Cooking for one

PasturesNew

According to my notes....I haven't yet tried the 4ldi pie yet. When I do it'll be named something like family/deep/minced beef/onion. Certainly in L1dl, the minced beef/onion are preferable to the steak ones... which isn't what you'd think is it. Steak sounds so much more inviting, but the L1dl minced beef/onion are really scrummy and meaty and filling, whereas the steak left me thinking I'd chosen poorly. Edible, but not as nice as the minced beef.

When it comes to shop pies, I think I prefer shortcrust pastry to puff. Puff's good if it's in a works' canteen, or a pub meal .... but I think it's something that doesn't translate well to ready meals. So it's shortcrust for me if there's a choice.

PasturesNew

I think frozen desserts are something I'd like - when you see a big/serves 4 10" round frozen dessert.... but you can't buy it as it's not slices.... and you would never want to eat the whole thing once defrosted. What you want is to buy a big one, slice it up and then defrost an occasional slice....but you can't cut through a frozen banoffee pie, or lemon meringue pie, or black forest gateaux - and there is a real shortage of "serves one" scrummy desserts for sale.

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

I think frozen desserts are something I'd like - when you see a big/serves 4 10" round frozen dessert.... but you can't buy it as it's not slices.... and you would never want to eat the whole thing once defrosted. What you want is to buy a big one, slice it up and then defrost an occasional slice....but you can't cut through a frozen banoffee pie, or lemon meringue pie, or black forest gateaux - and there is a real shortage of "serves one" scrummy desserts for sale.

Some of the fresh ones can be sliced in their packaging and then put in the freezer in their box. I've done that with quite a few things. I know I've done that with large cheesecakes, a berry roulade, a large chocolate tart, and a key lime pie. They all defrosted fine.

moneyistooshorttomention

PasturesNew wrote: »

Which was probably boiled cabbage. We used to have a LOT of boiled cabbage, it was practically a staple. I do love cabbage. I've even had a plate of cabbage and mash with gravy as a whole meal before

I've probably not eaten cabbage for about 20 years .... because they're too big and that's a LOT of "fancying it".

That's one thing where greengrocers come in handy. As they will cut things like cabbages and melons in half and it's possible to buy a smaller portion at no higher unit cost. Sighs at not having a greengrocer here - as I've been used to having several to choose from:(. Thankfully I have got a farm shop and, with being an "organic" eater, that covers some things being bought "individually".

PasturesNew

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

.... greengrocers come in handy.... Sighs at not having a greengrocer here....

I've randomly kept an eye out locally, for the mythical greengrocers - and there are none.

The cost of getting to anywhere else -v- buying a whole item at the nearest shop and potentially binning leftovers would mean that it's better/cheaper to just buy at a supermarket

You don't have to drive many miles before the cost has outweighed any financial penny-pinching one had in mind.

I just typed into google: greengrocers AA22 (where AA22 is the first part of my postcode). Then I eventually identified one, the nearest one is 3 miles away - on a busy road without any parking. So, car running cost wise, for me to go and buy half a cabbage would cost me about £1-£1.20 ... which means it's cheaper to just buy "any cabbage"

Hollyharvey

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

That's one thing where greengrocers come in handy. As they will cut things like cabbages and melons in half and it's possible to buy a smaller portion at no higher unit cost. Sighs at not having a greengrocer here - as I've been used to having several to choose from:(. Thankfully I have got a farm shop and, with being an "organic" eater, that covers some things being bought "individually".

There was two in the town centre where I live and they both closed early last year because they were not making a living. I did notice that they were always way more expensive than the supermarkets and because of that I didn't use them. I don't know if they were not very good ones because they never seemed to have much choice of anything. Take apples, they used to only have two choices, usually bramley and golden delicious.

moneyistooshorttomention

Quick count of how many greengrocers I could walk to from my last house (in a city centre) and it was 3 (despite 1 shutting). They were all pretty reasonable too. Just thinking that it was a good job that I tried more exotic fruit/veg whilst I had the chance - eg dragon fruit, star fruit, etc - but now I'm minus those greengrocers and Waitrose:( - it's rare for me to come across anything more exotic than passion fruit, mangoes, etc.

