Jun 26
Restaurant vouchers
Posted by lovemoney in Uncategorized on 06 26th, 2010| | 1 Comment »

Ha Ha bar & grill
2 for 1 on favourites, pastas and risottos. Register here and print the voucher. Every Sunday to Friday until 27th July.
Not valid with any other offers or set menus. Not valid at Ha ha O2 or Ha Ha Liverpool during event days/nights.

Yo! Sushi
Free plate for sushi virgins when you text ‘Virgin’ to 60300 and get a voucher number sent to your phone. Tuesdays to Sundays until Saturday 31 July. Show your voucher number to a member of staff then pick your plate off the belt.
See T’s and C’s here for list of participating restaurants.
Text messages are charged at your network rate (premium rates may apply).

Burger King
2 for 1 on Whopper burgers when you register here and print the vouchers. All day, every day until Sunday 11 July.
Not valid at some motorway restaurants, one voucher per person.

STRADA
2 for 1 on main courses when you register here and print the voucher.
Every Sunday to Thursday until 4 July.
Not valid at restaurants in Center Parcs, Royal Festival Hall or Riverside (More London).

Pizza Express
Half-price pizza, pasta or salad (including takeaways) when you register here and print the voucher. All day, every day until Sunday 27 June.
Not valid at Pizza Express Jazz Clubs, the Mobile Event Unit, Earls Court Exhibition Centre and the O2. Not valid on extra toppings or the piccolo menu.

GBK
2 for 1 on burgers or salads when you print this voucher. All day, every day until 11th July. Only valid on burgers marked by a flag on the menu.
Not valid in Northern Ireland. This is a World Cup promotion: When a team is knocked out, the meal is excluded from the offer

Zizzi
Two mains for £12 when you register here and print the voucher. Pink Prosecco for £1 on days when England plays. Every Sunday to Until 30th June.
Not valid on dishes from dishes from Carne e Pesce, Set Lunch, Bambini and Takeaway menus.

ASK
2 for 1 on main courses when you register here and print the voucher.
Or, £10 for two main courses when you register here. Sunday to Thursday until 1st July. Fridays to 15th July.
Not valid on extra toppings.

Café Giardino
2 for 1 on hot meals when you print this voucher. Every Sunday to Friday until 30th June.
Valid on Hot Meal menu items only.

Auberge
2 for 1 on main courses when you print this voucher. All day, every day until 30th June.

Toby Carvery
Get a carvery meal – plus an ice cream sundae – for £5.25 when you register here and print the voucher. Every Monday to Saturday – before 6.30pm – until 10 July.

For more restaurant deals and offers please visit FRUGAL FOOD

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

Jun 25

Chilli steak burgers, paprika wedges and homemade coleslaw (Serves 4)

This recipe takes no longer than 40 minutes to put together and in a fast food sense, it falls towards the healthier end of the scale. It’s also a very good recipe if you’re planning on having a World Cup BBQ this weekend.

Ingredients

  • 481g pack of Taste The Difference frying steak (£3.75)
  • 4 baking potatoes (50p)
  • 3 large carrots (22p)
  • 2 medium or 1 large onion (20p)
  • 1 small (as much on the small side as you can find) red cabbage (45p)
  • 4 Taste The Difference multi-seeded rolls (60p)
  • 2 green chillies (18p)

The cupboard staples…

Olive oil, salt, black pepper, 5 teaspoons paprika and 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise.

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Sainsbury’s where it came to £5.90 - that’s £1.47 per head!

Instructions

  • The burgers will need making first as they’ll benefit from firming up in the fridge for a little while – it helps when cooking them. Take a large bowl and add 2 very finely chopped green chillies (seeds included) and the steak also very finely chopped (you can use a food processer for the steak, although I find a bit of work with the knife is just as good and saves on the washing up). Season well with salt and pepper and mix well.
  • To assemble the burgers (the mixture will make 4 burgers); make a ball of about ¾ of the size of a tennis ball, roll around the palm of your hands and then flatten into a burger shape about 2cm in thickness. Place the burgers on a lightly oiled plate and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Whilst the burgers are in the fridge, you can get the paprika wedges in the oven and make the coleslaw. Pre-heat the oven to 190C before you crack on with anything else.
  • For the coleslaw you will need to grate the carrots into a bowl, add the very finely sliced onion and red cabbage and 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise. Season and stir well. Place in the fridge until you’re ready to use.
  • Now for the wedges. Cut each potato into 6 wedges and toss in a large roasting pan with 5 teaspoons of paprika, seasoning and 5 tablespoons of olive oil. Put in the oven for about 30 to 35 minutes.
  • As we’re using steak and not mince, you can cook the burgers to personal preference. I’m going to assume medium is favoured. Get a griddle pan on a high heat (open those kitchen windows as it will get smoky) and let the pan heat up for a few minutes. When the pan is smoking hot, rub the burgers with a little olive oil and place in the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side (same if cooking on the BBQ). Try not to press down on them (it releases juices) and try not to move around too much as you lose heat in the pan and we’re looking for a good crust on the burgers. Once cooked rest for 2 minutes in a warm place.
  • Whilst the burgers are resting, cut the rolls, add a little coleslaw to them and serve up the wedges. Just add the burgers to the buns and happy eating!

