Because prices seem to have gone up this year, I’ve tried to use more peasant style recipes. They tend to be fuller in flavour and make cheaper ingredients go further. For example this Jambalaya originally comes from Louisiana in the deep south, and is of French and Spanish influence with a Creole mix. It’s a bit like a paella but with long grain rice cooked at the end.

I’ve also included lots of new tasty recipes and a few delicious treats to keep your sweet tooth happy, including the chocolate brownie below. I originally picked up cheap cooking chocolate to use for this recipe. Then found really cheap chocolate in the sweet section for just 30p for 100g. When you’re cooking with it, you don’t really need expensive ingredients.

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Saturday
Breakfast
Toast with jam/peanut butter or Porridge

Lunch
Baked beans on Toast

Dinner
Jambalaya

Snack
Peanut butter custard and strawberry jam brownies

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Chicken, sausage & prawn jambalaya
Recipe by Jamie Oliver

Serves 8

Ingredients

750g of chicken thighs
Salt and black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Olive oil
Half of the chorizo, skin removed, cut into 1/2cm thick slices
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
4 sticks celery, trimmed and roughly chopped
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme from the garden if you have it
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1-2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1.5 litres chicken stock
700g long-grain rice
The king prawns from the packet of frozen seafood
1 small handful fresh parsley chopped

Method

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne.

Pour a couple of lugs of oil into a large casserole type pan and brown the chicken pieces and sliced sausage over a medium heat.

After 5 minutes, once nicely browned on all sides, add your onion, peppers and celery as well as your bay, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir, then fry on a medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes stirring every now and again.

Once the vegetables have softened, add your garlic and chillies, stir around for a minute, then stir in the tinned tomatoes and chicken stock.

Bring everything to the boil, then turn the heat down, pop the lid on the pan and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

When you can pull the meat off the bone and shred it easily the chicken’s ready. Feel free to remove the chicken bones at this point if you like, then add your rice.

Give it all a good stir, then put the lid on. Give it a stir every few minutes.

Let it cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is cooked. Stir in the prawns and if it needs it, add enough water to make it a kind of porridgey consistency.

Put the lid back on and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes while you chop your parsley. Stir the parsley through and serve.

Save back 1/3 of the Jambalaya for arancini later in the week.

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Peanut Butter & Jam Brownies
Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver

Serves 15

Custard

250ml semi-skimmed milk
Few drops of vanilla essence
2 free-range egg yolks
50g golden caster sugar
1 heaped tablespoon cornflour
20g unsalted butter
2 heaped tablespoons peanut butter

Brownies

180g butter, plus extra for greasing
200g quality dark chocolate
200g golden caster sugar
2 free-range eggs plus the whites from the custard
130g plain flour
2 tablespoons jam

Method

To make the custard, put the milk into a pan, add a few drops of the vanilla lightly simmer on the hob, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, use a balloon whisk to combine the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and soft butter.

Whisking constantly, gradually pour the hot milk into the bowl, until combined.

Return the custard mixture to the pan, place over a low heat and stir gently for 2 to 3 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in the peanut butter, then leave the custard to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 180°C or Gas Mark 4. For the brownies, grease and line a deep baking tray (20cm x 20cm).

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan on a very low heat, then snap up and add the chocolate. Stir regularly until melted and combined, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar.

Leave to cool slightly, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until silky. Sift in the flour and mix well.

Pour the chocolatey brownie mix into the prepared tray, then swirl through the chilled nutty custard, distribute little spoonfuls of jam over the surface.

Bake for around 25 minutes, or until cooked on the outside but still a bit gooey in the middle. Leave to cool for 1 hour, then cut into portions and serve.