Desperate for advice on food shop.

RAS

Ok

The suet will make dumplings for three meals with 250 g flour in total

Potatoes - about 6 meals worth @150g per person.

Hope you like lasagne? maybe 5 meals?

Plus the rice.

So you have enough starches for the period

Will be back later.

is your OH up for checking for whoopsies?

And what shops can you get to?

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Hi,

Sorry to hear of your difficulties.

I would recommend you buy 2 bags of frozen meat-free mince (Mossies, T@sco and i think Sainsbubs all do their own versions), 2 bags for £3 plus a bag of red split peas.

If you have a slow cooker make up a bolognese sauce using a bag of mince, couple handfuls of split peas and whatever veg you can scrap together to bulk out further (a grated carrot/grated courgette/onions etc) and add herbs (basil/mixed herbs/oregano). This feeds my family (2 Adults, 2 teenagers who eat like horses and and 8yo) for 2 or 3 meals, use as spag bol, lasagne, chilli (add spices) or shepherds pie. All of these can be frozen in portion sizes, you should get 4 meals for the 4 of you from this. Oh and if you buy a bag of porridge oats for breakfast, throw a couple handfuls into the slowcooker with the mince and lentils, it will bulk it out even further!!

Use half a bag of split peas plus whatever veg you have (£1 stew pack from supermarket or even a bag of mixed frozen veg), add a stock cube or gravy granules and seasoning and simmer til all soft, then liquidise (or mash if you don't have a liquidiser/stick blender/food processor), makes a really filling soup that you can make as thick or thin as you like.

HTH

321 xxx

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

Oh, for packed lunches you could make homemade tuna pizzas, make a simple scone type mix for base, use passata/tinned toms or puree for sauce (with any italian type herbs you have) and top with tuna, onions, peppers and cheese if you can stretch to some. (often find the value grated stuff is cheaper than the blocks).

Also I often make a suet rolly poly thing to use up scraps of veg/meat, you could use some of the bolognaise mix! Make a simple suet pastry, roll it out and spread with whatever you have (I've done bacon & mushroom, spag bol, chilli, random veggies fried up with herbs, anything really will work), roll it up and bake, add a sprinkle of cheese to the top when almost cooked if you have it. Really filling and great sliced up for lunch boxes too.

Good luck

321 xxx

Mara_uk7

I make Stovies, filling & cheap .. 6/8 potatos, 1half a turnip, 3 carrots, couple of onions ...... saute all veg in a little oil, add water, enough to steam ,bout an inch or so in bottom of the pot. Simmer gently for 20 mins till veg soft but not mushy, Thicken with a little bisto, salt & pepper to taste ...... Its like a thick soup but delicious with bread & marg. If you have any left over cooked meat, sausages whatever, you can add this too .. My end of the money filler upper !

hm71_2

perhaps you could visit your local foodbank
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/datablog/2012/jul/12/food-banks-uk-directory-guardian-readers

you can always repay the help when you are back on your feet.

davenport151

Don't forget to check if you have any nectar/clubcard points to spend. Also any money off vouchers for things you were going to get anyway.

zaxdog

I know it's not ideal but I would go for mainly soup and puds for the fortnight. Tesco are doing 2kg of red lentils at the moment for £2 and add a bag of onions and a kilo of carrots from Aldi @ 39p each with some stock and maybe a tin of tatties approx 16p you can get a LOT of soup.

Tesco 7p custard sachets (just add water) are okay and an be served with your tinned pineapple.

I second the folk who are recommending a food bank or perhaps one of the churches in your area?

dolly84

Hi, I make a pastryless quiche which is big and reasonably cheap.

You need 1 large pot of cottage cheese (full fat works best), a couple of eggs, your tin of tuna and whatever veg you have, maybe a pepper and one of your onions.

Beat the eggs, stir in the cottage cheese and other ingredients then pour into a greased oven dish and bake for about 40 minutes. If you can get reduced cottage cheese all the better. I just serve this with baked beans. Is good cold too.

honeythewitch

I would forget about "balanced meals" for the duration, and trying to use up what you have, and just concentrate on not going hungry.
I would get a large sack of potatoes, which you might be able to get for six pounds (I saw some this week) and almost certainly for ten.
Forty fishfingers from Iceland (two pounds)
Forty sausages from Iceland (two pounds)
At worst, this leaves just one pound, so you will need to find the reduced bread at the end of the day at the supermarket.
You will definitely be able to get two loaves for thirty pence each, and an Asda smartprice jam( twentynine pence at the moment) This will take care of the packed lunches.
If you have extra money (if potatoes were cheaper) you could get eggs perhaps, and more bread and margarine, or maybe a value bag of rice?
In Farmfoods they have three bags of frozen vegetables (peas, green beans, sweetcorn?) for two pounds.
Best of luck. x

floss2

Most food banks will need a referral from either a GP, health visitor or social services so that may not be an option for the OP.