Over the last few years it is well documented (in my blog and twitterings) that my little family suffered some financial hardships. During this time I became extremely aware of the price of everything and not only how precious my money is but also my family's well being.
Instead of taking the easy unhealthy cheap frozen chicken nugget & chips route (bleugh disgusting) I decided to try to think like a post war housewife (my grandmother) and use ingredients which may be cheap but tastier and, it goes without saying, healthier.
Prior to this our monthly habits were shameful as well as wasteful, at this time we would do a large monthly shop from Asda. The first stage of this insane monthly ritual was to 'empty' the fridge. On average 2 carrier bags of wasted food would be thrown away amidst mumblings of 'I forgot that was in there' and 'why the hell did we buy this'.
Over the past few years (more so recently) I have learnt to shop 'properly' at first as a necessity but now it feels more like a matter of pride. My fridge often looks empty these days, because now I only buy what we need and not what looks good on the shelf. We changed to shopping at our more local smaller Morrisons and shop as and when we need it. I still have a good stock of tins/spices/herbs etc and there are always plenty biscuits for the sweet tooth monsters but nothing goes out of date in my house and nothing gets wasted.
A typical example of waste was Sunday lunch, preparing most of the veg and cooking it, far too much for what was needed which would be thrown away the next day and if we remembered a quick curry made out of the left over chicken. I always make too much batter mix so this would be cooked and inevitably thrown away. Any extra veg (an odd carrot or parsnip) would be left in the fridge until 'big shop' day when it would be thrown away. Since I've changed my habits this is now what happens:
I still buy the same amount of Veg but these days I use it wisely, I prepare just enough for us to have for lunch, but the next day I make either a soup, stew or just roasting it as an accompaniment getting inventive with flavourings and writing down any particularly tasty ones for future reference. I stopped being afraid of using the right vegetable for the right thing, if you like Cauliflower then stick it in your stew or even roast it you never know what might happen, it's an adventure. I still make too much batter, because I have a set recipe I follow which makes HUGE puddings, now though I make enough for our meal plus a few extra, if there are any left over i wrap loosely in cling film and freeze. The left over batter goes in the fridge and the next day I give it a quick whisk up and we have pancakes (much to the delight of my little girl).
The best feeling about all of this is I am in control, as well as a sense of pride I also have a feeling of rebelling against fast food producers who are, frankly, slowly poisoning our nation for profit.
I have so much to share on this subject (not only for food) but I also have so many questions and I'm learning everyday.
Reading back this blog I realise that I sound like some preachy little old lady, I'm just a little bit passionate this subject.
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