Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

jackel

Re: Taking home leftovers. We went to Morrys. for a meal (rare occasion) and my half chicken was so dry I didn't like it so I put it into a carrier I had in my handbag, brought it home and turned it into soup. I figured I'd paid for it and I couldn't afford not to eat it.
Nice to see you back BB hope you are still feeling OK now. jac.xx

Butterfly_Brain

Happy MJ the fourth meal is soup made from the bacon water

HappyMJ

jackel wrote: »

Re: Taking home leftovers. We went to Morrys. for a meal (rare occasion) and my half chicken was so dry I didn't like it so I put it into a carrier I had in my handbag, brought it home and turned it into soup. I figured I'd paid for it and I couldn't afford not to eat it.
Nice to see you back BB hope you are still feeling OK now. jac.xx

You didn't complain? Complaining would have got you the meal for free (although left overs are returned to kitchen) and probably even replaced with a fresh one.

boultdj

craigywv wrote: »

.found 3 jars of syrup ood in cupboard any ideas...don't like syrup in puddings unfortunately too sweet, think I bought them on a whim cheap so any help would be welcome thanks in advance xxx

I use my syrup in flapjack's and cookie biscutes, also as a glaze on roast ham instead of honey.hth

Butterfly_Brain

Thanks JackieO, Craigywv and Jackel, I am a lot better now

I was brought up in a family of seven, Mum, Dad and five children. It is suprising what you pick up when stretching meals was a daily necessity for my poor Mum. Dad was a builder in the building recession in the 70's and was in and out of work and there were no tax credits in those days, so we were sent out to forage the hedgerows and glean from the fields.
We kids loved it we had been living in a two room flat in London up until we moved to Stevenage which was a new town back then, it was absolute magic having all of the green fields to play on.
We also helped out on a farm and came home with bags of fruit and veg as wages not much health and safety in those days, but we were always supervised and absolutely loved it.
I even remember finding a pound note in a hedge once and gave it to my Mum, she nearly cried, it was a lot of money in those days and she came home with a couple of bags full of shopping
A loaf of bread was 9p,
tin of beans was 12p,
1kg sugar was 9p,
a pint of milk was 6p,
half a dozen eggs were 21p,
A mars bar was 2p, and it was twice the size it is today, went up to 6p by 1975
polo mints 4p
bunch of bananas was 18p,
5lb bag of potatoes 4p,
8 mojos for 1p,
bacon was about 32p lb,
butter 15p
rump steak 57½p lb
Carrots 3p lb
1lb cheese 18½p
Lots more prices from 1970 here:

https://thenakedlistener.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/ukprices1970/

or this

http://www.thecatalogshop.co.uk/catalogue-history/littlewoods-1970.php

I found it really nostalgic

It was also the time of powercuts, we were lucky we had a parkray fire with back boiler in those days so didn't have to worry about no power to the boiler. Dad had some Hurricane lamps that we used for light, to us children it was great fun, but I can only imagine it was a nightmare for Mum.
Meals were cooked first thing in the morning before Mum went to work, If it was soup or stew it went into flasks, pies were eaten cold with cold new potatoes and salad or we toasted bread or crumpets in front of the fire.

My parents were young adults during the war, so they had quite a few tricks up their sleeves

Butterfly_Brain

craigywv wrote: »

hi there all if I may join in,i love jackies stories too they are always welcomed when I see her posts .BB I am amazed at what you can put together for so little truly amazed,i have found the local Chinese supermarket recently and have freezers full of really great quality chicken breasts and legs ,I had a few bob extra and put it into buying surplus meat. I portioned it up and against the super markets prices theres no comparison they are not full of water or additives either ,judging by what I have that should see us to October at least ,that's gving us a good portion each for meals I have an 11 yr old boy neverstops eating and oh who is a meat eater big time.so if anyone is looking chicken head to local Asian supermarket for a look maybe. also tescos the other night I got a massive bag of on the bone ham ends from deli for pennies ,bagged it up and froze made a chicken and ham pie for tonight will have at least quarter left over will do oh bring to work lunch for a few days.we don't have aldi over here in N.I. so super 6 is not for me but lidls do some great offers as do tescos ys , keep up the posts please as I love all your ideas,...............found 3 jars of syrup ood in cupboard any ideas...don't like syrup in puddings unfortunately too sweet, think I bought them on a whim cheap so any help would be welcome thanks in advance xxx

We would have to travel a long way to the nearest Chinese supermarket, we do have lots of Asian shops in Luton 9 miles away though.

