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

weenancyinAmerica

That was always the description of English cooking - overcooked vegetables. Even in travel books where it said to go to ethnic restaurants instead, until at least the 1980s. So I have been pleasantly surprised during my visits to find food is actually mostly good - except for W*mpies hamburgers. I love seeing all the diversity in tastes now. (After my first trip to England, the IRA blew up a W*impies in London - I figured it was a commentary on the food as it was the one I had just visited.) One of the best hamburgers I had was in a small place in London where the cook spoke no English  - I still haven't had one as good years later.

freyasmum

CCW007 said:

I was into my thirties before I would touch red wine, blue cheese, dark chocolate or olives - now love them.

The only dish I eat fennel is an italian coleslaw which is amazing and you can't taste aniseed - @Brambling , combines fennel and raw coleslaw:

Italian Fennel Coleslaw | Punchfork 

Funny you mention red wine, blue cheese and olives - I really don't enjoy any of these. Blue cheese just tastes like penicillin to me, yeurch. I also don't like most fish/seafood - I don't mind prawns or smoked fish (because it doesn't really taste of fish!).

I do love all manner of fruit and veg - my parents are both trained chefs, so our veggies were always perfect. My mother in law likes the veg that she will eat to be very overcooked, so I tend to take ours out, and leave hers to cook a bit longer. I used to love sprouts (they used to be my favourite), but really went off them when I was expecting my eldest, though I do eat them again now.

My youngest was a fab little eater until he turned 2 and then his diet just got progressively worse and worse until he was basically subsisting on carbs, fruit and vitamin gummy bears. He just wouldn't eat if he didn't want it... until this March and he asked to try what we were having. Now he also loves veggies and will eat the majority of family meals - nothing spicy though, bless him. 

We landed on a little goldmine the other day and managed to get a few packs each of the finest sausages and turkey mince for 50-60p a pack. We put them in my mums freezer and, when we were leaving, put them in a freezer bag with ice  - when we got home some 8 hours later, we still had ice. They're now safely in our freezer. My mum also had a few jars of carbonara sauce which my dad decided he didn't like any more, so we brought those with us too. 

FrugalThymes

Took our meter readings last night and if I've calculated correctly usage plus standing charge is £140 less than the £247 monthly direct debit. The £247 is the price we're paying AFTER asking for a review and reduction from the quoted over £350 a month when it all went up! No central heating on yet and have MASSIVELY reduced tumble drier and oven usage, so we are now £450 in credit plus whatever excess we pay this month if my numbers are right. I can't get them to reduce it any more yet, and we can just about cover it so I guess we're just sitting on a nice emergency 'in credit' fund if we need it. 

I saw a couple of youtube videos about wheat, pasta and cooking oil prices having already increased with more rises expected, as well as just general food costs, and looking at heading to the Asian supermarkets nearby to get a couple of big bottles of oil to last us over the winter. Also going to spend a little more on stocking up a proper 3 month rolling pantry. Trying not to worry too much but it's just all so much isn't it, and add in the stress of watching the government just keep making decisions that hurt us all more, ugh.

JIL

Floss said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Yep @Bluegreen143 sometimes these things are about how you approach them.

A few years ago I was at a different cousin's house, and his wee son (6 yo) was having a fit about not want to eat the sweetcorn his mum was prepping for dinner. So I took a cob and we sat and dismantled it. He reckoned they looked like the boils grandad's got on his ears. Me - well a whole one like this is called an ear so you're absolutely right. Him - so these are ear boils! Me - Yes they are!

Later on we're sat next to each other eating dinner he's nudging them round the plate, I squished some of mine (he's carefully watching) and ate a forkful. He suddenly shrieks "urgh you're eating ear boil pus!" Yeah I am, bet you daren't eat some too. And he did. Urgh you're eating ear boil pus too! No I'm not! Yes you did I saw you! And he's squealing with laughter. Problem solved.

Nobody else had a clue what we were on about! 

I know 2 30-something men who still call cauliflower & brocoli clouds & trees - when small they wouldn't eat it when given the proper names!

That could be  my two sons 🤣

Did they mention that  we referred  to cress, as grass. 

annieb64

I had forgotten about marrow but it was boiled to a mush then covered in white sauce.

JIL

We used to have a rabbit as a pet growing up. A neighbour a few doors away would drop off her cauliflower leaves and a couple of carrots, on a Sunday for the rabbit.
My mum would strip the leaves off the cauliflower and we would have these as a veg on our Sunday dinner. We always had carrots on a Sunday, the rabbit got the peelings and dandelions from the garden.

RobM99

JIL said:

We used to have a rabbit as a pet growing up. A neighbour a few doors away would drop off her cauliflower leaves and a couple of carrots, on a Sunday for the rabbit.
My mum would strip the leaves off the cauliflower and we would have these as a veg on our Sunday dinner. We always had carrots on a Sunday, the rabbit got the peelings and dandelions from the garden.

PoorBasil The Bunny got the bits nobody wanted!

ladyholly

Sorry everyone I like my Brussels overcooked - not to the point of disintegration but certainly soggy. DH hates them so I can cook them to suit me. Other veg is fine cooked properly but sprouts, to me, are horrid if they are al dente.

My mum always put the leaves in to cook with the cauliflower but then we didnt have a rabbit. I wanted one but my parents always said rabbits were only good for eating. They were brought up in the 1930s in poor families who ate anything and everything.

We are very lucky now even in these hard times that most people can eat what  what they liike. On that note why have most supermarkets stopped selling offal ecept liver? It is inexpensive and nutritious though I must admit I cant abide tripe. My BiL gets kidneys for me as I cant get them in the medium size town where I live. No one ever seems to think of eating offal yet will buy ready made steak and kidney pies.

linz

Hi all,

Sorry to derail the boiled veg topic but can someone tell me what I can use to get rid of limescale at the end of my bathroom tap pls? I remember seeing Kim & Aggie do it with a small plastic sandwich bag scrunched up with something in, tied with an elastic band round the tap for a couple of hours but I can't remember what they used. I don't fancy scratching it with a 2p,

Thanks in advance, and now back to boiled cabbage

JIL

RobM99 said:

JIL said:

We used to have a rabbit as a pet growing up. A neighbour a few doors away would drop off her cauliflower leaves and a couple of carrots, on a Sunday for the rabbit.
My mum would strip the leaves off the cauliflower and we would have these as a veg on our Sunday dinner. We always had carrots on a Sunday, the rabbit got the peelings and dandelions from the garden.

PoorBasil The Bunny got the bits nobody wanted!

I think it was called snowy. It was a vicious rabbit, probably because of my mum stealing his food.