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Cheese, Potato & Mustard Pie

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I’m going through a bit of a pie phase at the moment. Mainly because I’ve recently rediscovered just how easy it is to make shortcrust pastry after a lazy year of using store bought which quite frankly is just not the same.

This is a lazy using up leftovers pie and it’s a rather thrifty one too. You could use up any leftover mash or boiled potatoes – I used half of a tin of new potatoes I had leftover from making another meal and I warmed them before running through my potato ricer. I used a chunk of cheese leftover in the fridge which was a little past it’s best but still perfectly edible and 1/2 an onion. For a twist I dolloped some wholegrain mustard throughout the pie but next time I would definitely mix it with the cheesy, oniony mash for a more well distributed flavour. As it was we had little bursts of mustard – which was lovely but I think mixed in would taste even better.

Cheese, Potato & Mustard Pie

You will need:

For the pastry:

225g plain flour
100g butter ( or a combo of butter and lard )
2tbsp of cold water
Pinch of salt

For the filling:

Some leftover potatoes mashed
About 50g of Cheddar ( or any other suitable leftover cheese) grated
1/2 an onion diced
1.5tbsp of wholegrain mustard

To glaze:

1 egg, beaten.

First make up your pastry:

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl and then rub in the butter. Add your cold water a little at arise and mix with a knife until you have a stiff dough. You may not need all the water or you may need slightly more. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for about 30 mins. Remove from fridge and allow to come back to room temperature before rolling out.

* it’s worth noting I have also made the pastry in my food mixer and didn’t notice a massive difference – just a slightly heavier texture so ideal if you are in a hurry.

Whilst you are chilling/resting your pastry, prepare your filling. Mash your potatoes, grate your cheese and lightly sauté your diced onions and combine in a bowl.

Preheat oven to gas mark 5.

Split your dough into two and roll out one half quite thinly so that it covers your pie dish and the sides. ( I used a smallish pie dish which was enough to feed 4 people) You could blind bake at this point although I don’t with this type of pie. Fill your pie with your cheesy mixture and then dollop some mustard throughout the pie or you could mix the mustard into the cheesy mix first. Roll out your remaining dough and cover your filling, pressing around the edges to seal and then prick the centre of your pie with a fork to let the steam escape.

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Brush with beaten egg and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.

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*The above photo also has a mincemeat and brown sugar apple pie in it which I will share later this week. It was incredible.

Try to leave it cool slightly before eating to avoid burning your mouth. It’s lovely served with crispy bacon, egg and beans.

Simple Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

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When I make pulled pork normally it’s a bit of a long, drawn out affair. I make up a rub, massage it all in and leave overnight to soak in. I then cook for at least 8 hours in a traditional oven before pulling.

It’s pretty amazing and I make it every few months or so.

I don’t always have the time or inclination for the fuss of proper pulled pork so I’ve created my own cheats version which also happens to be very budget friendly due to the cheap cut of meat and also the low energy from cooking via the slow cooker.

This simple pulled pork has only 5 ingredients, can be prepared in 5 minutes or less and popped into the slow cooker in the morning ready for dinner that evening. Oh and it tastes incredible.

Simple Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

You will need:

1 Pork Shoulder ( I used a 1kg shoulder from Aldi which cost just £2.89)
3 tbsp of dark brown sugar or molasses
2 tbsp of sweet smoked paprika
2 tbsp of mustard ( I used English)
1/2 tsp of Crushed black pepper
* Optional – 4 tbsp of your fave BBQ sauce – we love Newmans sticky hickory.

Prepare your pork shoulder by quickly removing the string, skin and fat and setting aside. Rub in your mustard, sugar, black pepper and paprika – get as much into the meat as you can.

 

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Place in the slow cooker on high for 4hours then low for 5. You could just put on low for about 12 hours instead. Test your pork is ready by using a fork to pull some meat, if it comes away easily and is tender then it’s ready to pull. Drain the liquid into a jug then use two forks to pull the meat apart. Now you have two options, you can return some of the cooking liquid to the pot and mix in with the meat and serve which tastes fabulous or if you want more of a barbecue style taste you can add your BBQ sauce. Mix and replace lid, leave on low until ready to serve.

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Notes:

You can use a larger piece of meat just adapt the cooking times and amounts of seasoning.

