Plus - the longer-term adjustment to getting out and doing things after the winter - and the importance of sowing seeds now, to reap later...

"Sticking to a tight grocery budget while making sure that my children can continue to eat like hobbits involves some creative thinking."

A look at waste-food apps like TooGoodtoGo and Olio, and Lidl's 'Waste Not' box - and a recipe for broccoli soup

No resting time makes these pancakes as close to instant as possible

Being clever with cooking appliances pays off

On a tighter budget than most, I am faced with a smaller menu of ingredients to choose from for meal planning. That shorter list could make cooking more humdrum if I let it.

At the moment, we are thriving on a budget. Every week I am popping the surplus into a little fund so that we can have some time away this year. As we have a set goal to work towards it’s easier to rationalise being careful.

The slow cooker was my saviour last week

This cold weather comfort meal cooks in one pot meaning less energy consumed and less washing up

2022 was another challenging year for most of us, and I’m not sorry to see it end.