in thinking that cooking from scratch isn't that unusual and doesn't make you a pretentious?

[ScentedLovePuff]

I keep encountering more and more people who think its weird that I cook almost everything from scratch. I'm not some earth-mother or housewife with time on my hands, I'm a working single mum on a very tight budget. I get the impression that people think it makes me some kind of snob! Personally I find it cheaper!

I really enjoy cooking, I do it when my daughter is in bed and cook in batches so I can reheat it for her later (she is only 1 so I'm a bit careful about what she eats still) like a homemade ready meal. She does sometimes have fish fingers or fish cakes, I'm not a total food nazi!

Is it so strange? I've encountered people who are shocked and appauled that I do, and I dont just use frozen whatevers or tins.

Just putting this to the mumsnet panel, am I a freak?

I am a 20 year old single mum on a tight budget and I cook everything from scratch too. Also find it cheaper

I enjoy cooking. I enjoy eating my homemade food. You could never describe me as a snob (far too common!!) A lot of the other younger mothers I know are also cooking from scratch. I haven't as yet found it to be that uncommon. I find the reactions that the OP got a tad strange!!

OK I feel a bit smug now - I'm 8 months pregnant, it's a hot day, been at work all day and then travelled home on the stifling tube and I've just made pizza from scratch (made dough, sauce - using a tin of tomatoes and chopped the toppings). DH is working late or else he'd have done it.

@Riven, pizza bases (makes loads and you can freeze them)

1 kilo bread flour
1 pint tepid water
3 x 7g sachets of dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Mix, knead, roll, top, bake for 10mins-ish and nomnomnomnom.......

Lasagne prepped in less than 30 mins.... cooked in an hour - faultless, and a great alternative to the 3 hour marathon of conventional traditional italian Mamma recipes...

Enjoy!

I'll ask the husband Riven (he's the expert). I think it is more or less a standard bread recipe with a little more olive oil...he doesn't leave it to prove for as long as normal bread mixes though. He's still perfecting it but they taste great! (I do the tomato sauce and toppings bit.) Now we've got the hang of them we tend to have them on a Fri eve as a cheap version of a take-away, costs about £2 all in including mozarella etc and tastes waaaay better than bought ones/Dominos etc. (We think anyway!)

Emster30 - homemade pizza is delicious. You don't sound smug I found it much easier to do stuff like that while pg than I do now with a toddler.
I can make that! This thread is making me realize that I know more about cooking than I thought.

Riven
I use Overmydeadbody's recipe for pizza bases. It is really fantastic.

I normally cook the bolognese in the morning, letting it simmer for an hour or so, then build the lasagne and let it sit until evening before baking it. I find that the flavours are better that way. Or make it a day in advance.

It is easier if you actually like cooking, of course. I love cooking so am happy to spend an hour in the kitchen pottering away. Sometimes I don't have time and so we have a quick meal.

Quiche is very quick and easy to make. Or if you can get decently priced lamb then this is my absolute favourite recipe and done in 40 mins.

starexpat Yes, I guess I might as well cook time-consuming things while I still have the time! it was yum. I put jalapenos on as I remembered I bought a jar recently and they were very delicious.

The few times I have been bothered to make my own pizza dough I have been glad I did. But the afterglow never lasts long enough to combat the laziness of buying those untopped ready made ones . I guess you have to love cooking? I'm glad I can although I don't always make all from scratch. Still it's nice to be able to think, hmm, I want pancakes for breakfast (or lasagne etc), and do it.

oh, Happy Birthday to your DS, Riven. I use passata, some fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil for the pizza.