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

Floss

YoungBlueEyes said:

Pollycat said:

You had me at dark choc cherry and lost me at marzipan.
I don't mind fresh almonds but dislike it cooked.
Bakewell tart. 🤮
Wedding cake. 🤮
And coconut.
Fresh coconut is fine.
Bounty. 🤮
Anything with processed coconut. 🤮

I can taste the tiniest bit of coconut in a dish.

Himself doesn’t like processed coconut either, but I love it. Especially red bountys. And good Bakewell tart. And especially red bountys. 

I will fight you for those red bountys! 

elsien

The freebie celebrations box I got from earlier this week was a bounty free one.
I was both pleased to get the chocolate and unimpressed that it was a bountyless one, both at the same time.

NeeNee1

I love watching Frugal Queen in France Shoestring Jane and Vivi too. My husband and I are pensioners and trying to save as much as we can. I am happy to be back  here again.

Pollycat

RobM99 said:

Pollycat said:

I've never considered myself a 'prepper'.
But I do have an integral garage that I have a number of shelves with various tons, packets (in plastic containers).

Looks like a prepper to me 

Or just a very sensible person... who's never caught out with stuff that's in short supply.

GaleSF63

YorksLass said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Mmmmm dark choc cherry marzipan logs!! 

I'm with you on this one!      You've got me thinking now - I'm sure I could make some.

Glace cherry, perhaps dipped in alcohol, wrapped in marzipan, preferably home-made, then dipped in melted chocolate. 

London_1

Good morning I'm not so much a 'prepper' as a 'just in case-er',:)  comes from growing up with a canny wee Scots mum who managed to bring her three children up during 14 years of rationing in the 1940s-50s.Things were in short supply and everything that was in anyway edible was indeed eaten:) 

When my children were growing up in the 1960s-70s they were convinced that come what may Mum would find enough food to feed them during what ever catastophe befell our house.

My eldest daughter was convinced I had cornered the GNP in tinned sardines,pilchards etc as I have never ever had less than 6 tins in the cupboard. Even made them a sardine pizza once for tea, which they actually loved  along with thier two school friends ,one of whom said apparently to my youngest DD "where did your Mum find thoselovely little fish from ' they had never tasted a sardine ever  

To this day I still keep a good stock of food in my cupboards, and it would feel very odd to me if I didn't. But I too find the panic buying very strange .Re the covid silliness in the shops I thought buying dozens of loo roll a  bit peculiar as you can't eat it, no matter how useful it is, flour,rice,pasta etc or basic staples on a just in case basis was far more sensible.

YorksLass well done on the parnips, I too am a devotee of parsnip and apple soup. I grate a little nutmeg in as well (I am an inveterate herbs and spices lass

Speaking of that, my eldest DD and son-in-law are picking me up this morning, and we are going to my favourite shop down at Faversham.
Its called Macknades, and its the nearest thing to Harrods food hall you will find in Kent. A superb farm shop/deli/foodie heaven.
 I know I shall be stocking up on stuff that you just can't buy in an ordinary supermarket ,plus there is a suberb wet fish place right next door.
So I shall be getting some really nice treats for my cupboard and freezer today.

As I only go there about twice a year its a real treat for me. It sells stuff from all over the world in there, and at this time of the year its bliss for me to wander around and buy all the odd flavours and bits  as a special treat.

So today will be a shopping day but not from my monthly budget but from my 'Happy Cash Stash" But the stuff I get will last me until mid summer next year. Their herbs and spices department is amazing and not as expensive as you may think.Most of it in envelopes and not those soppy Schwarz jars that cost a fortune either.

JackieO xx

maryb

There was an article in the Daily Telegraph earlier this week saying Tesco has stopped stocking cornflour because of low customer demand.  You can just imagine the outrage in the comments section, lol
(But you can still get it in Lidl)

i think the point a lot of the comments were making is that many people no longer buy ingredients they buy products such as thickening granules and gravy granules. I don’t use a lot of cornflour, I’m happy to make my gravy with flour.  But I do use the odd spoonful for lemon meringue pie, home made custard, and stir fries.  I suspect not many people make custard from scratch (other than readers of Old Style, perhaps) and the shelves in Tesco are groaning with stir fry sauces and the like

Its StirUp Sunday this weekend and I shall be making my pudding with suet.  Another thing that is getting hard to find in supermarkets.  But Waitrose had it

joedenise

Thanks for the into JackieO about Macknades and the fish shop next door - I didn't know there was a wet fish shop there - I shall have to visit next time I need some fish, although not sure when that will be as have quite a bit in the freezer at the moment.

While you're in Faversahm I've been told there is a very good herbs and spices shop down on the Quay if you have time to visit it.  You can buy as little or as much as you want of all their spices - they weigh it out for you so if you only want a Tbs of a spice for a particular recipe and you don't know if you'll use it again that's what you can buy!  It's called Salt and Spice.

annieb64

We went to Macknades a couple of weeks ago on our way back from Yorkshire.  I treated us to lunch-needed it after MiL's catering!

I stocked up on a few things, chocolates for DDs stocking and a Christmas pudding . Check out the end of the veg aisle as they often put brown paper bags of veg reduced to clear there. I got a big bag of "heirloom" tomatoes for £1 in the summer.

Katiehound

Re the use of cornflour
(and I recall it's good for homemade play dough)

I use a spoonful (dessert size I think) when I am making apple, plum, whatever crumble as it thickens the juice just slightly and stops it all bubbling out! Not sure of the exact quantity-  just 'throw' some in! 
You get a consistency rather like cherry pie filling.
 
 Oh dear, why did I write that?? feel peckish and none of that in my house!