BUDGET CREAMY FRESH FRUIT PUDDINGS: make-ahead; frugal, healthy, easy, opt for multiple layers

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Simple fresh fruit desserts with creamy toppings and knockout glaze ups the 'Wow!' factor' despite a budget...

 Easy dessert that looks like a million pounds but costs pennies!

We're all doing everything we can to save pennies when planning menus.  But don't think you can't afford a nice dessert on a tight budget. 

Creamy Fresh Fruit Puddings are gloriously velvety with an unexpected smoky glaze.  You only need a few ingredients: fresh soft fruit (or tinned in juice, not syrup), thick yoghurt, a bit of fruit juice, a little fresh (or dried) ginger and black (or brown) sugar. 

Served in small portions, the puddings are incredibly rich and filling.   That means the recipe goes a long way.   And it's very versatile. 

Fresh pineapple - often priced at under or around a pound in supermarkets - has its own recipe: Creamy Pineapple Pudding.  

Other recommended fruit include economy fresh orange segments (membranes removed) or ripen-at-home peaches/nectarines.   Expect to pay more for strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries unless they're in season and being sold in well-priced generously filled wooden pallets rather than single plastic punnets.  

O-fat Greek yoghurt doesn't normally break the bank but if you're really skint, a  cheap-as-chips large tub of plain unsweetened yoghurt, strained overnight in a sieve lined with a clean j-cloth (See how at the bottom of the page Salad Dressings), will achieve the right consistency and sweet tang that makes the dessert so popular.  

Cost: minimum £1.50 minimum, depending on the fruit

Feeds: 3-4

Equipment: small disposable 175ml plastic wine glasses (from Nisbets online,-they can be washed and re-used 2/3 times) or similar sized small pretty glasses

Ingredients:

generous 1.5 mugs fresh fruit in medium bite-sized pieces

zest & juice of 1 orange

1 generous teaspoon peeled, finely grated ginger OR 1/3 tsp powdered ginger

1 scant tablespoon muscavado/black or dark brown sugar

500gm thick unsweetened plain yoghurt

1 tablespoon muscovado/black or dark brown sugar per pudding

Method:

SKINNIER SCOTCH EGGS: wallet friendly, lower fat & cholesterol

Low-fat Scotch Eggs -- healthier, better for you and wallet conscious!

updated 6/2025/first published 2016

Serve these Scotch Eggs in quarters for a lower-cost per portion treat 
'This was great, full of flavour, good and oniony; it really did not taste low-fat at all .' 20-something Fijian-Aussie taster

'Artisan' Scotch Eggs are not frugal but these home-made beauties served in halves or quarters, make a delightful wallet-friendly treat. They'll look great on a buffet table.  

67 has cut fat, cholesterol  and preservatives but the Scotch Eggs taste just as good - some say, even better - than the usual thing.  Make them a day in advance.

The trick to these skinnier Scotch Eggs is using poultry mince, not pork.  Add wallet-friendly ham hock (frugal) or ham or pastrami or spiced beef (not so frugal) plus a single high-meat sausage (beef, venison or pork) for flavour.
  
Forget about deep-frying; spray the breadcrumb layer generously with olive oil before baking for the crisp outer shel.  

This healthier version doesn't have that chef-y 'runny' yolk.  67 reckons that's a small price to pay and the thrown together creamy tomato, mushroom and pea salad (see below) compensates.

Cost: £5-6'ish, depending on meat (June 2025)
Makes: 4 Scotch Eggs - 8 halves; recipe multiplies easily

Ingred:
   200gms/8oz minced poultry 
     50gms/1.75 oz finely diced cooked ham hock, sliced ham or pastrami/spiced beef 
    1 venison, wild boar or beef sausage, skin removed
    1 tsp Dijon or wholegrain mustard
    3/4 tsp dried nutmeg
    1/2 tsp celery salt (opt)
    1/4 bunch chives or 1/3 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
     
    4 raw eggs
    
    1 beaten egg 
    handful of flour
    3/4 cup breadcrumbs (home-made or Panko; 67 processed stale bread into crumbs)

Method:

SKINNY CHERRY PIE, low-fat, low-sugar, high flavour

WHO CAN RESIST SKINNY CHERRY PIE?

Stock Photo: Skinny Cherry Pie

Pies are often off the menu for the health conscious -- they can be full of fat and sugar.  But not 67's Skinny Cherry Pie. 

The pie fits all the criteria for a fruity treat - it's stuffed full of ripe English cherries and has gorgeous rich pastry.  But it still manages to be low-fat and low-sugar.

Though the pie looks and tastes like an high-cal indulgence, damage to the waistline is reduced.  

67's skinny version has only one layer of pastry and relies on the natural sweetness of the cherries rather than sugar.  For adults, a splash of cherry brandy or cognac adds sophistication. 

The topping is a cross between a cobbler and pastry - buttery and crumbly - but is cleverly arranged in a lattice pattern to reduce fat levels even more.  Portion control also will also minimises calories.  

In North America, Cherry pies are second favourite to Apple. 

Feeds: 3-4 (the recipe doubles easily)
Costs: £4

Ingred:
   1/2 kilo/ 8 ounces cherries
   1-3 tbsp sugar
   Juice of one orange 
   1/2 tsp extract of vanilla
   1-2 tbsp cognac or cherry brandy (opt)

Pastry
   2 oz/65gm self-raising flour
   pinch salt
   1 1/2 oz/45 gm diced, chilled unsalted butter
   2 tbsp double cream 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190c, 170fan, 375f,  gas 6
2. Stone the cherries, using a stoning device or one end of a paper clip, extended. Or halve cherries and dig out stone.
3. Place cherries in a 7inch/17 cm or equiv pie plate.  Sprinkle over sugar, vanilla and alcohol, if using.  Add orange juice.
4. In a separate bowl, mix flour and salt.  Rub butter into flour by hand or with a processor until the mix resembles peas.  Add Cream, mix well. Form into a dough ball.
5. Place dough between two sheets of floured greaseproof paper.  Roll out to a rectangle the thickness of a pound coin.
6. Cut into strips just over an inch/2 cm wide.  Make a lattice topping (See You Tube).
7. Bake 35-40 mins.
8. Serve warm, not hot with ice cream or double cream.

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Copyright: This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.