Taken from our Frugal Recipe article

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

Jun 24

Barbecued whole mackerel and a spicy lime salsa (Serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 4 fresh whole mackerel (£4.18 – around 250 grams per mackerel)
  • 1 medium red onion (10p)
  • 1 lime (20p)
  • 1 red chilli (10p)
  • 5 tomatoes (70p)
  • 25g of fresh coriander (67p)

The cupboard staples…

Salt, black pepper and olive oil

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at ASDA where it came to £5.95 - that’s £1.49 per head!

Instructions

  • The salsa will happily sit in the fridge for half a day and it’s good to make it in advance so the flavours get to have a good mingle together. Start by finely chopping the red onion, tomatoes, red chilli (including seeds) and coriander. Place all the chopped ingredients in a bowl and add the juice (and zest) of one lime, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Done. Easy. Barbecues should be!
  • For the mackerel, wait until the barbecue coals are white all over and not smoking – make a few small cuts (just on the surface and not to the bone) on both sides of each mackerel, rub with a little olive oil (to stop them sticking to the grill – this is important!) and finally season well with salt and black pepper. They will need 4 minutes on each side to be cooked through perfectly.
  • Happy eating!

Taken from our Frugal Recipes

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

Jun 23

Chicken curry, basmati rice and coriander yoghurt (Serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 1.1kg of freedom food corn fed chicken and thighs (£2.64)
  • 2 large onions (26p)
  • 500g of basic natural yoghurt (45p)
  • 1 400g can of chick peas (31p)
  • 1 400ml can of coconut milk (57p)
  • 500g of basmati rice (84p)
  • 3 green chilies (12p)
  • 28g of fresh coriander (79p)

The cupboard staples…

Salt, black pepper, sunflower oil, turmeric, cumin, ground ginger, garam masala, mustard seeds, 1 chicken stock cube and 6 cloves of garlic

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Sainsbury’s where it came to £5.98 - that’s £1.50 per head!

Instructions

  • Ok, let’s start by getting a good big thick bottomed sauce pan on to a medium heat. Slice the onions, get some sunflower oil in the pan and fry the onions gently until they soften a little. Now for the spices.
  • It’s simple as we’ll use 2 teaspoons of all the spices listed. So once the onion has softened add the turmeric, cumin, garam masala, ground ginger (fresh if you have) and mustard seeds. Cook the spices out watching they don’t burn (add a little more oil if it looks like it’s catching on the bottom of the pan) for about 2 minutes. Then add 6 cloves of finely chopped garlic and the green chilies (seeds included, finely chopped) and cook for a further minute on a medium heat.
  • Now turn the heat up and add 1 pint of chicken stock. You want to get all the flavour from the bottom of the pan so give it a good stir and make sure the stock is bubbling away. Reduce this down for around 1 minute and then add the chicken (make sure you season the chicken with salt and pepper before adding to the pan). Bring down to a low heat and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid on.
  • After 30 minutes add the coconut milk and chickpeas and cook for a further 15 minutes on a low heat with the lid off.
  • Cook the rice as you would usually. Whilst the rice is cooking you can make the coriander yoghurt. Finely chop the coriander and add about two thirds of it to 300ml of yoghurt, add a few twists of black pepper and stir well.
  • The chicken curry will be ready now. So just take off the heat and add the remaining coriander to the curry.
  • Serve with the rice and a good drizzle of the coriander yoghurt – happy eating!

