Be honest...how many meals cooked from scratch?

badgermonkey

I read in the Observer Food Monthly this weekend that only 8% of all meals in the UK are cooked from scratch at home! :eek:

Now I'm sure OS will be fairly unrepresentative but I want to find out how often real people cook from scratch. I would say half to three-quarters of our meals are made from scratch, considering cereal and milk for breakfast is still a meal and I don't supposed emptying cereal into a bowl is cooking from scratch!

The only processed things we have are the odd frozen pizza, oven chips (don't have a deep-fat fryer or I would make our own), and a few other bits and pieces like biscuits (yeah, I could bake my own but they would last about ten minutes! Value Bourbons aren't that nice so they last ages :rotfl: ). But when I talk to other people I definitely get the impression we're in the minority, especially as the BF cooks half the time, and cooks properly, too - he made a fish pie today that was to die for. He does show off about it though!

super41

I would think about 90% of meals in our house (not counting breakfast) are cooked from scratch. We also use a breadmaker and grow a few bits of salad and veg. I've done this for years for a number of reasons - cost, it tastes far better and I have a serious food allergy so like to know what's gone into food. With all the food scares it's also a sensible thing to do. Good to know there are a few people who still prepare their own food! I don't post very often but love to read the tips on Old Style and am constantly inspired by everyones enthusiasm!

maryb

I saw that statistic and thought us Old stylers must account for a big part of that 8%

now I make bread and yogurt, the only proceesed foods I use regularly are tinned tomatoes, frozen peas and sausages (and I've had a go at making those too) - oh and chocolate!

gritts

On average 6 out of 7 of our evening meals are cooked from scratch.

Alas we cannot recreate the fish and chips served by our local chippy.

tootles_2

I cook 95% of our meals from scratch, do buy biscuits occasionally and oven chips, will not have a fryer in the house.

My husband is a Scot so I do buy haggis sometimes and sausage, but you do have to cook both of those.

I bake cakes but not every week, scones go quickly so are an occasional treat as well.

squeaky

I have one takeaway type meal every three or four months. Nearest I get otherwise to being lazy is beans on toast - but then I make my own bread so that's half of a lazy meal is still done from scratch.

nearlyrich

gritts wrote:

On average 6 out of 7 of our evening meals are cooked from scratch.

Alas we cannot recreate the fish and chips served by our local chippy.

Sounds like us too, we do have the odd meal out and sometimes I stay away for work and I eat in the hotel, but in general we cook a "proper" dinner every night withfresh meat or fish and vegetables etc.

Friday night is chippie night at our house too:j

beadysam

9/10 are from scratch

Lyndsay_21

i confess it was me i have slipped.....i am one of that percentage (well recently). After all my hard work converting myself into a cook from scratcher i have slipped back into my naughty ways. tonight we had wait for it... shop bought vegetable burger things (they were reduced) with savoury rice out of a packet. i am so ashamed just writing this. I am trying to balance a happy medium with the odd pasta bakes versus home made chilli etc but i seem to be slipping back.
I will try harder.....

Quackers

Lyndsay_21 wrote:

i confess it was me i have slipped.....i am one of that percentage (well recently). After all my hard work converting myself into a cook from scratcher i have slipped back into my naughty ways. tonight we had wait for it... shop bought vegetable burger things (they were reduced) with savoury rice out of a packet. i am so ashamed just writing this. I am trying to balance a happy medium with the odd pasta bakes versus home made chilli etc but i seem to be slipping back.
I will try harder.....

:rotfl: :rotfl:

And me!!!

I do cook from scratch sometimes. Then sometimes I dont. Depends how much time I have and what I fancy. See, I like those shop bought vegetable burger things too and no matter how hard I try mine wouldn't taste the same. They'd be nice but not the same. I'm very good at making my own pizza (even if I do say so myself ) and its luverly BUT I also LOVE Asda's frozen stonebake mozarella and cherry tomato pizza. And after a long day at work Asda wins - with a blob of mayo for the crusty edges!

so, some weeks it could be 90% some weeks only 30%. I've never been consistent

Bun

I would say 70-80% of our food (let down by failing abysmally at packed lunches) and 95% of Mini-bun's. We eat very little processed food and our fab new breadmaker also does cake and jam, so hoping to get it down even more.