Help me cope?

maman

Unless you and OH really can't cope with pork do try this recipe.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/6-hour-slow-roasted-pork-shoulder

While Jamie purees the veg for gravy, I just make gravy from the meat juices and eat the veg (generally before it even gets to the table;)). If you google there's a similar recipe for boneless pork.

Don't worry if you don't have celery, it works fine with just cheapo onions and carrots. It makes an amazing roast and the LOs are fantastic for sandwiches or stir fry.

[Deleted User]

I too have been reading A Girl called Jack and find it really good with lots of recipes .
By the way I have PM'ed you
Cheers JackieO xx

mi_jardin

I buy chopped heart from MrM where you can get about a 300g of either lamb or beef for less than a pound. I use it for a stew in the slow cooker for a long time to really soften it.

Butterfly_Brain

• Ox cheeks are really tasty
• As others have said pork hocks
• Ox heart
• Lamb's Liver (personally I don't like pig liver the taste is too strong and it smells)
• Lambs Kidneys lovely in a sweet and sour sauce or stroganoff
• http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/galleries/frugal-food-offal-recipes
• Chicken livers are only 50p a tub and go well with risotto
• I make a macaroni cheese and top it with pepperoni slices which only cost 79p a pack in Aldi they do two kinds hot and mild, I use mild.
• HM pizza with ham, HM mini meatballs, pepperoni etc
• Eggs are a good source of protein so a quiche with a little chopped bacon is another idea, you get the taste of the meat, but you don't have to use a great deal.
• Buy bacon pieces so that you get some good chunks to chop and put into a bacon pasta ( Like a bolognaise really but using bacon instead of mince)
• Cheese and onion pie
• I am another who does a soup and pudding night
• Rubber chicken, buy a medium chicken and one day do a roast, the second day do a chicken curry or pie etc, the third day stir fry with noodles and sauce of choice , the fourth day use the carcase to make soup or stock.
• Rubber Gammon Dinner one day and sliced for sandwiches for the rest of the week and it freezes.
• HM meatballs
• HM beefburgers
• HM Koftas
• meatloaf (which can be sliced up and used in a sandwich with a dollop of ketchup, lovely)
• HM tuna fishcakes
• savoury pancakes filled with mince, ham, cheese and pineapple, leftover stew, bolognaise etc

GlynD

kittycatfan wrote: »

Hi tink how you i cant beleive you spend £120 a month on shopping my shopping is about £110 aweek and that is with being careful and ive even started shopping in aldi which i really dont like doing but i cant seem to reduce price like you though i love to buy decent meat no cheap rubbish

We were in Tink's position about 2 years ago. It is difficult but it can be done. Thank God for Lidl.

Tink_04

wow thank you everyone I'm really overwhelmed that you have too the time to try to help us out, tbh were not starving there is always something in we don't have empty cupboards/ freezers but we do eat a limited diet and have no treats (crisps, pop, take out or convince foods) we don't miss them much.

breakfast is always cereals & toast

lunch is leftovers , pack ups for work or if home something on toast

dinners is what we find the hardest and where the money goes but we are working on that :-)

veg is always frozen really, fruit is the hardest and very expensive but dd like it and eats it happily so we buy what's cheap and what we can. Desserts are jelly, fruit or yogurt ( I'm not a great baker )

Home stuff we are using a lot of stuff up but we love aldi washing up liquid as it lasts ages and does a good job. We often go without items like tea/coffee or something to buy what we need but try to stock up if things are on offer. Aldi is where we buy most of our stuff now too.

Anyway I'm rambling now but just reading back through the replies and trying to meal plan for next week so I shall pop back when I'm done x

margaretclare

Make friends with your local butcher, if you're fortunate still to have one. Ask him what is cheap, and how to cook it.

Also, farmers' market? They want to sell up rather than take it back home.

Have you any older relatives i.e. ones who lived through the rationing years? Their memories about making meals out of not much, are an untapped source of gold-dust.

'Value sausages? Anything 'value' is the biggest misnomer in the world. They contain little meat and what meat there is, is 'recovered meat' or slurry. Reminds me of a relative of mine years ago whose sausages, the local magistrate said, should have been called 'Charlie's Penny Buns' because they contained so little meat.

Yes, I know about 'A Girl Called Jack'. And her son, whom she calls Small Boy. She writes for our local paper.

breakfast is always cereals & toast

Try porridge rather than so-called 'breakfast cereals'. Generations of people grew up on it. I walked 2 miles to school from age 5 on a porridge breakfast.

hilstep2000

I have these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/WELL-EAT-AGAIN-Marguerite-Patten/dp/0600325245/ref=sr_1_15?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362846800&sr=1-15
and this one:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Victory-Cookbook-Nostalgic-Facts-1940-1954/dp/0753706830/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1362846887&sr=1-4
Both contain great recipes by Margaurite Patten.

Sally_A

Not read through the whole thread, so apologies if I am out of line - however buying thin slices of beef over the deli counter, or even in packets - can be cut into strips and marinaded in spices for a stir fry. (my marinade is usually chinese 5 spice, garlic, soy sauce, maybe a chilli or a spash of chilli sauce for that extra kick, olive oil, drain and use the oil to kick start the other ingredients)

It's one of those meals where you don't need too much meat, but a little bit, just to satisfy the tastebuds. The noodles are the filler uppers.

bluebag

I make cheap meatballs from a little mince some mashed tinned kidney beans or chick peas and some breadcrumbs( grated stale bread) and a litte onion and seasoning.

You can make it into meatloaf or burgers too, I use a tomato and paprika sauce for the meatballs/ loaf.

Mashed potatoes make great 'nests' for chopped sausages or eggs or a few meatballs in sauce.

Yorkshire puddings are very filling and cheap as are pancakes with a little tinned chicken in sauce or mince and onions.

Stews are excellent for stretching meat and using up odds and ends of veg. adding simple dumpling made from just flour and milk makes them very filling.

I have to say, you have quite a challenge to afford everything on that budget. Hats off and kudos to you for having amazing courage.

Dishwashing soution, this does not produce bubbles but will get your dishes clean I litre of hot water, 2 heaped teaspoons of washing soda and 1 teaspoon of washing powder and mix all together, Needs about 1/2 a cupful in a bowl.