Friday Food for a Fiver (or Less)

Food for a fiver this week, is a yummy post, mini Victoria Sandwich bites.

Kids love them, I love em, hubby loves em from 1-101 they are a sure fire winner.

Ingredients:

4oz self raising flour 45 (smart price 1.5kg)

4oz butter/margerine 44 (Asda best for baking 250g)

4oz sugar 87 (silverspoon 500g)

2eggs 91 (Asda smart price 6 eggs)

Icing sugar to taste 1.05 (silver spoon 1kg)

Jam any you like 38 (smart price jam)

paper cases 49 (Asda own)

Total 4.59 - prices as of Asda website 15th Jan

You can put all of the ingredients in a blender and mix but I always like to do it the long way round.

pre-heat oven to gas mark 5 180C

Soften butter, mix in with sugar with wooden spoon until blended, whisk eggs together and add to butter mix bit by bit.

Fold in sifted flour bit by bit with a metal spoon, gently to keep as much air in as possible.

divide between paper cases, and put in oven for 15-20min

to check if cooked top will spring back if pressed

leave to cool

for butter cream, soften the rest of the block of butter/marg and add sifted icing sugar to taste (it will probably be about 6oz of icing sugar) add more or less depending on how sweet you want it. add a TINY bit of water just to lighten the mixture.

cut the top half of the cooled cakes off spread jam on 1 half and a spoonful of butter cream, put the top back on the cake and sprinkle with icing sugar.

dont forget the prices are for whole packs of ingredients assuming that you have to buy everything from scratch, but most of these items are store-cupboard staples which will bring the costs down, or you will have enough ingredients to make a MOUNTAIN of cakes !!!

Many many calories, but ideal as a treat or for kids parties !!

Friday Food for a Fiver (or Less)

I thought that I would share a recipe on a Friday with you, yes I know it has been done before for a £5 or less , but for a family of 5 that works out to £1 p/head and more often than not in our house when you have padded the recipe out it actually feeds us for the meal and enough to either freeze or for leftovers for the following day.

One Moan though to get it out the way, it annoys me so much (dont know about you ) but when you do get a great recipe and it promises to feed a family for £5 then,

1, It is for a family of 4
2, They are more often than not smaller portions which for a postman who is walking 7-8 miles a day in alsorts of weather needs more than sparrow portions

And 3. which for me is my biggest bug-bear

3, Yes it is £5 but that accounts for cost per amount of ingredient (ie 4oz of cheese etc) and doesnt take into account that you have to buy the WHOLE packet just to get the 1/2 oz that you need - which doesnt help one iota when you are trying to budget for family meals

So I promise you that any recipe that I use it is £5 to buy all the ingredients which means that if you have to buy a packet of onions for 89p for example and only use one the 89p is accounted for, which means that you have the rest of the packet for other meals throughout the week without any additional cost

So....

Todays recipe is

BOSTON BEAN BAKE

1 onion 78 (Asda smartprice 2kg)
200g ham cubed 1.24 (Asda premuim lean ham 200g)
1 can tomatoes 35 (Asda smart price )
1 can baked beans 40 (Asda own - not smart price)
125g mushrooms 77 (Asda Smartprice 400g)
1 x 15ml spoon pickle 25 (Asda smartproce pickle - Jar)
1.5 x 5ml spoon cornfour 75 (Asda)

Total £4.54 (all prices as of asda website 8.1.10)

Saute onion and ham in a pan for 2-3min, add tomatoes,baked beans, mushrooms and pickle stir well and simmer for 15-20min

thicken with blended cornflour if needed


you even have enough left over for some lovely fresh crusty bread for the ultimate comfort food !

obviously this is my recipe, please use, and adapt to your own tastes, you will probably find that you tweek it to suit your own family and dont forget the list of ingredients are for whole packets of food so the if you like it the only think you will only need another tin of ham and you already have the stuff left over for another go so that would be another meal for £1.24 - the cost of another can of ham or another idea if you can afford it buy 2 tins at the same time and then make double the amount and freeze, its no extra work because its all in one pan !

Hope you enjoy x x