To say think a roast dinner can be a cheap meal?

[HuffyPuffyStuffy]

I grew up eating roast dinners, always on a Sunday and often midweek too. I don't always cook a roast on a Sunday now but we always have a least one roast dinner a week. I mentioned to a newish friend earlier that I was cooking a roast today and she was teasing me about being "posh" and that she only has a roast on special occasions a roast costs so much!
I tried to say that a roast can be a cheap meal and she thought I was lying when I said that today's meal for four (2 adults and 2 teens) would cost under £6.00 and that we would have leftover meat for tomorrow. Obviously, a big joint of sirloin beef or a new season leg of lamb would be expensive but I couldn't get her to accept that a roast dinner could be cheap! I was so miffed I costed it out .........

1.5 kg joint of pork shoulder (Aldi) £4.21
Potatoes - roasted (Wonky Morrisons) 25p
Parsnips - roasted (Aldi) 20p
Carrots - boiled (Aldi) 15p
swede - boiled (Aldi) 20p
frozen peas (Morrisons) 30p
Stuffing made from leftover bread, half an onion and herbs from garden. 15p
Gravy - made from meat juice, plain flour, veg water.......10p

£5.56 for the roast

I didn't use my oven today. Meat was roasted in the slow cooker, potatoes and parsnips cooked in an air fryer and the veg cooked in my pressure cooker.

If you did a roast today how much did it cost?

I love that you were so miffed you actually costed it all out!

I think the cheapest I could get it down to would be £5, if I took advantage of the frozen meat offers from Iceland www.iceland.co.uk/offers/frozen-offers/4-for-10-frozen-meat-offers and bought a wonky veg pack for £1 with some cheap potatoes. But there would be tons of leftovers from that!

I've never understood why people think a basic roast is such a big deal? It's just getting all of the timings right. It requires practically no real skills as such, just time. It was also incredibly useful when the DC were little and I could legitimately say to ExP 'oh dear, I'll be in the kitchen for the next 3hrs, so you'd better take the kids out.'

@CarrotSticks2

Did you not post this a couple of months ago? Distinctly recall the stuffing made from leftover bread, half an onion and herbs from the garden?

No..........but surely it's not that unusual to make stuffing from leftover bread, onion and herbs from the garden?

Yes but the poster was speaking to a newish friend who was agast at the cost of a roast. They had parsnips carrot swede and frozen peas. Same posting style

I Cook a roast midweek nearly every week for about £6 to £7 with lots of trimmings for four adults. It’s the cheapest dinner I make.

Haha, no mumsnet chicken here! The one I had delivered, this week, is tiny and will be dinner for 3 of us and maybe a couple of sandwiches, tomorrow.

We have Mumsnet pork joint now too.

I'd always second more on my meat than £5 though, I like to know it comes from a good background. Your Aldi pork might say it's high welfare but I bet it isn't outdoor reared. Outdoor bred doesn't mean they live outside.
So fort hat reason I think you're unreasonable - it can be done but doesn't meant it should be. I'd rather eat meat once every two weeks and spend £10 on the piece than spend £5 once a week and not be happy with its provenance.

Corn fed, free range, British chicken here was £9.50. (If I'm eating meat I want high welfare standards.) It might stretch to 2 meals, and stock. The rest of the meal was cheap, but good roast potatoes take a long time in a hot oven, pushing up cost to produce it. So my roast dinner isn't cheap. Could do it cheaper with compromises, but it wouldn't be so good.

I don't know a single person who makes their stuffing from scratch with bread, onions and homegrown herbs 🤣

You are definitely the same poster OP, maybe you should stop talking to friends about the cost of your roasts!

Here is the original thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4365588-to-think-that-a-roast-dinner-isnt-necessarily-an-expensive-meal-to-cook

Even down to the '........'

It's not hard to make stuffing tbh. It's a put together job rather than cooking. I assumed growing up it was hard because my mum used Paxo!!

I think it depends how much you spend on the meat as that can vary hugely depending on whether it's free range, organic etc or supermarket budget.

As PP said, having the oven on for a long time costs money.

I'm impressed at the detective work here!

You can a do a cheap roast but I guess even a cheap roast is more expensive when compared to something like a pasta bake.

Sorry op but your roast sounds like a cheap version a particular relative of mine cooks. Cheap meat, watery gravy and basic veg, not very enjoyable and not my idea of a decent roast.

No..........but surely it's not that unusual to make stuffing from leftover bread, onion and herbs from the garden?

It is a bit when you can pick up a packet for 35p

I don't think it's the cost of your meal that sounds posh, it's more the fact that you have all the gadgets to do it ie air fryers, slow cookers, pressure cookers etc. This also means you don't have to spend so long in the kitchen juggling all your oven trays and pans around, worrying about timings etc and missing out on rare time with the kids.

I work full time and hate being stuck in the kitchen for a few hours on a Sunday cooking in my single, shitty oven.

From my pov your gadget and time rich.

No..........but surely it's not that unusual to make stuffing from leftover bread, onion and herbs from the garden?

I don't know anyone who does this

Not everyone has access to numerous alternative cooking appliances though.

Nor would they have herbs and stuff growing in the garden.

And cheap meat is pumped full of water and often lacks flavour ..pork especially I'm not sure how you got any flavour for the gravy just using watery juices and flour.

I dont have roasts often but if I do I push the boat out a bit. Goose fat for the potatoes . Avoid the cheap watery meat etc

[quote CarrotSticks2]You are definitely the same poster OP, maybe you should stop talking to friends about the cost of your roasts!

Here is the original thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4365588-to-think-that-a-roast-dinner-isnt-necessarily-an-expensive-meal-to-cook[/quote]
That’s so funny! I vote different posters with weirdly similar lives.

[quote CarrotSticks2]You are definitely the same poster OP, maybe you should stop talking to friends about the cost of your roasts!

Here is the original thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4365588-to-think-that-a-roast-dinner-isnt-necessarily-an-expensive-meal-to-cook[/quote]
Oh dear. All these 'newish' friends arguing over roast dinners

Packet stuffing is a bit rank.

Our chicken was £12 and will last 2 days, I bulked it out with stuffing. The veg and Yorkshire made it around £18 to feed us today and tomorrow. Tomorrow’s dinner will be a chicken noodle soup.

@PrimroseTheSmooth

Packet stuffing is a bit rank.

True, but some would say the same about cheap meat too. Each to their own I guess.