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

zcrat41

Bluegreen143 said:

@Woolsery our hens are pets we keep for the children so we have to feed and house them regardless 😅 As neither the cat nor the canary ever gave us a thing to eat I’m counting it as a freebie benefit! I’m not suggesting anyone get chickens to make slightly cheaper mousse - just that if you HAVE the eggs it’s a good way to use them up - I’d never thought of it or made mousse before.

Hi Bluegreen. Would you be kind enough to share your recipe. 

I'm an egg producer and am a dab hand at omelettes, scrambled egg, meringue etc but for some reason have never thought to make chocolate mousse😂

I don't think chicken keepers have seen the worst of the price rises yet. On a commercial scale (which I imagine is reflected in the consumer market) lots of feed merchants have bought their supply previously. There is still wheat leaving arable farms today that was sold 18 months ago for £180 a ton. Sell that same wheat today and your looking at £310. Those price rises are yet to 'feed' into the market. 

Sorry - don't mean to go on but it's a bit of a sore subject for the poultry world at the moment! A homemade chocolate mousse would most definitely help the stress levels!! 

Bluegreen143

@zcrat41 here’s the recipe as I found it online 🙂 I halved this (using 100g choc not halving the 225) and it did 2 adults, 2 kids, in ramekins topped with a strawberry each.

225g dark/plain chocolate, not TOO dark or you’ll need sugar too (I just used 1x 100g bar plain cooking chocolate, I’m sure using expensive chocolate is even nicer but this is budget mousse!)

6 large eggs, separated (I halved) 
4tsp butter (I halved)
Pinch salt 

Melt butter and chocolate gently and leave to cool a bit. Once it’s not too hot, add the egg yolk and mix well.

In a very clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks (I used my stand mixer) with a pinch of salt. 

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate very very gently then pour into individual ramekins to set in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight. 

Woolsery

Bluegreen143 said:

@Woolsery again, my apologies. Was just delighted to find a new recipe to use up the egg mountain and thought I’d share as others on here keep chickens and presumably also have a surplus.

No need for apologies; it's just a rotten time to go into chicken keeping with the price of feed and the avian flu restrictions. Those of us who already have the housing and all the kit are at least spared the extra input other than maintenance.

Wednesday2000

otb666 said:

The other couple was not claiming the UC they were entitled to approx £250 per week

I know! It was over £10,000 a year they didn't realise they could claim!

zcrat41

@Bluegreen143 thank you. That sounds pretty easy and a lot healthier than a bought pudding! 

Bluegreen143

The avian flu restrictions were awful this year, with how long they went on; I felt guilty every time I went into the garden even though they have a huge big fully roofed run (and we’ve only got two chooks currently, so it wasn’t crowded! - we are getting two more next week 🙂). They just love getting out in the garden and it’s so nice now they can explore again 🙂

London_1

I often buy the basic greek yogurt pot for around 75p, with each serving. I either add some honey, or grated chocolate or even a spoonful of jam or stewed fruit to mix in with it a few crushed up branflakes or cornflakes and its not really much difference between that and the expensive Mueller corners yogurt which can be about three pounds for silly little plastic pots. A trifle made with a jelly from aldi's and some left over maybe a bit stale cake topped with home made custard (I always use Birds ) and you can have quite a large pudding for a fraction of what they cost in the shops or a rice pudding made with 2ounces of shortgrain rice ,2 ounces of cast sugar and a pint of milk ,cook in a slow cooker (cheaper than the oven )and you have a nice dessert for a fraction of the price of again these small plastic pots.I tried the basic tinned rice but thought it was far too watery and not that nice 

JackieO x

Bluegreen143

@London_1 ons if my favourite treats is plain Greek yoghurt with a tiny bit of maple syrup and vanilla extract, and dark chocolate chips added. Agree it’s very like one of those treaty corner yoghurts, but very cheap and no random additives either. Plus I definitely add less sugar as just put a teeny drizzle of the syrup in.

Onebrokelady

Flugelhorn said:

Onebrokelady said:

Wednesday2000 said:

I have been recording the channel 4 show about spending/saving money. It made me laugh that the husband of one of the women kept buying bed linen if he couldn't find any in the house. They said he was spending £100 a month on bed covers! They showed it near the end and he had stacks of them all in their original packaging.

What is the name of this programme please 😊

think it is this one https://www.channel4.com/programmes/secret-spenders  secret spenders

Thanks i will check it out 😊

Onebrokelady

Woolsery said:

Bluegreen143 said:

I made proper chocolate mousse for dessert tonight and have just realised what a frugal dessert it is for us chicken keepers who get free eggs 🙂

Err....free eggs? I like chicken-keeping too, but giving them excellent conditions, keeping them safe and feeding them is a long way from free where I live.

 Your mousse is probably a lot nicer than Tescos, but our hens cost us quite a lot more than they save us, to say nothingof rising at an ungodly hour at present to let them out!

I was about to say the same,I once worked out that the eggs I get from my hens cost about £3 each 😂😂😂