Money blog: Great British Menu judge Lorna McNee on 'ridiculously good' supermarket dessert, a wine list tip and influencers who 'think they're Gordon Ramsay' (2025)

Every week we interview top chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks, views on the industry and more - and they don't come much more celebrated thanLorna McNee, executive chef at Michelin-starred Cail Bruich in Glasgow. This year she became a judge onGreat British Menu, having been crowned champion of champions on the show in 2019.

My favourite own-brand product is...the Waitrose Basque cheesecake, hands down. It's ridiculously good. Rich, creamy, just the right amount of caramelised top... honestly, it's dangerous having it in the fridge

My favourite restaurant chain...has got to be Nando's. I go extra hotevery time - no messing around. I always get a wrap with halloumi added, and then go all in with corn on the cob, spicy rice and frieson the side. Absolute perfection. And yes, I do judge anyone who orders lemon and herb.

One UK restaurant that's worth blowing out for...has to be The Ledbury in London. Every time I've been it's absolutely blown me away. The level of finesse, the depth of flavour, the way they handle produce - it's all just exceptional. You can feel the passion in every course. It's one of those places where you leave genuinely inspired. If you're going to treat yourself, that's the spot to do it.

I'll phone a restaurant if I'm going to be 10 minutes'late... I know how much planning goes into each service, so I hate the idea of throwing things off or keeping the team waiting. We understand life happens, but a quick call really does go a long way. It shows respect for the effort going on behind the scenes - and if you're like me, it helps ease that little knot of guilt too!

The last time I complained in a restaurant... my mum had ordered a dish that was meant to come with haggis bon bons, and when it arrived, it was clearly black pudding. They tried to tell me it was haggis. I stayed calm, but eventually I said: "I'm a chef - I know the difference." That changed the tone pretty quickly! I've got no problem if something's gone wrong, it happens - but just be honest about it. Don't try and pull a fast one, especially when mum's involved!

The weirdest request I ever had was... someone ordering, in advance, two bananas (skin on!) and one baked potato wrapped in tinfoil. To this day, I have absolutely no idea why that's what they wanted… no explanation, no context, just that exact request. But hey, if it makes them happy, I'm more than happy to oblige.

Don't be afraid to set a price limit when asking for advice about the wine list... or say something like: "I'm looking for something between £X and £Y." It's super helpful and takes the pressure off.

I didn't train for years to have a dish go cold while someone's getting the perfect drip shot of a sauce...Some influencers are great - genuinely passionate about food, respectful in the way they share it, and they can really help shine a light on restaurants that deserve it. But then there are the ones who turn up late, ask for "extra aesthetic lighting", spend more time filming than eating, and want the meal comped in return for a reel. It's not a performance - it's a restaurant. Also, if you're going to post reviews or critiques, be mindful. You're not Gordon Ramsay - and a bit of negative clout online might get you likes, but it can really knock a small team working their socks off. Share the love, but do it with respect.

The most annoying review I ever had was...someone complaining that they could hear the kitchen. Well, of course you could! It's an open kitchen. Don't dine somewhere with an open kitchen if you don't want to hear it. Reviews, both good and bad, are part of having people take interest in your restaurant - and that's a positive thing. But unless you've had a genuinely poor experience, I do think leaving a bad review can be quite damaging. Especially when it comes from someone with no real understanding of our culture, how hard we work or how much we love what we do. There's always someone behind that plate who's poured their heart and soul into it. You don't have to love every bite , but show a bit of respect. It matters.

My favourite cheap place to eat is...Caio in Bridge of Allan. You could get a half pizza - pepperoniwould be my go-to - then finish with one of their homemade pistachio gelatos, which is just brilliant. The coffee's greattoo, proper quality.

Here's a cheap mushroom stroganoff recipe...