Taken from our Frugal Recipes

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

Jun 22
Broad bean, halloumi and mint farfalle
Posted by lovemoney in Uncategorized on 06 22nd, 2010| | No Comments »

Broad bean, halloumi and mint farfalle (Serves 4)

This is a wonderfully simple meal which smacks of the summer. Broad beans are very much in season at the moment and the saltiness of the halloumi works so well with the tender little beans. Also it’s cheap to put together. Does it get any better?

Ingredients

  • 500g of broad beans (£1.50)
  • 1 lemon (30p)
  • 28g of fresh mint (79p)
  • 250g of halloumi (£2.23)
  • 500g of farfalle pasta (61p)

The cupboard staples…

Olive oil, salt, black pepper and 3 cloves of garlic

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Sainsbury’s where it came to £5.43 - that’s £1.35 per head!

Instructions

  • Pod your beans first so you have them ready to use.
  • Next up you can cook the pasta. Use 100 grams of farfalle pasta per person and cook as you would usually. You need to work fast here from now on as we want to mix all the ingredients together whilst still hot at the end.
  • Now get a griddle pan (frying pan fine if you don’t have a griddle pan) on a medium heat and slice the halloumi up into rectangle slices and cook on each side for around 1 minute on each side. Keep warm until ready to use.
  • The pasta will be around 4 or 5 minutes off now so put the broad beans in the same pan to save on water. They need 4 to 5 minutes to cook!
  • Very finely chop the mint and garlic and you can also roughly chop the halloumi which has been keeping warm.
  • Once the pasta and broad beans are ready drain and stir in the mint, garlic, halloumi, a good honest glug of olive oil, the juice of one lemon and season well with black pepper only (the halloumi is salty enough).
  • Happy eating!

Taken from our Frugal Recipe

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

Jun 2
Moussaka
Posted by lovemoney in Uncategorized on 06 2nd, 2010| | No Comments »

Moussaka (Serves a hungry 4!)

Traditional moussakas will have lemon zest, fresh parsley and white wine in – all of which take us out of the frugal theme. But this dish is all about the all spice, oregano and cinnamon – the spices just work so wonderfully well with lamb. It truly is a simple classic.

Ingredients

  • 500g of lamb mince (£2.99)
  • 3 large aubergines (£1.64)
  • 1 large brown onion (16p)
  • 1 pint of semi skimmed milk (45p)
  • 1 tin (400g) of chopped tomatoes (33p)
  • 500g of plain flour (35p) – we’re using 75g of plain flour

The cupboard staples…

Salt, black pepper, olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, 75g of butter, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon all spice and 1 tablespoon of dried oregano.

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Sainsbury’s where it came to £5.92 - that’s £1.48 per head!

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 185C.
  • Let’s kick off with the lamb mixture. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a deep, wide frying pan at a medium low heat – add the finely chopped onion and garlic and gently cook through until the onions become translucent. Now add the all spice, cinnamon and lamb mince and fry off until the mince is nicely browned all over. Finally add the tomatoes, oregano, ½ pint of water and season well – simmer down the mixture for 20 minutes.
  • Whilst the lamb mixture is reducing you can make the béchamel sauce which is the topping for the moussaka. Warm the milk gently in a saucepan and keep warm ready to use. Now melt the butter in a thick bottomed saucepan over a low heat and then stir in the flour – cook through for around 3 minutes without colouring too much. Now gradually stir in the milk. Keep stirring until you have a nice smooth béchamel. Season with a little salt and white pepper. Cover and set to one side.
  • Next up are the aubergines. Slice lengthways to around ½ a cm thick and fry in some olive oil until browned. Remove from the pan once browned and place the aubergines on some kitchen paper to get rid of the excess fat. The lamb mixture will also be ready to take off the heat
  • Last thing to do is assemble the moussaka and place in the oven. Grab a deep oven proof dish (such as a lasagne dish) and lay half of the aubergines along the bottom. Now pour in all the lamb mixture and spread evenly and then add another layer of aubergines. Finally, pour over the béchamel sauce and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes (until the top has browned). Do try and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.
  • Happy eating

Taken from our Frugal Recipe article

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

May 18

Chicken braised with cider and red cabbage (and proper baked potatoes) – (Serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 1.3kg freedom food endorsed whole chicken (£3.63)
  • 2 large onions (30p)
  • 1 small red cabbage (45p)
  • 4 baking potatoes (70p)
  • 440ml (1 can) of dry cider ( 90p from the local off licence)

The cupboard staples…

Salt, black pepper, flour, 4 cloves of garlic, 3 bay leaves and whole grain mustard.

