Page 18 | To ask what you can actually cook for 30p/meal?

Porcupineintherough · 2022-05-12T11:21:05+00:00

Following on from the comments by MP Lee Anderson I was wondering what I could actually make for 30p/head. I'm a pretty good thrifty cook but all I could come up with were: beans on toast (budget brands) tinned tomatoes on toast (budget brands) tinned mushrooms on toast (budget brands) egg on toast cheese on toast (ditto) some kind of veggie stew/sauces w red lentils (if cooking for more than one) to eat w pasta stir fry noodles w a few shreds of veg bowl of basics cereal I'm not counting things like baked potatoes where the ingredients are cheap but the energy costs to cook them are high. So what am I missing? What skills and recipes are this food bank teaching? Wild foraging? Poaching? Shop-lifting 101?

JTaekwon · 14/05/2022 08:30

The 30p includes the power used to cook the "meals". It also does not take account of availability of "cheap" supermarkets. Bulk buying isn't always an option either. Neither is "grow your own"! Whilst being able to cook is a help, it isn't the answer on it's own. Having the ability to see and accept others plight seems to be lacking - and I include some other posters in that.

MibsXX · 14/05/2022 08:47

Brieandcamembert · 13/05/2022 22:43

When I was a child we had an allotment growing our own fruit and veg. My mum would make jams and chutneys which she'd swap them with friends and family for other things, like my auntie would make pies or bread.

Times haven't changed. I make Jams and chutneys as we have fruit trees. I grow veg (I'm 41, work full time, not retired). Seeds cost pence. I swap seeds/ seedlings/ plants and veg with other people in my village. I have duck eggs off one neighbour.

There is little reason that a lot more people couldn't grow veg or bake bread.

We need to move to council properties being low rise tower blocks centered around an allotment, playground and green for kids. We need lots more community growing projects.

A lot of folks live in rented accomodation, where landlords do NOT allow for relandscaping any garden into a food growing enterprise, not withstanding the simple fact that once paid for and set growing, you might just have to move out in 6 months on the whims of the owner.............leaving your hard worked for and much longedfor crop behind.. home gardening is EXPENSIVE these days, as is proper old fashioned home cooking and preserve making, I know, my mum and grandma both did a lot of the above, we even walked country roads gathering sloes, blackberries, elderberries and elderflowers, hazelnuts.... I haven't seen many of those in recent years due to hedge cutting back and the few I did spot out had dog poo all around them.. yummy........

MibsXX · 14/05/2022 08:51

MibsXX · 14/05/2022 08:47

A lot of folks live in rented accomodation, where landlords do NOT allow for relandscaping any garden into a food growing enterprise, not withstanding the simple fact that once paid for and set growing, you might just have to move out in 6 months on the whims of the owner.............leaving your hard worked for and much longedfor crop behind.. home gardening is EXPENSIVE these days, as is proper old fashioned home cooking and preserve making, I know, my mum and grandma both did a lot of the above, we even walked country roads gathering sloes, blackberries, elderberries and elderflowers, hazelnuts.... I haven't seen many of those in recent years due to hedge cutting back and the few I did spot out had dog poo all around them.. yummy........

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Oh and the rent/mortgage in those days was rarely more than a third of a family income.....my current rent, which is cheap for this area, is 3/4 of our income and then we have council tax etc etc to pay before food!

Hospedia · 14/05/2022 10:27

Ineke · 14/05/2022 01:42

Living in a North Indian village for two years we cooked lentils, legumes, with potatoes or carrots, onions and rice. Nice spices. Make a large batch of the curry and it works out about 30p pp. And is nutritious. Rice can be cooked in 15 minutes.

We're not talking about s village in North India though, we're talking about the UK. Bulk buying lentils, legumes , potatoes, rice, etc would cost a lot more than 30p per person. Batch cooking it and then storing it in a fridge or freezer would cost a lot more than 30p.

Also worth noting that the MPs exact wording was 30p a day not per meal. Could anyone here vet three meals - breakfast, dinner, tea - for 30p? You can't, it's impossible.

Hospedia · 14/05/2022 10:33

There is little reason that a lot more people couldn't grow veg or bake bread.

Time.
Money.
Space.
Lack of resources/equipment.
Disability or illness.

