It was getting tough in 2006 and the workhouse still threatens us in 2011

mardatha

Mrs Chip, he wouldnt know a chickpea if it jumped up and bit him on the nose... neither would I. We are dead boring
I do hide veg in soup but havent made any for a while - probly that's what's bothering me. We just haven't got any veg at all in the house. Apart from the cabbage and that's for the hens.
I honestly dono how anybody can LIKE cooking. To me, its the most thankless useless waste of time ever invented. why cant we just live on sandwiches?

silvasava

Been lurking on & off the last few weeks - still havn't caught up but just reading about using offal & seafood sent me off! I used to live by the sea & we often went 'cockling' in the mud when the tide went out. I loved digging them up (must have been all of 6 or 7 at the time) & getting my boots stuck in the mud! Only thing was I can't stand the taste of cockles - just like fishy gristle to me.:)
I remember a few years ago mentioning at work that I'd made a casserole from shin of beef - one of my colleagues said rather snootily 'Oh we used to feed our dogs on that' - havn't started barking yet but I have been known to growl a bit

Mrs_Chip

Well you can if you want! Nothing wrong with a good sarnie, just vary the fillings a bit, toast them when it's cold. We have lunched on toasted muffins with a variety of toppings for the last fortnight, quick, cheap and no thinking required!

Silva -Dad used to take us cockling in the mud off Leigh-on-Sea. Nasty black stuff, but the cockles were lovely. We were quite an OS family, I spent my kidhood foraging berries and scrumping, Dad went ferreting and fishing, and mum cooked everything from scratch. All skills I am so glad to have now!

Pink.

scottishminnie wrote: »

Does anyone have a tried and tested recipe for picalilli - I fancy making some but not sure where to start.

Hi scottishminnie,

This thread links to a recipe posted by money saving diva that I tried and was delicious:

recipe for picalilli

Pink

mardatha

I can do no thinking. Whoohoo!

JIL

mardatha wrote: »

Mrs Chip, he wouldnt know a chickpea if it jumped up and bit him on the nose... neither would I. We are dead boring
I do hide veg in soup but havent made any for a while - probly that's what's bothering me. We just haven't got any veg at all in the house. Apart from the cabbage and that's for the hens.
I honestly dono hwo anybody can LIKE cooking. To me, its the most thankless useless waste of time ever invented. why cant we just live on sandwiches?

My sons house mate lives on cheese and tomato pizzas, he eats 3 per day. All the same brand. Day in, day out. For breakfast he eats bread, mozzarella and tomatoes. Just thought that sounded a bit like living on sandwiches.

kidcat

smileyt- my guess is that you have been charged two separate consultation fees (£40 each at vets here) and then £12 each per injection. As you took both animals in at the same time and took very little time I would appeal the cost. I think its appalling the prices that vets now charge and have to agree with the poster about insurance - most vets assume everyone is insured so inflate their prices accordingly - I do know of one vet who has two rates one for insured animals and one for non insured - he says its to cover extra admin, but I fail to see how the extra admin costs the amount extra he charges. Hope you get it sorted:)

Its been a horrific two days here and the after effects will linger for months and most likely years, if I am lucky I will be able to hold my family together but at what cost. Will not go into details here as its not appropriate.

As for the debate over the economy - its my belief that the economy is in trouble and that QE spells real trouble for the average person on the street. As for the banks well I dont trust any of them all of them have acted in very bad faith and brought about a global disaster and walked away scot free. I can only see much tougher times ahead yet and that is why its so important that we all stick together - we may not all agree with each post made but we are all of a similar mind set - that of getting through this and surviving, we use many of our skills and share them, cooking, sewing, stockpiling, but most of all we have humour and compassion. We have all supported each other through so many tough times and I am sure we all want to continue to do so, supporting old and new posters alike.

