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

ZTD

If you buy the staple raw ingredients, then you should be fine - after all plants don't know they're producing for a "value" range and they should make their seeds that little bit crap...

But certainly as Obi says - get yea asss to a market and buy cheap and quality. Time to plug one of my favorite threads again...

rog2

OberonSH wrote: »

Grimsby has 2 markets, and they're both great - we're really lucky.

You are, indeed lucky - I have spent 30+ years in the Food Industry (supplying Technology) and GRIMSBY IS the 'Food Capital' of the UK.

Burlesque_Babe

Hey - Oberon - I grew up Grimsby!! I worked on the inside market on a cheese stall for 4 years from when I was 14 to 18. Happy memories to be honest.

Never knew there was a farmer's market, wonder if my Mum knows about it.

Anyway, I digress.......all the odd shape fruit/veg etc becomes Value/Smartprice etc so it is perfectly possible to do a month on it. Some stuff is rough (I always think the tea bags smell like an old ash tray) but if you pick and choose carefully you won't have a problem.

Have a look on the O/S board. There is a very long thread running about what people like and don't like from the ranges, it might help.

OberonSH

Yup, farmer's market is 3rd friday of the month - was one yesterday. Not a huge amount of stalls, but there's local lamb, pork & ostrich - don't pull that face it's lovely. You've never lived til you've wandered trhough Grimsby munching an ostrich burger with cheese..... There's no just cheese stalls in toptown market now, but they all do a decent mild cheddar - good thing as DD is a cheese fiend.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to live on just the basic range from a supermarket for a while - some of the products might not be to your taste - I couldn;t get on with the instant coffee at Netto - but you can do it, and with some clever cookng there's no reason not to still have yummy meals.

Burlesque_Babe

No face pulling here Oberon, Ostrich is really good meat.

I think the cheese stall I worked on closed in the early 90's. Shame as we sold about 60 different ones. The supermarkets started opening deli counters and it took away the trade. I don't think either fish counter is still there either which was near me when I worked there.

mrsspendalot

We already do buy 95% value brands already. Almost everything else is tescos own. We buy very few brand name products.

rog2

keren29 wrote: »

Ostrich is really good meat.

I agree - it's higher in protein, yet lower in fat, than beef, yet just as tasty. On top of that it is cheaper to produce - good for the farmer.
Problem here, in the UK, is marketing - overcoming our preconcieved ideas.
I understand that 90% of all ostrich produced in the UK goes to Switzerland - incredible.
It's about time the celebrity chefs' got to work on changing the UK palate again.

redsquirrel80

Yep it's absolutely possible - but don't forget about reduced stuff too, especially if you've got plenty of freezer space. Most of my basics are, er, 'basic' but I try to buy organic/ free range meat wherever possible, so if I can find it reduced that's always a bonus.

lynzpower

Id say its completely possible. If you use tescos, then choose to go to a tesco extra, where they carry loads more value ranges, than a "normal " tesco.

One potential menu could be
V muesli, value sliced strawbs, UHT milk ( or choose normal milk if you cant drink UHT) value OJ, a vlaue yoghurt.

Lunch what about a sandwich with v. avocado, v. bacon bits, lettuce, ( all v) value crisps, v cereal bars

For tea you have scores of choices, val rice with curry- chopped toms, value turkey breast pieces chopped ( this is particualrly good, its offcuts rather than crap meat) v curry powder, v mushrooms onions, fr peas, peppers, courgettes, potato, serve with v naan bread.

PUddings, value sponge cake, with sliced straberrys, or value tinned puddings with v custard.

All of these things are things I do buy and eat myself - perfectly acceptable and often v little difference between the v version and the shops own version at all. Some are even nicer than the brand versions.

painted_lady

I lived off kwik save no frills for 3 years as a student, 1995 - 1998, it has become habit now, I still only buy cheap beans and so on. The only items that actually taste any difference to me are coffee, coke and cornflakes, have to get the good makes. I think that asda smart price beans are the same as the expensive asda beans, just in different packaging. We buy staple foods of rice, pasta, lentils etc and then frsh veg and tinned stuff. Never buy pre made microwave meals or anything like that. It can be done and you probably wont notice the difference, only in your pocket.
Also, if you dont want everything in the cupboard to have white labels on, netto and lidl sell the stuff just as cheap, but you get a colourful label.