter to some folk, but I am currently suffering ill-health and am unemployed. On a human level this matter is taking its toll.... Mr. Yabbadoo, being new to the forum I was unable to send you a private message, please feel free to contact me at my spam bucket: missgrabbiegooglemailcom

Just to update forum members of the situation... I contacted Jamie who told me that he would forward the details I gave him to someone who would sort my problem out. Towards the end of last week I received a standard letter from Hastings Direct containing a copy of their complaints procedure. No one from Hastings Direct has addressed the problems I outlined or provided me with answers to questions I posed. In addition, they have not returned the money they took from my account! It would appear that Jaime Wicks is NOT sorting out the problems of people on this forum, at least that has been my experience to date. Has anyone any advice to give me that will help me progress my issue? Thanks in anticipation.

Okay, I PMed Jamie on this forum last week, before he posted an answer to this thread, and was expecting an answer via that medium. I shall respond to the link Jamie has given. Sorry to hear of your daughter's experience, Yabbadoo - my experiences with two other insurance companies have always run smoothly with no unexpected 'add-ons'. Being charged more for a car you have not previously driven seems like an unreasonable excuse for claiming more money. I shall report back to the forum as soon as I have something worthy of sharing.

Thanks Rebel. You'll understand if I'm cautious as to how much help I'll receive from a Hastings Rep. based on my previous experience with the company; I am still awaiting the insurance documents they should have sent me...

I took out an annual policy with Hastings in early April. They requested I supply them with information about the car's ownership and allow them access to take details from my previous insurer for no claims details. I didn't supply the information within the time frame they required and they amended my policy - they took an extra £566 from my bank account using the debit card details from my initial application. I phoned their customer services help line and was assured that if I could supply the details to them within the next hour or so they would reimburse me. I supplied the information, but was then told they were unable to reimburse me: 1) They could not access the email I had sent to customer services (as directed by the first customer advisor) until Monday (this was a Saturday); 2) There had been a break between me having car insurance with my last company and this would have to be dealt with by another team that didn't work on Saturday (I had sold my last car and therefore didn't need insurance for that period). On the Monday I contacted customer services again and was told the team who dealt with reading incoming emails had a backlog and would probably not be able to verify the information I had given them in order to verify that the original details I had given them. Later on Monday I received an email reply from the Business Administration Team who acknowledged my ownership of the car, but they said it confirmed my ownership since early April (the day I bought the car) and not a date from 2004 as I had originally entered. I was confused as to why they had come up with a date from 2004 - the original application I had made on the day I bought the car had been confirmed by their email when I took out the insurance - I had not mistakenly entered a date from 2004. I pointed this out in the email reply I gave to BAT that same day and again requested they refund the £566 and that they respond within 5 working days. The following Friday I received a written letter with another amended - they had refunded £466 into my account, but kept £100 of the unauthorised payment due to non-continuous insurance. When I first leaned of the unauthorised payment I would have cancelled the policy then and there, but for the fact the customer advisor told me I would lose the whole amount of the annual payment I had given them and also some of the £566 they had taken. A very expensive 6-7 weeks insurance!! I am thoroughly disgusted with Hastings Direct and the shabby way they conduct their business. I would appreciate sound advice as to the cheapest way to cancel my policy with them. Has anyone had success going through Hastings complaints procedure?