Hansa's - a jewel in Leeds' veggie crown

First up - an apology. I've been a bit slack with the whole blogging thing over the past ten days or so - it's been a particularly busy couple of weeks! I've spent my time entertaining parents x 2, celebrating my nephew's first birthday, dressing up as a Roman and frolicking round London for ITV2's new show Plebs, winning the Adelphi's pub quiz, cooking up a vegetarian storm in the kitchen, being busy at work and organising the lovely folk who are taking part in our Meat Free March recipe swap. I can't believe my month of meat abstination is almost over - and what a month it's been! Apologies for neglecting this little corner of the internet - a mega blog catch up is more than called for.

Last weekend Ash's parents Sue and Paul came to stay with us in Leeds for the first time ever.  We had a lovely time showing them the sights - from Leeds city centre to Ilkley, Briggate farmers' market to Saltaire. Sometimes having visitors to stay is the best excuse ever to do a lot of exploring, a lot of drinking and a lot of eating, which is exactly what we did. What's more,  showing someone else around the city that you call home is a reason to fall back in love with it all over again - it made me realise how lucky we are to live in such a thriving, diverse area.

Sue is a vegetarian so the weekend offered the opportunity to explore a bit more of Leeds' meat free foodie culture and share it with someone who really loves good vegetarian cooking. Ask any Loiner what restaurant they associate with some of the yummiest veggie food in the city, and Hansa's will always be the answer. The Gujarati restaurant was therefore firmly on our must-eat list for Saturday night. 

Established back in 1986, Hansa's is a Leeds institution that has won award after award for its sublimely tasty vegetarian food. A few years ago I was lucky enough to live a few seconds walk from North Street's lentil heaven, but to be honest it took me a good few months to pluck up the courage to eat there. Not because it has a scary shop-front, but rather because I associate Indian food with meat. Lots and lots of superbly marinated, uber tasty meat.  When a craving for curry came a'calling, the thought of a vegetarian Indian just didn't cut the mustard. However, when Hansa's ran a special birthday deal for two the offer was too great to pass up - and I thank my lucky daal we didn't. Hansa's has been on our list of favourite Leeds restaurants ever since.

We visited Hansa's with Sue and Paul on a busy Saturday night. Luckily we'd booked a table because the restaurant was very busy with diners getting their kicks from meat-free munching. We were greeted by Hansa herself and shown to our table on the second floor, which was a bit of a tight squeeze for four of us and a host of delicious food.

Being completely honest, we've experienced better service from Hansa's staff in the past. We noticed that other diners had been given snacks when they were seated which we weren't. There was also a wait of almost an hour for our starters to be served after our initial order. All in all, I couldn't help but feel that the restaurant was slightly understaffed for a busy Saturday night.

That being said, when our starters (finally) arrived any qualms we had about poor service were swiftly forgotten. Between us we tucked in to a deliciously sticky and beautifully spiced chilli paneer (which more than met Sue's spice test - the hotter the better!), Kachori (spicy coarsely ground peas and channa daal deep fried balls) and Khasta Kachori (sublime bread stuffed with spicy maag-daal, chickpeas and potatoes). The only dish that seemed to miss the starter mark slightly was Paul's choice - a Hansa's Kenyan Special (yam and sweetcorn with coconut sauce, onions and crunchy peanuts) - which we all felt would have been better placed as an accompaniment to the main than a starter. That aside, presentation of all four dishes was absolutely flawless and portion sizes were good.

For our main course, Ash and I decided to share Ful Cobi (delicious cauliflower florets, carrot,
potato and peas) and Hansa's Special (a four bean feast in a spiced sauce). The Hansa's Special had a real kick to it which was beautifully complimented by the sweetness of the carrots and peas in the Ful Cobi. Sue and Paul opted for Bhaji Paneer (spinach, paneer and peas) and Ringan na Raviya (kenyan aubergines, stuffed with spice masala, onions and coarsely ground peanuts) which were filling, flavourful, fragrant and perfectly accompanied by Paul's leftover Hansa's Kenyan Special.

Curry is synonymous with a plentiful array of delicious carbs, and Hansa's doesn't disappoint on this front. We went all out with both rice and bread - opting for Puri (grilled chapatti), Rotli (gorgeous deep-fried bread), cumin rice and coriander rice. The Rotli was the stand-out carby accompaniment - it wasn't overly oily, deliciously crisp and a brilliant sauce-catching tool. The rice was expensive for the portion size served - we opted for one portion between two and another one wouldn't have gone amiss.

Having said that, by the time dessert rolled around we were full to the brim so perhaps it was a good thing that our rice portions were slightly on the small side. I've had dessert at Hansa's before and despite giving it a miss this time round, I can safely say that they are as delicious and as unusual as the other courses.