If you are poor you eat what you have, you cannot risk experimenting.

Exactly this.

You have £1 left in your food budget. You could buy either a big bag of lentils to make a curry or a soup with but your DC have never had lentils so probably won't eat it or you could buy a value brand bag of 26 chicken nuggets that you 100% know they will definitely eat. Which would you buy? Most people would buy the nuggets because they know they'll be eaten rather than the lentils that will probably be wasted. There's also the chance you'll fuck up cooking them so there's another way they might be wasted. They'll also take a lot more cooking than the nuggets so there's a waste of gas/electric that could have been used elsewhere.

cakeorwine · 14/05/2022 10:36

Ineke · 14/05/2022 01:42

Living in a North Indian village for two years we cooked lentils, legumes, with potatoes or carrots, onions and rice. Nice spices. Make a large batch of the curry and it works out about 30p pp. And is nutritious. Rice can be cooked in 15 minutes.

I know that for many people in the world, they have the same meal - or variations on the same meal, every day. I travelled in Nepal and Dhaal Bhaat was a staple. A simple meal with lentils, rice and tomatoes.

It worked. But it's a bit depressing to have the same meal or variations of it every single day - it looks like for some people in the UK, this is going to be a reality.

ancientgran · 14/05/2022 10:43

Testina · 13/05/2022 23:43

She’s got 92p left - it’s a dish for 4.

So she has 92p for the onion, pasta, beans, peppers. Hopefully she has some oil and salt in the cupboard. Will one tin of beans do for 4, doesn't sound like much protein.

Zebedee55 · 14/05/2022 10:44

According to Suella Braverman, Tory attorney general, on QT, single parents are better off than they were a year ago.

So, that's alright then...🙄

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/question-time-howls-laughter-attorney-26951817

ancientgran · 14/05/2022 10:45

Hospedia · 14/05/2022 10:33

There is little reason that a lot more people couldn't grow veg or bake bread.

Time.
Money.
Space.
Lack of resources/equipment.
Disability or illness.

If you are poor you eat what you have, you cannot risk experimenting.

Exactly this.

You have £1 left in your food budget. You could buy either a big bag of lentils to make a curry or a soup with but your DC have never had lentils so probably won't eat it or you could buy a value brand bag of 26 chicken nuggets that you 100% know they will definitely eat. Which would you buy? Most people would buy the nuggets because they know they'll be eaten rather than the lentils that will probably be wasted. There's also the chance you'll fuck up cooking them so there's another way they might be wasted. They'll also take a lot more cooking than the nuggets so there's a waste of gas/electric that could have been used elsewhere.

For baking your own bread you need to have enough gas/electricity for the oven as well. Considering I can buy a sliced loaf for 45p I don't think baking bread is going to save much money, it will taste nicer but if you are on 30p a day I think baking a loaf is going to be a luxury.

cakeorwine · 14/05/2022 11:38

Jack Monroe has responded to criticism from certain people

cookingonabootstrap.com/2022/05/12/whats-the-difference-between-jack-monroe-suggesting-budget-recipes-and-a-tory-mp/

AppleandRhubarbTart · 14/05/2022 12:16

ancientgran · 14/05/2022 10:45

For baking your own bread you need to have enough gas/electricity for the oven as well. Considering I can buy a sliced loaf for 45p I don't think baking bread is going to save much money, it will taste nicer but if you are on 30p a day I think baking a loaf is going to be a luxury.

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Yes, baking one's own bread is not an example of things people could be doing to save money. I do it sometimes, and it's a luxury. The reason I am able to do it is because I can afford to. The time, space, equipment, cooking costs.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 14/05/2022 12:31

cakeorwine · 14/05/2022 11:38

Jack Monroe has responded to criticism from certain people

cookingonabootstrap.com/2022/05/12/whats-the-difference-between-jack-monroe-suggesting-budget-recipes-and-a-tory-mp/

Going by last night on twitter, largely about how happy she is that the damages she's going to claim will be enough to buy a big house and inviting people to make PayPal payments into her account.

Thebestwaytoscareatory · 14/05/2022 12:49

I can cook a pasta dish for four that'd come to under 30p each. Cook onion lightly in microwave so no oil. Then mix in cans of tomatoes and kidney beans - add pepper, dried chilli or dried herbs and cook, 200g cooked pasta. All ingredients low cost tins Tescos or Lidl. It just happens to cost that, but having to think about the cheapest way to do every meal and trying to get sufficient nutrition must be awful.

