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

-taff

There are a lot of ethnic shops here, most sell onions in a bag. They're really interesting shops too, with lots of different stuff in thm, I love a rummage in a food shop, I could spend hours...

littlemoney

My experience is that washed potatoes do not keep. In November I purchased some unwashed potatoes as an emergency supply which I am just now using. They are just starting  to chit, I remove the chits and they will keep a bitl onger

I also have washed  potatoes, much more recently purchased, which do not keep as well. Both types are stored in the same conditions. i.e. two old double layer paper potato sacks and an unheated, dark outhouse which doesn't freeze.

Jellytotts

     

Food warehouse do a sack of brown onions for £3 (5kg sack). I always have a good feel for my soft ones and sort them out when I get home, the soft ones get chopped and frozen straight away, the others last a good month in my larder.

mandy47

QueenJess said:

Does anyone know where you can buy big sacks of potatoes and onions? I am assuming it will be cheaper and they should keep for a while.

Our local Farmfoods stock large bags of veg.

maryb

I buy sacks of potatoes from the farm shop.  Round here in outer London suburb they are £13 for a 25kg sack - not cheap by any means (and I can't get it cheaper)  but I find it convenient.  However I'm almost out of the sack I bought before Christmas and I couldn't get to the farm shop so I bought a 2.5kg bag from Lidl for £1.15.  I was surprised that it was cheaper than buying by the sack

CCW007

Another place to try for sacks of potatoes is country stores - I got my last lot from Wynnstay for £7 I think.  

Spendless

littlemoney said:

My experience is that washed potatoes do not keep. In November I purchased some unwashed potatoes as an emergency supply which I am just now using. They are just starting  to chit, I remove the chits and they will keep a bitl onger

I also have washed  potatoes, much more recently purchased, which do not keep as well. Both types are stored in the same conditions. i.e. two old double layer paper potato sacks and an unheated, dark outhouse which doesn't freeze.

Oh, lightening dawning! I have read for years about how much cheaper to have sacks of potatoes and always been put off because I keep mine in a potato sack in the dark  and though they last longer than out in the open, not to the extent people talk about. Just realised this is because I'm buying already washed potatoes - d'oh! 

JIL

I saw sacks of onions and potatoes in the Iceland food warehouse.  They are good for bulk buys of lots of things.

ETA Just noticed that this has already been posted 

Spendless

Whilst I was working 2 nights a week I ate at my parents (because I collected my dog they looked after) and this week they invited me again. My DD describes her Nan's food as her serving it up as though she runs a cafe with the extra sides she always does. This week it was sausages and mash, but my Mum also had onions, peas and carrots. It made me think after the initial outlay of buying, onions, carrots and frozen peas are relatively inexpensive veg but adding them to the meal (plus gravy) makes for a very filling dish. She sometimes adds yorkshire puddings too. 

Re- onions. Years ago down the wonderland isles of Aldi I bought lidded metal containers labelled 'onions' and 'garlic' and keep said produce in there. I rarely have an issue with onions going off. Garlic not quite as successful but that might be because I don't always use fresh garlic cloves in recipes and use granules from a jar instead. 

littlemoney

I have two problems with buying unwashed potatoes. Firstly there are less and less places selling them. Secondly the two places I found both only sold  one variety, Maris Peer which is a very fluffy potato and I like a firmer more waxy potato.

 Hence I have the unwashed as a reserve and keep supply topped up with the varieties I prefer the taste of, when I am able to get out. I asked one farm shop for a different variety which he later stocked but they were all washed so I didn't buy them.

People seemed to be happy to pay someone else to was their  potato for them and then complain they don't keep. It's hard to buy unwashed if you don't have a car.