I missed menu planning at all last week ... the first time I've not written out a menu plan since the start of January ... and I'm not really in the mood to do it today, so this week I have decided to mix things up a bit and instead of writing out a menu plan I will be filling in the menu sheet with the foods that I actually eat all week as and when I have them, then I should be able to have a look on paper at what is going on in my mind ... and going into my stomach.
I seem to be having a real, 'I'm not that bothered about anything' mood going on at the moment and it would be all too easy to eat crappy foods all week, but I don't want to do that. So I think if I write it all down I will want it to appear slightly healthier to my own eyes ... not just if I share it on here.
Breakfast - tick!
After breakfast I took the dogs for a walk to the park, dropped some sorted out clothes into the charity clothes recycling bins in Booths car park, and then some unwanted dog food into the Animal Sanctuary collection point at Sainsbury's and whilst I was there was inspired to get some shopping.
Inspired by seeing the yellow-stickered reduced price fish fillets.
Last week when we got back from Manchester, Alan went to get us a chippy tea after walking the dogs and the prices had shot up again ... the fish were £8.50 each. I was so shocked. So when I spotted this reduced price box of two very similar battered fish for just £3.99 I instantly thought that I would recreate last weeks meal for under the cost of just one chip shop fish portion, to show Alan that it can be done so much cheaper.
Alan has a bag of these Aldi oven chips in his freezer that cost £1.29, and I have bought the fish and the peas.
A meal for two -
1/2 bag of chips - 65p
1/4 bag of peas - 25p
Reduced price Battered Fish fillets - 3.99
Total £ 4.89
I think we might possibly have had our last chippy supper for a while, well a bought from the chippy one anyway!! Even I didn't think that it would so far under the price of just one of the fish portions.
Yes definitely get back to 'seasonal eating'. We had to visit two supermarkets this afternoon to find the eggs for our pancake party tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteEggs are in short supply at the moment aren't they. Our Aldi had only the free range organic left the other day, which is what I would have bought anyway if I needed eggs, but I didn't. But lots of people were complaining loudly as they wanted the cheaper ones that are usually on the shelves.
DeleteThat’s how we ate on war rations. It made seasonal food so interesting and something to look forward too. I remember crumpets having a season as well.
ReplyDeleteIt just makes so much more sense doesn't it. I am seriously thinking of going back on 'rations' once I have eaten my way through my food stash. I loved doing it, I felt better and I saved such a lot of money.
DeleteI live in the upper midwest of USA (Michigan) where winter comes early and stays late. I realize the UK has a milder climate, so shoppers maybe have access to fresh vegetables and fruits earlier in the spring. Our fresh veggies and fruits are trucked in from places south during the winter and spring. Would one jeopardize their health by not having the fresh vegetables and fruits all winter until local gardens and farms could again grow lettuce, celery, etc. with harvests in early summer? We are probably spoiled by what is available in the markets, but we can get our vitamins and minerals from fresh produce for a price.
ReplyDeleteI guess that's why so many folk used to spend so much time bottling, canning and preserving the foods to see them through the colder and Winter months, both homegrown and bought in, until fresh vegetables were in season and available in the shops again. And indeed a lot of the YouTubers that I follow in BC Canada and USA still do.
DeleteYes we are pretty lucky that here in some parts of the UK the growing season can be longer, but the sad thing is that because some people expect things to be available ALL year round, they still choose the imports that are on the shelves when our home-grown stuff is available.
We went to Wilkos over the weekend, obviously as they're a homewares and gardening shop they only have a small food section. Even so, lots of their shelves were half empty, big gaps everywhere across the whole store, I couldn't get several of the things I needed. When I asked a staff member why there were so many gaps, of all sorts of things, they gave 'supplier issues' as the reason. Eggs seem to be in very short supply in several supermarkets round here, bird flu I guess.
ReplyDeletePartly due to Avian Flu, which is still rife in England especially (yes we still have the apps on our phones after all those years of being chicken owners) and partly due to the farmers wanting a reasonable price for their eggs and the supermarkets refusing to pay them. Chicken feed has shot up in price over the last few months which is costing them dearly, and to restock a 4 or 8,000 bird chicken shed is a lot more expensive than it was two years ago.
DeleteFrom what I have noticed, people do not seem to take seasons into consideration when they buy and may not be aware of what fruits and vegetables are local. Lots out of stock here as well at the moment.
ReplyDeleteMaybe more supermarkets could introduce a 'Seasonal Counter' for British fruits and vegetables. I do know that our Booths is very good at doing this, they have so much information to read in the fruit and veg department you could be there for an hour. :-)
DeleteI find the difference between frozen fish and chip shop fish (in our local chippy anyway) is the freshness - oh gosh, AND the size as the piece we get (we share) is enormous and so sweet and freshly-caught.
ReplyDeleteNo shortages hereabouts, long may that last.
I have found that our chip shop is very variable too, one week the fish is great and the next it's just not that good. It will be interesting to see how this fish tastes when I cook it tomorrow.