@ifonly4

That doesn't come to under 30p per person. Tesco's cheapest ingredients are;

Pasta - 20p
Onion - 10p
Tinned tomatoes - 28p
Tinned kidney beans - 30p
Dried mixed herbs - £1
Dried chilli flakes - 85p
Pepper - 48p

Total of £2.36 or 59p p/p if using mixed herbs and £2.21 or 55p p/p if using dried chilli. This also doesn't include the energy in cooking the food.

BritBoxBangers · 14/05/2022 12:50

CaptainMyCaptain · 12/05/2022 12:46

It's true that people aren't taught to cook meals at school any more although when I did Domestic Science it was only for girls and boys need to cook too. However, this has nothing to do with the need for foodbanks - that is about poverty.

My kids went to a state school where they were taught to cook - all of them. But despite having weekly cooking lessons these kids still went to uni not being able to cook!

Bookloverjay · 14/05/2022 14:26

hattie43 · 12/05/2022 13:05

This.

I saw a full interview with him and what he said made sense but of course the usual fixation on the 30p.

He actually works at the food bank , how many on here can say that whilst slinging insults .
He was talking of when he was a kid a his mum / grandma bought cheap meat cuts and veggies but because they could cook were turning them into healthy meals . He was saying that he sees lots of people who can't cook or budget so the food bank is giving lessons in these subjects to help people . The theory being that if you can cook you can buy your ingredients and put together healthy meals rather than trolleys of expensive ready meals .

Made sense to me.

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He wasn't working there or even volunteering.
In a news report he said he stood by what he said.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10808891/amp/Tory-Lee-Anderson-says-throwing-money-ay-foodbanks-not-solution-poor-learn-cook.html

ancientgran · 14/05/2022 14:32

BritBoxBangers · 14/05/2022 12:50

My kids went to a state school where they were taught to cook - all of them. But despite having weekly cooking lessons these kids still went to uni not being able to cook!

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I'm currently teaching GS to cook ready for uni next year. He's really enjoying it and it has encouraged him to try things. My DH has given him the thumbs up for latest attempts so that is good. Next week I'm taking a back seat, no teaching, just sitting waiting for the meal to appear.

I haven't decided about going on to baking but I bet a nice Victoria sponge would go down well with his flat mates.

Mercyovermerit · 14/05/2022 14:39

This is one of the many reasons I do not understand conservatives voters. But hey ! Here we all are .

pixie5121 · 14/05/2022 15:35

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at poster's request.

AppleandRhubarbTart · 14/05/2022 15:39

We live in the first world, and so what constitutes a sensible decision is made in that framework. For someone in the UK who is working out how best to spend their remaining £1, the fact that some people are hungry enough to eat food they don't like clearly has no impact on whether the chicken nuggets are the better option in their specific circumstances.

pixie5121 · 14/05/2022 15:53

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at poster's request.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 14/05/2022 15:53

Bit of a derail, but I'd be (genuinely) interested to hear from someone who's studied human psychology as it relates to food. Some people have sensory issues that make it very difficult indeed for them to eat foods of certain tastes or textures. I know a very elderly Irish lady who told me that when she was a child she couldn't swallow chicken. It would have been a huge treat at the time and she wasn't from a wealthy background, so I assume her family just didn't bother serving her chicken and she took extra vegetables or bread or something else. I didn't get the sense that it had caused a lot of arguments. I mention this because some people seem to think faddiness and picky eaters are new phenomena, but she would have been born in the 1940s. I had cousins who were very faddy eaters in the 1960s, one of whom had siblings who weren't, so it wasn't down to the way they were being brought up or the food they were given, which was very similar in type and tastiness to what we were getting in my immediate family.

I assume most people could bring themselves to eat anything if they were actually starving, but I've seen reports from parents of children with severe sensory issues saying they really will eat nothing at all rather than something they can't tolerate. Hopefully nobody pushes that to the point where the child would actually be malnourished, but would a human being actually refuse food to that point? I suppose the answer has to be yes, given the existence of anorexia.