You do not need to add liquid. The meat will provide enough liquid.

There are lots of different ways you can serve pulled pork. To top an epic burger is a fave of ours but I do love it served simply in a fresh white bread roll. So good.

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This serves 4 quite easily.

How to spend less

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Last Winter I wrote 6 blog posts on how to spend less, they were really popular and have recently started receiving a lot of views again. I guess we are all trying to be more thrifty these days.

Coming up to Christmas we could all do with some extra pennies so here are the links to the 6 posts ..some maybe useful..some not so much but they definitely helped me and just re reading them today has inspired me to start being more frugal again.

How to spend less. Part 1

How to spend less. Part 2

How to spend less. Part 3

How to spend less. Part 4

How to spend less. Part 5

How to spend less. Part 6

30 Ways to save £1 ..or more.

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For the 30th anniversary of the £1 coin MoneySupermarket have asked bloggers to come up with 30 ways to save a pound (or more). One lucky blogger will win £1000. Below is my entry. For more details visit MoneySupermarket

1. Meal Plan : I cannot tell you enough how much this has saved me over the past year. Plan your shopping exactly around your meals. It halved my shopping bills.

2. Buy own brands – for example the Sainsburys basic range is just as good as any of the more well known. I use chopped tomatoes and Passata at least twice a week – using the basics range for just these items saves me approx £2.00 per week.

3.Use chicken thighs instead of breasts in curries/casseroles. Not only are they tastier but they are approximately half the price. A saving of £2/3 on each meal.

4. Don’t forget to take your own bags! Plastic shopping bags in Wales cost 6p per bag. If you use 6 per week that’s a minimum of £18 per year.

5. Use comparison sites – we saved £120 on our car insurance and £50 on our home insurance by using various sites.

6. Look for voucher codes before going on holidays/ for family days out or for meals – I estimate this saves us about £250 a year.

7.Bulk buy at baby events – nappies and wet wipes in particular are far cheaper when bought in large boxes.

8.Use sites such as eBay,gumtree and similar when making a purchase. We bought a Mamas & Papas changing unit for £70 on Gumtree in impeccable condition. In store we would have paid £600.

9. Cook in bulk and freeze : not only do you save on energy costs but you have a handy meal for those nights when you just can’t be bothered.

10. Make your own – be it takeaway style food, birthday cakes or just plain old bread. It can save you lots and taste far better.

11. Change or at least threaten to cancel Internet/TV providers at the end of your contract. You will normally get a far better deal as a new customer elsewhere and if not your current provider will usually slash your current rate by £10 or more.

12. Go veggie occasionally – we have vegetarian weeks every now and again and it saves us quite a lot as good meat is expensive.

13. Buy lentils, rice and pasta in large bags a saves a lot and they are always handy for cheap, filling meals.

14. Grow your own – herbs especially basil can be expensive when bought fresh from your local supermarket but most grow very well on your kitchen windowsill and the seeds are normally far less than the price of one packet of fresh herbs.

15. Use free trials for film rentals, if you work your way around them all you could get approx 6 months free use. Don’t forget to cancel before the 30 days are up.

16. Use your local library. Free books!

17. Loyalty cards – nectar cards and Tesco clubcards in particular can make you money and cost you nothing at all.

18. Share bath water- Izzy always bathes with either her dad or me.

19. Companies often give you money off for paperless billing and its far less clutter!

20. Turn it off – before you go to bed make sure you turn off all your appliances.

21. Walk instead of using public transport or car whenever possible. Keeps you fit too 🙂

22. Take a packed lunch – to work or on trips with family.

23. Watch exercise programmes such as 30 day shred on YouTube instead of buying. After all it may not be for you.

24. Save money on gym membership by cycling, walking and enjoying the countryside.

25. Know where the reduced to clear sections are. We regularly buy close to end of date items and freeze them for later use.

26. Look for free eye tests – at present Tesco offer free tests,

27. Shop around for bank accounts. Some accounts pay you a monthly amount if you put in a minimum of say £1500 each month.

28.Try to use cash instead of your card, it’s far too easy to overspend when using plastic.

29. Take turns with friends coming over for dinner and you going to theirs.. Or each make different courses.

30. Use the money supermarket website and read the forum posts for news of flash sales or supermarket price glitches.