A simple cooking trick first credited to the Victorians could actually help your garden and lawns grow back thicker and stronger.

It might sound strange, but there’s a simple Victorian-era recipe which will not only save you money but can also help boost the life and vitality of your lawn too.

The Victorian period was one of great change in England, but also one marked by frugality for many, especially working people, who tried to make ends meet by making the most of every scrap of food.

One simple Victorian-era recipe is boiled potatoes - with the skins-on.

In turn, once you’ve cooked this meal, you can pour the water over your lawn and it will help the grass grow back stronger, too.

The recipe, set out by The Daily Frugal Life blog, says that much of the potato’s nutrition is in its skin. Instead of peeling them, cut them up and cook in boiling water without salt.

This retains the nutrition and the starch, a lot of which is locked in the skin.

They said: “In Victorian times, the average families ate simple and made such things as the potato go a long way.”

She adds that if you do choose to peel, do it very thinly: “Peel very thin. The glory of a potato is its mealiness, and much of the starch, or meal, lies next to the skin and this can be lost by careless peeling.”

Taking it a step further, in the spirit of Victorian frugality, you can then use the water from your potatoes to feed your garden, which will boost both plants and lawns.

As House Digest explains: “The water you boiled your potatoes in is dense with nutrients that occur naturally in this versatile vegetable.

“As the water cools, the starchy solution stores the vitamins and minerals from the potatoes. Unlike normal tap water, this solution can aid your plant's growth by providing them with the necessary compounds they need to grow properly.

“To make your potato water, boil them in unsalted water, then take each of the vegetables out with tongs or a slotted spoon. Leave the water in the pot and put it to the side while you're finishing your meal.

“Check the temperature of the water to make sure it's cooled enough, then you can pour it into a smaller glass or watering can — water your plants as normal and watch them flourish.”