Retro cooking and message to Flowerpot.

Dear reader,

After reding Frugal Queen who mentioned the TV series, Back in time for Dinner, I caught up with it today on catch up TV. Brilliant! It's all about a modern day family, mum, dad, three teenagers who have taken part in a series to go back to eating in the 50's, 60's, 70's and so on.
Not only do they eat the food but they have the bottom part of their house transformed to match the era. It's fascinating to see and the 50's kitchen is so sparse and basic, not to mention the physcadellic carpet from the 70's. They also wear the clothes, drive the car and there's no fridge or TV so far......
How would our youth cope?

The food was in such short supply and tasteless but it really makes you think how tough those years were and how determined and resourceful our relatives had to be. Very thought provoking.
I don't think I could have coped with the National bread which was made with the whole husk and was very gritty not to mention the tiny piece of cold liver they had one night.
The staple of the day seemed to be dripping on bread. How times have changed when you realise all the food choices we have now. In the 50's they spent something like 28% of the weekly wage on food! What food? They had hardly anything but they managed. Today the weekly percentage of money we spend on food is 11% of the weekly wage. How lucky we are.

I read with interest a post from a fellow blogger today,
http://frugalinsuffolk.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/missing-outor-not.html
Are we missing out on things by being frugal or not?

Judging by some of the comments, mine included, it's a resounding NOT.

One of the things we don't do anymore is eating out. We used to eat out a lot. Sunday lunch, evening meals, meals with friends but I cannot and will not pay, what I think are over inflated prices for normal food that I can cook at home, (usually better) along with shoddy service. Some places are charging extortionate price for a bit of steak and chips/potatoes and I just don't enjoy it.
I really enjoy cooking, the creative part of me loves to buy the ingredients and make something of them. Much like gardening or painting and crafts. I usually leave restaurants thinking how much food for the week I could have bought with the price of a meal for two, so we just don't do it anymore.
I'm sorry for local buisnesses and all that but I'm afraid that's how it is.

Back to my cooking today. I had a large pack of minced beef in the fridge and no more room in the freezer. Now I know mince can be a bit tasteless so I always try to cook in in the slow cooker/crock pot to give a nice, long, slow cook. To avoid it swimming in its own fat, I brown it first in a frying pan and drain it. The residual fat is used to cook the onions, garlic, celery and carrots that I chop. As I made a load of bologna use sauce for my lasagnes at the weekend I thought of cottage pies or beef and onion pies with a pastry case. I might do both. I have left it in there since this morning with a good dash of Worcestershire sauce, pepper, a cup of instant gravy and a stock pot. It tastes nice and rich.
Now I'm not a great pie maker so does anyone know if I have to bake the pie case blind first? Please let me know, before 1400 would be really helpful.

I'm really getting into this bulk cooking lark. Big man has been going off to work with curries, rice and naan bread and lasagnes and salads much to the envy of his colleagues who have to buy a soggy sandwich.

Thanks for all your comments yesterday. Sadly my finger slipped and I deleted one by mistake from Flowerpot, so if you read this FP, I'm saying hi and thanks.

Anyway, back to domestic bliss in the kitchen.

Fib. X