My first real shopping list - will this be about right?

johanne

hiya,

i only just moved out of my mums in august so i know what its like to have to learn to cook for yourself!

First suggestion: I would suggest going INTO the supermarket too.. both because you can pick your own stuff (i.e. best looking meat vegs etc as dotcom shoppers dont pay much attention to quality - trust me i worked at tesco! ) and also because you might not get through all that you buy online!! AND if your realllly moneysaving you can check out the reduced section and get some bargain bits to bung in the freezer!

Second suggestion: One book i found invaluable is called "Grub on a grant" by Cas Clark It was suggested by someone on here (cant remember who sorry!) and i bought myself a second hand copy off ebay for a couple of pence. Its designed for students and low cost simple meals and its great! Really easy to understand and covers all sorts! I learnt how to do roast dinners from it and impressed my family when i invited them round for one! It also has curry recipes and chilli aswell as simple english stuff like casseroles and stuff. Also has recipes for "dinner parties" that can easily be adapted which include a indian meal.. a chinese etc etc.. REALLY great!

Third suggestion: If you get stuck... ask! Ask us on here.... your mum... anyone you know who might know how to cook! I wouldnt have survived without my mum and this board! The number of times my mum has had a phone call going "muuumm how do i cook.....?" And times your mums knowledge by about 100 and you have this board! Someone will always have an answer to your question or know where you can find one!

Fourth suggestion: Following on from the suggestion above.. why not post a list of some of your favourite "ready meals" and im sure between us all we can probably tell you what you'll need to replicate them and how to make them!

Fifth suggestion: Dont underestimate the very basics! Like i forgot to get sugar when i first moved in! I ended up making a cup of tea for my new boyfriend at the time with caster sugar!! He didnt let me live it down for months and told everyone where we worked! :rolleyes: So now your cooking you might need oil, flour, cornflour possibly, salt, pepper... sure there are others... and things like cling film, kitchen foil, freezer bags! Im sure there is a "storecupboards basics" topic somewhere on here...

Sixth suggestion: Try not to see it as a chore.. can be very relaxing to cook and the satisfaction of thinking "i made that!!" compared to just dinging something in the micorwave for 10 minutes is amazing. I was so proud of myself for managing to make egg fried rice from scratch last night cos usually id get it from the chippy or in a bag frozen! My little bro who is 13 made it in cookery class the other week so its not that hard... but i was so proud id managed to make it.. that i rang my mum to tell her!! :rotfl: (then again im sad like that )

Hope that helps and i havent chatted bubbles too much!

hendersonb

1) I cancelled my order last night on tesco online, may atempt a supermarket tonight for some stuff (I hate shopping, queues, people stopping in front of you with no notice)
Not sure about the quality think though - not sure I know what i'm looking for in quality of items.

2) I'll have a look for some simple/strater/student cookbooks at the weekend.

3) I Plan too - hope you can all bear with me ;-)

4) I might also do that at some point although I think a few of them i've found SC recipies for ib the index

5) I have plenty of sugar - also brown sugar (I drink waaaay too much coffee). Yeah made another post regarding basics I might need, will check it for replies soon.

6) Maybe relaxing/fun to cook on a Sunday when i'm off - but when I come in from work hungry I can't be bothered cooking and would rather something that takes little effort to make

Yes that helps - Its nice to have all the support from everyone, picking up little things here and there from everyones replys

apprentice_tycoon

hello Brian - well done for making a start.

I agree that you'd be better taking the shopping and cooking one week at a time, you can still work to a budget but it's far easier to manage when you do it weekly. If you hate shopping now you might just surprise yourself with how you come to enjoy it when it's more about creating nice healthy food rather than just a refuelling pitstop.

I have over 100 cookery books but if I was to suggest just one for a new, single cook I would suggest One is Fun by Delia (Amazon will have one) for 2 reasons. Firstly because it's Delia she explains why you do things and how it's supposed to turn out and secondly there are lots of photos, I think that as newbie you need photos to help you choose what to cook, after all you've been choosing all your food up to now with the help of a photo on a box.

Use your freezer, you will be surprised what does freeze and when you have a recipe that you like make twice as much and then you have a 'ready meal' of your own devising when you get pushed for time.

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi

Your shopping list sounds lovely. Personally, I would start by doing a weekly shop then a fortnight etc. Meal plan for a week, then buy just those products. Stick to food you like or know and are simple to cook as you want this to run as smoothly as possible IYKWIM. The harder it is to follow the easier it will be to jack it in. A typical week meal plan in no order (except roast on sunday :rolleyes: )for DD, OH & I is:

Roast Dinner
Shepards Pie
Toad In Hole
Chilli Con Carne
HM Pie
Egg & HM Chips
Stew

The S/Pie, Chilli, Stew and pie could be made in slightly bigger quantities and either frooze or have next day for lunch or something. Lasagnas also freeze well as do most things.

