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Original poster

I think Saint Hugh of RiverCottage is going to save me £120 this month!

319 replies

deaconblue · 17/02/2012 16:38

Last week we had 4 veggie meals, 2 fish and a braising steak stew on Sunday, I made 2 soups from his veg book too. The week's shop was £94 (previous weeks had been £130 and £140, we average £130). This week I've planned 5 veggie meals, 1 fish and sausages on Sunday and another 2 soups and the week's shop comes to £93ish! I've also decided to cut out buying processed snacks so haven't bought mini cheddars or biscuits and have made home made cheese and ham muffins, and pitta with hummus for kids' snacks instead. At this rate we will be £120 better off at the end of this month.

Dh is finding he is more farty than usual though Grin

OP posts:
BettyBathroom · 10/03/2012 13:21

The goats cheese will be the soft one - choose the cheese with the bloom if you like the goatee flavour, a fresher goats with no blo

BettyBathroom · 10/03/2012 13:22

The goats cheese will be the soft one - choose the cheese with the bloom if you like the goatee flavour, a fresher goats with no bloom if you don't.

AngelDog · 10/03/2012 13:31

Well, I made the lasagne with the hard cheese, and forgot to add mustard / seasoning to the sauce. It was seriously yummy though. Grin

I'm making it again today for visitors tomorrow but I doubt I'll make it for a while after that - it's quite a faff, especially when cooking is interfered with assisted by 2y.o. DS. Wink

VikingVagine · 10/03/2012 13:34

I'm making the fennel and squash lasagne for tonight too, using blue cheese though as opposed to goat's (wow, now there is an important apostrophe). DH doesn't like fennel...

AngelDog · 10/03/2012 13:40

Grin @ goats.

It's not overly fennel-y - at least, less so than some fennel dishes I've made.

His quantity of oil for roasting the squash was WAY too much though.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 10/03/2012 16:44

:) at goatee flavour - do the whiskers not get in your teeth?

I keep wondering whether to buy this but nothing has jumped out at me yet crying 'make me.'

Fennel - blurgh
Goats' cheese - blurgh
The dds won't eat mushrooms
Nobody likes aubergines etc

Three of us are veggie so it would be good to get new ideas. Can anybody tempt me further?

NettoSuperstar · 10/03/2012 17:32

I don't like fennel, celery or peppers, and DD hates mushrooms and we've bookmarked plenty to try.
I will cook with peppers and mushrooms and DD/I just pick them out or have several dishes so there's still plenty to eat.
Would that work for you?

TunipTheVegemal · 10/03/2012 17:36

The goat's cheese can pretty much always be replaced with normal cheese.

AngelDog · 10/03/2012 18:24

Oops, I retract the comment about the oil - I realised that yesterday I was only making half a lasagne (the supermarket didn't have enough fennel for a whole one Hmm) but I used the whole quantity of oil. Blush

Beamur · 10/03/2012 18:26

We're trying the peppers stuffed with potatoes, feta and pesto tonight.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 10/03/2012 18:35

That sounds nice, Beamur.

Thanks Turnip and Netto. Now why didn't I think of just changing the cheese?!

Picking out less of an option - dd1 would just push anything containing peppers or mushrooms around her plate and choose to go hungry.

BettyBathroom · 10/03/2012 19:05

Squash has a sweet flavour which can be clawing and needs something like a soft fresh lemony Goat's cheese or blue cheese to balance that sweetness - hence why Hugh has picked these cheeses for his recipe. You could quite successfully substitute with feta but I would be very particular about the type of cheese I substituted - squash can produce a meal that is much too sweet if the flavours aren't balanced properly.

NettoSuperstar · 10/03/2012 19:14

Could you try making several dishes at once then Remus?
One night, I'm planning on a soup, the flatbreads, and three dips, one which is made from mushrooms, DD won't have that one.
If I try a pepper dish, I'll do another couple and won't have the pepper one myself.
DD fusses about pulses too, but will have a small amount.

Plenty without anything we both dislike though and you could always ask on here for appropriate subs.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 10/03/2012 19:21

Thanks again. Unfortunately I work full time and rarely get home before about 5.45, so I haven't got time to cook several dishes. Deffo worth it for the weekends though!

One good thing is that dd1 adores lentils!

NettoSuperstar · 10/03/2012 19:29

Oh sorry, I didn't think that through before replying.
I'm not that smug, honest Blush. (don't work due to disability)

Anyway, for all I know we'll hate everything we make, but I am planning to report back each evening with how it goes.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 10/03/2012 19:34

No need to apologise and you didn't come across as smug - just as somebody who likes cooking (I do too but not so much after a day spent trying to get essays out of Year 11!).

Looking forward to reading your reports...

DharmaBumpkin · 10/03/2012 19:45

Have also got this book on the strength of this thread... Made macaroni peas to much acclaim, trying pearl barley soup & sweet potato gratin this week.

Those of you buying from Amazon, double check your pages... Our first book had the index repeated in the middle section so was missing loads of recipes. Amazon replaced it of course, and I'm sure it's a one off, but I'd hate it to be a bad batch and people not realise until after the month cut-off!

NettoSuperstar · 10/03/2012 19:47

Thanks, and phew!
I do love cooking.
I've not cooked for two weeks because I've not been well. The first week DD ate home made and frozen dishes from the freezer, and this week she's cooked every night with my input. I'm really proud of her.

I'm getting back on my feet now, and I always do it by cooking, as it keeps me moving and I enjoy it, plus I've hardly eaten so need good nutritious, home cooked food.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 10/03/2012 19:51

Glad you're feeling a bit better now.

All my dds ever seem to cook is cakes!

VikingVagine · 10/03/2012 20:00

Well, DH said the lasagna was nice, but he picked out all the fennel. Hmm

TunipTheVegemal · 10/03/2012 20:02

I can't usually manage to get my brain round cooking several recipes at once (and am SAHM so no excuse!) but what I will do is cook extra quantities of one thing then serve up the rest on another day with a different dish.

Some of the tapas type recipes in the book aren't really enough on their own anyway.

Just had mushroom risoniotto btw - lovely!

Beamur · 10/03/2012 20:18

Just reporting back to say the stuffed peppers were delicious - tasty, slightly salty, sweet and filling. Yum. DH did a yummy bulgar wheat/orzo/yellow pepper thing to have with them which was really good - not a hugh recipe though, just something he made up himself.

grubbalo · 10/03/2012 23:11

We had the stuffed peppers here tonight too. Really lovely especially as an accompaniment to sausages

NettoSuperstar · 13/03/2012 13:25

We had the vedgeree last night. DD made it.
It was lovely, tasty but simple, and you could easily add in other veg or spices.
We'd make it again.

A while back I tried a James Martin recipe for deep fried duck eggs that I saw him make at the Good Food Show, and I'd maybe serve those with it instead of the plain boiled hen's eggs next time, for extra interest.

fergoose · 13/03/2012 13:38

I did the aubergine tomato parmigiana last night - was lovely and very filling.