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AIBU?

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Original poster

British families that go on these BBC save money shows can't be real

321 replies

Rufusgy · 12/09/2015 21:56

Eat well for less.

A mum sends three children to school with shop bought microwaved pancakes laced with nuttela everyday Hmm

They spend 5 mins explaining how to use a bit of left over chicken in a stir fry, basically just chop up eveything and stir fry it. As if stir fry and woks are some newfangled invention Hmm

They can't afford a house deposit and have zero savings, but won't even consider not buying a brand Hmm

Slicing chease is 'too much work" Hmm

Seriously is any British family actually like this? Who the fuck is stupid enough that they need a prime time BBC show to tell them proccessed food is expensive and its cheaper to make it yourself.

OP posts:
Tfoot75 · 14/09/2015 11:11

Ok ok bechamel, I put cheese in mine cos it's nicer!

Thelushinthepub · 14/09/2015 12:09

Why do these threads always descend into nit picking about mince based meals or roast chicken? That's not All you can cook from scratch. It's nowhere near the nicest or easiest either

AnnPerkins · 14/09/2015 12:47

I just googled Lidl frozen Sunday roast and found newspaper stories in 2010 about them selling them for £1. I can't believe they're £5 each now. Would Lidl sell a single-serving ready meal for £5 each, except perhaps lobster?

This show is just not what I want it to be. It's just gratuitous 'let's see people with extreme habits so we can feel superior' disguised as educational. I want them to give ordinary people with ordinary eating, cooking and shopping habits tips on saving money and eating more healthily. So many of us are cash- or time-poor, or both, it could be really useful.

This show just leaves me irritated and confused because the money-saving ideas (drop a brand or make your own) is bleeding obvious and the healthy eating information they give is contrary to what I read and hear elsewhere. Idefix the plate you have pictured is different to the one Gregg Wallace showed in the 2nd episode, where carbs take up most of the plate. And I don't know what to believe about spreads vs butter now, except of course the woman from Unilever was going to say spreads are completely fine now and healthier than butter Hmm

I remember a long time ago the programme Economy Gastronomy recommended buying large joints of meat and making several meals from them instead of buying chops, breasts etc. That has saved me money over the years. I want more ideas like that, not 'If you stop supplementing your children's dinners with bags of Wotsits and gorging on battenburg every night you could save £35 quid a week'.

The 'does cooking from scratch save money?' debate is irrelevant. It's not what this programme is about.

Thelushinthepub · 14/09/2015 12:49

Good post ann

Kewcumber · 14/09/2015 13:38

Also the second episode was great advert for Quorn!

Actually I thought it was a terrible advert for Quorn - it looked revolting being made and not much better cooked. I thought the discussion about soya mince was better and I did consider using some soya mince cooked with out mince as a trial.

DS also wants us to try tuna burgers now which he wouldn;t have considered before.

IfNotNowThenWhenever · 14/09/2015 13:40

Mmmm mince based mealsGrin

IfNotNowThenWhenever · 14/09/2015 13:41

Where is the mince homeopathy comment btw? -it is actual genius.

0x530x610x750x630x79 · 14/09/2015 13:55

I thought the discussion about soya mince was better and I did consider using some soya mince cooked without mince as a trial.

don't try to mix it with real mince, as it is horrible that way, but all on it's own with shed loads of veg it is nice.

Kewcumber · 14/09/2015 13:57

Thanks lots of numberx - I'll try it with lentils instead maybe?

vixsatis · 14/09/2015 14:14

verging on homeopathy V funny indeed.

I spent the episode with the crisp eating vegetarians admiring the cleanliness of their house, so wasn't able to be as smug as usual.

00100001 · 14/09/2015 14:20

defintiley a good advert for quorn.

Greg: I'm here at QUORN! QUORN make veggie food

Quorn bloke: QUORN! it's really good for you! And QUORN good for the planet too!!

Greg: I can't tell the difference between this QUORN BURGER and a real burger (bollox!) mmm mmm and what? QUORN is healthier too?

Quorn: yes QUORN is healthy and cheap, and it's basically mushrooms!

Greg: QUORN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no... not an advert for Quorn at all Grin

Original poster
Rufusgy · 14/09/2015 14:24

Tbf procced meat looks even more vile than quorn in the middle of its process.

Hey everyone have spreads Unilever say its fine.

Anyone else noticed the Unilever adverts on here about saving trees?Hmm

OP posts:
Marynary · 14/09/2015 14:25

But in the old days when workers genuinely didn't have much money it would not be a choice. You simply could not afford to buy lunch out at work every day if you wanted to be able to afford your rent or mortgage, childcare bill, travel costs and food bills at home.