Villagewaspbyke · 14/05/2022 16:30

Doubleraspberry · 12/05/2022 18:13

I think Lee Anderson has an awful lot more real life experience than many MPs, and worked at CAB for several years. I believe he's an ex-miner from a mining family so assume he grew up during the strike. I think we can assume he understands some of these issues more than more privileged MPs.

I can also imagine that he is speaking from some frustration as cooking skills really can make it easier to make better, cheaper food, and if you're seeing lots of people who lack those skills and are suffering as a consequence, you would speak up.

But (a) his comments have been taken up by a lot of people who lack that understanding and are using it as a stick to beat poor people with, along with the fact that people on low income also have the temerity to own TVs and smart phones, (b) he is a member of a government whose policies have led to this situation in many ways, both food banks and lack of skills, and (c) he appears to have some rather eyebrow raising views about people in general. Also (d) grinding enduring poverty saps reserves, resources and will, all of which are needed to carry on making and eating very cheap meals, which is perhaps not the position of some food bank users that he's meeting.

I agree with this. We are all too keen to jump on the “he’s privileged/ out of touch/ stupid/ privileged” bandwagon rather than just listening to what he has to say. we need to make people into goodies or baddies and pretend there are easy answers to everything. There are not.

I understand that he was simply explaining that the food bank in his constituency teaches cooking on a budget and that he had participated. Sounds like a good thing in general to me.

when I was a student I used to make cheap nutritious meals and they were pretty good. I am from a poor country too (well my parents are) and my mum used to pressure cook soups, stews and porridge when we were struggling. I didn’t even realise at the time it was to save money- I really enjoyed the food.

not having enough to eat is awful but home cooking is a useful skill and cheap meals can still be tasty and nutritious.

Villagewaspbyke · 14/05/2022 16:40

cakeorwine · 14/05/2022 10:36

I know that for many people in the world, they have the same meal - or variations on the same meal, every day. I travelled in Nepal and Dhaal Bhaat was a staple. A simple meal with lentils, rice and tomatoes.

It worked. But it's a bit depressing to have the same meal or variations of it every single day - it looks like for some people in the UK, this is going to be a reality.

Show quote history

It’s normal in many parts of the world to eat the same thing every day. I agree it seems weird to us as we have so much food choice. A lot of places rice and chicken or rice and chick peas will be lunch.

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 14/05/2022 16:44

SallyWD · 12/05/2022 12:57

Dahl and rice costs pennies to make and is delicious.

It really doesn’t cost ‘pennies’ to make - lentils and rice aren’t that cheap and then you have to but spices

Villagewaspbyke · 14/05/2022 16:47

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 14/05/2022 15:53

Bit of a derail, but I'd be (genuinely) interested to hear from someone who's studied human psychology as it relates to food. Some people have sensory issues that make it very difficult indeed for them to eat foods of certain tastes or textures. I know a very elderly Irish lady who told me that when she was a child she couldn't swallow chicken. It would have been a huge treat at the time and she wasn't from a wealthy background, so I assume her family just didn't bother serving her chicken and she took extra vegetables or bread or something else. I didn't get the sense that it had caused a lot of arguments. I mention this because some people seem to think faddiness and picky eaters are new phenomena, but she would have been born in the 1940s. I had cousins who were very faddy eaters in the 1960s, one of whom had siblings who weren't, so it wasn't down to the way they were being brought up or the food they were given, which was very similar in type and tastiness to what we were getting in my immediate family.

I assume most people could bring themselves to eat anything if they were actually starving, but I've seen reports from parents of children with severe sensory issues saying they really will eat nothing at all rather than something they can't tolerate. Hopefully nobody pushes that to the point where the child would actually be malnourished, but would a human being actually refuse food to that point? I suppose the answer has to be yes, given the existence of anorexia.

Dunno about food choices but I studied development for a while. One surprising thing for development scientists is that if people don’t have enough food (so are getting a calorie deficit) giving them money often doesn’t result in them buying more food. Instead they spend it other things (eg a tv if they don’t have one). Hence it can be better to provide kids with school meals or provide cheap fortified food directly if you want to feed them.

it is understandable though that people want things like a tv. Even at the cost of more food. They are used to eating what they eat and a tv provides a lot of entertainment.