"Use cheaper chicken pieces like leg, thigh, or wing rather than a whole roast chicken to keep this meal budget friendly."

Plus: Black Friday on the shop shelves - and how to shop smart on a budget

To evoke memories of time spent in the Middle East, I finish a meal with an orange polenta cake, washed down with bright, fresh mint tea. 

Plus: "Keep an eye out on the specials and bargains to be had at this time of the year and you will easily have a full pantry by the time the Christmas holidays roll around."

I regularly get messages from parents who are struggling with this phase

Plus: "...we’ve all heard of pumpkin carving, but have you heard of turnip carving? Turnip jack-o-lanterns are more traditional in Ireland than pumpkins — a good pastime to set idle hands to."

"From pumpkin seeds to inner flesh, a pumpkin is one of the most versatile vine fruits that is remarkably easy to produce, and we really shouldn't allocate it as a decorative purchase only."

"Your instinct may be to pair soup with a few slices of crusty bread or a roll but there is plenty there to keep an adult filled for several hours."

Plus: Sometimes we disregard the cost of the process of cooking and that’s the cost of the energy that we use to bake, stew, and heat our food

"It’s harvest time for my apple tree at the moment and because all the apples ripen at the same time I need to preserve and use the fruit because I certainly don’t have the space to store 200 fresh eating apples."