Good Luck

PP
xx

kiwichick

Heres an earlier thread which might be of some help for you.

[post=433269] - Store Cupboard Essentials?????[/post]

HTH,
Al.

squeaky

Hi brian

Just found the older thread:-

Store cupboard essentials


and a great site for soups is:-

www.soupsong.com



Edit: Must learn to type faster!!

withabix

Fragata Garlic Cloves 100g

That's garlic cloves in a snack form (yes, really!!!). You just EAT them.

They are an acquired taste, shall we say. I like them, but the other half doesn't!!

Normally found in Spanish tapas bars.

Absolutely no use for cooking in my opinion.

SallyinWales

hendersonb wrote:

Thanks for the reply SallyinWales

2) Ethics / Quality - Wasn't sure what the difference was between the chicken other than price - does it taste better

4) I love meat - Farmers market - weekday (I work 9-5 Mon-Sat)

5) Organic chicken = 8 meals, so i might want two of these? But wouldn't I be better buying breast meat? I am planning on putting it in the fridge in packs of 2 breasts for slow cooking. Won't I need to cook a chicken in one go?

Some farmers markets are on Sundays, so its worth checking, and you really really really can taste the difference. Also, if you just buy breast meat you are missing that fact that most of the frugal flavour of a chicken is in the carcass. Personally I wouldnt buy supermarket chicken breasts if you paid me to do it (with the possible exception of guarenteed organic free range reduced to clear ones, but never seen those yet!).

If you are dealing with whole bird as a newbie cook,I'd be tempted to boil the entire thing until the meat falls off the bone, then cool it, take off excess fat and pick out the bones and skin, then add assorted vegetables and make a thick stew or even more soup. Thn split this into bags or pots, and freeze for later use. Best nutrition, best taste, and very little preparation to worry about.

Good quality minced beef is also more econmical in teh long run than the cheap stuff. It will have far less fat, ( look at the fat content and price next time ou are in the supermarket and work out what you are paying for fat!), kilo by kilo the low fat, steak mince from a named herd will be pricier, but you will be able to eat all of it, not have to pour half of it away in fat. Plus, you'll find it flavours a much bigger pot of whatever you are cooking. A good tip with mince dishes is to add a handful of lentils and several grated carrots, this adds bulk and stretched the meat, and you'll not notice they are therr in terms of taste- as long as you start with good meat!

We love meat too, but its very well documented just how badly raised most animals destined for supermarkets are. These days we mostly eat locally 'farmed' game, so venison and wild boar, which is actually cheaper per pound than cheap supermarket meat because we are able to deal with a whole animal at a time. I accept you are not at that stage yet, but as well as saving money, you can eat well, healthily and ethically with just a tiny bit of planning.

Freezing bread has been mentioned, so why not buy just one good loaf and split it up into bags of the portions you might use? Dumplings in stew or soup are also very easy to make and very cheap, and are a good bread substitute if you don't want to make a whole loaf. Indian style flatbreads can also be knocked up out of flour as needed, and taste great. We mix ours with cheap yogurt to keep them nice and bendy for scooping up rice dishes.

Slowpots have been mentioned, very good idea, one pot cooking is a great way to learn frugal cooking especially if you work a lot.

Good luck with it all. If you'd like me to suggest some other places to research economical but ethical consumption, let me know. You really are not alone!

kiwichick

squeaky wrote:

Edit:Must learn to type faster!!

You've taught me too well Squeaky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Skintmama

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

hello Brian - well done for making a start.

I have over 100 cookery books but if I was to suggest just one for a new, single cook I would suggest One is Fun by Delia (Amazon will have one) for 2 reasons. Firstly because it's Delia she explains why you do things and how it's supposed to turn out and secondly there are lots of photos, I think that as newbie you need photos to help you choose what to cook, after all you've been choosing all your food up to now with the help of a photo on a box.

.

I'll second this suggestion for "One is Fun" by Delia- had my copy for 19years now and still use it! Haven't been just one for many years but the recipes stand the test of time and are easily doubled, or more if you have company.

From what you say Brian I think these recipes will be the kind you like to eat, none are complicated and all are explained as if you have never cooked before.

All the best in this exciting venture into cooking!

If you don't like shopping due to the crowds then go either early in the morning or mid evening early in the week.