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Sainsbury’s where it came to £5.98 - that’s £1.50 per head!

Instructions

  • First up you’ll need to de-bone the chicken – you’re looking for 2 thighs, 2 legs, 2 breasts (cut into 4 pieces) and 2 wings and of course the carcass left over for a stock. This video is an excellent demonstration of how to de-bone a chicken:
  • Now for the stock. Get a medium sized saucepan on the heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and brown off the chicken carcass for a few minutes. Then add a few peppercorns, three bay leaves and enough water to cover the chicken carcass (probably around 3 or 4 pints). Bring up to the simmer and skim off any impurities that rise to the surface. Leave simmering for around 80 minutes or until you have about a pint and a half of stock.
  • Whilst the stock is simmering away you can start to prepare the chicken dish and jacket potatoes. For the potatoes lay them individually on a square piece of foil (enough to wrap the potato), season with a good pinch of salt and add a drizzle of olive oil. Then wrap and set to one side ready to go in the oven.
  • Now for the chicken. Dust all the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of seasoned flour and finely slice the onions, cabbage and garlic. Get a good pan on the heat (heavy bottomed best and one that can go in the oven) and add some olive oil. When the oil is hot add the chicken pieces and brown nicely on all sides – once browned remove the chicken from the pan and set to one side until the stock is ready. Keep the pan for later as well. Pre-heat the oven to 165C.
  • Once the stock is ready just drain with a sieve. Now get the pan back on the heat (add a little more olive oil) and sauté off the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Then add the cider and reduce down for 1 minute. After the cider has reduced down, add 2 teaspoons of mustard and 1 and ½ pints of the stock along with the chicken and cabbage. Season well and then place in the oven (covered with foil) for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Do check the chicken every now and then to see if it needs a little more liquid.
  • You can put the jacket potatoes in the oven at the same time as the chicken.
  • After 1 hour and 30 minutes the chicken will be lovely and tender, but the jackets will probably need a quick blast at a higher heat, so just unwrap the foil and turn the oven up as high as it will go for a further 5 or 10 minutes.
  • Happy eating!

Taken from our Frugal Recipe range

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

May 7

Lincolnshire sausages with red onion gravy and thyme and Gouda polenta (Serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 8 Lincolnshire sausages (£1.83)
  • 500g of Dunn’s fine polenta (44p)
  • 200g of Gouda (86p)
  • 25g of fresh lemon thyme (67p)
  • 4 large red onions (60p)

The cupboard staples…

Salt, black pepper, butter, Lea and Perrin’s sauce and 2 chicken stock cubes.

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at ASDA where it came to £4.40 - that’s £1.10 per head!

Instructions

  • The gravy needs at least an hour so make this first. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan and add the finely sliced onions. Let them soften down on a very low heat for around 30 minutes until you get a nice caramelised brown colour. Once browned add 1 ½ pints of chicken stock and a few dashes of Lea and Perrin’s, along with some salt and lots of black pepper – reduce for another 30 minutes on a low simmer and the gravy will be ready.
  • Whilst the gravy is reducing down, get the sausages under the grill and cook as you usually would. You could always pan fry if you feel that way inclined. Keep warm once cooked, ready for serving.
  • Now the polenta – get 2 pints of water in a large pan and up to the boil. Now slowly add (in a nice even stream) 500g of polenta and keep stirring as you add the polenta. Keep stirring until nice and smooth. Now add 2 tablespoons of butter, 200g of grated Gouda and the finely chopped fresh thyme. Keep stirring on a low heat for a further 6 minutes until it thickens. Season to taste before serving. Serve in the traditional way!
  • Happy eating!

Taken from our Frugal Recipe

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

May 4
This week’s top restaurant deals
Posted by lovemoney in Uncategorized on 05 4th, 2010| | No Comments »

GBK
Get two burgers – plus fries to share – for £11 when you print this voucher . Also valid on main course salads. Sunday to Thursday until 27th May. Not valid on bank holiday Mondays. Not valid on Build Your Own or Kiwi burgers. Not valid in Northern Ireland.

Bella Italia
2 for 1 on main courses when you register here and print the voucher.
Every Sunday to Thursday until 23rd May.
Not valid on bank holiday Mondays. Not valid at restaurants in Center Parcs or central London.

