To be appalled at the cost of food?

[pinotnow]

I know this has been done to death and we are in a cost of living crisis, but listening to the news they are intimating that it is slowly levelling out and the worst is over. Yes as far as I can see it's spiralling out of control.

I did a Lidl shop this weekend and bought absolutely nothing for main meals as I have a Hello Fresh box for three days coming, boys are going to their dad's for the weekend on Thursday and I have store cupboard stuff in already.

Therefore all I bought was stuff for lunch boxes, snacks, fruit and breakfast cereal. No cleaning stuff, oil or pet food needed this week and one bottle of wine. I thought it would be a bit less than I usually pay (only the second time I've used Hello Fresh) and certainly the trolley wasn't as full.

It came to £78!! Maybe £5 or so less than I have usually paid lately. It's out of control. How on earth are people supposed to manage and when will it stop going up all the bloody time?

My dc won't eat soup. One will occasionally eat beans on toast. My DD is an absolute carnivore and loves steak, she's the more adventurous one. My ds is the fussy one... won't eat so many things.

I generally hate imitation meat and meat substitutes but I might try the LM fake duck stuff after the recommendation on here

Similarly to you I had very little when DC were young. They eat pretty much everything apart from mushrooms. There wasn't much choice, if they didn't like the carrot and lentil soup or bean stew I made then there wasn't anything else.

ASD ones are though.

I would rather go without eggs than buy battery eggs. Those poor birds suffer enough already.
How those poor birds are kept is appalling.

Actually gasped out loud at the price of Kenco milicano decaf in Sainsburys the other day- £6.50 for 100g. It was, what, about £3.50 full price a year ago, £2.50 when on offer? I don’t shop there usually but was passing and needed bread. Nicer coffee isn’t a staple, I know, but it was my one little bit of luxury. Not at that price.

I just did an online order for weekly shop to be delivered by Amazon and picked up missing bits from
corner shop It was under £80 total. I already have herbs/spices/oil/rice/wraps/tinned tomatoes and will be making:

• rice with stir fried veg & tofu or steak
• chicken or mushroom burritos with guacamole
• macaroni cheese with veg
• butternut squash daal
• pasta with roasted courgette/pepper in tomato sauce
• Chicken/veggie sausage with mash and veg
• Thai red veg curry

Also got apples/pears/grapes/berries/bananas, baby cucumbers, mixed salad, cherry tomatoes, pork steaks, massive block of cheddar, Edam & Gouda slices, bread, eggs, oatcakes, rolls, carrots, big bag crisps & milk

Most of the meals I cook enough extra for OH & I to have for lunch next day as well or will have salad with pork some days and he will have some soup from freezer and kids get sandwiches or oatcake & cheese, fruit, cucumber/carrot and some crisps for lunches.

I’ll likely grab more berries/milk and a box of cereal at the weekend.

Things are more expensive but you surely must have bought a lot of snacks to spend a similar amount particularly as Amazon prices are usually higher than in the shop

I'm also reading a book called "Ultra Processed People" at the moment so I'm adjusting how we eat. I bought very little processed food - just fruit, veg, only one packet of meat (chicken breasts), cheese, milk and some store cupboard basics (pasta, tinned tomatoes etc).

@Bumdealoftheweek Thanks for posting about this book. I've downloaded the audio book, and I'm finding it very interesting.

I have asd kids, we've learned to negotiate boundaries, there are some things they will tolerate and others that are no way.

To anyone with small children reading this, I'd highly encourage you to start using lentils, chickpeas, quinoa now as it leads to much fewer battles later if these are normal foods.

In a wrap or pitta with lots of salad is delicious. We also put in in pancakes with salad too.

‘Next day coffee’ or ‘Discount coffee’ online have beans starting at at 75p / 100g. I think the ground coffee is the same price.
You do have to pay for delivery but if you buy in bulk you don’t have to pay it.
We have used them for a few years now and the coffee is lovely.

@TokyoStories Mock duck is made from gluten and yu can make it yourself from simple ingredients like bread flour and soy sauce. You make dough, then knead several times in a bowl of water to extract the gluten - the recipe is online. You can also buy it tinned from Chinese supermarkets.

I personally find Sainsbury's extortionate.

Agree with this ^

*How would you manage on UC l wonder? Ethical morals whilst good are really only a luxury available to those with some disposeable income.

If you’ve run out of cash with 3 days left and a family to feed lm not sure you’d care where your chicken came from.*

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow I grew up in a single parent family and my mother struggled to afford food. She still wouldn't buy battery eggs etc though.

I assure you that morals are not only for the rich. You really need to stop playing the victim. If you can't afford chicken then buy it less often. There are plenty of cheap alternatives. You don't NEED to support cruel farming practices just because you're on UC.

Or
3parts plain flour
2parts water
1part vital wheat gluten

mix together, roll out, cut into bits
Steam for 10mins then soak in
anything of your choosing, eg soya sauce, sweet chilli, olive oil and hoisin
Then fry 2mins on each side
Delicious

Its called seitan ( pronounced satan )

This, actually Dd has a boyfriend who is a bit like this (not ASC but expects meat at most meals) I have just empted last night's soup pot out (delicious minestrone with carrots, potato's, Celery, lentils and tinned toms) no doubt some one will have it for lunch and I thought if you never ate meals like this what would you eat ?

I am not strictly vegetarian but eat meat less than once a week and always out. I also just CBA with the storing preparing and cooking of it
Seems like such a hassle.

Couldn’t agree more and what you say is supported by facts.

We ‘took control’ of our fishing waters, but as a nation we cut fish into blocks, cover it in batter or breadcrumbs and freeze it. Very fucking imaginative. We have a lazy disrespectful approach to food.

It may not be profiteering but there have been some opportunistic price rises eg Ryvita crispbreads or Laughing Cow cheese triangles both of which have gone up by around 50%. A PP mentioned Kenco coffee having about doubled in price

Is it suppliers or supermarkets?

It is possible that suppliers are looking at these products (plus many others) and thinking that price rises will cut their sales by 25% but if prices have gone up by 50%+ they still win.

@tikkanaan i wash and reuse sauce pots to put yoghurt for lunch in. Like this one:

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/279867779

Doesn’t work with many children with autism though.

Ds was raised on a super varied diet. It didn’t stop him developing serious food related issues due to his autism/adhd

Can I gently point out that food poverty isn't only about what your food choices might be on a budget - food poverty can extend very easily to a lack of access to good food choices - e.g. a corner shop rather than a large supermarket - with a limited range of tins and a freezer, as opposed to some lovely tinned or dried pulses...

Also the heat and materials required to prep those items might not be available.

I think we should be much more angry about inequalities in this country and less judgemental of people doing their best in difficult and different circumstances

Exactly, and sadly those shops tend to be even more expensive too so it’s a double whammy for those on the lowest incomes.

I have been veggie since birth though I eat eggs.
My DC eat 10 types of lentils, chickpeas, okra, bitter gourds, spinach, aubergines, semolina and all manner of planet friendly, cruelty free food because we come from a non-British culture so I know how to cook that because my mum taught me.
We don't eat any UPF.
I think plant based is better for the planet.

I STILL do not think berating and shaming people in a CoL crisis is a good way to achieve it.

Yes but you salaries are a lot higher, aren't they?