Cooking for one

PasturesNew · 14 February 2017 at 10:37PM

sitesafe wrote: »

... there's even a section for one person shopping list for the week (although it's not very exciting that particular list) but we could adapt the others...

I looked at that - and laughed. Somebody who doesn't live alone trying to write a "for one" list and failing miserably.

Jack M also tried to do some "for one" and failed pretty miserably.... before petering out.

The thing is - "for one" is very very personal. You can eat "what you like", so if a 30p jar of jam and a 40p loaf fit the budget, you can do it

Nobody can write meal planners for other people, unless those other people are "just like them". Food is very personal when it comes to "just one" because there's "just one" and so we'll just put on the list what we like, even if it is fish finger sandwiches and crisp sandwiches.... so they're not the sort of thing people would tend to "wish to publish publicly", if that makes sense.

I could write lots of "for one" weekly food planners .... but nobody eats like me, so I can't see who'd be interested.

Everybody's different, has different shops, different likes/dislikes. Lots of the "cheap eating" on this site involves some nasty things (lentils!!) ... and porridge, courgettes, mushrooms and other nasty veggies

I've never seen anybody prepare any "list of food" that I'd personally eat.

From your list of meals you've eaten today I'd pass on: porridge, yogurt, almonds, sweet potato, spinach. Never eaten them, don't want to.

I also don't have a great selection of spices/etc as, again, one is constrained by what one already likes/buys and what's simply not going to all be used up "in time" before they deteriorate/go off. e.g. from your list I'd not use chilli, lime zest and a little juice, ginger or garlic.

I eat most food "very plain", 1960s style.

PasturesNew · 14 February 2017 at 10:44PM

caronc wrote: »

...real butter
...

I don't recall any real butter ever entering our house. Ever.

We used Stork bricks for everything. Sandwiches, frying in a frying pan, roast potatoes, chips, baking. Everything was Stork.

caronc wrote: »

small amount of cassis poured over the bread

There are some posh people about .... I'll have to google that to see what cassis is.

Back... right, it's a blackcurrant liqueur. Never knew it existed. Looking at it, it's more than a week's food budget, for a bottle of booze. I am not a drinker, I don't bother with it.

sitesafe · 14 February 2017 at 11:09PM

PasturesNew wrote: »

I looked at that - and laughed. Somebody who doesn't live alone trying to write a "for one" list and failing miserably.

Jack M also tried to do some "for one" and failed pretty miserably.... before petering out

From your list of meals you've eaten today I'd pass on: porridge, yogurt, almonds, sweet potato, spinach. Never eaten them, don't want to.

I also don't have a great selection of spices/etc as, again, one is constrained by what one already likes/buys and what's simply not going to all be used up "in time" before they deteriorate/go off. e.g. from your list I'd not use chilli, lime zest and a lit

I had to chuckle to myself here - I LOVE all food and would much rather eat things that have always appealed to me but this is part of my personal challenge - I am interested in nutrition and trying to get the right amounts of vits and minerals in my diet within a £30 a week budget and without freezer so it gets a bit boring as I like variety but find I'm having repeat meals so try to use ingredients to make things a bit more exciting. I find that a lot of 'healthy' foods need to be made more encouraging for me while I'm quite new to this trial so herbs, spices to make things more interesting...otherwise i will lose intereste. I thought the site was useful to take bits from, not follow it word for word, as you pointed out people have different tastes. There were some things on there that I wouldn't have wanted myself - jam on toast for breakfast would not keep me going long enough. Yesterday was different kettle of fish - I polished off a whole bar of Galaxy and 3 packets of crisps yesterday...all in budget...not very nutritious

meg72 · 14 February 2017 at 11:22PM

caronc wrote: »

Well B&B pudding was generally special treat as my mum used eggs & real butter LOL so she obviously thought it should be celebrated:) Still in true cooking for one mode you can have whatever your heart desires with it so get rockin' gal :cool: (would just point out a small amount of cassis poured over the bread or used to soak the fruit before the egg mix is added is particularly delicious )

Ohhhh Wow Caronic, never tried cassis, but have some Brandy, lol never thought a cooking for one thread would lead this old lady into such adventures.

meg72 · 14 February 2017 at 11:43PM

PasturesNew wrote: »

I looked at that - and laughed. Somebody who doesn't live alone trying to write a "for one" list and failing miserably.

