This is one reason why Old Stylers cook meals from scratch and avoid ready meals!

Almo

kittie wrote: »

none of us were `forced` to eat pigs head. Those of us who were fortunate enough to live in families with parents who cared enough about diet, used pigs head as it was cheap and nutritious. There was limited availability of lots of foods, not like today.

You need to link up psychology of cooking with love and care for the family and not with cost. Many who can afford a good diet do not eat well. Many who have not much money eat a wonderful diet, coolking from scratch.

Hi Kittie,

I'm sorry if I've offended you; I did try to make it clear that pig's head was just an example. I'm not in any way trying to say that people only cook because of cost factors what I was trying to get at was this: my dad was regularly given food x by my grandmother because she could afford little else. She chose food x precisely because it was nutritious but also because it was one of the few things in her budget. My dad ate an awful lot of food x and never gave it to us as kids because it reminded him of hard times. It was not because of the nutritional value of the food nor anything to do with love and care or lack of love and care.

I'm well aware that people may be financially well off and eat rubbish food and the opposite and I don't think I implied otherwise, but I really do apologise if that was the message you got. It was never my intention.

I never seem to get my message across well here so will tootle back to lurkerdom (and I don't mean that in a flouncing off kind of way, just that I don't want to cause upset).

[Deleted User]

Years ago I cooked a pigs head for my late OH as he adored brawn but its not something I would cook today mainly because I can't abide brawn.Mutton is not easily available in my area but I would happily cook it and eat it .I am not keen on Rabbit but OH was so we occasionally had that but wild rabbit is also difficult to find ready butchered but OH used to go out when we were at his mums on the Isle of Wight and shoot them. Had to make sure the kids didn't see them being skinned though they just ate the finished product.I cook from scratch as I have never been a lover of what I call 'ping food' that gets shoved in a microwave and 'pinged'I much prefer to know what I am eating and not have a plate full of chemicals.Nothing nicer than home cooked soups and stews. I do slow cook a ham hock as its very good value for money and the stock makes wonderful pea soup

Sambucus_Nigra

oldtractor wrote: »

Does anyone else make this sort of thing? Is the world stuck in fast food mode?

No and No

Just because people don't eat offal food; doesn't mean they can't cook.

I've not eaten meat or fish for 27 years now and cook every day. Just because you do or don't do one thing doesn't mean you do or don't do a completely separate thing.

midnightraven3

Almo & Sambucus said what i wanted to
the op sort of implies if you dont cook & eat pigs feet, you eat fast or convenience food
there is a HUGE (and tasty) middle ground of homegrown, homecooked meals in there that most on this board prepare most days

Sambucus_Nigra

midnightraven3 wrote: »

Almo & Sambucus said what i wanted to
the op sort of implies if you dont cook & eat pigs feet, you eat fast or convenience food
there is a HUGE (and tasty) middle ground of homegrown, homecooked meals in there that most on this board prepare most days

Smug is the word you are looking for.

I tend to avoid these people even if under all their snugness there is some interesting nuggets that I might glean some info from...it's just not worth it.

JulieGeorgiana

Well I cook from scratch daily (and I mean daily, not 6 days a week). Due to special dietary requirements I cannot eat any kind of takeaway. I make my own takeaways too!

The fastest food I can have is cooked meat off the counter, but I still have to make something to eat with it....!

I can't even eat ready meals, or sausage rolls, pies or pasties... chicken nuggets and burgers are all made from scratch in this house.

We bake all our own bread, snacks and cakes.

I would draw the line at trotters and pigs heads... but I use pigs cheeks and pork hocks and other cheaper cuts (I prefer thigh to breast meat)...

I make curries from scratch too (my biggest pride)!

mrbadexample

I've never cooked pigs' trotters (ate them for the first time last year), or a head (I haven't got a pot big enough!)

But would I? :think: Well, I wouldn't go out of my way to get one, but that's probably because I'd look at it and see too much work for the end product. I can't remember ever eating brawn, but I've not eaten any other part of a pig I didn't at least think was ok.

But if someone gave me a pig's head, I would try my best to get as much from it as possible rather than waste it.

bargainbetty

I wouldn't necessarily do the pig's head thing, but the trotters would be an option for me! I am lucky enough have a fab butcher who is delighted to sell me mutton, shin or skirt beef, and a bag of bones for stock (time-consuming but worth it occasionally). He recommends chicken thighs for curries/stews to the uneducated who ask for breast meat too despite it reducing his profits! I think he is genuinely pleased when someone asks for a proper cut of meat, not the pre-packed BBQ seasoned stuff.

Got to be honest, I avoid all offal, except a little bit of kidney for meat pies. Nothing to do with cheapness, I just don't like the flavour or texture of any of them. I also have an issue with eating what is essentially the waste treatment plant of the body - do you know what your liver and kidneys filter and produce?

Other than that, I cook from scratch as often as possible - once I learned the basics, it became second nature.

evil_grrrl666

I buy all my mutton at a halal butcher.. I'm not a muslim but they're the only ones selling it around here plus I've never had much luck buying meat from the supermarket- somehow it always seems a bit smelly and unpleasant when I open the packet.
After 4 years living in India I wouldn't attempt to make a curry with anything but mutton (unless of course it's a chicken curry, in which case it is a must to put in an entire skinned baby chicken chopped into reasonably small pieces, chicken breast is a complete no no!). If it hasn't got at least a few bones in it, it's not a proper curry made from scratch. A lot of the flavour comes from the bones/marrow.

oldtractor

the jellied beef has turned out very well. it is delicious and we are having it later for tea on toast. the liver and bacon casserole was delicious for lunch, I made it with onions,tinned tomatoes, and added baked beans.