Ingredients:

• 250g button mushrooms, cut into quarters
• 250g chestnut mushrooms - cut into quarters
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 100ml water with 1 Knorr vegetable or chicken jelly stock cube
• 100ml double cream
• 100ml creme fraiche
• A splash of oil or knob of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh tarragon to finish - you could go parsley or chive if you prefer
• Serve with rice

Method:

1. Heat some oil and butter in a pan, then gently cook the onion and garlic until soft.
2. Turn up the heat and add mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms start to caramelise and release their excess water content.
3. Season with Salt and Pepper.
4. Pour in the stock and let it simmer for 5–10 minutes to reduce by half.
5. Add in your cream and bring to the boil.
6. Add in your creme fraiche and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Whilst this is simmering, chop your herb of choice!
8. Check your seasoning and then finish with your herbs.
9. Serve it over rice. (perfect amount being 75g rice from raw).

It's cosy, rich and takes around 20 minutes start to finish. You can easily bulk it out with extra veg like spinach or frozen peas - it won't stretch your pocket much further and will fill you for longer.

Winning and now being a judge on Great British Menu has had a huge impact on my career...It opened so many doors and brought a level of recognition that you can't really prepare for. When I stepped into the role at Cail Bruich, there was already excitement and curiosity because of GBM, and I think that momentum helped us hit the ground running.

But it has changed customer expectations...People arrive now with higher expectations, which is a good thing - it keeps us sharp. There's also a wider variety of diners coming in, not just locals or regulars, but people travelling from further afield who maybe saw the show and want to experience the food in person. GBM has given people a reason to walk through the door for the first time - but it's the team and the experience that keep them coming back.

One thing people are often surprised by is just how intense and real the timings on the show are...When you see that clock ticking down on TV - it's not for show. There are no retakes, no pauses. What you cook in that time is what gets judged, full stop. It's incredibly high pressure, but also really exhilarating.

The judging room is just as nerve-wracking as it looks...Even now, as a judge myself, I still get butterflies walking into that room.

Cheap Eats will be back in its usual Thursday slot next week.

By Brad Young, Money feature writer

While this week's UK-US deal on trade could prove to be significant, it was news out of the Bank of England, rather than the White House, that will have the biggest immediate impact on most of us when it comes to money.

The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee voted to reduce the interest rate by 0.25 points to 4.25%, which is good news for mortgage holders but less so for savers.

Markets had expected three more rate cuts after this one in 2025 - but while that is still a possibility, analysts are no longer as certain given how split the MPC was.

Richard Donnell, executive director of Zoopla, said any better deals would "filter slowly" through to mortgages, given this week's cut had already been priced in by major lenders.

We reported that 900,000 homeowners will come off two-year fixes this year - they'll be among the first homeowners in a long time to find their monthly payments going down.

Compare the Market estimates those people will save £597 a year on a new two-year fix or £940 on a new five-year fix.

The average interest rate on a two-year fix was 5.06% in 2023, but it has since fallen to 4.33%, according to Bank of England figures. Five-year fixes are hovering around 4.6%.

Empty shop shelves

Away from rates, spare a thought for workers in British retail as you clock off for the weekend.

Staff at Co-op were the latest to face days of disruption caused by a "sustained, malicious" cyber attack that saw shelves left empty and contactless payments down.

Customers - who had already faced shortages in M&S the previous week - were predictably peeved as they posted images of sparse Co-op aisles.

"We are working around the clock to reduce disruption and resume deliveries," a Co-op spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The Trump tax

News wasn't much better for Britons eyeing retirement, after pension experts warned the market turmoil caused by Donald Trump's tariffs could reduce their income by up to 20%.

The Society of Pension Professionals said some workers could be forced to delay retirement or even return to work.

Workplace pensions, known as defined contribution (DC) schemes, had suffered the most, it said.

New kid on the block

In other news, Revolut announced the launch of mobile phone plans for the first time on Tuesday, in a move it hoped would challenge traditional network providers.

The fintech company was rolling out the plans in the UK and Germany first, with an introductory rate of £12.50 a month for unlimited calls, texts, domestic data and a 20GB EU and US roaming allowance - with no fixed contract.

Analysts were split over whether it was a good deal - take a look at their comments here...

Cash is back

On Wednesday, Uber said it would allow passengers across most of the UK to pay in cash.

