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Friday 17 April 2009

Only spent a pound so far

As a follow up on the last post (Love Food -hate waste) I wanted to report that I have been delighted with my attempts to follow this stringent regime. The only thing I have purchased in the last three days- food wise- is a bag of new potatoes for £1. Otherwise I have been using up things in my cupboards and fridge/freezer.


For one meal I used one of my mackerel defrosted from the freezer and some new potatoes roasted with a sprinkling of fresh rosemary from the garden. The mackerel was flavoured with fresh lemon juice and chopped chillies. I also made a starter from some mozzarella and sliced tomatoes with thin sliced spring onions and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Both the fish and roast potatoes were cooked in sunflower oil (par boiled the new potatoes first). Lastly i added a few garlic bulbs for the final five minutes of cooking time. just enough to brown them.


For yesterday's evening meal I rescued some items from the fridge and enjoyed a salad of pork salami, prosciutto, wild rocket leaves (rocolla) with green beans and sliced cucumber and tomatoes. Some delicious pungent and melty pieces of Roquefort cheese got sprinkled on top and it all tasted darned good as a light salad.

My breakfasts have been smoked bacon, fried egg and baked beans and one day I made a bulk load of Madeleine cakes which are great to nibble throughout the day and good for breakfast time. I even gave one to the postman as he delivered my letters!

9 comments:

StGeorgeOfEngland said...

All this was going so well until the addition of garlic. *gags*. Hehe.
Coming up with recipe ideas is a fantastic challenge when on a 'cupboard clearout' week but this goes to show all the stuff we buy that either never gets used or just sits around for ages.
I am on a clearout at the moment and have spent £8 so far this week rather than the usual £20 - £30. Most of my recipes have contained either tinned tuna or just vegetables but I am still managing a variety of tastes. Also I am buying veg seperately rather than by the pre-packed bag so I am using it all as opposed to wasting some of it as it goes over. More expensive by the pound but overall I have spent less on veg.
Keep up the good work. These are a great addition to the blog site.
G.

Phil Lowe said...

Well done Guy. I am starting to frequent the local greengrocer more and pay less visits to the Co-Op supermarket and be tempted to buy 'extras' as I shop.The veg are more locally sourced as well and I am helping to keep a small business alive.

Emily said...

All looks lovely Phil. I shall watch with interest how this experiment progresses. Happy weekend

Cheryl said...

I've been trying to do the same thing, in my case spend as close to $20 a week on food as possible. And since I used to spend three, four times that, I'm amazed and chagrined at how well I can get on for less.

French Fancy... said...

those dishes look and sound delicious. I must find your previous posts now

Athina said...

I like those dishes very much. I can eat lots of fresh veg provided it has meat and cheese with it.

StGeorgeOfEngland said...

Looks like we are going to Phils place for dinner then. Hehe.
G.

Anonymous said...

I feel inspired!

Actually, I'm skint this week so I shall be following your example vigorously,

GG

Rico said...

Well done indeed. I am one to use leftovers too and create nice edible dishes that look great which is what you achieved here ..well done Rico-Recipes