STRADA
2 for 1 on main courses when you register here and print the voucher.
Every Sunday to Thursday until 6th May.
Not valid at restaurants in Center Parcs, Royal Festival Hall or Riverside (More London).

YO! Sushi
Get one free plate at certain London restaurants when you text ‘Virgin’ to 60300 and present the code you’re sent to staff. Every Tuesday to Thursday until 6th May.

Valid at the following restaurants only:
Victoria, Angel, Brent Cross, Brunswick, Whiteleys, County Hall, Farringdon, Fulham, Selfridges, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Haymarket, O2, Paddington, Poland Street, Sedley Place, St. Pancras, St. Pauls, Trocadero and White City.

Free plate is from the conveyor belt only. Not valid on takeaways.

Ha ha bar & grill
2 for 1 on main courses when you register here and print the voucher. Every Sunday to Friday until 10th May. Only valid on meals from the Favourites, Pasta and Risotto sections of the menu.
Not valid at Ha ha O2 or Ha ha Liverpool during events.

La Tasca
Get 50% off Tapas To Share when you register here and print the voucher. Every Sunday to Friday until 7th May.
Not valid at La Tasca Chester 5th – 7th May. Not valid on Tapas Selections. Valid for over 18s only.

iL BERTORELLI
2 for 1 on main courses when you register here and print the voucher. Every Sunday to Thursday until 28th May.

O’Neill’s
Burger and chips for two for £5 when you register here and print the voucher. All day, every day until 22nd May.
Not valid at Drury Lane and Stansted Airport branches. Not valid outside of food serving times. Burger choices are Cheese & Bacon, or Lentil & Spinach Veggie.

Caffe Uno
2 for 1 on main courses when you register here and print the voucher.
Every Sunday to Thursday until 28th May.

Roadchef
2 for 1 on hot meals when you register here and print the voucher.
All day, every day until 11th July. Valid on hot main courses, Traditional, Full English, and Better Breakfasts.
Not valid on hot desserts or toasted sandwiches.

ASK
Buy one main course and get another for £1 when you register here and print the voucher. Every Sunday to Thursday until 6th May.

For more restaurant deals, please visit Frugal Food

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team

May 4

Beef enchiladas with a lime sour cream (Serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 500g of Tesco premium beef mince (£2.20)
  • 1 can of KTC red kidney beans (25p)
  • 500g of Tesco tomato passata (50p)
  • 1 large brown onion (17p)
  • 8 plain tortilla wraps (£1)
  • 300ml of soured cream (88p)
  • 1 lime (30p)
  • 3 fresh green chillies (20p)
  • 1 can of Tesco value chopped tomatoes (35p)

The cupboard staples…

Salt, black pepper, olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, vinegar, chilli powder, paprika, cumin and 1 beef stock cube.

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Tesco where it came to £5.85 - that’s £1.46 per head!

Instructions

  • Get the oven preheated first to 180C.
  • First up is the tomato sauce as we want this to reduce down a little and really develop some flavour. Get a little olive oil in a saucepan and gently sauté 3 green chillies and 2 cloves of garlic (both finely chopped) for about 60 seconds. Try not to get too much colour because if the garlic burns it will taste bitter. Now add the tomato passata, the can of tomatoes, 1 pint of beef stock, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sugar and a good twist of salt and black pepper. Turn down to a simmer and you want to reduce down by about 30% until the sauce thickens a little.
  • Next up the beef filling for the enchiladas. Get a good heavy pan on the heat; add a little olive oil and 1 finely chopped onion. Gently fry the onion for 2 minutes. Then add the beef – you want a nice high heat as we want to get the beef browned. It will take around 5 minutes to take on a good brown colour.
  • Once the beef has a nice brown colour, keep on a high heat and add 1 finely chopped clove of garlic, 2 teaspoons of chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 2 teaspoons of cumin and a good twist of salt and black pepper. Cook out the spices for a further minute and add around ¼ of a pint of water, simmer for a further 3 minutes on a medium heat.
  • Now we’re ready to assemble. Take a tortilla, place a good tablespoonful of the beef filling into the centre and roll into a cigar shape and place into an oven dish (we want a good snug fit for the enchiladas). Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
  • Then pour the sauce over all of the tortillas and place in the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. Whilst the enchiladas are cooking squeeze the juice of one lemon into a bowl of the soured cream and mix well with a good pinch of black pepper.
  • Happy eating!

Taken from our Frugal Recipe blog.

Brought to you by the lovemoney.com team.

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