Not sure what you mean by "old days" really but my parents didn't take a packed lunch to work and my grandfathers didn't either. They all ate in the staff canteen. I'm not saying that nobody ever took a packed lunch to work but it wasn't universal then anymore than it is now.

WhoreGasm · 14/09/2015 14:28

Supposedly healthy food portions are a nonsense.

Tonight I'm cooking a sausage casserole recipes that I picked up from the CO OP. It tells you to use a packet of the Co Ops premium sausages (there's 6 sausages in the pack).

This is to feed a family of 4!

Not a chance in Hell my DH and gannet DCs would feel nicely full on 6 sausages. I'm using 10 sausages (Black Farmer ones, as they're nicer) and also going to serve it with a side of garlic bread.

Tfoot75 · 14/09/2015 14:32

Casseroles etc are supposed to be a way of stretching meat further though, by padding out with veg etc. Up to you how many you include I suppose but it's not like having 1.5 sausages and a scoop of mash.

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 14/09/2015 14:42

1.5 per person in a casserole sounds about right to me. I might use 8 if I happened to have that many. 2.5 sounds loads to me - that would be the max adults would have with sausage and mash here.Smile

WhoreGasm · 14/09/2015 14:56

My lot are just gannets. They'll get in from school (having had a hot lunch and pudding) and each have a bowl of cereal 'because they're starving'.

By 5.30pm they'll be trailing around the kitchen 'When is dinner ready, we're starving'

They'll easily polish off 2-3 sausages each, plus all the veg, plus the garlic bread 'Is there anymore Mummy?' etc.

But then they're both straight out to their sport clubs until nearly 9, and will probably have another bowl of cereal when they get home.

Both are super fit, and play a lot of sport most evenings and at weekends.

goblinhat · 14/09/2015 15:02

I serve dinner as soon as they get in from school at 4pm. I would rather they ate their main meal when they are hungry otherwise they would eat lots of snacks if I made them wait.

00100001 · 14/09/2015 15:18

whore you'd be surprisedh wo much meat is in one sausage!

If you think about it - 6 sausages is normally 1lb of meat (16oz)

if one adult serving of is supposed to be 4oz - then there are 4 portions in the packet.

So really, the kids should be one one sausage each (2), and the adults maybe on 2 each?

In fact an adult portion should only be 1.5 sausages!

This is what I'm sayign about people's perception of portion size.Most people think kids should be on 2 and adults 3 sausages, so you think that half that portion is "tiny/too small" when it's not.

00100001 · 14/09/2015 15:21

I can easily eat 4 sausages!

There's something about the sausages being easy to eat that makes them... so easy to eat Grin

I mean in a texture way. If you were given 8oz of steak (same weight as 3 sausages) it would take you longer to eat, you have to cut it up and chew it for longer etc and you think "phew, that was a big steak!" but with sausages having an 'soft' consistency, they just get wolfed down. So it doens't fel like you've eatne as much.

I'm guessing the people who give an 8 year old three sausages, would not give an 8 year old an 8oz steak :)

0x530x610x750x630x79 · 14/09/2015 15:23

Thanks lots of numberx - I'll try it with lentils instead maybe?
sorry never cooked a lentil in my life, i just used to use it on it's own as a tomato sauce bulker/texture thing as we were broke.

Tfoot75 · 14/09/2015 15:25

Agree that portions are skewed nowadays, a lot of people expect eating out size portions for every meal, but the meat and carbs is often way too much. Eg, I might eat a 12 oz steak when eating out, but at home me and DH would share a smaller portion than that. I thought that your portion of each type should be the size of your fist?

SacredHeart · 14/09/2015 15:29

Portion of meat is the size of a deck of cards, carbs is a fist.

originalmavis · 14/09/2015 15:34

I though the last family were a lovely bunch. They looked so happy and the kids were sweet.

I can't be bothered with the whingey types - 'I haven't time to slice cheese', 'the kids will only eat McCain brand chips', 'eughgggg there's no meat, I can't eat that,' with the shrieking and general pathetic behaviour that occurs when they actually have to get into the kitchen and make something fiddly, like toast.

fuzzpig · 14/09/2015 15:45

Just starting to watch the first episode. It's nice to see that they are trying to encourage more cooking, seems more of a focus than in the first series where the main focus was down-branding.

Interesting that the children actually say they want more home cooked food as a lot of times on these sorts of shows/among my friends, if they only ever eat freezer food they refuse or are even scared of home made meals.

Not convinced about spread being healthier than butter. Don't care if it's cheaper!