So here's what went to the pass last year...
Ingredients Impediments
1. Job - I was working flat out as a software contractor and was living off canteen and client lunches, take-aways, and 6 hours sleep until April; I had no energy to prepare food from scratch or be innovative. Life was no fun. Probably the main reason I stopped.2. Ingredients. You can't predict when you'll get something in the Clearance section that will fit in well with your ingredients at home. If I posted and ate strictly from what was in the budget aisle all the time, this blog would be nothing but "101 Things to do with coleslaw and ham" Again, not fun for anyone.
3. Repetitiveness. Related to the above. Soup and sandwiches had been done to death and when I was out of ideas I was repeating myself. I enjoyed home made tomato & rice soup and leftover bolognese the first 6 times, but these pit-stops were not something I wanted to share.
4. Relocation. I have a new job and have moved home to Belfast from my fun times in Dublin. With that goes a new kitchen. More cupboard space, gas fired hob, but the smoke alarms go off regularly. Took a while to sort that out. Cooking was...impractical.
But it's time to get back in the saddle and sharpen the old knives up.
Let's get back to what matters - fun, interesting, cheap food!
I came up with a few principles for the blog. The primary axiom for me is that I have both a useful direction for, and fun, typing words about, and eating, my thrifty cooking.
So my goals are:
1. Always Reduced - I'd like to always include at least one item from the Reduced section. It may be tenuous and the same one over time, but I want to make best use of the ingredients I have to hand, and it's kinda the raison d'etre.
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| Always look for a bargain. These garden veg were 80p down from £4, only because they were upside down. |
2. Challenge Ready Meals - Every month (or so) I'll try to improve a ready meal or low value prepared item, say, a tin of sausage and beansfrom the "Value" or own brand section.
It may be pointless trying to supercharge a culinary Nissan Micra, but I think it's fun to try ;-)
I'll also try and replicate the recipes myself using fresh and discount ingredients to prove the obvious - that you're better making your own food from scratch!
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| I'm fairly certain I can do better than this myself, but I'll let you know when I open it and taste it first... |
3. If you have it, use it - I reserve the right to use non-budget ingredients when I can afford to make best use of what I have to hand. So should you, you're making something you want to eat - make it taste the way you like! If you have ras el hanout and rosewater, brilliant. If you have to improvise with 59p curry powder and a Turkish Delight bar, more power.
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| These kebabs were a fantastic eat - it was worth investing in the skewers and harissa sauce. |
4. Health is Wealth - Ideally, the recipes will be healthy as well as cheap. So expect lots more veg in recipes, even if I have to buy them at full price sometimes. It's worth it in the long term.
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| That's a minestrone I did which was not just delicious, but full of bucketloads of healthy veg. |
Epilogue
While I didn't post in the last year, I have a lot of notes and photos taken from when I did sit down of a night, and eat something that was made from the "About to be binned" counter.
So being regular with posts shouldn't be a problem for a while. It'll also solve issue number 2 as above - if I can't justify buying something in the section to cook, I have plenty of recipes in the archives to be published.
As I type, I've just been to the local supermart - there's going to be Middle Eastern themed dinners posted up on Sunday.
Finally I remind myself of my favourite quote when it comes to quick cheap tasty food:
"There is too much talk of cooking being an art or a science - we are only making ourselves something to eat." - Nigel Slater, Real Cooking.
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