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Winter vegetables in a béchamel sauce topped with an oaty crumble and grated mature cheddar cheese – this recipe is not only delicious, it’s nutritious too. Although we are experiencing Spring-like weather at the moment, temperatures are set to drop and when they do we’re more likely to crave comfort food. What’s good about this recipe is that whilst we’re indulging in comfort food it’s good for us too with nutrient packed winter vegetables.
Brexit food shortages are a concern for many of us. Is it a possibility? Should I stockpile food? If we leave the EU, where will our food come from? Will food prices increase? Will the quality of our food be compromised? Will there actually be Brexit food shortages or is it scaremongering?
I decided to carry out some research and this is what I found:
Cheap food anyone? Most of us want to make savings to our food costs and in this post I have made a few suggestions. Food is integral to our wellbeing and it is a sad reality that it is often cheaper to buy junk food with little or no nutritional value than it is to buy healthy food. Hopefully there will be something on this post that will help to reduce your food shopping costs and to eat healthy nutritional foods.
I know better than anyone what it feels like to be a broke student. The amount of times I’ve hit the bottom of my overdraft is quite scary. Then the student loan comes in, and I think I’m rich – for about two weeks.
If you’re on this website, it’s probably because you’re looking for a new recipe to try out, or you’re interested in how companies in your area give back to their communities. This article won’t help you with either of those things. However, if you’re looking for help on making delicious food with a small budget, you have come to the right place.
Let’s start with the obvious. Ready meals are not cheap. Even if they’re frozen! The price says 3 for £6 at ASDA so you think, what a bargain! But the portions are small, and that’s only going to last you three dinners! Also, if we’re being honest, cheap ready meals from ASDA do not taste good and definitely aren’t good for you, no matter what they put on the label. The salt and preservatives stuffed into one of them almost gives me a heart attack by looking at it, and I haven’t taken a bite yet! That’s not to say I’ve never eaten one. In my first year of uni I had more ready meals than I could count on four, maybe five hands! And how did I feel after eating them? Gross, undernourished and hungry! Ready meals are the easiest things to cook. It’d be pretty hard to do it wrong, but is it worth it?
As long as you have the basics in your fridge and cupboards, you can make a nutritious and delicious meal for just as cheap as a ready meal. When I say the basics, I’m talking flour, salt, pepper, stock cubes, garlic and tomato puree and milk etc. These are the basics for a lot of meals! The initial cost will be slightly higher to buy these items, but as soon as you have them they should last you a long time! I’m still on the same bag of flour I bought in September!
Soon, you’ll find that your weekly shop really goes down in price. Have a look at some of the recipes on this website for some cheap, and easy meals with bare minimum ingredients. Some that I would recommend would be Spaghetti Bolognaise, Chicken Curry and Lasagne. Imagine being able to say that you can cook these dishes from scratch! It’s a lot easier than it sounds, trust me.
Gingerbread cupcakes with a salted caramel icing – what a better way to start the New Year! These gingerbread cupcakes were made by my daughter, Emily, and were simply delicious. The nutmeg and ginger spices make a pleasant change to the usual vanilla cupcakes.
The recipe makes 12 gingerbread cupcakes.
Chicken and Mushroom Curry is a quick and easy dish to make. It is a favourite of my daughters’ and made in one pan – so less washing up! It’s delicious served with rice and/or poppadoms and mango chutney. I use brown rice because I prefer it, but it can be served with long grain rice or even pasta.
Ingredients
Method
1 Place the oil in a pan over a moderately high temperature, & when hot, add the chopped onion, garlic, tomato puree, oxo cube, raisins & jam.
2 After 2 minutes, add the diced chicken breast & cook until the chicken shows no sign of pink flesh.
3 Add the mushrooms.
4 Stir in the plain flour.
5 Add the milk & water, stirring well.
6 Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7 In a separate saucepan boil a litre of water. Add the rice & continue to cook for 20 minutes & then drain.
This recipe for Chicken & Mushroom Curry serves two, so is simple to adapt for a single person or a family. As both my daughters are students, I often make the curry in bulk and freeze it in individual portions for them to reheat at university. Having said that, they often use this recipe (sometimes adapting it to use the ingredients they have) and make chicken curry themselves.
For an even simpler recipe for chicken curry for one, click here
A Christmas Buffet should look colourful and appetising. Whenever I plan a buffet I recall the adage “you eat with your eyes first” and try to make sure that the food is presented in an eye catching manner. I also experiment and try at least one new dish to keep my buffet exciting. Although mince pies are delicious how many of us get fed up with them before Christmas Day is here? I prefer to exclude the classic Christmas dishes from my buffets. Care needs to be taken to ensure that there is a variety of foods – so not too much bread or pastry. Here are a few items taken from my latest Christmas buffet.
Continue reading “Christmas Buffet – liven up your buffet table”
Mince Pies are really simple to make and yet so delicious. Christmas would not be the same without mince pies! The recipe I’m sharing uses mincemeat straight from the jar and traditional short crust pastry that melts in the mouth. I also include variations that will make your mince pies special.
Camembert is a delicious soft and creamy cheese. It was first made in the late eighteenth century in Camembert, Normandy – hence its name! When camembert is fried in breadcrumbs the exterior is crispy, but when you cut into it the middle oozes out onto your plate. It is an easy dish to make as a starter that’s guaranteed to please your guests – just serve with redcurrant sauce and a small side salad. I must confess to sometimes serving pan fried camembert as a main course for my family, I simply increase the amount of salad and serve with fresh crusty bread. Here’s how I make the dish for two people.
Continue reading “Camembert – Pan Fried to set your Taste Buds Watering”
Hunger is a craving or need that most people experience, often on a daily basis. For the majority of people in the UK this need is satisfied pretty quickly with a snack or a meal. Indeed we, as caterers and food bloggers, like to exploit this craving by creating delicious meals and sharing our favourite recipes. Tragically there is a growing number of people in the UK, including children, who experience hunger on a daily basis – but they do not have the luxury of being able to eat when they are hungry. Parents go without food so that their children can eat. Children go to bed hungry. They go to school hungry. The UK is the fifth largest economy in the world yet we have people faced with the choice between hunger or the indignity of asking for help from charities. What can we do to help?
Continue reading “Hunger in the UK – 15 Ways Caterers and Food Bloggers Can Help”