Caitríona Redmond: My recipe for lemon drizzle loaf, which will freeze exceptionally well

Greener cleaning alternatives seem to come with plenty of clear bottles and gentle scents, but also with hefty price tags that don’t quite fit my thrifty budget.

As I browse the supermarket in search of environmentally friendly washing up liquids it feels like eco conscious consumers are paying a hefty green penalty. 

Just 950ml of Ecover in Tesco costs €4.50 at the time of writing, with the equivalent volume of own brand washing up liquid €1.60 in the same store. 

It’s easy to understand why families on a budget choose to buy products that aren’t as good for the environment as others.

This is not a criticism of any brand, more an observation that being more eco conscious on a budget is a difficult line to walk. 

Research tells me that when shoppers start feeling the pinch, choices like organic food or sustainability take a back seat. 

When living on less, feeding yourself (and your family) on a tight budget has costs other than financial. 

Some items like washing up liquid are difficult to change but I can still make clever environmentally friendly swaps. Not forgetting my go-to versatile fruit below.

Last year I picked up a free compost bucket from my Local Authority. Check your own County or City Council to see if they have any spare. 

I had been bringing my compost out to the big bin outdoors, but it was a task that was sometimes neglected if the weather was bad, or the boys scraped food into the general waste. 

Since I got the compost bucket my general waste lifts have been 1/3 lighter, and I’ve managed to save a tidy sum on my refuse collections. 

I sprinkle a little bit of bicarbonate of soda (bread soda) into the layers of the bucket and put kitchen roll on top to keep it smelling fresh.

I live in an area of extremely hard water and all my appliances gather scale. It also makes for poor cups of tea. 

Rather than using a chemical descaler to freshen up my kettle, I use vinegar. 

I pour about 100ml into the bottom of the kettle and top up with another 300ml of water, then bring the kettle to a boil. 

The kitchen begins to smell like a chip shop. Once the contents have boiled, I pour away the vinegar water and rinse the kettle well. It’s good for another day.

My final tip might surprise you. 

Crumple baking parchment into a ball and use the parchment to rub taps and metallic items with limescale. 

I have no idea how it works but the limescale disappears. Another magical solution using less chemicals in the house with minimal effort.

Home Truths 

The New Year is a time for new beginnings and so, this is my last column in the Irish Examiner Weekend. 

From March 2022 to January 2025 it has been my job to help families living on less adapt to a cost of living crisis and feed themselves on a tight budget. 

I have been touched by so many messages along the way. From readers who felt inspired to share their own advice, to people who felt less alone in their own struggles. 

It was never a case of ‘do as I say’; during the space of those 145 columns, I too balanced the household books and shared my wisdom or frequently made mistakes to learn from!

Rest assured I’m not going very far, it’s a short hop from here to the Irish Examiner main paper where I will now be your Consumer Advice columnist. 

Thank you so much for reading my column in the Weekend, and thank you to all the wonderful editors who have supported and guided me along the way.

I hope you’ll join me in the main Irish Examiner paper next week where I will continue to be a voice for those living on less.

Lemon Drizzle Loaf

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

The classic, citrus-y treat.

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 227g unsalted butter

• 350g caster sugar

• 6 free range eggs

• 400g self raising flour

• 4 organic lemons

• 200g caster sugar for the drizzle

Method

1. Preheat a fan oven to 170°C.

2. Beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs, one by one, until combined. Add half the flour, beat the batter mixture, and then add the second half of the flour and beat again until all the flour has been combined. Grate the rind of 2 lemons into the batter and squeeze in the juice of both. Mix the batter well. Pour your batter into 2 large loaf tins.

3. Combine 200g caster sugar with the juice and rind of 2 additional lemons in a cup. Set the cup to one side. Bake the loaves in the oven for 45-50 minutes until a skewer test comes out clean. Remove the cakes and place onto a wire rack to cool (still in the loaf tins). Stir the lemon and sugar combination in the cup, use a pastry brush to slowly brush the mixture on top of the cakes until the cakes have soaked up all the juice. Cover the cakes with a clean tea towel and leave to cool before slicing.

4. This drizzle cake recipe will freeze exceptionally well once cooked and cooled. Wrap well and freeze for up to six weeks.