Wales


<p>Mum of three girls, Cardiff local and bona fide social media star, Ashleigh Mogford is already a force to be reckoned with, and she’s about to raise the bar even higher. Tomorrow (<strong>26 Feb</strong>), her second book officially hits shelves, taking the content her 600k social media followers love, and packing them into one easy to follow, tasty and thrifty Bible.</p>



<p>The book, <em>5 Meals For £25</em>, is the culmination of five years of trying and testing budget and flavour-friendly recipes, with a £25 budget. The book contains Ashleigh’s most popular Instagram recipes and 60 brand new dishes &#8211; we&#8217;re hungry just thinking about it.</p>



<p>Napkin in, knife and fork at the ready, and hoping for an invitation for dinner, Muddy&#8217;s caught up with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cardiff.mum/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cardiff Mum</a> to find out just how she does it.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-Ashleigh.png" alt="Cardiff Mum Ashleigh" class="wp-image-4921" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-Ashleigh.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-Ashleigh-200x300.png 200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-Ashleigh-683x1024.png 683w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-Ashleigh-768x1152.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-did-your-cardiff-mum-account-come-about">How did your Cardiff Mum account come about?</h2>



<p>I was on maternity from teaching with my first baby. I was missing the creativity of teaching and me and my daughter were out and about all the time. There was no place online to find inspiration or cute things to do with your kids so I made a page and just documented our little life there.</p>



<p>We were a bit skint as my partner had just started a new profession at the bottom of the ladder and I was on statutory maternity. I was really enjoying running the page, but it was expensive going to all the places all the time. I looked at where I was wasting a lot of money and my food shopping was the easiest thing to spend less on. I came up with the idea to only spend £25 on meals, so I did it once or twice and shared my shopping list online. People loved it, so I made them a regular thing. I honestly never expected it to grow the way it did. Before I knew it, I’d built this incredible online community of mums who were all trying to do the same thing. It’s just evolved from there really. I don’t<br>do local days out any more but I don’t want to change my name!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-been-your-most-memorable-career-moment-so-far">What’s been your most memorable career moment so far?</h2>



<p>Working with Aldi as one of their in-house recipe writers was a real pinch-me moment. I couldn’t believe I’d gone from sharing my recipe ideas online to creating them for such a well known brand.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-give-us-the-goss-on-the-book">Give us the goss on the book</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum.png" alt="Cardiff Mum" class="wp-image-4915" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-300x200.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-1024x683.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>It all started when I began meal planning and writing a shopping list, which was something I never used to do. Before then, I’d go into the supermarket and just pick up whatever I fancied, and the problem was, I kept wasting the same things every week and throwing away out-of-date, half-used ingredients. So I flipped how I shopped, and started planning the meals first and intentionally chose recipes that shared ingredients across the week. If I bought something, I made sure it worked in at least two meals.</p>



<p>The <em>5 Meals For £25</em> book is all about helping families cook exciting, flavour-packed meals on a realistic weekly budget &#8211; I want people feel confident and back in control of their food shop and know that planning doesn&#8217;t have to feel restrictive or overwhelming. It shows you how to plan five weeknight dinners using one £25 shop, with simple shopping lists and clever ingredient overlap to keep costs down and waste minimal. It mimics my reels that went viral countless times, but in a book format that can sit in your kitchen for you to plan your weekly shops. There are 16 sets in the book, all complete with shopping lists and pantry staples you’ll need for each. If the book helps someone walk into the supermarket with a clear plan, spend less, waste less, and still put exciting, flavour-packed meals on the table, then I’ve done what I set out to do!</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-have-favourite-chefs-that-you-look-to-for-inspiration">Do you have favourite chefs that you look to for inspiration?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-book.png" alt="Cardiff Mum book" class="wp-image-4919" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-book.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-book-200x300.png 200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-book-683x1024.png 683w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-book-768x1152.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>There are so many amazing creators on Instagram making good food and coming up with cool spins on family favourites, and I could sit there for days watching people cook. My favourites change all the time. Sometimes I like the ones who make simple meals look out of this world, which inspires me<br>to strip it back a bit, then sometimes I like the opposite.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-did-you-cook-all-these-recipes-yourself">Did you cook all these recipes yourself?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-tuscan-stew.png" alt="Cardiff Mum Tuscan stew" class="wp-image-4923" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-tuscan-stew.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-tuscan-stew-200x300.png 200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-tuscan-stew-683x1024.png 683w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum-tuscan-stew-768x1152.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Yes! Creating the Cardiff Mum book was a long process as I wanted to make sure everything in the book works for busy families. That was tricky, but then the recipes had to pass the taste test with my family. Everything you see in the book has its stamp of approval. Some of my kids&#8217; favourite meals are in there, like the mango chicken curry. My own favourite is the recipe for butter chicken naan burgers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-music-is-playing-in-the-kitchen-when-you-re-cooking">What music is playing in the kitchen when you&#8217;re cooking?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum2.png" alt="Cardiff Mum" class="wp-image-4917" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum2.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum2-300x200.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum2-1024x683.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wales/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/Cardiff-Mum2-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<p>We&#8217;re probably blasting <em>Frozen</em>&#8216;s &#8216;Let it Go&#8217;, or &#8216;APT&#8217; by Bruno Mars from the Alexa. It&#8217;s not a peaceful place in my kitchen, but that&#8217;s how I like it. I can’t remember the last time I actually put one of my songs on when I&#8217;m cooking, as my kids have theirs on 24/7, and if they’re not there, I appreciate the silence!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-three-things-in-your-kitchen-you-can-t-be-without">Three things in your kitchen you can&#8217;t be without?</h2>



<p>Garlic, coffee, and hot sauce.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-does-a-typical-day-look-like-for-you">What does a typical day look like for you?</h2>



<p>I&#8217;m frantically getting the kids ready to get out the door from 7am to 8.30am. Then, from 10am to 12pm, I focus on filming content for my page. Around midday, I grab some lunch and then usually head out to a play centre or the park with the little ones before it’s time for the school pick-up. Between 4pm and 6pm, I cook tea and often film that for my page as well. Getting settled between 6pm to 8pm, the kids relax while I either get some work done or tidy up around the house. Bedtime is at 8pm, and once they’re settled, from about 8.30pm to 10.30pm, I usually go and sit in a dark room and finally take a moment for myself.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/461828/cardiff-mums-5-meals-for-25-by-cardiffmum-ashleigh-mogford-and/9780241690697" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cardiff Mum’s 5 Meals For £25</a></em> by Ashleigh Mogford, will be published by Penguin Michael Joseph on 26 Feb 2026. £25 RRP, available from major bookshops and online.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-the-mood-for-more">IN THE MOOD FOR MORE?</h2>



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Muddy meets: Cardiff Mum

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