As you know, the Easy Food test kitchen is always on the look-out for tips and tricks to make your life easier and your food tastier. Here’s a few we’ve picked up recently…

Make those leftovers squeak!

Use leftover cabbage to make ‘bubble and squeak’. Simply fry some bacon lardons in butter until lightly golden, then add sliced onion and cabbage and cook until just soft. Stir in leftover mash or cubed roast potatoes, then push everything down so that the mixture covers the base of the pan. Cook until golden brown underneath, then flip over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. This also works with leftover brussels sprouts.

Turn up the volume on soups

Add pearl barley to any soup or stew for an added nutritional boost, or use it instead of Arborio rice to make a risotto with an Irish twist!

Stir-fry in a flash

For a quick and easy noodle dish, cook some prawns and Thai red curry paste in a splash of oil until the prawns are cooked through, then add a little vegetable stock or water to make a sauce. Stir in some cooked noodles, blanched vegetables and fresh basil and dinner is served!

Start the day right

For a quick and tasty breakfast, fry cubes of chorizo in a dry pan over a medium-high heat until they release their oils, then add chopped spring onions, green chillies and some salt and pepper. Pour in some eggs beaten with a splash of milk, and scramble gently over a low heat until just cooked.

Bread or alive?

Whizz stale crusty bread into breadcrumbs and keep in the freezer until needed – or bring it back to life with this handy trick. Wet the outside of the bread under running water, then wrap it in tin foil and place it in a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 150˚C/130˚C fan/gas mark 2 and leave the bread inside for 10-12 minutes. Unwrap the bread and return to the oven for 4-5 minutes.