I use syrup in twinks hobnobs, my lot can't get enough of them, or flapjacks, you can substitute syrup for treacle in gingerbread as well.

TWINKS Hobnob Recipe

8oz sr flour
8oz sugar
8oz porridge oats
8oz margarine
1tbsp golden syrup
1tbsp hot water
1/2 tsp bic soda

Mix the flour, oats and sugar, melt marg, syrup and water in a pan. Stir in bic soda and add to dry mix.

Then mix well and make into smallish balls which you then put on a greased tray and flatten slightly with a fork. Put in the oven at 180 degrees C for 15 mins... and cool on the tray. The aim is to get them golden in the oven not brown.

Easy peasy and very addictive

I used to make dumplings when my two were small and we were skint (nowt changes :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:) then I would cover them in syrup and serve with custard.
They loved them

craigywv

thanks for recipe and ideas deffo will do them xxx

[Deleted User]

VEGETABLE CURRY
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS

1 carrot
125g of cauliflower florets
50g of green beans or peas
1 potato
1 clove of garlic
2cm (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger
2 onions
1 tablespoon of oil
200g (½ a 400g tin) of chopped tomatoes
½ a teaspoon of chilli powder
1 tablespoon of garam masala
½ a teaspoon of ground turmeric
250ml of water

METHOD

Peel the carrot and chop it into 2cm (1 inch) pieces. Break the cauliflower into 2cm (1 inch) pieces. Chop the beans or mange tout into 2cm (1 inch) pieces. Peel the potatoes and chop them into 2cm (1 inch) pieces.

Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the ginger and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onion and chop it into tiny pieces.

Put the oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and ginger into the pan. Fry for 3 minutes until they are golden. Stir frequently to stop it sticking.

Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, garam masala and turmeric, vegetables and water. Stir thoroughly.

Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat until it is just boiling. Cook for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and the sauce has reduced.

brought from my online cook book that I have been building up .Cheap as chips to make and with rice very filling.If your not keen on ginger just leave it out, I bung in a teaspoon of ginger powder if I haven't any fresh.My large stock of herbs and spices come in handy.The same with if you haven't tumeric or garam masale just use curry powder.Easy to extend this recipe if you need more curry.Any left over I freeze in a small lock'n'lock box to use with as a filling for a jacket spud for my lunch
I too use syrup in hm choc chip cookies.or mix with some cheapo vanilla ice cream and a few sultanas.Or even in plain yoghurt with some chopped fruit and make your own Mu$$er corner :):)

jackel

Hi Happy MJ - No I didn't complain - I rarely do, but in this case as in others when I haven't been happy I make it a rule not to go there again. Anyway I got some nice soup so it wasn't a dead loss ! jac.xx

Butterfly_Brain

Tight month this month so tonight I made Tuna, pepper and sweetcorn rice cakes.

Basically use 8oz of cooked rice, then flake a tin or two of tuna in then add, chopped peppers, sweetcorn add a sprinkle of chilli powder or cayenne pepper to taste (optional , they are just as good with good without)

Shape into patties or croquettes and put into the fridge for 20 minutes to set.

Then you just dip them in egg and breadcrumbs and fry in deep fat, or cook in the oven at 180c until golden which I do.
We had them in buns with salad from the garden tonight. And very tasty they were too.

Tin of tuna is 59p
1kg rice is 40p and you only use about 100 to 150g of rice so 4p's worth. I had the peppers from the super six when they were 69p and I only used about a quarter of the bag full that I sliced and froze so approx 17p's worth, 1egg 7p and some HM breadcrumbs from the last of yesterdays HM loaf, say 4p's worth, chilli powder 1p total 92p, the buns were reduced in the co-op to 35p, the salad was free from the garden £1.27 for five of us 25½p per portion