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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

I saw the most ridiculous thing in Sainsburys today...

125 replies

clary · 06/03/2018 23:14

A pot of gravy - the size of one of those plastic pots of posh soup - for £2.60! And this was a special offer - it's normally £3-something.

Gravy - that's some meat juices with flour and a bit of veg water, right? How the dickens is a portion for about three people worth three quid?

OP posts:

crunchymint · 07/03/2018 00:29

I don't like gravy and so have never mastered the art of making it. I let DP make his own with bisto, but if we have guests round and gravy is called for, I buy some ready made gravy.

Ladiva1971 · 07/03/2018 00:33

I totally understand for disabled people they are a life saver, but working in retail I see a lot of friends buy pre sliced carrots / onions / mash and there is nothing wrong with them, maybe I am old fashioned as I cook everything from scratch except for pasta that's a huge PITA

blastomama · 07/03/2018 00:34

There doesn't have to be anything wrong with them. They don't need your approval to buy what they want to

HaroldsSoCalledBluetits · 07/03/2018 00:35

Toadinthehole cross post - sorry! I see our method is practically identical though! Down to the Worcestershire sauce!

Another thing you can do re sausage gravy is start your sausages in a pan then put them in the oven - either on their own or for toad in the hole itself. Then in the pan while the sausages are cooking, using the sausage juice, cook chopped red onions on a low heat until they caremalise - this takes the same time as the sausages do to cook and you only need to stir it now and again. Then make your gravy in the pan with the onions as above.

Ladiva1971 · 07/03/2018 00:36

No ofc course not blastomama but when you look at the price of pre chopped veg and veg u have to cut up there is a big difference

GinnyJumperoo · 07/03/2018 00:36

Two words: ironing water.

blastomama · 07/03/2018 00:36

So? If people think its worth it that is their choice.

Ladiva1971 · 07/03/2018 00:39

Yes ofc but imo it seems like a waste of money. Haha ginnnyjumperoo that made me laugh

JanDough · 07/03/2018 00:40

I don't think a lighthearted whinge about pre-prepped food is disablist!

Get a grip.

blastomama · 07/03/2018 00:40

It's not your money. It's not ok for you to call people lazy.

blastomama · 07/03/2018 00:41

I don't think a lighthearted whinge about pre-prepped food is disablist! Get a grip

Did anyone say it was? Who are you telling to get a grip?

PositivelyPERF · 07/03/2018 00:42

I don't think a lighthearted whinge about pre-prepped food is disablist

I agree. Ffs not everything has to an .....ist! My dh was disabled and I have three adult children with disabilities. Can’t I get a fecking break from the daily grind and just have a bloody laugh!

blastomama · 07/03/2018 00:45

Again, nobody said it was. But whats a laugh about calling people lazy for buying mash

AgentProvocateur · 07/03/2018 00:49

I have no disabilities and I buy readymade mash. And gravy. I’m out the house from 7am-7pm, so on the nights I don’t go out for dinner I buy ready made. My money, my choices.

StickStickStickStick · 07/03/2018 00:50

I can't put my roasting tins on the job I don't think (induction if it makes a difference). I just never even thought too do it/that people did/could!

RamblinRosie · 07/03/2018 01:01

I make my perpetual gravy. Nick Nairn recipe.

Sweat onions, mushrooms and a load of herbs, throw in a load of red wine vinegar, reduce to next to nothing, add a load of port and a good spoonful of red currant jelly and again reduce to next to nothing , add loads of stock, strain, reduce until thickened ! Gorgeous!

I freeze any leftovers. Next time I cook carrots, I do them in stock, strain into the leftover gravy , reduce, add red wine or port, reduce. Repeat as necessary. It's always lovely.

Ollivander84 · 07/03/2018 01:07

It's not lazy to buy ready made mash. Time saving maybe

Also people who have carers - working as a care worker I get 20 minutes to make food, make a brew, maybe assist someone to the toilet, give medications, administer eye drops... etc. Time is tight, and we don't have enough time to make stuff like mash from scratch. So things like frozen jacket potatoes, ready prepped mash or veg, gravy, chicken off the hot counter etc means we can make a meal in the short time we have

And after a day of doing that, I'm not mashing sodding potatoes for my own tea!

SpareASquare · 07/03/2018 01:18

Meh.
I'd buy it.

Spent years as a single working parent caught up in an endless cycle of getting by. Now that I'm in a much better place, I'm kicking back where I can and wonder why I was such a fucking martyr.
I love anything already prepared, frozen mash included. I also buy all my meat already cut because I HATE having to do it.
Lazy? Maybe. Care factor? Zero

I do most of my baking from scratch though because I enjoy doing so. If for some reason I don't, you won't see me kicking myself over it.

JamButtyLand · 07/03/2018 01:36

Tinned potatoes are great in a curry. Never ever thought I would eat tinned veg but after trying I wouldn’t do any other way now

deno · 07/03/2018 01:39

@JanDough

*I don't think a lighthearted whinge about pre-prepped food is disablist!

Get a grip.*

In January, M&S's "cauliflower steak" was criticised on twitter for how much it cost and how lazy it was.

M&S decided to drop the product.

It then turned out that several disabled people relied on accessible food items like this.

Discussion of how lazy/overpriced pre-prepared food items are can & does have consequences for disabled people.

It may not be very fun but it's very real.

metro.co.uk/2018/01/11/criticisms-prepared-packaged-food-completely-ignore-thousands-people-uk-living-disability-7221575/

Toadinthehole · 07/03/2018 03:52

Can you still buy Smash?

I remember as a student having Smash with unofficial croutons.

TournesoletLavande · 07/03/2018 04:23

If I am cooking a roast I always make my own proper gravy but there are times, midweek when you might be using up leftover cooked meat or might want to have something like sausage and mash, where there are no decent meat juices for a fresh batch of gravy. Then this would be useful. It would certainly be nicer than horrid gravy granules and boiling water.

But I agree, people who have no good reason to need to use this sort of thing all the time, rather than making their own have more money than sense.

Tinned potatoes are absolutely vile. They have a really peculiar aftertaste. Tinned marrowfat peas on the other hand, are the food of the gods and can be eaten cold, straight from the tin with a spoon while standing up.

I don't bother making gravy for roast lamb (I do something even better!)

No gravy? What could be better than gravy?

TournesoletLavande · 07/03/2018 04:24

What is an unofficial crouton?

DalekDalekDalek · 07/03/2018 04:29

Why is gravy (all be it expensive gravy) ridiculous?

startingagain17 · 07/03/2018 04:37

Love readymade mash with some dairylea mixed in, ready made yorkies and Bisto gravy to top it off - mmm

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