Following trials in Birmingham, Nottingham, Stoke and Leicester, the company will allow customers to select cash as a payment type in all UK cities except London, where it is still being reviewed.

It will be at the discretion of Uber drivers to decide whether they want to opt out.

Dynamic pricing

In another change to payment systems, "dynamic pricing" could soon be more commonplace for restaurants.

EatClub, a dining app from Australia, has launched in London with the controversial concept, which sees prices rise and fall in line with demand.

Backed by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White, it is the first time dynamic pricing has been used in hospitality.

The concept provoked anger last year when Oasis fans queued online for hours - only to find the expected price had shot up due to demand.

Similar techniques have been used in the travel and tourism sectors for years.

Find out more details here...

Before you go, remember to check back in on Saturday for our weekly feature - a Cheap Eats interview with Great British Menu judge Lorna McNee.

Have a restful weekend and see you next week.

Ten energy suppliers have been ordered to pay around £7m in compensation and refunds after overcharging customers.

Energy watchdog Ofgem said the compensation and refunds will have to be paid out to more than 34,000 customers at 10 suppliers, including Octopus and Utility Warehouse.

The errors have also impacted customers at So Energy, Outfox The Market, Ecotricity, E.On Next, Tru Energy, Rebel Energy and EDF Energy.

Ofgem has said the error includes more than 20,000 customers at the UK's largest supplier Octopus Energy, which paid out £2.64m in refunds and made a £546,278 goodwill payment.

Meanwhile, Utility Warehouse paid out more than £2m in refunds after 8,272 of its customers were overcharged.

The issue took place between January 2019 and September 2024 and affected customers with more than one electricity meter point recording energy usage at their properties.

Charlotte Friel, director of retail pricing and systems at Ofgem, said today's outcome served as a "reminder to all energy suppliers that they must implement the price cap properly and do their due diligence".

"It also shows that, where appropriate, Ofgem is prepared to work with suppliers that fail to comply with our rules," she said.

Free football sessions for children aged five to 11 are taking place across the UK until 27 July.

The sessions are available at more than 1,600 locations and include one-hour of coaching each week from FA-qualified coaches.

They're the result of a partnership between McDonald's and British football associations, but there'sno obligation to buy or eat anything at the fast food chain.

How do I get involved?

Sign up by filling in a form on the McDonald's website under "Fun Football"here.

You can register up to five children. The sessions are aimed at beginners, focusing on basic techniques.

You'll need to bring your own clothing and footwear.

Slots are booked on a first-come, first-served basis, with sessions in Northern Ireland already full.

Children can attend as many sessions as they please.

Lending rules could be watered down to make getting mortgages faster and cheaper under plans announced by the UK's financial watchdog.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed lenders should no longer have to carry out full affordability assessments for many customers.

Guidelines on interest-only mortgages would also be scrapped, it wrote in a consultation document.

"We want to make it easier, faster and cheaper for borrowers to make changes to their mortgage," Emad Aladhal, the FCA's director of retail banking, said in a speech.

The plans would see mortgage providers allowed to perform a less thorough assessment when offering to remortgage at a cheaper rate than the homeowner's current lender.

A full affordability assessment would also no longer be required when customers are reducing the term of their mortgage.

There's yet more bad news for consumers from water bill regulator Ofwat.

It had already announced bills were set to rise £31 over each of the next five years, but now Ofwat forecasts the average annual bill could balloon to £2,000 by 2050.

Ofwat told a government-commissioned water inquiry that "significant investment" was needed to secure enough water to stop the taps running dry, piling costs onto consumers.

Around £300bn is needed over the next 25 years to ensure "resilient supplies of water and healthy rivers", Ofwat said.

Cycle to Work is a government tax exemption initiative created to promote healthier journeys to work and to reduce environmental pollution.

It allows employers to get cycles and safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. The cost of the new kit comes directly out of your salary, so you don't pay tax or national insurance on it, saving around 32%.

