Feedback for March 2026 - Ashleigh Mogford
Posted on 1 Mar 2026 by Noreen Collins
Photo: Ella Millar
Feedback March 2026
Ashleigh Mogford, Cardiff.Mum
If you’ve ever found yourself staring into the fridge at 5pm wondering how on earth to turn a pack of sausages, a slightly questionable onion and pure exhaustion into dinner - this month’s Feedback is for you.
We caught up with Cardiff’s queen of comforting, budget-brilliant meals, Ashleigh Mogford (better known as The Cardiff Mum), to talk childhood food, curry house favourites and why a runny egg yolk can fix almost anything. From tins of corned beef (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it) to £3 family dinners that taste far more 'boujee' than the price tag suggests, Ashleigh proves that good food doesn’t need to be complicated, or expensive.
She tells us about the restaurant she’s been visiting since she was little, and why toast after childbirth deserves its own award category. We also chat about her latest book, Cardiff Mum’s 5 Meals for £25, cooking with kids (or not!), and the simple advice she’d give to mums feeling overwhelmed.
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What food always reminds you of your childhood?
Corned beef hash. Some people put on a Disney film when they feel sad, I make this. It’s basically a tin of corned beef mixed into mash with onions and cheese. Topped with a fried egg or a tin of baked beans. Maybe I should have put that in my cookbook!
Before you wrote your first book, were you interested in cooking?
Yes! I was always cooking adventurous things. I used to work in TGI Fridays in a restaurant quarter, my partner was a kitchen manager there for a while too, so we saw a lot of menu changes and used to go for lunch in the nearby restaurants and try lots of different things. I think that used to give me inspiration. We loved quesadillas! We always made different variations at home.
Do you have a current favourite restaurant or type of restaurant?
I love our local curry house The Bay Leaf. We went there lots growing up, the waiters know my parents and the food is phenomenal!!! We went without the kids the other day for the first time in ages and it was so good. There’s also a family run ramen restaurant in Cardiff that’s meant to be insane. Ramen is my favourite food, I’ve got a feeling I’m going to be love it there.
What food or ingredient could you not do without?
Eggs. I have them with a lot. I just think a runny yolk elevates most meals. Especially sausage and mash. As a family we go through 24 a week minimum!
Is there a memorable meal you can remember eating?
The toast after childbirth. Nothing hits like it!
Is there something particular you always keep in the fridge?
Chorizo slices. They’re 99p and you can make two meals from them. They’re only thin so not as oily as usual chorizo but still adds flavour, depth and texture to some really basic and affordable meals. My favourite js adding them into a Pasta Alla Norma. A family meal that costs about £3 to make. The chorizo makes it more boujee. That’s in the book.
How did you choose the recipes for your latest book Cardiff Mum’s 5 Meals for £25?
They’re a mix of what i know people love and comfort meals that make me feel good. Simplicity was a big priority for me too.
Do your children help in the kitchen when you are cooking?
My kids don’t really help. We’d never get around to eating. We make cakes together a lot though.
What advice would you give to mums who feel alone or overwhelmed?
You don’t have to do everything today. Being there is enough.
What would be your last supper if literally anything was available to you and where would you eat it, and who would you be with?
My last supper would be my mum’s roast dinner with my family.
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