Food has become so expensive. How is it sustainable?

[Prunnhilda]

I've noticed a real change in the past couple of weeks: everything seems to have gone up by 10 or 15%, suddenly. (Except junk food, which is always on special offer, naturally )

We can't go on being blasé about nipping into the supermarket for a few bits and pieces. What foods are you cutting back on to save money?

yes, that must be it, i can't cook. it couldn't be just that i would rather eat pasta than casseroled shin of beef.

I think even the loveliest bit of skirt, slow cooked into a pan of bubbling tattie soup, is not going to equal texture and flavour of a good bit of steak, pan-fried with a bit of marsala and cream slung in at the end.
That's my and dh's culinary upbringings, that is ^^

It's a matter of priority, too. Some folks would rather have less meat, but better cuts. Or, would rather cut back in another area.

For us, it's imperative we get rid of the millstone of debt we have within 2 years as our old banger of a car has 110,000 miles. It will need replaced soon and it's essential for living in this area.

So we're majorly cutting back and staying put in this area (rents are cheaper) for now.

But for others, it may mean cutting back in other areas rather than on food budget.

'Fajitas' are skirt beef. They're not chicken .

i make a delicious sparrow stew in the slow cooker garnished with nettles and dandelions. also road kill makes a fabulous risotto. [rolls eyes]

'i make a delicious sparrow stew in the slow cooker garnished with nettles and dandelions. also road kill makes a fabulous risotto. [rolls eyes]'

Yes, being working poor or otherwise struggling with money/feeling the pinch no matter what your earnings is something to take the piss out of [rolls eyes].

For people who are new to budgeting, it can be an adjustment and a shock.

So sometimes it's better to see it in a positive way as being thrifty or getting a leg-up in life. :)

My folks have a Cajun neighbour who will eat squirrel, snake, gator, coon, possum, pretty much anything he can scare up to kill, which is a lot as he's a great shot and also hunts with a bow and arrow.

My mum has eaten dog. It was in Asia.

Definitely fussy about meat and of the school of 'rather have a fillet steak every month than stewing steak every week'. Diff strokes for diff folks!

while i am here, mind you, can i recommend iceland's bags of frozen smoked and unsmoked haddie? 6 big fillets for four quid at the moment (2 free) and it's genuinely FINE for fish pie. (i do a mix, some white, some smoked fish).

Yes I have had people tell me they will only eat the better cuts of meat, what surprises me is then when I meet them at a BBQ with a minced burger in their hand The thing is the burger has all the ends of the line rubbish in it and I would still rather eat the cheap cuts of meat than rubbish meat.

aitch thanks for the tip my dd loves haddock

I have a slow cooker but don't use it as much as I would like as the 2 recipe books I have bought are not that practical for day to day use.

i make my own burgers, just good butcher mince, grated garlic, a blob of harissa, grated carrot and grated cheese to bind....

Thanks for that, Aitch! Mmm, haddock. I'll batter it and fry it and see how it goes.

No one in the family cares for fish pie, but we do love fishcakes (takes Loch Fyne smoked salmon trimmings out of a freezer as have some mash to use up).

Actually, and this from someone who likes filet mignon (and oysters and fois gras etc etc ) very much, cheaper cuts, if prepared well, can be very good. I get chunks of beef for boeuf bourguignon- with lots of wine, maybe some bacon, herbs etc it's lovely-full of taste and nice texture.

We're pretty broke at the mo, but I'm making the most of the fact that it's spring and there's lots of lovely veg to choose from. For dinner tonight we had boiled potatoes with lots of butter and heaps of fresh dill and fried eggs- lovely (it's the dill that makes the difference ). Or olive oil,garlic and chilli flakes spaghetti (add sundried tomatoes if you've got them)- costs next to nothing but served with salad is much nicer than frozen nuggets (IMHO).

i wonder how it will fry after being defrosted... do report back, expat, i've only ever chucked it still-frozen into a pie dish.

Ahhh if aubergines are 50p each at Aldi, does anyone want my baked aubergine recipe?

Serves 4 (adult portions)
2 Large-ish aubergines cut into chunks
2 Sliced onions
2 Crushed cloves garlic
2 Cartons of passatta (I buy mine from Morrissons and it costs about 38p a carton)
1 Chopped chilli (red if you like v hot, green if not) - if you are feeding v young children you might want to leave it out.

Sautee the onion and garlic in a glug of olive oil and then add the aubergines and chilli (don't bother doing any soaking or salting nonsense to the aubergines). Add passata, cover and bake in a medium oven (sorry but I have an Aga and don't do temperatures) until the aubergines are soft. Throw over shavings of parmesan and torn basil leaves. Serve with a green salad and chunks of bread. And a dish of pasta if you want to make it go a long way. Sometimes I also add slices of chorizo with the aubergine but obviously that bumps up the cost.

We buy loads of frozen fish packs (the big packets of fillets that are super cheap) from sainsburys. Children's favourite is either mackerel or haddock. I poach them in water or milk, add them to cooked rice and onion in a frying pan with a bit of curry powder and make a kedgeree. I normally add peas to it (can't add egg due to dh/dd allergies). It's such a cheap meal but an absolute favourite in our house and only takes about 15-20 mins to cook at most.

oh yes we do 'fish in milk and butter' (that complicated recipe ) with these frozen fillets too. tbh i felt like a bit of a berk for having paid so much more for not much better from the fishmongers. fishinmilk is what we had when we were ill, when we were kids.

Reminds me of those fish in bags with that parsley sauce which was all the rage when we were kids!