Accompanied by a fine bottle of Rioja, some good chat and plenty of curry sharing, our meal at Hansa's was a delight despite the initially poor service. It was lovely to be able to share our choices - something that you can't often do as a vegetarian diner at a "normal" Indian restuarant and an element of social dining that I've really missed during meat free March. Hansa's just know what they're doing when it comes to texture, flavour and creating truly exciting food that doesn't empty your purse completely. I'll be rushing back soon - even when meat is firmly on my menu again.

Meat Free March: how a kale and onion pizza can set you up for a Tom Odell gig

No meat for a month means no more cheeky meat feast pizzas - the food that's traditionally accompanied pre-gig or pre night-out drinking since 2003.

There's something about a good supermarket bought meat feast pizza. On paper, it's completely and utterly disgusting. Shed loads of nameless processed meat (three quarters of which is probably horse), a whole load of overly salty mozzarella cheese and the stodgiest pizza base in history pretty much equates to a heart attack on a plate. I'm not normally one for ready meals. However, when there's a gig to go to or a night out to be had where alcohol is involved, nothing quite beats the meat feast combo for its magical stomach lining properties and its delicious, salty goodness.

This Saturday we had tickets to see the brilliant Tom Odell at the Cockpit in Leeds. Slightly concerned that this gig would be meat feast pizza-less, I set about scouring around for a meat-free alternative - something that we could make at home and something that would beat Sainsbury's generic vegetarian pizza offering hands-down.

The Tenner Challenge: day three - preparation, preparation, preparation

I bloody love Sundays, even ones spent trying to be thrifty. They're usually full of the best things - lie ins, good food, watching a dozen episodes of the OC boxset without feeling too guilty and numerous cups of tea. Apart from the back-to-work dread that usually rears it's ugly head at about 9pm, Sundays are my favourite sort of day.

Today was no different really, but instead of spending it in a dreamy, listless, OC filled haze (I've only watched four episodes today), I set myself the challenge of getting prepared for the week ahead to try and ensure that I cut out any non-necessary spending - I've only got £6.50 of my weekly £10 budget left after all.

Being organised

I like to think I'm quite good at being organised. I was in the Guides for a few months when I was ten, and whilst I didn't really get the whole serving other people and loving my God thing, I loved getting badges that I could sew on my sash for ironing and making fairy cakes. I thrived off the whole 'being prepared' ethos, so much so that if there was an adult version of the Guides (one without the dodgy uniform), I'd be there in a flash. Whenever we go on holiday, I'm the sort of person that has my bag packed a week before. I plan meals a week in advance. I love writing lists so much that I've invested in an ingenious notepad from Staples that is perfect for list writing. I hate the thought of not knowing what's going to happen next - I have had a life plan since the age of seven, for crying out loud. In my head, at least, I am Miss Rebecca Organised.

The reality is very different. As much as I like writing lists and packing for holidays way in advance, I don't do 'being prepared' for day-to-day stuff very well at all.

Where does all the money go?

Today I thought about where I spend money during the week (apart from socialising and nipping into town to buy extremely pretty things). I narrowed it down to the following:

• Eating out on a whim - with only £6.50 to my name, I don't think I'd even be able to stretch to a Burger King this week, so unless I go massively over-budget the risk here has been largely removed. As I discussed on Friday, we've planned our meals for this week and bought all of the stuff we could possibly need in advance. Prior preparation should mean that we don't need to spend extra at the over-priced Co-op across the road.
• Lunch - snoozing the alarm so I don't have time to make lunch is one of my worst pouring money down the drain habits. Even worse is the fact that I quite often take leftovers in for lunch, but then decide come lunchtime that I'd much rather have something from elsewhere. There are other weeks when I simply don't factor in lunch in our weekly shops. This habit must be stopped if money is to be saved and Thrifty is to become my new middle name.
• Sweet stuff - I have a serious sweet tooth. Even if I've been a good girl and taken in leftovers or a sandwich or soup for lunch, I very often end up nipping out to the shop for a sneaky chocolatey something come lunchtime. Even if I only spend 60p a day, that's still £3.00 a week - which is almost a third of this week's budget.
• Last minute realisations that there's a birthday/other event coming up that hasn't been planned for - Although I do try to set a budget on a monthly basis, family/friends' birthdays or other events that I already know are coming up have a tendency to sneak up on me without being budgeted for. Quite often this can take a large chunk out of the bank balance, putting any attempt at budgeting completely out of kilter.

Living on a tiny budget takes large amounts of preparation.

