The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

Cherryfudge

We've finished up some fish from the freezer and decided on Shepherd's pie tomorrow (again). We needed potatoes but that was covered by the L1dl free veg voucher: not the big bags (currently £3.99) but the equivalent of the old 5lb bags, just a bit smaller. They have some nice ones that are called 'gold' something or other, and last time, we got through those nicely. The sacks are too big for us two.

We've a few carrots left from the cheap Easter ones but I think I might use up the rest of the roast carrots from yesterday - they already taste of lamb so I doubt they will go with anything else.

Cherryfudge

Half the Shepherd's pie is still in the fridge - DH has had a D&V bug so we didn't eat as much as expected. The rest of the lamb is now frozen and I ate up a shop-bought pie with the remainder of the roast vegetables and potatoes. I made overnight oats for supper tonight and another batch for lunch tomorrow, which meant getting a new bag out of the store cupboard - and finding they go out of date this Thursday! I'm sure they will be okay a little longer but I might make some flapjacks…

Watty1

flapjacks - yum - might add that to my ideas.

Banana bread made using the frozen bananas and the rest of the spelt flour. Wasn't quite enough flour so made it up with some wholewheat bread flour. Gradually the flour mountain is going down! It is really nice, quite dense. Made soup using some white beans and finally have cleared this week enough space to organise the top shelf of the food cupboard.

Still making meals using stuff in the freezer but pleased the tiny house freezer is now more functional and back to just holding frozen veggies like peas and sweetcorn and stuff for cooking like frozen herbs and frozen chilli. Added a few more frozen herbs as there was mint and thyme in veggie box but these take up so little space that I like having them there.

In fun stuff found some tinned tonic water in the food cupboard and a non alcoholic spirit so pre dinner drinks with frozen slices of orange and mint ice cubes in them. There is another bottle of a non alcoholic something or another somewhere but I'll find that in due course I am sure!

Watty1

Found a jar of tahini that was out of date many years ago. Have discarded it. There are two more recent jars available for use and I suspect the out of date one rancid. It might only be a tiny thing but that is one more thing gone from the cupboard so I can see what is actually there.

rtandon27

@Watty1 - those small things definately do add up - I spent my Easter break ensuring 95% of the collected recyclying left the house, as both glass & tetra need to go to the bottle bank as they do not get picked up. We had saved up blister packs to take to the one pharmacy in town that recycles them, but their hours are unsociable, so those went to the tip! Also every stray bit of cardboard went out the front door & filled up the recycle bin to the top. Individually those things don't seem to be a big deal, but collectively they made physical and mental space for us to live more comfortably in the house!

Cherryfudge

The banana bread sounds really nice: I like making things where I'm throwing in a bit of (totally the wrong sort of) flour and seeing what results. I don't think I've ever had an inedible one and sometimes the taste or texture has been lovely.

(Then I have to think whether to buy more of the product I was so pleased to have finished, in order to be able to make it again).

I've started another jar of the greengage jam - it's been in the fridge not the freezer so there was a bit of green on top to discard, but it tastes okay!

Watty1

@rtandon27 I get that - sometimes I think it is as much mental space as cupboard space. Clearing, seeing what actually I have is just less stressful.

Cherryfudge

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81963717#Comment_81963717

I take the blister packs to drop into the recycling at B00ts, but gave up on their app as it was too complicated for me. I just shove the things in and hope that it's okay that I don't claim anything off them for the privilege. I think some branches of S00perdrug do a similar scheme. It's a shame your pharmacy isn't very accessible.

You've reminded me that I have far too many loo roll centres saved up for 'crafts' and haven't used them at all so I think they could be added to the recycling bin!

Cherryfudge

Half a pack of sausages and a portion of Shepherd's pie used up today. Then I tried making flapjacks to use up oats. They looked just right until I tried to unglue them from the greaseproof paper, after which they turned into random heaps of crumbs and odd shapes.

I also cleared out a few bits from the fridge from before DH had the bug. Custard, ratatouille and apple juice, and DH emptied out the last of a bottle of wine that he said had turned to vinegar. Nice to have fridge space again! Then I braved the shed and turfed the sad remains of the pumpkins and cabbages from the Christmas veg into the compost bin. Only the shallots were fine: now I need to make sure I use them.

I've put a few bread crusts into the freezer for bread pudding.

YorksLass

@Cherryfudge - Yep, flapjacks can easily disintegrate into crumbs but they're great sprinkled over ice cream or stirred into yogurt. Ask me how I know! 😁