The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

[Deleted User]

FUDDLE to make the meat you can afford go a bit further an old fashioned way of filling up hungry people is to serve a first course that is substantial enough to need less of the main course with the meat in. A big dumpling with gravy, or a Yorkshire pudding with gravy were the norm for He Who Knows, mine were a thick vegetable or lentil soup before the main course, and always bread at the end of the main course to soak up the gravy. Very often there would be a rice pudding or a baked apple with custard as well. Not very elegant food but certainly not expensive to make and more than enough to keep tummies full and energy levels high. You don't need to cook dumplings and Yorkshires fresh every meal, make enough and enough gravy to go with them for a few days and they keep perfectly well in the fridge and reheat in the microwave and are fine to eat. I've lots of old fashioned recipes for things like a steamed onion pudding and a savoury bread based Season Pudding that will act as fillers if you want them when I'm home again, Cheers Lyn xxx.

bunbun2

fuddle sorry to hear about your finances... I will be following the recipe ideas very closely as OH has gone on to part time wages as from mid July. although the salary has dropped the bills haven't:(
I am not very OS savvy and am learning the basics to build on. I also have the added challenge of 2 teenage boys and teaching them to learn to like all the foods that pad out meals. I do admit that I have alot of work to do in that area and hindsight is a wonderful thing. I did make a bolognese the other day with grated carrot, courgette and oats and they both ate it. we also had a sweetcorn and haddock chowder yesterday which was nice and very cheap to make. the question is how to I get the boys to like soup?

GreyQueen

Hmm, boys vs soup.......reverse psychology? Tell them it's far too good for kids and you're going to keep it all yourself? Then enjoy it very publicly and see what happens.

I'd personally chew someone's arm off to get at a bowl of carrot and coriander soup, but I accept that I am a) not teenage and b) not a boy.

There's a proverb, think it comes from Germany; A growing boy has a wolf in his belly.

Or is possibly a porthole into another dimension, where all your grocery money drains away down their gullets.

Hardup_Hester_Mk2

In the 1970's I was newly married and doing a Kirsty, we were given a cottage suite, 2 seater setee and chair all with wooden arms, upholstered in what felt like sandpaper, I recovered it in denim, we kept our clothes, folded in boxes.
In the 1980's I was allowed the same amount of housekeeping for 6 of us as my MIL was given for 2 people. I perfected lots of cheap meals such as Hunt the fish pie, HM pizza pastry, tinned toms, meat scraps (supermarkets used to sell them then along with cheese scraps) grated cheese. Once the children started school I used to put home made cake/biscuits in their lunch boxes so they didn't get teased for having 'own brand' stuff in their lunch. All our clothes came from jumble sales, sometimes I bought adult clothes and cut them down to make kids clothes, school uniform from the 2nd hand uniform shop I helped run.
Fast forward to 2000ish, kids grown & flown, still the ex had tight hold of the purse strings, if I worked he took my wages, when I worked in our family business I did not receive a salary and his sexual demands became downright dangerous. Eventually I left, he kept the business, savings, pension and the house. I spent the first winter with no heating, bed coves, no coat, just a suit jacket with a scarf round my neck, he got me sacked from the first 3 jobs I got, so I started temping.
Now 2013, I have my lovely hubby, we are chugging along, we live off the garden produce, things aren't luxurious, but we are warm, have a roof over our heads.
Hester

floss2

I used to always bake bread when my boys were teenage and I was divorced - I used to cut a loaf into quarters and put it on a breadboard with knife on the table so they could help themselves.

When I was a kid, us 3 older kids used to often be given leftover mashed potato that had been put into a bowl, 3 eggs broken into hollows that had ketchup at the bottom and then baked til the eggs were set. It was a tasty cheap, protein, carb meal for 3 growing kids

bunbun2

floss2 wrote: »

I used to always bake bread when my boys were teenage and I was divorced - I used to cut a loaf into quarters and put it on a breadboard with knife on the table so they could help themselves.

When I was a kid, us 3 older kids used to often be given leftover mashed potato that had been put into a bowl, 3 eggs broken into hollows that had ketchup at the bottom and then baked til the eggs were set. It was a tasty cheap, protein, carb meal for 3 growing kids

this sounds good. I will also see if I can find the recipe for eggs and ham earlier in the thread

Florenceem

May be it is just me but I think the key to managing a food budget is to plan the menu. I like to know what I am having for dinner. A neighbour never plans what meal to have then as dinner time approaches - says - oh - I will get a takeaway.
Had a really good low spend week.
I have just written out the dinner menu for the next 21 days. Most of it HM meals in the freezer already. Other meals - I have a lot of the ingredients in stock.
I am doing FQ's Austerity August challenge - spend as little as possible. I have decorating to spend out on.

bunbun2

Florenceem wrote: »

May be it is just me but I think the key to managing a food budget is to plan the menu. I like to know what I am having for dinner. A neighbour never plans what meal to have then as dinner time approaches - says - oh - I will get a takeaway.
Had a really good low spend week.
I have just written out the dinner menu for the next 21 days. Most of it HM meals in the freezer already. Other meals - I have a lot of the ingredients in stock.
I am doing FQ's Austerity August challenge - spend as little as possible. I have decorating to spend out on.

I have had good intentions to meal plan but now I am determined. have done a plan for next week and let the boys choose two meals so at least they will eat 2 out of 7 days:D

kezlou

Toad in the hole is very popular in our house. I chop the sausages into little pieces and then pour batter over them. I'm really though and just use water than milk oh thinks they taste better .

Lemon curd cake, crumble, semolina and rice pudding are favourites desert wise. The lemon curd cake is also good for pack lunches.

OH came to the shops with , me today, my first time walking without thr shell walker. Im in agony but feel better trying to walk. We spent 10 on fresh pasta, two packs of butter, two loaves, cheese, four fish filet,s quiche, onions and a litre of milk. Most of what I bought I could have made cheaper, but because of pain etc I havent been able to.

just need to how I used to be, just exhausting .

the other day I made a massive pam of chilli including toms, mince, lentils ask of things. We had that for about three meals. It was the magic pan that just keeps giving!

grandmasam

Soup v boys.... have 3 large sons and when they were little [hah!] back in the 60's home made soup always had cooked rice stirred in, called them chinese soups! Another thing I did was cook herby dumplings in a different pan and top soup with them.
They also loved cheats pizza, reduced plain stale bread, cut into 1" thick slices, toasted lightly on both sides,spread with tom puree, tinned toms ,herbs, cheese and anything else left over, oven cooked till melted. They asked for this regularly, and my ddil's all make this recipe.Add garlic if liked .
Coming up to foraging time, blackberries, elderberries, nuts all to store either as jams, chutneys, mixed with other fruits for storing. A taste of this summer throughout the long days of winter
Hang in there, together we will survive!
Caz