Jack M also tried to do some "for one" and failed pretty miserably.... before petering out.

The thing is - "for one" is very very personal. You can eat "what you like", so if a 30p jar of jam and a 40p loaf fit the budget, you can do it

Nobody can write meal planners for other people, unless those other people are "just like them". Food is very personal when it comes to "just one" because there's "just one" and so we'll just put on the list what we like, even if it is fish finger sandwiches and crisp sandwiches.... so they're not the sort of thing people would tend to "wish to publish publicly", if that makes sense.

I could write lots of "for one" weekly food planners .... but nobody eats like me, so I can't see who'd be interested.

Everybody's different, has different shops, different likes/dislikes. Lots of the "cheap eating" on this site involves some nasty things (lentils!!) ... and porridge, courgettes, mushrooms and other nasty veggies

I've never seen anybody prepare any "list of food" that I'd personally eat.

From your list of meals you've eaten today I'd pass on: porridge, yogurt, almonds, sweet potato, spinach. Never eaten them, don't want to.

I also don't have a great selection of spices/etc as, again, one is constrained by what one already likes/buys and what's simply not going to all be used up "in time" before they deteriorate/go off. e.g. from your list I'd not use chilli, lime zest and a little juice, ginger or garlic.

I eat most food "very plain", 1960s style.

I do think you are being rather harsh on Jack Monroe, she didn't ever do a just for one, she was a single Mum with very little money and made her blog about her own particular circumstances.

Theres not a one size fits all for singletons, you have always been single, others like me were married and had a family, were single again, in my case for over 20 years, when I was 70 decided to join a dating site and met the lovely man I have been dating for 18 months, he lives a 100 mile from me so only see him weekends,
I do think I have the best of both worlds, am single all week but have something to look forward to at weekends.

PasturesNew · 15 February 2017 at 12:05AM

meg72 wrote: »

... she didn't ever do a just for one ...

It wasn't that bit, she dabbled with other stuff too and a couple of those "other things" involved her shopping/cooking for one ... and I think she just drifted off and never completed that section as she wasn't good at it.

meg72 wrote: »

... she was a single Mum with very little money and made her blog about her own particular circumstances.

I'll have to bow out of this discussion at this point. There's more to it if you dig around just a little..... and it's the obfuscation that angers me.

This thread's far too nice for my "expose rant"

meg72 · 15 February 2017 at 1:13AM

PasturesNew wrote: »

It wasn't that bit, she dabbled with other stuff too and a couple of those "other things" involved her shopping/cooking for one ... and I think she just drifted off and never completed that section as she wasn't good at it.

I'll have to bow out of this discussion at this point. There's more to it if you dig around just a little..... and it's the obfuscation that angers me.

This thread's far too nice for my "expose rant"

Ok am intrigued now will have a dig around

Tiddlywinks · 15 February 2017 at 2:09AM

PasturesNew wrote: »

I'll have to bow out of this discussion at this point. There's more to it if you dig around just a little..... and it's the obfuscation that angers me.

I'm with you on this one but Jack M's fans can be quite, well, fanatical. You only have to look at Amazon to see how the negative reviews of her books are jumped on and challenged. Many believe she can do no wrong... it's a bit too 'Scientology' for me.

karcher · 15 February 2017 at 6:08AM

I've heard of Jack Monroe but that's about all I know...the name. I have never read any of her 'stuff' but I am intrigued now and I, for one, would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on her PN.

caronc · 15 February 2017 at 9:53AM

Morning everyone
Shan't jump on the Jack M debate except to say I find some of her recipes very good particulary from the early days. Agree some of her followers can be a bit evangelical I'm not one of them only interested in the grub:D

I really enjoyed my dhal last night and I'm pleased there are two portions left to be frozen:)

For lunch I'm going to hard boil an egg and have it with yesterday's LO marie rose sauce on lettuce and dark rye bread. Tonight - I've kept back some of the bacon bits I boiled for soup and going to have them with pasta mushrooms and red pepper. So a real use up bits kind of day or that's the plan at the moment which works well as I need to do some cleaning before my friend comes tomorrow:o so won't have much energy left for food prep.

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Cooking for one

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