Its party day tomorrow as its DD birthday - we have a huge gazebo for the garden and fan heaters to warm it up. I have never felt less like partying which is so sad but I am determined to get up tomorrow and draw upon all my reserves and make it a wonderful day for DD.

On a positive note we have received notice that DS is eligible for DLA which means we can set about making everywhere more safe for him and begin to get him things like one to one swimming lessons with an appropriate teacher. Apparently the claim went though in super quick time, thanks to the expert reports who supported us and evidenced the true level of care he requires.

Mardatha - I enjoy cooking but not so much every day stuff - I love cooking for guests, parties, events etc I find every day stuff gets wearing. I second the idea of blending veg into stuff - my two sons both refuse to eat brocolli, courgettes, cauli etc so I make a tomato based sauce and blend all the veg up so they never know its there. The advantage is that it takes very little time to do - I bung it all in the liquidiser raw, blend until liquid then warm through, usually takes ten fifteen minutes tops. YOu can then freeze into portions and then pour over meat as a quick meal.

ginnyknit

Kidcat, am so sorry you are having a bad time and hope you find a way of holding it all together, Im sure I can speak for the many of us who send you our support if that is of any help. Come and vent here, without detail and we will be here for you.

Softstuff

silvasava wrote: »

I remember a few years ago mentioning at work that I'd made a casserole from shin of beef - one of my colleagues said rather snootily 'Oh we used to feed our dogs on that' - havn't started barking yet but I have been known to growl a bit

I was stood next to a lady at the reduced meat section in the supermarket, and she'd picked up a couple of packs of mince. I'd picked up the others, and then noticed some chicken breast pieces. Everything was less than half price, so a great bargain. I offered her one of the packs of chicken, but she said it was ok, the mince would do her dog, he liked a bit of mince as a treat now and then... I had to stop myself saying that the mince would do my husband, who liked a bit as a treat now and then.

I have an urge for a cheese and piccalilli sandwich now, but would have to make some piccalilli, so I blame you all.

((((hugs)))) kidcat, don't need to know why.

I love to cook. Mostly because on a day where other things go wrong or I feel a bit inept, I can generally still manage something in the kitchen. But also because I like to eat, and I can eat more of the things I like if I cook more...

twiglet98

oldtractor wrote: »

That vet bill is an absolute disgrace,I would report it to the Royal college of Veterinary surgeons. Most people just wring the necks of hens when they need PTS. That vet needs investigating,no way can it be that much money for 2 little injections. It only costs a couple of hundred quid to have a horse destroyed and disposed of.

I paid £45 in August to have the oldest cat put down in the surgery, including disposal (we didn't have the ashes back). Ten years ago it was £150 to have a large dog put down and his ashes returned in a wooden box with a brass plaque. I would not pay for that again, my memories and photos are ample and after all, it makes no difference at all to your beloved pet.

This vet charges £7 to put down a hen by injection, when I've taken one in to him I haven't been charged a consultation fee on top. The ones that aren't 'pets', and any surplus cockerels if we've let a broody hatch some chicks, I can do myself. I absolutely hate it - but I do it.

It was £140 last year to have a pony put down at home by the knackers, and taken away, and the service from them was impeccably professional yet kind and sympathetic, as is my vet.

For £104 did you have antibiotics, or surgery, or anything else that might have made it so extortionate? It sounds an absolute rip-off and you are quite right to challenge them.

On fish... we used to get rock salmon (huss) from the fish and chip shop where I grew up, in Surrey, until the late '70s at least. The cats used to get the backbone. It was mildly vinegary, I loved it. Scrag end of lamb is the neck, used in stews. There's scrag end and best end, it's not differentiated in supermarkets and just sold as stewing lamb, though a proper butcher probably still does. We had liver a lot when I was little, but none of my tribe will eat it now. My grandparents used to like heart, brains, tripe, sweetbreads, pigs' trotters, and they cooked 'lights' - lambs' lungs - for the cats. I don't remember ever tasting any of these!