Potato and pea soup is rather tasty and good for sensitive stomachs. You can add celery and if you like orange colours, even carrot. So you get 4 soups, each with a subtle change in flavour when adding these additional vegetables.

Soup 1: Potato and Peas on their own.

Soup 2: same as above but with celery

Soup 3: Potato, Peas and Carrot

Soup 4: All of the above.

For around 4 servings,

If you like onion and garlic, peel and thin slices or diced one onion and same again for about 5 cloves of garlic.

2lbs of potatoes chopped in quarters or as small as you like depending on how ‘smooth’ you want the soup.

around ½ lb peas (can use frozen)

if you want to mix and match with celery and carrots – around 3 or 4 sticks of celery and 6 carrots – depending how ‘rough’ or ‘smooth’ texture you want, chop or dice the celery; chop or grate the carrot

Your usual oil and usual herbs and spice (sprinkles) and ¼ teaspoon turmeric

Around 2 and half pints of hot vegetable stock

For a more creamy consistency, you can add a half-cup or more of milk or a milk substitute.

Par-boil the potatoes until they are soft enough to run a fork partway through then put into a colander and rinse under cold water.

If using the other vegetables and a ‘rough’ texture for the soup is wanted, add chopped celery and carrots with the potatoes and par-boil as above.

Rinse the pan and return to the stove.

Use about a tablespoon of your usual oil in a pan and gently warm it through on low heat.

Add whatever seasoning you usually use as well as whatever herbs you usually use and the turmeric.

If you have the onion and garlic, now is the time to add to the pan and gently stir until the onion is soft, almost ‘melting’.

Add the potatoes/vegetables, blending them in the seasoning until they are starting to go very soft, about 3-5 minutes should do it.

Add the stock and bring the whole pan to a boil. As soon as it is boiled, turn down the heat and simmer for around 20 minutes, shouldn’t be any longer than half an hour, Keep an eye on the contents and stir regularly.

During the last few minutes, no longer than five, add the peas and stir in. You can eat as is unless you adding milk or milk substitute for a creamier taste.

Depending if you want a rough texture, you can add the milk or milk substitute now and gently keep stirring until the soup is blended, say around 4/5 minutes.

If you want a smoother consistency with the creamy taste, mash up the contents of soup and then add the milk.

Any time you have veg or mushrooms that are starting to go past their best - make soup!

I haven't yet found a mixture that I didn't like and it's a real money and waste saver.

I do this all the time. These sorts of things are great snack aswell.

I've taken a liking for chickpeas lately. I've bought a big bag for a couple of quid and add these to soups too. Makes them more filling, and they're very good for you.

out of date bread, make bread pudding family will love it, and a cheap pudding as well,

Ah, now you are talking, I just love bread and butter pudding.

There really is no need to stick rigedly to the best by dates, one super way to use up left overs and going soft veggies is a slow cooker. With a nice tasty stock and some meat (or not for veggy people), you have one really tasty meal. Tinned soup makes a good base as well.

Stick a tin of pineapple chunks in with the bread pudding (very cheap about 35p a tin in Morrisons) and you have an extra special pud.

My fave is to put a couple of slices of bread into a dish, tip the pineapple juice onto that, then the pineapple, then some more bread, then sprinkle liberally with brown sugar (a shot of rum goes nicely too...) and cook for about 20 mins, you can of course grill this too. Works very well with wholemeal bread.

Another good dip I've found is to take a tin of kidney beans, rinse them well and then blitz with some Philadelphia cheese or low fat cheese, add a bit of fresh chili if liked (or some grated lemon) and serve with crackers or tortilla chips (pinched from a Weight Watchers. You can make this chunky or smooth according to the way you like it.

Mods, your filter put in 'refrain from personal abuse' when it was nothing of the sort... that was why I bad to split what is an acceptable company name. really after the mess up this morning I don't think much of the upgrade!

A slow cooker is also good for cheap meals using tougher cuts of meat - and you can't beat coming home in the winter to a nice hot stew.

 

If you don't already have one, check out the charity shops before paying full price.

Tesco often have cheap but perfectly serviceable new ones for £10 (£17 normally I think). That is where I bought mine.

Beef stew in a slow cooker is even better than when it is done in a casserole dish IMO. A top quality meal packed with goodness, cooked while you are busy with other things and it makes the house smell lovely and homely.

Hmm - I am overdue one so I will do that this weekend. A cheap stewpack of vegetables plus a leek and a bit of garlic, some cheap stewing steak and my only luxury - a packet of pre made stock. A tbsp of tomato puree, a couple of bayleaves and a splash of red wine if you have it. Perfect.

The result - a meal you couldn't beat if you paid £12 in a pub... Plus another 2 portions to put in the freezer.

OMG - I'm going to close this thread if it goes on like this any longer - I'm drooling all down my front.

Hi

SWINCO - An online seller of approved clearance food and drink and household items. www.swinco.co.uk/

Thank you everyone for the recipes you've shared. I've listed them all down. Will try my best to make them for my family.

Sausages,,placed in casserole dsh,,alternately layer onion,potatoe,cheese,,add half pnt of milk with chilli flakes,,generous blob of butter,,make last layer potatoe,cover and cook in oven for hour to hour n half,,take lid off,,sprinkle with cheese,grill to brown,,lovely jubbly

I did sausage casserole in my slow cooker, did four meals.

One pack sausages (I had rosemary and lamb ones from the local farmers market), lentils, tin tomatoes and shallots and layered them up, added a mug of stock and some herbs (I don't go for chillies) and left it overnight.

I did sausage casserole in my slow cooker, did four meals.

 

One pack sausages (I had rosemary and lamb ones from the local farmers market), lentils, tin tomatoes and shallots and layered them up, added a mug of stock and some herbs (I don't go for chillies) and left it overnight.

Oh yum yum yum,,,thats tomorrows dinner sorted

one chicken feeds our family of 5 for 3 meals

we normally buy 3 whole chickens for 10 or 12 pounds from our butchers and freezer 2

we roast the chicken and have a traditional sunday roast with it

then strip what remains he carcass for either sandwiches on monday or add to cold pasta salad etc (we save a small handfull of this meat for the soup)

then boil up the carcas and skin etc with some limp veg as a base for chicken soup for tuesday adding the small hand full of chicken we saved

the only problem i have found with this is that my 8 and 11 year old children are gutted once the soup pan is empty they have asked if we can have daddys chicken soup every day lol

i have just seen the link above for swinco who dont seem to sell much food

a much better one for food is approvedfood.co.uk

their content changes daily and some real bargains to be had