Today I did the following to try to ensure that I stick to my minimal budget this week:

• Made rolls for lunch boxes - following a Paul Hollywood recipe, I made 12 crusty rolls from ingredients that we already had in the cupboard. Although buying baking ingredients can initially be reasonably expensive, you can make a good few loaves from a single bag of flour. There's no doubt about it - bread making is time consuming, but my efforts today mean that I'm left with 12 delicious looking baps that should curb my craving for splurging money on lunches out this week. I've also promised myself that I'll make lunch every night before bed. Hurrah!

• Made biscuits for a cheap sugar rush - again using store cupboard ingredients, I made two dozen sweet little heart-shaped biscuits that can be called upon when only something sweet will do. 

• Raided Card Factory - I checked my diary and saw that I have a couple of birthdays coming up this week. Usually I'm a massive fan of Scribbler and Paperchase for birthday cards, but at £3+ a card desperate times called for desperate measures. Although Card Factory isn't exactly known for beautiful design or high quality paper, their 10 cards for £1 offer was just too good to refuse this week. It's the thought that counts, right? Birthday cards - sorted!

Preparation is tiring

Although this weekend hasn't exactly been a wild one, I've still managed to go out and do some bits and bobs that I enjoy. Today we popped to Leeds Farmers' Market which was lovely as usual, and although it was difficult to look but not buy, I still really enjoyed having a mooch (and the free tasters helped a lot). This weekend has proven that having fun on a budget can be done, it just takes a lot of prior preparation. And preparation can be tiring. Sometimes it's really lovely just to be able to do stuff on a whim - to see where the wind takes you and spend without really thinking about it. 

So, there we have it. A whole weekend done and only £4.50 spent. Am I proud of myself? I most certainly am. Has it been different from other weekends? It has been. And have I still had fun? Most definitely yes. 

Tenner Challenge day three

Total spent: £4.50

The Tenner Challenge: day two - economical exploring

When I woke up this morning the sun was shining, the birds were singing (er, ish - I don't think I've ever seen, let alone heard, a bird in Leeds city centre) and after a few days of being a bit under the weather I was feeling decidedly perky. It seemed like a perfect day to drag Ash out of bed and go for an explore. One of my favourite things about living in Leeds is the fact that it's also quite easy to get out of it - in twenty minutes you can be in the middle of the stunning Yorkshire Dales or exploring an old country heap somewhere. Trains are cheap and the bus network is extensive. Exploring is easy.

Or so I thought. When I actually started to look into what we could do today, I was met with a couple of pretty massive barriers. Firstly, when you only have a £10 budget to last you a whole week, trains are actually quite expensive - even with a Young Person's Railcard. To get to York (twenty minutes away) you're looking at something close to 3/4 of the weekly budget disappearing down the drain, and a return to nearby Ilkley would take out half in one foul swoop. Normally spending £7+ on a train ticket to somewhere pretty wouldn't even cross my mind - my card would be in that ticket machine before you could shout Betty's  Afternoon Tea - but as a famous man once said, the times they are a'changing (well, for this week at least).

Right, I thought, time for a change of tack. Let's go local. Despite living in Leeds for ages, there are tons of places I haven't been. I've never been to Temple Newsam house or farm, and Thwaite Mills are unknown territory too. Let's pop on a bus and go somewhere, I thought. How wrong I was. Although you can walk around the grounds for free (which I've done before), entry to Temple Newsam is £6 per adult, and the bus fare would be significant too. Thwaite Mills (which we could walk to) would take out £3.70 per adult - and Ash didn't seem all that enthusiastic. Back to the drawing board.

A visit to Saltaire

After a bit of thinking, we decided to pop on a train to Saltaire and go for a walk. Saltaire is just 15 minutes away from Leeds by train, and a return ticket (with a Young Person's Railcard) set us back just £2.90 each.

I'm not sure if going to Saltaire really counts as exploring - I've been there lots of times before - but it's somewhere local that I really love visiting. It's a UNESCO world heritage site, named after Sir Titus Salt's mill that dominates the town. It has a fascinating history and the mill is now a wonderful Arts Centre which is full of Hockney paintings and one of my most favourite local bookshops and home/kitchen stores. It's a living, breathing little place with a wonderful park, lovely junk shops, a brewery, a canal and a real sense of community. Ash and I love it so much, in fact, that we're seriously considering a move to one of the workers' cottages when our contract expires on the flat in June. It just feels like how a home should feel.

The Tenner Challenge: day one - frugal food

As I blogged on Thursday, I've challenged myself to live on just 10GBP this week. To put this in perspective, that's the same as a Tesco Finest dinner for two, a cinema ticket and (almost) a half, or half a ticket to see Bradford City play at home. It really doesn't seem a lot - but with half of the world living on less than a dollar a day and 4.4 million jobs in the UK paying less than £7 per hour, it's substantially more in the way of weekly disposable income than many others experience.

