Love food hate Waste Part two for 2018 :)

[Deleted User]

Hi chums we got to our destination at the Lodge retreat just outside Bath and its absolutely gorgeous Best place I have ever stayed in,very comfortable and set if gorgeous woodland with a small stream running throughMy friend and I went for a walk after dinner tonight and akll we could hear were the blackbird singing his head off and the sound of the brook.Fabulous place ,even nicer that it was a freebie via a friend .My friend is a veggie and she had brought a couple of HM quiches and vegetables and we had a lovely meal along with a glass of fizz.Sat nattering all night and really had a nice evening Off into Bath to look around the Abbey tomorrow as her hobby is archeology, and she is very knowledgeable about the Romans, so should be an interesting day.

We both brough odds and ends of food with us so we won't go hungry in the morning. I highly recommend the Hoseasons Lodges they are fantastic

JackieO xx

joedenise

Sounds lovely JackieO. We've used the Hoseasons lodges at Rookley on the Isle of Wight a couple of times. We even had a hot tub in the garden! We travelled all over the island by bus each time and really enjoyed it.

Denise

marns

After some advice lovely food savers!

I made a stew from some reduced chicken thighs that needed using up from the freezer and I made far too many cheese and leek dumplings to go with it. Not wanting to waste them and knowing anything with baking powder is best cooked asap I chucked them straight in the freezer.

I'm not sure if they would be best cooked from frozen and left in longer or defrosted and used as normal. And for future reference would I have been better of cooking/par cooking them first? I'm thinking ready meal dumplings always look par cooked.

Grateful for any advice peeps

takingcontrolatlast

marns wrote: »

After some advice lovely food savers!

I made a stew from some reduced chicken thighs that needed using up from the freezer and I made far too many cheese and leek dumplings to go with it. Not wanting to waste them and knowing anything with baking powder is best cooked asap I chucked them straight in the freezer.

I'm not sure if they would be best cooked from frozen and left in longer or defrosted and used as normal. And for future reference would I have been better of cooking/par cooking them first? I'm thinking ready meal dumplings always look par cooked.

Grateful for any advice peeps

Hi Marns,

Wish I could offer advice but all the freezer techniques are new to me, however, the sound of cheese and leek dumplings sounds delicious... I have one sad leek in the fridge which I would normally put in a stew... I may look up a receipe for the dumplings!

I'm about to meal plan from my freezer and then see how I can cut back on my shopping. I have just returned back from a trip and the fridge is empty (apart from a leek and butter and cheese) !!

The freezer looks good and the cupboards are okay but I never "done a proper shop" before the trip so I do need to stock up a little.

I'm trying to save as much as possible (goal is £1,000) by the end of August to pay back a debt to a family member. So any monies saved from food shopping up until then will go towards it.

I will update my signature as I go.

x

takingcontrolatlast

Just testing out my signature!

takingcontrolatlast

I budget £100 a week for family of 4 and our old cat.

Today I shopped at L*dl (spent £33.40) followed by a quick trip to T*esco where I spent £48.65 for the remaining items on my shopping list.

Any feedback on L*dl's meat - I've never bought it as yet?

I have managed to save £17.95 from the food budget which I am totally amazed at!! I will round this up to £20 and will put it towards my next goal - will update signature

[Deleted User]

Well done TCAL its a great incentive when you see the result of keeping a sharp eye on what you actually buy I had been reading in the past few days about the supermarkets being told they must try to reduce their food waste I agree they must (for the sake of landfill if nothing else ) but I also think there is an awful lot that we as consumers can do.I have a theory that the bigger the shop the more unnecessary stuff there is on show to actually buy.Do we really need umpteen different brands of beans to choose from (at the end of the day we eat the contents not the tins )I ,when I buy something look for the best price/ quantity/quality and base my shopping usually on that. A bean, is a bean, is a bean, after all

I have been away for a few days on holiday and looking at my fridge I have already decided that the only stuff I actually NEED to buy is fresh fruit and veg as I have more than enough in my cupboards and freezer to feed half the street so my shopping list this morning will be limited to lettuce,tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper,mushrooms,carrots,and some oranges and that is all I am buying.this will do me for the next 5-6 days I have in stock onions,grapes,potatoes and in the freezer several bags of frozen green veg. My cupboards are pretty full of tinned stuff and I ,although have been using stuff as much as I can ,still have more than enough in the freezer for at least 3-4 weeks of meals.

