Economy Gastronomy - new budget cookery programme; BBC

radiohelen

Chuck flaps ......... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. braised in red wine till they fall to pieces.

Yummy but I can't help saying chuck flaps in a weird voice everytime I go to the butcher....chuck flaps

chuck flaps please.......

debtmuncher

WASHER wrote: »

I have fallen in love, I want to marry this chap. He cooks, does the supermarket shop and prepares dinner in the morning so his wife and children can eat well.....Where have I gone wrong

I thought it was an excellent programme last night, it really isn't easy reducing your food bill to £60/£80 per week which I would call reasonable nowadays, without having help and understanding how to cook from scratch and some people find that daunting...I know I did before I discovered the OS board, so bearing that in mind I thought the family did really well.

I'm going to use his tip on the children cereals though, cause my DS would eat it morning, noon and night if I let him, he has a food phobia, nothing can touch anything on the plate, and nothing can be served in a sauce..he has been like that since 12 months old, on the other hand my DD eats almost anything, except spinach, but thats ok cause I dislike the stuff too.

i am sceptical what paul says about buying cereal etc. rather see for myself. how many times have celebrities said "we do this blah blah blah" then ten months down the line it was just a load of rubbish. so if anyone sees paul or his missus shopping take photos of their trolley please!!:p

debtmuncher

Jolinar wrote: »

I know what you mean patchwork cat, the budgets are a bit beyond my means too. That said I do think it is possible to apply most of the principles in the program. The hardest part for me is having the energy to cook from scratch all the time after doing a days work and being utterly tired from being pregnant lol.

then there is the dishes and by the time thats all done its bedtime! not surprised you feel like that. you cant be expected to cook from scratch every day, theres nothing wrong in grabbing a pizza off the asdas shelf and bunging it into the oven or throwing some chicken breasts into the slow cooker with a tin of condensed soup. make cooking enjoyable in your own way.

MrsE_2

debtmuncher wrote: »

then there is the dishes and by the time thats all done its bedtime! not surprised you feel like that.

I don't get home till 5.30pm at the very very earliest & I go to bed early as I get up at 9.30pm.

I cook from scratch every night.

I started it & now I couldn't compromise on the taste & bring in convenience food:rolleyes:

I got a slow cooker, but I didn't rate it.

I was tired tonight & thought about popping into the supermarket & getting something to "cheat" with, but I couldn't face it:o

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

I want to make the Daube of Beef, but am trying to save money without losing taste/texture...

Is there any reason (loss of taste/texture, etc) that I shouldn't use chopped up BRISKET or chopped up ROASTING JOINT instead of BRAISING STEAK in the dish??

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/daubeofbeefwithgreen_92028.shtml

Chell

MrsBartolozzi wrote: »

I found this article about Paul Merrett. He spends about £60 a week on his family groceries.
I say well done to him, practise what you preach and all that!! (Oh and I like his style regarding kid's breakfast cereals - my 2 are exactly the same!).

He spends £60 on groceries but then it says his daughter spends £2 per day on school meals so that is another £10. On the last programme the man was to take a packed lunch rather than buy food. :rotfl:

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

skiTTish wrote: »

Did anyone spot the use of ready roll pastry ?!?!?!!?:eek:

I don't worry about that, I only use/eat pastry once every 6 months or less, so I can't be bothered to learn how to make it (yet).

Just out of interest: what would the equivalent amount of HOMEMADE shortcrust pastry (made with wholemeal flour) cost, please?

misskool

Jolinar wrote: »

I know what you mean patchwork cat, the budgets are a bit beyond my means too. That said I do think it is possible to apply most of the principles in the program. The hardest part for me is having the energy to cook from scratch all the time after doing a days work and being utterly tired from being pregnant lol.

I don't cook from scratch all the time. Depending on the week and the meal plans, I batch cook what I can on a Sunday and leave it in the fridge for the week. Or I prep the bases and finish things off on the day so max cooking time is 10-15 mins.

It's really not feasible if you work long hours to cook from scratch every night but you can plan ahead so you cook every 3/4 nights and still eat home cooked food every night.

misskool

r.a.i.n.b.o.w wrote: »

I don't worry about that, I only use/eat pastry once every 6 months or less, so I can't be bothered to learn how to make it (yet).

Just out of interest: what would the equivalent amount of HOMEMADE shortcrust pastry (made with wholemeal flour) cost, please?

It would cost me about 3 times as much as I'm forever doing something wrong with pastry. :rotfl:

freyasmum

misskool wrote: »

It would cost me about 3 times as much as I'm forever doing something wrong with pastry. :rotfl:

Puff pastry is a faff to make - especially if you only need a little bit anyway

I buy puff and make shortcrust. Or something that might resemble shortcrust. Possibly :undecided