Can you live of basic/value/smartprice food for a month?

ZTD

fac73 wrote: »

Hi Jacks I don't drink much tea these days so not sure what is good value (as a box lasts a looong time!) but where I used to work we only ever had Sainsbury's Red Label and this was nicer than PG Tips or Tetley or Yorkshire etc etc... IMHO

I would agree that Red Label is a nice tea.

ZTD

gibbojene wrote: »

I work in the food industry as a rep so have been in many different factories from fruit and veg to canned foods to meat etc and from the day i saw the way value mince was made i never touch value foods! Wish i could forget so my food shopping bill wasn't so high lol!

Ok then...spill the beans... :eek:

rog2

Jacks_xxx wrote: »

I'm still trying to find a good cheap tea that is the coloured not grey, :eek: tastes good and doesn't leave lots of "gubbins in the bottom of my mug.

We're currently using 'YORKSHIRE TEA' which has been on offer - 100% extra Free in Tesco - it's very good and works out cheaper than 'own brand'. We tend to alternate between that and Tetley's depending on what's on offer.

Burlesque_Babe

i'm also a vote for Yorkshire Tea. There used to be a thread floating around where you could send off for a freebie box of 10 bags.

I got mine and sent an email saying how nice it was and they sent me a box of 50 to say thankyou for the feedback!

cat4772

This is one that I 'sort of' do already but differently. Instead of buying premium or extra special, I buy own brand and see if DH notices a difference in quality. If I normally buy own brand, I try out value / smart price range and again wait to see if DH notices a difference. Strange thing, before our LBM he wanted expensive 'for those with more money than sense' things; immediately afterwards he filled the trolley with smart price! I'm going to try to buy only smart price next time I visit Asda (Saturday, most likely)! I'll let you know how I get on!
Cat.x

traceyjanet

In my home town we are totally swamped with superstores, but an area near the town centre is predominately Indian, and they have a fantastic shop, I bought 14 oranges for £1!!! they sell all the fruit and vegs' and all the Indian/exotic fruit and veg, everything is a fraction of the price of Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsburys etc. They sell everything that is supposed to be in a good diet and you can make a fabulous curry for next to nothing and it takes less time than ordering a takeaway. The bags of spices and rices etc are SO cheap. I also shop in the Local Chinese supermarket, a lot of the stuff in the 'normal' supermarkets are also available in these cheap shops ie ginger, garlic, herbs, spices, naan breads coconut milks, chillies... far too many to list, in huge bags. They sell chocolates, sweets, dairy, meat, in fact everything..... It makes me so angry that Tesco and co. can brag about a pre tax profit of £2 billion for the first six months of 07. THEY ARE RIPPING US OFF BIG TIME, DONT USE THE POPULAR SUPERMARKETS. Their profits are our longed for holidays, our new car or home improvement, there should be government legislation to stop this robbery. As we all need to eat.

traceyjanet

ps I shop in these ethnic shops and I am English lived here all my life aged 40 something

traceyjanet

Indian Curry (base) not an English adapted recipe but a true Indian recipe)
2 onions cut into chunks
4 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 inch finely chopped Fresh ginger
2 tiny red chillies finely sliced (add extra for heat)
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons garamasala (add extra for spiciness)
14 fl oz water
4 chicken breasts chopped into small cubes

Fry the chicken in a separate pan to seal (any meat can be used or loads of veg for the vegetarians)
Heat the wok
Add oil (not olive oil)
On a low heat add the onions, garlic, ginger, chillies and tumeric stirring together until onions are cooked
Add tomatoes, salt and water stirring until mixed well
Add the garam masala stir in then add the meat
Cook for about 20 mins to thicken up and reduce down

Adding yoghurt or cream makes a thicker creamier curry

This curry can be added to whatever you want to try really its a good base to work with(I used a whole garlic clove, 4 chillies, and 2 teaspoons of garam masala and a heaped tablespoon of plain yoghurt)

I've got loads more recipes if anyone wants one

jo1972

Hey Tracey,

Thanks for the recipe! I've printed it off and will give it a go at the weekend as I already have most of the ingredients in the cupboard!

Give us some more recipes will you, I know there are normally recipes on the OS board but I'm sure the mod's on here won't mind, cheap meals helps DFW'ers

I used to work in a highly Asian populated area until we moved offices back in April and I miss it sooooo much. You could buy all the fresh spices and herbs in a quantity that you needed rather than a great big jar/bagful. Plus the butchers sold amazing meat, chicken, lamb and mutton that was 'curry-ready' i.e. chopped up and ready to go. Plus there was a convenience type store that sold all manner of stuff, didn't have the faintest what half of it was but the nice couple behind the counter always used to explain what everything was and the best way to cook it.

Just handed my notice in yesterday and have a new job back in that area starting next month, so looks like we'll be eating curry everyday again Oh my DD1 won't be pleased......'curry???? again???? we have curry everyday!!!!!'

traceyjanet

My nephew married a Thai girl and when she was here last year she gave me lots of cooking lessons and I have recipes that I wrote out, if you want any email me on [EMAIL="lovetheskinyourin13@yahoo.co.uk"]lovetheskinyourin13@yahoo.co.uk[/EMAIL], they are sooooo tasty and really cheap to make. I bulk buy the jasmin rice, a 10kg bag at a time it lasts for months and months and costs me £8.....An all time favourite Thai soup (asked for by all westerners eating Thai).

TOM YUM SOUP

1 Galanga Large piece – cut into slices
1 Lemon Grass – cut lengthways ½ “pieces
3 Kaffar Lime leaves – remove spine from leaves and tear into large pieces
1 Onion – cut into 1” square-ish pieces
2 or 3 Chillies – cut into 3
2 Spring onion – chop into 2” lengths (the white part separate so not a big piece
1 Tomatoe –chop into 6 pieces
1 chicken breast large – chopped into small cubes
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Fish Sauce
1 dessert spoon Tom Yum Paste
(Ingredients available from any Chinese supermarket )

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Heat ½ pan of water in a milk pan
Add lemon grass on a medium heat
Add the salt
Slowly bringing to the boil.
Add the Galanga, chillies and lime leaves stir together
Add the chicken, cook for 2 or 3 mins till chicken almost cooked
Add fish sauce
Add 1 tablespoon of Tom Yum Paste – stir for a little while
Add the onion and boil til cooked
A chicken oxo can be used if more flavour required
Add spring onions and tomatoes at the end
Fill saucepan up to the top with more cold water, and heat up

Taste to see if more Tom Yum paste required – don’t add too much as it will be sour, if too much is added put in ¼ teaspoon of fish sauce.

If soup not sour enough a squeeze of lemon can be added

Serve with freshly cooked Jasmin rice

This dish can be cooked with pork or shrimp