Now at one time I would have come home from a trip and gone straight to the supermarket and strolled around filling my trolly with stuff I really din't need or want because my mindset was "Hmm been away and need to refill" Not anymore I am definitely reducing my waste and just not buying as I once did. I have this feeling that if perhaps we all did ,say for starters (baby steps for the first timers ) maybe 1-3 days meals strictly from existing stocks your cupboards may be thinner ,but your purse would be fatter

I know I maybe preaching to the converted but the original idea when I first started thinking about this hasn't changed and to lay all the blame at the SM is a little unfair .They do have to make a living and a profit to stay in business which is quite normal ,but if we all decided to buy ,even just a few things less per week over time I feel sure there would be far less stuff binned. So come on chums lets see how we can have a slightly different approach to LFHW just by not filling our trolleys quite as much

For a lot of people today is their 'big shop day' perhaps a slightly smaller 'big shop' would help reduce some of the appalling waste of food.

Right having said my piece I am off to get my 'slightly smaller shop' at the SM

Hope you all have a great day and a good weekend

Cheers chums JackieO xxx

joedenise

I try to use up stuff from the freezer and cupboards at least 3 times a week. This week I think I've managed 4 days. I've got a very hot curry out of the freezer for tonight's dinner which we'll have with rice. I will make a raita to go with it which will use up some of the cucumber in the fridge and some mint from the garden.

I think there is probably enough curry to have the LOs for lunch tomorrow with a jacket potato.

I've also got a YS shoulder of pork out of the freezer for dinner tomorrow night. I needed to get a large joint out as my DD2 and her partner are coming for dinner so 4 to feed rather than just the 2 of us. There should also be LOs from that for DH and I to have on Monday with some chips, beans & pickles.

Trying to use up as much as possible as off on holiday in the motorhome for a month on Tuesday.

Denise

takingcontrolatlast

Hi JackieO,

I really enjoyed reading your comments about the supermarkets and reducing waste and I do concur with your opinions. If I concentrate on the NEEDs and not the WANTs (as I should be doing with my spending to reduce debts) of the food shopping I will be financially better off - which is what is happening - savings are going towards debts.

I am trying to stick to the shopping list (after meal plan) but there are some items that slip in (ie the WANTS like cake!)

I read on a diary that (apologies can't remember the name) that she "shops from home" first and this is in effect what I am doing and what I think JackieO is saying too. I have so many cleaning products (WANTs not NEEDs) so I refuse to buy any until they are used up.

After using up a product, I think one of my improvements could be shopping for the better deal - I usually just stick to one supermarket but found yesterday I did save by going to L*dle and then T*esco for items which they didnt have - but this shop was not a planned "I'll get these items from L*dle". It was the first time I had bought at L*dle and have to say was quite impressed.

I plan to use the home made chilli that has been sat in my freezer this week, make a pan of stew which I should get 2 days from, use yellow sticker diced pork in the freezer to go with fried rice and freezer ys spring rolls, will utilise frozen chips and turkey burgers one night and enchilladars one night - that's the plan - think there is a spare night for something like beans on toast with egg !!

Enjoy the weekend x

takingcontrolatlast

joedenise wrote: »

I try to use up stuff from the freezer and cupboards at least 3 times a week. This week I think I've managed 4 days. I've got a very hot curry out of the freezer for tonight's dinner which we'll have with rice. I will make a raita to go with it which will use up some of the cucumber in the fridge and some mint from the garden.

I think there is probably enough curry to have the LOs for lunch tomorrow with a jacket potato.

I've also got a YS shoulder of pork out of the freezer for dinner tomorrow night. I needed to get a large joint out as my DD2 and her partner are coming for dinner so 4 to feed rather than just the 2 of us. There should also be LOs from that for DH and I to have on Monday with some chips, beans & pickles.


Trying to use up as much as possible as off on holiday in the motorhome for a month on Tuesday.

Denise

Your weekend foods sounds delicious!

Enjoy your holiday and I hope you have wonderful weather wherever you go