Stretching the food.

Dear reader,

Instead of trying to do a £50 shop each week I have done a big £120 shop for the month allowing for top ups. The reason for this is that I work all week with no chance of shopping on those days, not properly anyway. We were running low and I was popping in for one or two items and finding myself spending £20 in the convenience store nearby. (Which I don't like ever since I bought some plastic ham and when I opened it it stunk)

Therefore I have bought all the meat we will have for the month, the veg (frozen) pasta, rice and hopefully I shall just need bread, milk, eggs and fruit.

I buy onions and potatoes by the sack in Lidl and they last for ages. I had about quarter of a sack of onions left and decided there would be nothing better on a Saturday afternoon then to peel them, dice them and freeze them to save time and effort later. Yes, what a wild life I lead.

I made loads and loads of packs of chopped onion which I keep in the freezer. I just grab it out frozen when I need it and chuck it in whatever I'm making. I seem to use onion in almost everything from omlettes, fagotts, pasta sauce, stir fry, curry, bolognaise and shepherds pie so it saves me loads of time and the onions don't go off. I put enough for one recipe in a sandwich bag, flatten it and freeze it flat to save space. 

Another food I change to make it stretch is cheese. I don't buy it grated but get the cheapest block of cheddar I can find. This takes a lot of checking the price per kg at the supermarket, usually getting down near the floor to see the tiny prices. I love the way they show you a special offer but when you check the price per kg it's much more expensive than the others!
Anyway the cheapest block was £5.41 per kg. I put it thought the food processor and got two tubs full. We use so much less this way than slicing it up.

I saw some of the items I get from Approved Food in the supermarket and I did laugh. I get lovely BBQ marinades and a smoked red chilli and honey blossom one for 13p each. I buy 50 at a time and we just stash them in the larder cupboard. They were 78p each. I also saw the Maggi so juicy bags and Maggi so crunchy toppings all for about a £1 each. I get 10 of these for that. 

It does take a lot of stashing and storing but it's great.

I was reading my Kath Kelly book, " How I lived a year on just a pound a day" which I get out for inspiration once in a while. There is an interesting chapter on food waste. In the British food chain, 17 million tonnes of waste is produced each year, a quarter still edible. Lettuce is top of the list, 61% of households throw one out each week.

She also mentions sell by dates. I think these are the biggest scam going. They prey on scaring people  into throwing away and re purchasing food. Best before, what's that all about?

I'll tell you, they are a bogus marketing strategy to keep us buying and wasting.

I've got friends that are obsessed with throwing out food that is NEAR, yes near the best before date.

If I am at their houses, I take it home with me. 

I am doing some cooking today for the week. A chicken curry made with a load of drumsticks that I will pad out with lentils, veg and hopefully get a few meals from that I can freeze and a meat sauce that I will add some porridge oats and vegetables to and this will go over pasta and maybe make a lasagne too. I will let you know how it goes later.

Have a peaceful Sunday.

Much love

FIB. X