Where do we go from basics?

modern_millie_2

Grizzly, it is just clean,chop and freeze. I often do this with whoopsied peppers, it's a good moneysaver. At 80p per pepper atm, I just don't buy them.

bluebag

I use all frozen veg, no waste, no preparation and usually a good price for the budget. I use peppers, onions and mushrooms a lot in cooking and buy all these frozen. I also found garlic powder by the pound in the asian shops and use this all the time in place of fresh garlic, even in garlic bread. I use one teaspoon to replace one clove of garlic.

redlady_1

Why not grow peppers then pickle them. Or preserve in brine/oil? OH loves peppers so I grown stacks of them.

Reverbe

rigsby1967 wrote: »

I'm glad this was brought up as i was going to post asking if anyone uses old t-shirts as dish clothes.;)
I had 2 old t-shirts and 2 cotton cot sheets that i have just cut up for dishclothes and rags:money: because i find after bleaching or boil washing the dishclothes a few times they become holey and un-usable.

rigs

not me Im still wearing mine from 15 years ago lol:rotfl: I have socks that I have had even longer and my towels are the ones I bought for Uni,,many many moons ago

grimerking

Batch cooking is definitely a good way to go.

I went to Sainsbury's the other night and they had lots of meat from the Butcher's counter bagged up in the reduced section. I got 3kg of Beef shin for £3 and two nice sirloin steaks for £2.50.

I used the beef shin to make a Sri Lankan curry (Rick Stein recipe) and a Beef Goulash in the slow cooker. It worked out at a lot less than 50p a portion (6'1" with large appetite).

I'm going to cook the steaks at the weekend. Probably with mash, peas, carrots and pepper sauce. Should be a very nice steak dinner for less than £2 a portion.

If you have the freezer space, head to the supermarkets from 6pm onwards. That's when the big discounts take place. Stock up on super cheap meat when you can. Pay no attention to 'use by dates' and trust your nose and instincts.

If a 50p ready meal (got one reduced from £3.00) is two days out of date, so what. So long as it doesn't smell putrid and isn't mouldy, it will be fine. Just make sure you cook it until it is scalding hot.

Ultimately, I think the most important skill to have in tough times is the ability to cook.

I have a flatmate who can't/won't cook and he wastes a fortune and exists on complete junk. He also has the waste line to prove it.

redlady_1

Did anyone have a "glow baby" years ago?? When I was growing up in the middle of nowhere with those lovely (yeah right!!) ice patterns on the inside and hoards of blankets, I also had a glow baby. It was a big red bulb in a cage that used to go in the bed at night to warm it up.

Gigervamp

My nan had something similar. It looked like a flying saucer and she plugged it into the lightbulb socket.

firesidemaid

sb44 wrote: »

If you have a Sainsburys nearby, try their Basics Tea Bags, 27p for 80.

I wasn't a tea fan but I def drink more since buying these.

They are not like other value ones, they do taste like 'proper' tea bags.

and they are fair trade too x

mr_pixie

dianadors wrote: »

Thinking about this topic, you need to bear in mind that hard times are not anything new, and we all need to keep things in perspective. I was born in the late 1950's and cannot remember a decade when at some stage my family - working class - have not had to really struggle. My mum had been brought up in the war years and she really does know how to "make do and mend" - something I have often laughed at her for, but now am really glad I took notice. For tasty but economical food, Italian peasant cookery is the business. Home made pizza base using flour, yeast and water, spread with just a cheap tin of tomatoes or some Whoopsied fresh ones with crushed garlic and only a really small amount of cheese. Cooked at the highest your oven will go for a few minutes is delicious. Any other topping is a bonus. Chunky vegetable soup - using whatever is cheap or free with a bit of pasta thrown in for bulk is nutricious as well as cheap. When I think back to the tough times - that is when I was my slimmest! and they reckon the war time diet was a lot healthier for your heart. I'm glad I was taught to cook well at school. We had lessons about economical cooking and using leftovers and meal planning.

I was also born in the 1950s my mum used to bulk out lean stews with a good handfull of split peas, by the time they had been left simmering and cooked down to a thick meal served up with some potatos. it was good enough to keep us kids satisfied.

mardatha

When you sit and think hard and remember the meals, the stuff my mum gave me was nothing like the meals I make now. Wish we had listened more eh ! We seemed to live on fried cabbage that my dad grew. And all I can ever remember getting from the butcher was "a half pound of mince please". Then the co-op "half a stane of tatties please"