DeleteMy last Pensioners discount Fish and Chips from the local chip shop was not very good and price rise from £3.50 to £5 (which means they are still cheap but only if nice enough to enjoy) so I've given up on them until they get a new person who leaves the fish in long enough for it to get cooked properly!
ReplyDeleteThat is a really good deal, I guess the portion is quite small if it is aimed at pensioners. But even so that is a good price even at a fiver. Our chippy supper came to over £20 for the two of us.
DeleteJon loves his pub fish and chips but I think the reason he likes it so much is that someone else cooks it for him!
ReplyDeleteI've just Googled what fruit and veg is currently in season, there's a surprising amount isn't there? Mind you, I don't like celeriac, chicory, kale, savoy cabbage, spring greens or white cabbage and Jon hates Jerusalem artichokes salsify and swede so we'd probably develop scurvy if we only had access to them! xxx
There is a remarkable amount of fruit and veg available at this time of year, but as you say some of them are maybe not what we would choose in the first instant. I used to hate Savoy cabbage until I had it lightly cooked and then tossed through some garlicky vegan butter. I wouldn't get scurvy if I could eat that ... or be attacked by vampires!! ;-)
DeleteTalking of seasonal veg, this just popped up on Facebook, I nearly died of laughter: https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/food/we-dont-need-foreign-muck-like-tomatoes-the-gammons-guide-to-seasonal-british-vegetables-20230222231898?fbclid=IwAR0qQ3HY8Sjt_i9CMeuD1kEGkrZ_6IW0Gm1urpN9TosU5CxjDKHLpBsf8bI
DeleteBrilliant. :-)
DeleteWe used to buy a portion of fish and chips to share when we were at the allotment but the last portion cost £9.40 so we haven't indulged in a long time. Sainsburys fish is usually very good so we buy that instead and cook at home. Yes, Sue, there are still lots of gaps in our local branch and eggs are a rarity. Fresh veg is thin on the ground here although I bought a lovely bag of wonky carrots, 40p for 1kg At least we should be able to see well in the dark! 😂
ReplyDeleteCarrots are still one of the best value vegetables around aren't they, and luckily easy to grow and harvest in this country. It's surprising how quickly eggs have become a rarish commodity isn't it.
DeleteGreat save on the chippy dinner.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Definintely, it just goes to show how much you can save cooking at home, especially if you nab a couple of bargains.
DeleteMy question is who wants to eat out of season tomatoes? They have no taste. Lent starts on Wednesday and my husband loves his fish. Here in the US the cost of eating out is so expensive but the restaurants are so crowed.
ReplyDeleteI know!! I've been buying them recently as my Mum has been wanting them ... and she doesn't eat many vegetables or salads so I've been happy to oblige ... but there's not much flavour to them for sure. Roll on Summer and home grown ones being available again.
DeleteWe were saying that when we ate out last week, the restaurant was crowded with couples and families. A lot of people do seem to still be willing ... and able ... to pay for the meals no matter what they cost.
Fish & chips costs how much? Clearly I don't get out much 🤣
ReplyDeleteYou are right about eating seasonal food, once I grew strawberries and asparagus there was no way I would ever again buy the mass-produced tasteless versions available at the supermarket all year round.
I know ... and that's takeaway!!
DeleteYes, although some of the strawberries look lush, at this time of the year they are just not tasty at all. I know because Alan keeps getting suckered in by them ... and I have been known to snaffle one. Only ever one though, as no matter how beautiful they look they taste of nothing.
The shortage here is tomatoes, red peppers and cucumber and eggs are still a bit scarce.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's just the same here now. I've not checked in Aldi but Alan said even Booths was looking quite sparse on some things. I guess everyone is buying the local fruits and veggies because it's the imported ones that are not available. Hopefully it will mean better business for our local farm shop.
DeleteSo lucky to live in a village where we frequently see Eggs for sale at the garden gate.
ReplyDeleteThat's the best way to be able to get your eggs isn't it. I know we used to do very well selling ours at the roadside, with people even stopping and knocking on the front door if there were none in the honesty 'shed'.
DeleteAgree with trying to eat more seasonally and fortunately it’s too cold here still to want salad foods. We had some Quorn bolognese with pasta tonight with some green veg on the side which was delicious and warming. Catriona
ReplyDeleteWe are designed to want and need good warming foods for our bodies at the right time of year aren't we, and luckily that's mostly the time when the good warming foods are available. Spring will soon be here and the hungry gap will be over ... and THEN it is time to eat more salads etc. :-)
DeleteAll the talk about tomatoes and cucumbers being unavailable has had me thinking why we expect them in February anyway: they are summer veg, and just because for 40 years (or less) we've been prepared to burn cheap fuel to have them flown to us, weak, wan and pale tasting as they are, doesn't mean we should always expect them to be there all year round.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely looking to be more seasonal with my vegetable eating... although I'm not quite brave enough to buy a packet of courgette seeds and risk a glut!
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