According to the Cycle to Work Alliance – a coalition of the five biggest providers of the scheme – more than two million commuters working for 40,000 employers have received a cycle through the scheme.

How do I sign up?

Your employer will have to be registered with one of the scheme providers on offer.

You may then choose what bike you need, add clothing and accessories, and then submit your application to your employer.

They will then pay for the kit, and you receive a voucher, redemption code or collection letter, which you hand over to the retailer in payment, rather than using cash.

You'll then pay your employer back through monthly instalments, which are taken through your payroll.

What can I get?

You can buy "a bicycle, a tricycle, or a cycle having four or more wheels, not being in any case a motor vehicle", or an e-cycle.

Government guidelines state that you should use your bike and accessories for commuting for at least half of its usage.

You can also buy what HMRC calls "cyclists' safety equipment" which could include helmets, bells, lights, mirrors, locks, and reflective clothing.

The total amount you could spend was previously capped at £1,000, but as of June 2019 this restriction has been removed.

Why should I bother?

Research byCycleschemeshowed that, with a five-mile each way commute, you could save more than £3,000 a year by swapping your car for a cycle.

You'll also get healthier, improving your wellbeing and reduce your carbon footprint.

Buying a house takes a month longer than movers expect, research shows.

People think the process takes 88 days on average to exchange contracts once their offer is accepted, according to a survey by the Open Property Data Association.

Really, it's 124 days.

Almost two-thirds (62%) of respondents said they were asked to provide the same information two to three times.

Another 41% said a lack of clear, timely communication was the most challenging part of the transaction process.

They tended to blame the delays on conveyancers (44%), estate agents (28%), mortgage lenders (17%) and valuers/surveyors (15%).

Maria Harris, chair of the OPDA, said a "digital transformation" was needed to bring home buying into the 21st century.

Iceland has become the first major supermarket to abandon its commitment to stop selling eggs from caged chickens this year.

Having previously committed to stock only cage-free eggs by the end of 2025 alongside most supermarkets and food companies, Iceland U-turned on the grounds of affordability.

Animal charity the Humane League (THL) were quick to condemn the move, posting images of activists attaching stickers to boxes of eggs in an Iceland store reading: "It's time to crack on and go cage free."

"This is a phenomenally short-sighted move, and a deep betrayal of their customers and countless suffering animals," saidClaire Williams, campaigns manager at THL UK.

"Shoppers who want to avoid caged cruelty should shop somewhere else."

A spokesperson for Iceland said it was "fully committed to animal welfare but also to protecting our customers during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis".

"While we won't meet our 2025 target to go cage-free, we believe in giving people choice, not removing affordable essentials from their baskets.

"That's why we're continuing to offer free-range products and introducing barn eggs as part of our ongoing work to offer a range of higher welfare options at prices people can afford."

By James Sillars, business and economics reporter

The reaction to the so-called US-UK trade deal has been somewhat muted, with commentators pointing out the UK will still be worse off than before Donald Trump first took aim at UK exports to America.

They are right.

There was no rally for the FTSE 100 index. The pound is down against the dollar.

It seems pretty clear there's some scepticism over this "historic" deal and what it might yet contain.

But there were some winners: Aerospace propulsion specialist Rolls-Royce saw its stock end Thursday trading up by more than 3%.

Let's look at the carmakers: Aston Martin Lagonda was up 11%. In India, Jaguar Land Rover's parent firm Tata Motors gained 2% for a second consecutive session.

Other stocks with direct exposure to the US also won: Diageo, Barclays and Burberry were among the names.

But there was no broad rally. Not even a Bank of England interest rate cut helped boost non-financial stocks, given that the Bank continued to strike a cautious tone on the prospects for further reductions.

One of the agreements not to make the highlights was that engine exports to the US will be exempt from tariffs in return for a $10bn Boeing plane order.

It was revealed today that it was BA-owner IAG that had made that commitment, comprising up to 32 of the 787-10 aircraft for BA's long-haul fleet.

Its shares were 1.4% up, though that was mostly a consequence of its first quarter trading update that showed a tripling of operating profits during the first three months of the year.