Growing up in my house, nothing ever went to waste. Mum had lived through the rationing of WWII in England, so making everything last was a key part of her life. The lessons she learned as a child were drilled into me relentlessly, and I have carried them forward into a future with an uncertain economic outlook and a continuing need to live well on a limited budget.

One of my favourite winter warmers was actually made up of scraps of stale bread and crusts that no one wanted. Here is my Mum’s recipe for bread pudding, a dish you often see on restaurant menus these days. That would make Mum laugh for sure.

Ingredients

• Six slices of bread
• Four eggs beaten
• 2 & 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• a handful of sultanas or dried cranberries.  

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C
• Toast the slices of bread, cut them up into small pieces, and place them into a baking dish.
• Sprinkle a handful of sultanas or dried cranberries on top.

• Mix your beaten eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon in a separate bowl until well combined.
• Pour the milk-egg mixture over the top of the bread pieces and dried fruit. If any of the bread pieces start to float, push them back down under the liquid.
• Bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

• Serve with cream or yoghurt.

This is incredibly easy to do, costs very little, tastes great, and is also nutritious. It’s a great way to live well for less, and sometimes, simplicity really is the best.

As always, live well.

Valerie