For the month of January, The Sunday Times has been offering up a ten-point plan to a better you in the style section. A plan that encourages you to ‘Learn to relax’, ‘Find your purpose’, ‘Revel in strong moments’ and ‘Boost your chi factor’. When reading it, I kind of zoned out and couldn’t help [...]

This is a simple comforting soup which will make you feel like you’ve just popped into Fort Worth and Miss Ellie has sat you down, poured you a large glass of scotch and then handed you a warm bowl of the eighties. As celery is so low in calories, I’ve added some cream to fatten [...]

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. I’ve spent most of the last week eating, sleeping, and watching TV by the fire, punctuated by the occasional social gathering and repressed bout of guilt: January 4th would soon arrive and normal service would resume. The day has arrived and the snow and [...]

Consumed by Consommé On the way to pick up free tickets to an Elvis Presley and The Beatles reunion gig in the Olympia last week I started to thinking about making an Asian broth. So I went into the Asia market on Drury St and I picked up some ingredients what for to make some [...]

Soups are the ultimate in cheap eats. My partner makes me soup all the time, and it’s always from what’s leftover in the fridge – halves of vegetables we’ve used for roasts, or bits of pepper/squash/onion/celery that you haven’t finished up. Soup-making is a great habit to get into; it’s at least a couple of [...]

This year, I had an evil chest infection that would NOT go away. I am not normally ill, so lurching around feeling like my days were numbered really got me down. After trying all the usual weaponry – antibiotics, bedrest and weeping – my sister, over from New York to visit, imparted her solution. Garlic [...]

Although there are good lunchtime deals on offer these days, it is still a fact that packing your own lunch will save you money; even my cat knows that. By spending €2 on a morning coffee and €5 on lunch, you could potentially spend €1,800 a year. That’s €9,000 over five years and a possible [...]

Shorbet adas Lentil soup I’ve never been a big lentil fan, but this soup is brought to life with the distinctive cumin and tangy lemon combination. It tastes of holidays. Serves six. Ingredients 200g split red lentils 50g butter 1 medium onion, chopped salt 1 tablespoon ground cumin, plus extra for garnish Lemon wedges, to [...]

For the rest of the week here on CheapEats, I’ll be sharing some recipes from Lebanese cuisine. Most Lebanese food is very straightforward and inexpensive to put together. It’s characterised by abundant herbs, delicate spices, and a naturally well balanced diet full of gutsy pulses, earthy carbohydrates, and fresh meat and vegetables. And why wouldn’t [...]

Boo! Swine flu sucks hot death. Between this blog and other bits of journalism, I’m self-employed, so lying in bed for a week isn’t really an option. At least it’s put an end to my unsustainable eating out splurge. Yesterday, I made a hearty and nutritious soup to make me feel a little better. This [...]