I think shopping is very much down to the location one lives in in many respects. Thank goodness for being able to buy groceries by post as a back-up if need be - currently awaiting a pack of silken tofu as we speak and recently had to send for a specialist flour from Amazon as well (despite there being several genuine health food shops around me).

I can well believe that there are these "food deserts" reported for certain areas of our bigger cities (ie where it's hard to buy even bog-standard fruit and vegetables).

Where I lived before food available to buy seemed to go along a "middle ground" and lots of ethnic food available. Where I am now = very little ethnic food indeed and it seems to be "two level eating". There's junk food/cheapest possible eating on the one hand and "hippie eating" (health food shops and high quality local produce) on the other hand. Fortunately - the second is fine by me = so "hippie eating" and "quality" local produce it is. It's just the variety that's missing...:(

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On another note - must google again for a ceramic wok - as I've not come across one yet anywhere...

greenbee

Didn't you do research into food shopping before you moved MTSM? Given how important it is to you, it seems it might be a good idea to prioritise it before any further move...

Anne_Marie_2

Regarding cabbage, can tell you exactly, have bought one in the last 5 years, and that was last year, as had a taste for it, and managed to get a baby sized one. Sometimes they are the size of a flipping football. It's often used shredded in a green salad here. I eat it when I'm out, but too much chewing, when there's a load on your plate, and I eat slower than anyone I know.
Used to hate cabbage as it was always dark green mush, when I was a child, but we had no choice but to eat it, so scoffed that first to get it off my plate, and then enjoyed the rest of the dinner. Kids nowadays don't know they are born, getting to turn their noses up at food and choosing what they want for dinner!

It's a great pity of the sad demise of the greengrocer. That's what we get for wanting the convenience of doing a one stop shop. Noticed last year when I was back, that the fishmonger in the town had closed down, such a shame. The greengrocer had closed down before I left. Was great as you always got a wee blether and found out what was going on.

Whilst I do buy fruit and veg in supermarkets, I do try to pick up at one of the markets if it's convenient, as always cheaper and better quality. The bigger towns have a weekly market, so try to catch one if I can, but there is always a bit of travel involved, so best planned when other things are needed too, not just a bit of fruit and veg for me.

MITSTM - sorry can't help you with the wok, bought mine here. Just checked and no name on it, although it definitely had a name on the wrapping, but that's long since in the bin. Probably not available in the UK anyway.

PasturesNew

Brekkie was the final portion of the honey/nut cornflakes. I'll buy those again, but after a break .....

Lunch had to be the 2nd of the minced beef/onion 'slices' I'd bought and ate/disliked yesterday. Today I did it the same, with mash and beans and a little gravy added.... but it wasn't improved. It really is a "never again" food choice.

Shame is, I'd thought of something I'd have rather eaten today - only I couldn't as the slice needed to be used up and I didn't want it sitting there for days while I "got round to it".

One of the reasons greengrocers are shut is probably also because when they are open many people are at work. They seem to operate "normal office hours" and would be closed when people were driving home.

Where I used to live the greengrocers were well-established and they also supplied local businesses, cafes, restaurants, hotels etc etc with their fresh fruit/veg, so when they shut down the shop they opened up a small "retail counter" area open a few hours/week at their warehouse about 1/4 of a mile from the high street shop. Over time they then worked out "veg boxes" - and now can offer a small/cheap veg box (starting at £5) with almost no delivery charge and you can even get them delivered within 2 hours because they have so many vans out and about in the local area! That works for them because outside of the immediate town there's nothing much for 5 miles or so, so the local residents wanting a box in 2 hours' time can always be delivered as it's all really local. They'd rarely have an order for a £5 box in 2 hours' time from 20 miles away ....