Although I've been at home today and therefore out of the grips of most forms of temptation, I've really started to realise how difficult this week is going to be. My inbox is completely cluttered by daily 'offer' deals, all tempting me to buy a meal for two for £20, or this season's new trends, or a weekend break in the Lake District for a price that's really hard to refuse. Email marketing is all about capturing attention and bringing about a feeling of urgency -get this deal now or you'll regret it forever. I fall for this sort of stuff all of the time, when in reality, will I regret it if I don't buy straight away and wait for a time when I actually seriously want the stuff? Probably not. There's always going to be another deal tomorrow.

Let's talk about food, baby.

Anyway, I digress. Apart from avoiding the perils of my inbox, I've spent some time working out exactly what I'm going to eat this week. As I explained in my last post, we budget for food, cleaning products and toilet roll etc on a monthly basis (spending £80 each for the month, or £160 to feed two people - in theory including breakfast, lunches and dinners - for 31 days). As such, food isn't included in my £10 challenge - although snacks, alcohol, toiletries and any extra food not bought during the weekly shop is, so this was a week to be extra careful with what went in the trolley.

Goodbye England, Covered in Snow: My week in pictures

Leeds was covered in a blanket of snow at the beginning of this week.  Despite wishing and hoping with all my might, living a ten minute walk away from work means that something magnificent has to happen to warrant a snow day. So, instead of being snuggled up in my pyjamas on the sofa like Ash was come Monday morning, my day was spent gazing out of the window, watching the snowflakes fall from my desk at work. The result was a very pretty Leeds-Liverpool canal and the Round Foundry (a lovely area of Leeds that's full of design and advertising agencies) was a winter wonderland until the snow turned to icy slush. 

Pigging out - a visit to Friends of Ham

Sometimes, life presents you with a pretty bloomin' awesome day. You know the ones - the kind that make you realise that despite a poorly bank balance, snow on the ground and no sign of the sun setting after 5pm for the next few weeks, everything is actually ok.

Nothing particularly exceptional happened yesterday- it was just one of those good'uns that spring up every now and then. Starting with some exciting stuff at work, it involved some pretty bloody tasty chicken skewers for lunch and ended with a trip to the wonderful Friends of Ham for a long overdue catch up with a good friend of mine.

A visit to Create: how to feel good about eating out on a shoestring

Living where we do in Leeds city centre, we're very lucky to be surrounded by a whole host of decent restaurants. We're so spoilt, in fact, that sometimes it can be difficult to decide which food haven to choose from when the cupboards are bare or I've had such a busy day that I'd rather tear my own eyes out than cook. However, there's always one restaurant that's right up there at the top of  my list of go-to places that offer great food at an exceptional price in Leeds.  

Create - "where good food and good people matter" - is a different sort of catering business. Their mission is to train people who have been homeless, marginalised or vulnerable and support them back in to work. In a similar vein to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen, Create is supported by a backbone of full-time professionals both front of house and in the kitchen, whilst a roster of Create trainees follow a twelve week training programme that's aimed at getting them back into work, giving them a 'hand up, not a hand out'. Founded a few years ago and spearheaded by Richard Walton-Allen, former head chef at Harvey Nichols, the Create foundation offer a whole range of bits and bobs from corporate catering to a street-food van. They now have two physical premises - a newly opened cafe in Wakefield and a restaurant in Leeds.

Create's Mission Statement

Bits and Bobs: the beginning

When I was a kid, my sister and I used to love my Mum's 'bits and bobs' lunches. It wasn't until I got to university that I realised that everybody else's childhood  didn't consist of a bits and bobs mid-day snack that was lovingly prepared by their Mum - especially when they were off school sick or having a duvet day during half-term.

Bits and bobs were, quite simply, made up of whatever was in the cupboard, lovingly presented on a small 1980's side plate and eaten in front of the TV (normally either when Sesame Street or Bewitched was on Channel 4). Bits and bobs sometimes contained some chopped up banana and some cheddar cheese, maybe some buttered white bread, some more fruit, a handful of hula-hoops and (if we were very lucky) some chocolate raisins. It was always a complete mish-mash, a complete surprise as to what would be on the plate. A bit like the term 'guggle cupboard'- that was used to describe the messy cupboard under the stairs which contained everything from plasters to tins of beans - the phrase 'bits and bobs' entered our childhood vernacular. If I asked my Mum for some 'bits and bobs', she would know exactly what I meant.

My sister and I, back in the day when Bits and Bobs were rife (I'm the ginger one)