It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

ragz_2

ladyholly said:

There was no lard I tes** last Tuesday so perhaps that is the latest shortage. I will look again this week.

Lard has been out of stock online at Tesco for the last month or so, so we're totally out as well. Also no beef dripping, which is what we fill our fryer with (it says not to, but we've been doing it for ages). 

joedenise

We bought a whole loin of pork last week which was, coincidentally £25 which DH cured and smoked after cutting off a piece for roast later this month.  Once smoked sliced it and vac packed it.  Got enough bacon for 21 meals for 2 plus 8 lots of lardons which we can use for adding flavour to rice dishes, quiches, omelettes etc.  So as @obt666 says it's best to go big and cheaper in the long run.  The bacon cooks in less time than it takes to fry the eggs and tastes absolutely gorgeous!

Definitely works out cheaper than buying packs of bacon which just don't taste as good.

I also do the same with gammon joints.  Slow cook and then it gets used as a main meal hot, a cold main meal, sandwiches and some gets sliced and vac packed and frozen and used at a later date.  Definitely cheaper than buying small packs of ham and far tastier.

euronorris

I think the small packs of ham is one of the prices that has shocked me the most. Its never been economical when compared to cooking a gammon, but it was convenient and not overly expensive. Now, however, the price is doubling and the quality and quantity is halving. So gammon it is.

Whilst there were plenty of gaps in store, I did actually notice that lard and dripping was in stock. Though the allotted space was smaller, so I expect it will soon be out of stock again.

Some neighbours are putting on an impromptu street party, but not sure if we'll join in yet. DDs school is having a jubilee sports day on Tuesday, and a jubilee themed day for them on Friday. Jubilee outfits allowed on Friday, and there is a design and make your own crown competition and bring in a cake thing. I've made DD a jubilee themed dress (I bought the fabric though, so not especially thrifty), and I'll make a cake. I can't seem to get her interested in making a crown though lol

Brambling

euronorris said:

I think the small packs of ham is one of the prices that has shocked me the most. Its never been economical when compared to cooking a gammon, but it was convenient and not overly expensive. Now, however, the price is doubling and the quality and quantity is halving. So gammon it is.

I've never understood why people buy cooked sliced chicken breast for sandwiches either, when a small chicken is a not much more money and so much more meat and then chicken stock, even if you factor in cooking time.  I've started to spatchcock chicken before roasting easy to do and half the cooking time 

[Deleted User]

It’s still chilly in our little part of the country on an evening so the fire is still being lit daily at around 5pm. Laundry dries in front of it, water is boiled on it and I’ve cooked tonight’s dinner on it.

I’ve been given 12 pallets so they are to chop for firewood. We may as well not have GCH anymore as we just don’t use it.

We have hatched some chicks which we are rearing for meat, and a local farmer is giving us some pork in exchange for our help at lambing time. 

I am keeping positive and remembering that happiness is as happiness does. Whatever the next few months throw at us all, we WILL get through them and not only survive, but thrive xx

London_1

As asked for  by Spendless, here is the recipe for Melting Moments but you can adapt it for almost any flavour biscuits you want by adding perhaps some cinnamon, or mixed spices  or ground ginger or coconut, really what ever flavour you would like.

                                         
                            My late Mum's recipe for Melting Moments. as taught to me in 1949

Courtesy of the late Mrs Catherine Bearn (1900-1962) my Mum xx (She didn't have a blender though for the sugar)

I'm of the ...older generation so my measurements are in ounces but I'm sure the younger folk can work them out  



5 ozs soft marg (Stork) or butter (I save my unsalted block butter for shortbread )

3ozs caster sugar. (or whizz up ordinary granulated in the blender if you haven't any caster sugar in stock )

 2  teaspoons of Vanilla essence. OR 1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract. ( I do have both in my cupboard, and the extract is more expensive, but you use less so its swings and roundabouts really)

5 ozs self raising flour  (sieved) force of habit as I have alwasy sieved the flour )

dessicated coconut or oats for rolling in and a couple of glace cherries to decorate,  (When I'm making them for my great granddaughters I decorate with those tiny chocolate chips, as they are not keen on the 'red bits' )

Method:

Heat oven to 175c or gas mark 4.

grease two baking trays.

 Should make about 24 biscuits depending on the size you want them. I like them around the size of a ginger nut shop-bought biscuit, just sits nicely on the saucer of your cuppa  

Cream the marg/butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy

 Beat in the vanilla essence OR extract

add the sieved fflour
 and just keep mixing with a fork until you have a stickyish dough.

take a teaspoon and a small amount of dough (about the size of a walnut and roll with your hand into a small ball.
Toss in either oats or dessicated coconut, or leave as it is for plainer ones .

Place on the tray and press the middle down with a fork to flatten it slightly.
Decorate with a small slice of glace cherry in the middle, or three chocolate chips 

Bake in the oven for around 11-12 minutes until just starting to go golden .
keep an eye on them  
Not too long, or they will go too brown.

Remove the tray, and leave to cool for a few minutes on the tray, then carefully, using a palette knife slide the biscuits onto a wire cooling rack to harden off

You may think they are not cooked as they should be pale yellow but they do crisp up as they cool. 

I store mine in a rectangular take-away box, not that they are in there for long
These are cheap as chips to make, and you can make a batch in about half an hour from start to finish .

I have been making these for the past 70 plus years and my children,grandchildren and great-grandchildren have grown up liking them. So I think I could probably do these in my sleep If you want to vary the flavour a bit add a teaspoon or two of mixed spice or cinnamon,ginger etc when you sieve the flour. 

Hope you enjoy them 

JackieO xx

euronorris

Oohh thanks JackieO! I read through that going 'I've got that in, I've got that oh and that, yes, I can make these' lol

London_1

euronorris said:

Oohh thanks JackieO! I read through that going 'I've got that in, I've got that oh and that, yes, I can make these' lol

No problem , hopefully, as its a rainy day, some of you will give them a go and let me know how you got on i've got so ude to making them I am usually washing up the baking bowl etc as they are cooking . 
JackieO xx

dreamyd

t14cy_t said:

i collected a too go to bag from my local costcutters, heres what i got!! 3 litres tropicana orange juice, 2 loaves hovis, 2 packs of ham, 3 ginsters pasties, 2 steak slices and 1 pie from the hot counter, punnet raspberries, strawberries, stirfry, cheesey coleslaw, spinach and 4 ready made coffees!!!! all for £4. wowsers. very impressed. nowt wasted here. xx

There's a BP garage with a convenience store attached on my bus route home.  I get a TGTG bag from them whenever I'm working in the Dept office (usually twice a week). They seem massively overstocked with all kinds of stuff. My latest bag  (£3.29) had  he following, which is a fairly typical haul:

2 packs of cooked cocktail sausages
1 pack snack eggs
2 pots (284ml) double cream
A twin pack of decorated cupcakes 
A pepperoni pizza
A small tub of guacamole
A Dunkin Donuts twinpack
A fresh portion of cod 

We're not massive fish eaters, so the cod went straight into the freezer to pass onto a friend who is. The rest of the bag fed us for a chunk of the weekend.  The cream will be whipped then frozen into ice-cube trays so that I can use a little every now and then.

Florenceem

London_1 - thanks for the recipe - I will have a go at them - not today though as I am doing a big bake of cakes for SA activities tomorrow. I have already done a bag of sugar in my blender. Wet here in Ramsgate.