"Just add beans, pulses and lentils"

[Hagrod]

I am sick of hearing this advice given when food poverty is being discussed!

"Just add beans, pulses and lentils to all your meals, they will give you the protein you need to spread expensive meat and fish further [ad infinitum]."

Like many other people, I do not have packets of beans, pulses and lentils nestled at the back of my cupboards just waiting for the day I am so starving I need to add them to a bowl of soup. I would have to go out and buy them, I assume they are not given away for free.

I just think it's such a cliched piece of advice that has been meted out to 'the peasants' for decades now and I wish they'd stop it.

It's not the worst advice for people currently surviving on plain rice and cupa soups

Can someone advise how you cook fennel and star of anise. I love both flavours but never seem to extract the flavour fully when I cook.

I’m using a slow cooker ( once I work out how to use it)

I cook them off in the pan, same way as for all spices, while I'm softening the onions then add the rest of the food on top

@Signeduptosimplyreplytothis

👍 and now I’m hungry

I think it I good advice if you are looking to make meals cheaper, but it doesn't solve the issue of huge inequality in this country.

The whole self care and budgeting movement distracts from the real issue, which is the greed of a few people decimating the lives of the working class and now the middle class forbtheir own gain, so for that reason I have said its NU.

Depends on the context in which the advice is given.

I actually do have a store cupboard with pulses and lentils and have been making lentil soup as a cost effective, healthy and filling meal as we were financially struggling this month when husband lost his job. Clichéd advice maybe, but it does cut costs and stretch meals

Problem with ANY advice is that someone will always do
"But..." And disses the advice because it doesn't apply to their/someone else's situation which is extremely unique. They then brand the advice stupid and useless.

No tips, no advice, no help can be applicable to absolutely everyone.

"Lentils can save money"
"But what about people without cooker. Stupid and usless advice"
Under 3% of population don't have cooker.

"X and Y can be good to buy instead Z and A"
"But that only works if you have supermarket nearby to choose. Stupid and useless advice"
Just about 2% of population live in food deserts.

This, 100%.
There is some great advice on this thread for those who are needing to cut outgoings in the current situation, maybe for the first time. But some of it would come across as rather "let them eat cake" to the most vulnerable members of society. That doesn't mean the suggestions aren't useful though, they just need to be made with some sensitivity.

It suits our current policy makers to sell the idea that the poor are where they are because they are feckless and that they could easily improve their situations by "just" making a few lifestyle changes. If only that were true!
I think there are some very sound arguments for eating more pulses and grains and less meat, even if you don't need to for financial reasons, and it certainly is a way to save money. So it's very good advice for lots of people, but we need to be aware of the fact that tips like this don't solve the underlying issues and that there are people in our society for whom this kind of advice just won't help, for lots of reasons.

Lentils instead of mince beef or to make minced beef go further IS a good economy.

On Tesco groceries it's £1.35 for 500g of green lentils. 250g minced beef is £1.99.

Using lentils is cheaper. Presume you don't have minced beef hanging about in your fridge for months anyway?

Green lentils, celery, onions, carrots, garlic and any other veg lurking about. Add beef Oxo cube, squirt tomato puree and tin of chopped tomatoes. Leave to simmer. Serve with spaghetti or baked potato etc. Vary it by adding kidney beans (swap the veg for peppers) and chilli powder and serve with rice for chilli con carne.

Making a lamb tagine use half the amount of meat and add a tin of chickpeas for 60p. Lamb is expensive £4.75 for pack of diced lamb in Tesco. Add more chickpeas to stretch how far the dish goes - feeds more people or have the leftovers for lunch/ freezer, saving you money on a meal another day.

"Like many other people, I do not have packets of beans, pulses and lentils nestled at the back of my cupboards just waiting for the day I am so starving I need to add them to a bowl of soup."

Why don't you? Seriously, why don't you?

This has been coming for YEARS. As soon as the brexit vote came in I started keeping a stock of tinned tomatoes, mixed beans (not baked beans) chick peas and dried lentils etc. I rotate through them to make sure they don't go out of date but ALWAYS have enough to feed us for at least a week if the shit really hit the fan.

Anyone who hasn't seen this coming has really not been paying attention.

I have emergency pasta hoops

@lentilly

It's a start!!

I’ve been using pearl barley and lentils to bulk out mince, slow cooker all in ones and soup for years. They are cheap and good for you. Just because you don’t usually buy them, it doesn’t mean nobody else does.

Yeah slowly building up supplies

I can’t eat beans, lentils, chickpeas and the like. It’s a texture thing.

I agree OP. I’ve been told this so many times.

my kids will eat any of those things. I don’t like chick peas at all and I don’t have the bet for all the ingredients to add to them to make me actually like the meal.

sure, they are cheap. But less appetizing than Guinea pig food.

I've always understood that the tin lining deteriorates when hanging about after opening and left over food must be transferred.

Agreed you cannot just add them but cooking with them is cheap, healthy and eco friendly. Also there are many different varieties and ways to cook. While food poverty is a real issue so is lack of cooking skills in the general population. I really wish schools would teach this.

@Chouetted a can of lentils with some curry powder, salt and can of tomatoes tastes decent with soup. Curry powder is cheap and lasts forever too.

Well I would add them, and possibly enjoy them but then I would bloat like a hot air balloon and contain enough wind to self propell myself to the moon. So it's a no from me.

No good if you've got IBS. In fact, sometimes disastrous!

I always have an emergency stock of loo rolls - not because of Brexit but because of Tony Blair and his weapons of mass destruction misinformation. Why on earth I decided that a world shortage of loo roll was more important than food should there be an attack, I don't know... other than (as a coeliac and IBS sufferer) if I had to live on normal food rations, extra toilet rolls would be essential 😅

I use tinned cannelini beans and cheap cutsof beef to make stew. You need a lot less meat. A tin of baked beans is fine too. You don't need to go out and buy quinoa.

Exactly this. A 500g pack produces the equivalent of 4 tins. Soak overnight in a big pan. In the morning boil for 10 minutes. Switch off and leave until evening. Use what you need and freeze the rest in 250g bags.
Are a relatively cheap source of protein compared with meat or cheese and tasty. Made a traditional Swabian stew tonight based on 250g dried lentils with lardons, a couple of frankfurter sausages and veg. 4 yummy servings