Delia says cheating is ok.

spendaholic

I'm more concerned with Delia saying it's perfectly okay to feed our poverty-stricken children incredibly poor quality, inhumanely raised cheap chickens. We should be concentrating on improving the quality of our food, bringing the price down a little, and getting our children out of poverty.

In her next breath she said she has no qualms about buying peas from Kenya because she knows she's helping poor farmers over there. Well, what about our own poor farmers? Granted, some have been greedy in the past, but I think they've learned and I'd rather get our own farmers off the poverty line before helping others.

I'd rather get food quality up, and poverty and food miles down.

As for using cheaper and fewer ingredients, many of us already try that anyway. Doesn't mean the quality has to suffer.

Sorry, that's my few pen'orth and only my humble opinion. No doubt if it's the wrong place it will be moved.

livalot

Apologies if I have offended anyone by saying that they should avoid criticizing Delia’s programme. You are very free to exrpress your opinions and I wouldn’t dream of stopping you. Maybe I expressed myself badly. What I meant to say is those of you who seem disappointed can all cook and this time she is not trying to teach you lot anything about cooking. This programme is aimed at a huge part of the population who are

1) non cooks
2) people who hate cooking
3) don’t really care how much things cost
4) don’t really care about recycling
5) convinced that cooking is difficult

Does that sound like you?

Having read through the whole thread I must congratulate Bongedone for expressing the following, talking about Delia’s shepherds pie using tinned mince and frozen mash

Bongedone wrote: »

I suppose if you were somebody who does not cook then you may be tempted to try that. Then progress onto actually peeling you own potatoes and god forbid browning your own mince and adding a stock cube.

More and more people will have to learn how to cook as they find that money is getting tighter and tighter…… I think we should see programmes like Delia’s as a stepping stone into the world of cooking or a doorway into that world that is so alien to so many people. I think we all have to help others who don’t cook to get started somehow and encourage them and not put them down.

ANNEGEDDES

has anyone done the choc cake with mashed pot? im intrigued (sp) x

its featured in this months sainsburys mag

ryandj

ANNEGEDDES wrote: »

has anyone done the choc cake with mashed pot? im intrigued (sp) x

its featured in this months sainsburys mag

Not done it myself, but we were chatting about it at lunch at work, and someone has made it and said its 'ok'.

Another colleague has used the shepherds pie tip of putting leek along with the cheese on the top and that got a shining report. I am glad to say that they actually boiled their own potatoes, and managed to cook their own mince too.

What really gets me about the program is the blatant marketting of the over priced, over packaged products.

It also seems obvious to me that the peeled, prepared veg, will not have the same nutrients as fresh un prepared. And also will not keep so well in the cupboard.

maypole

ryandj wrote: »

Not done it myself, but we were chatting about it at lunch at work, and someone has made it and said its 'ok'.

Another colleague has used the shepherds pie tip of putting leek along with the cheese on the top and that got a shining report. I am glad to say that they actually boiled their own potatoes, and managed to cook their own mince too.

What really gets me about the program is the blatant marketting of the over priced, over packaged products.

It also seems obvious to me that the peeled, prepared veg, will not have the same nutrients as fresh un prepared. And also will not keep so well in the cupboard.

She used the leek cheese thing in one of her "Proper" recipe's in her other cook books, so it is not a new one.

ANNEGEDDES

i always use leek on cottage/shep pie its lovely

moanymoany

My criticism of the programme is that some of the dishes are very expensive.

I have no problem with using 'convenience' food. I have tins of stewed meat in my cupboard. I will make a meat and potato pie with the BOGOF puff pastry I bought. I bought this in preparation for the power cut ridden winter we might have had. I also have tins of value new potatoes that I use to make Bombay potatoes.

Have to say I would rather use instant mash than frozen, but have neither in at the mo.

It is a bit like store cupboard cooking 'out of control'. I don't see the sort of people who would be attracted by the more expensive recipes planning to the point of having quails eggs and the other perishable prepared foods.

Jo_anne_2

I have mixed feelings about this programme. Using so many pre-prepared ingredients goes against the grain for me, and I can't help but tot up the expense as I watch. But then again, the programme isn't aimed at the likes of me.

I reckon a substantial number of people have a fear of actually cooking something for themselves, and may not know where to start in the kitchen. Some may even be worried about giving themselves food poisoning when starting with raw meat. It may encourage a few to try something for the first time, then in time, progress to being more adventurous and cook from scratch. I do hope so...though I agree that it does seem to contradict the messages in Delia's earlier programmes.

ryandj

Jo_anne wrote: »

I have mixed feelings about this programme. Using so many pre-prepared ingredients goes against the grain for me, and I can't help but tot up the expense as I watch. But then again, the programme isn't aimed at the likes of me.

I reckon a substantial number of people have a fear of actually cooking something for themselves, and may not know where to start in the kitchen. Some may even be worried about giving themselves food poisoning when starting with raw meat. It may encourage a few to try something for the first time, then in time, progress to being more adventurous and cook from scratch. I do hope so...though I agree that it does seem to contradict the messages in Delia's earlier programmes.

Hmm yes I suppose it has its place. I know people who do not even like to touch raw meat or deal with carrots which are not straight, so maybe its aimed at those sorts!

I can't help feeling it is just a marketing ploy to sell all these expensive pre-prepared ingredients though really.

organic_wanabe

I cook all our meals from scratch so was surprised when my husband bought me Delia's new book (he can't resist a bargain - it was £10 in Tesco and he had received a coupon which reduced the price to £2!).

As an experiment I made the Shepherd's Pie . I used the M&S tinned minced lamb, which I bought for the experiment when it was on buy-one-get-one half price and I also had a voucher for 20% off so it worked out at £1.20 per tin. I was dreading using it but was pleasantly surprised - though I left the small bit of fat residue at the bottom of the tin! I have to confess that used my own diced veg softenend in chicken stock and my own mashed potato. The whole family gave the meal a big thumbs up. Even DS1 who thinks this is a boring meal.

Today, to complete the experiment, I bought 2 packs of M&S 'Cook' Trout Fillets stuffed with Crab Meat (again because I had a Times coupon which allowed me BOGOF) - I think the proper price per pack was £4.99 each though some of the meals were much more expensive. It had a label on it which said "As recommended by the Sunday Mail". Again I cooked the accompanying veg from scratch.

The unanimous verdict was that the Shepherd's Pie was tastier and tasted more homemade, and it was cheaper. Also the portion size was greater than I imagine a normal ready-made meal would be. So, I think I have come away with the impression that there is a definite market for the book (not for me and others like me) but for many people who do not have the time nor inclination to cook. If they use it as a sensible guide to recipes and do not follow it religiously and use ingredients that are ridiculously expensive, then I think it is a useful way to progress from ready-made meals - be they the expensive or cheaper ones.

I notice that the book suggests Asda frozen aubergine slices for Moussaka. I love this dish but have not made it for years because I can't be bothered with all the preparation involved with the aubergine. I was in Asda today and the bag was a little over £2 so I thought "No way". Then when I got home I reflected that I would not use the whole bag and anyway fresh aubergine is expensive here in Edinburgh, so I might just buy them! However, obviously I will not slavishly follow her recipe. I'll make my own cheese sauce and cook my own minced lamb (though if I could get a couple of M&S tins again for the previous price that I managed, I might be tempted!).