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Original poster

Eat Well For Less? BBC1

286 replies

LovelyFriend · 03/09/2015 20:19

They are looking at a family food spend.

Family of 5 is spending well over national average - about £220pw.

THey are being slated for buying "expensive" sliced cheese. I'm a pretty savy shopper and I will buy sliced cheese and grated cheese after working out that they usually DON'T cost more per kilo to buy than a block.

Also apparently Greg Wallace is going to argue that margarine is not an unhealthy choice compared to butter! WTF? Apparently as it has less sat fat it is "healthier".

Watching with interest.

OP posts:
Original poster
LovelyFriend · 02/10/2015 11:08

link failure:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cauliflower-crust-pizza

OP posts:
Original poster
LovelyFriend · 02/10/2015 11:12

I've started to notice too much wheat isn't agreeing with me these days either - so I just make my pizza base super thin.

Soup have you seen the Life Changing Loaf of "Bread" recipe? I make one a week and have it for lunches all week with various bits (Cheese, pesto, toms, greens). I mix up the nuts/seeds etc. But it really is incredible and I think I will be making it forever. It is super super easy to make - only skill required is being able to mix and turn an oven on.
www.mynewroots.org/site/2013/02/the-life-changing-loaf-of-bread/

OP posts:
JustRosieHere · 02/10/2015 11:22

The eldest daughter was so lovely praising all the food. My kids would have a meltdown if I suddenly have them something. They are young but if they haven't eaten something for a few months they act as if I'm poisoning them and deny ever eating it before.

myotherusernameisbetter · 02/10/2015 11:29

Without exception, regardless of what we think of the show, the kids in the families featured have all been lovely, enthusiastic and willing to try things.

Restores your faith a bit tbh.

Not saying the adults haven't all been nice too btw :)

Maybe if I volunteered for the show , my DC would suddenly start eating purple cauliflower and all those other things ....... I don't think I am an extreme enough candidate though, yes we could spend a bit less and eat a bit healthier, but we are probably a typically average household. Though to be fair that would probably be more useful to most but is less tv worthy.

stripytees · 02/10/2015 12:16

The mum on last night's episode needs an MN bra intervention...

MyNameIsRonnieFuckingPickering · 02/10/2015 12:22

Chickpea flour panckes are delicious so I'm keen to try it as a pizza base.

MyNameIsRonnieFuckingPickering · 02/10/2015 12:25

Can't believe that family was spending £1200 per month on food! How dim must they be to be shocked to learn this?

Also I hate at the end of the programme they pretend 'oh I think we'll have made a £20 saving. I'd be happy with that'. As if the BBC are going to make a series about saving £20 a week on your groceries.

myotherusernameisbetter · 02/10/2015 12:58

I've just taken a quick squiz through my banking - I'd have estimated that we spend about £6-700 a month.

Looking at the charges to my account from various supermarkets over the last 4 months, it's come out at £667. I sometimes buy the odd thing with cash, but then again, I often buy gifts and clothes with my groceries. We were away on holiday for part of that time but again I bought a pile of holiday clothes in the sale in Sainsbos before we went so that has probably all evened up. Only thing I haven't factored in there was a £200 plus spend in Costco at the beginning of that period which probably should be mostly added but I think that included new trainers for DH and some other stuff that probably wouldn't come under "groceries" so I recon we'd still be about the £700 mark. That is still a lot of money though.

LineyReborn · 02/10/2015 13:06

Why was bra-intervention mum always waiting on her husband and kids?

squoosh · 02/10/2015 13:08

It does feel a bit old fashioned. Very focused on Mums cooking for the family and Mums making poor supermarket choices family.

I wanted to give the husband on last night's show a good shake. He was like a shop dummy.

LineyReborn · 02/10/2015 13:20

Dad got to make one meal but only because it was his turn down at the fire station.

Allofaflumble · 02/10/2015 13:44

The chick pea pancake/pizza thingy are v popular in Italy. They call it Socca. I have made it with cumin and coriander.

PedantPending · 02/10/2015 13:49

Dreadful family, apart from the little boy.
Mother a fat, uneducated slob, father a wimp. Daughter 1 also overweight. Food served in bowls - why? None of them looked too nifty with a knife and fork, were they using them for the first time for the tv?
No meal planning, no shopping list, no idea.
But (to quote from Great British Menu) this is what most of the UK, at a certain level, appears to be like today. No gumption, no common sense and believing everything spun to them by advertising, government agencies etc.

PurpleDaisies · 02/10/2015 13:57

Wow. That's a bit harsh pendant. Fat, uneducated slob? You could try unhoiking your judgy pants a bit.

myotherusernameisbetter · 02/10/2015 13:59

Don't beat about the bush there Pedant say what you really feel.....

ilovechristmas123 · 02/10/2015 14:27

my 8 yr old son looks very cack handed when eating but he is left handed and looks pretty much cack handed using scissors etc to

ilovechristmas123 · 02/10/2015 14:28

actually the family seemed really nice,and loved that they ate outside together as a family

absolutelynotfabulous · 02/10/2015 15:26

I'm kind of with Pedant …this family boiled my pee more than the others. I did a lot a eye-rolling and shouting at the telly tonight. I mean, who on earth spends over 300 per week on food and really has no idea? Then the gratuitous blubbing, followed by a "There, there" kinda hug from Greg. Ffs get a grip, woman!

And they're sooooo busy-so busy in fact that they spend an hour and a half dithering around the supermarket.

But at least what she cooked looked tasty. The bloke just hung around looking wimpish. And I couldn't help noticing the one girl was overweight either.

Omg salmon coming out of a tin! Well I never!

Now I'm not sure if this is a Mumsnet thing and slightly off-topic, but since when has it been obligatory to ask your offspring to appraise their meals? It's something I've never done-at mine, food is served and that's it. These people treat their meals like it's bloody Masterchef or something.

I loved the little boy, though. He can come to mine for a baked spud any time!

squoosh · 02/10/2015 15:50

Nice woman but how in the name of holy baby Jesus would you not know you're dropping £300 a week on food!

No wonder they can't afford a holiday if they're spending upwards of £15,000 a year on groceries.

SoupDragon · 02/10/2015 15:56

Dad got to make one meal but only because it was his turn down at the fire station.

They did show him cooking something at home too didn't they? Later in the show from when he cooked at work.

To be fair, his shifts might not have allowed him to cook for family meal times. I thought he wasn't there at all for several of them.

SoupDragon · 02/10/2015 15:58

since when has it been obligatory to ask your offspring to appraise their meals

When you are on a TV programme...?

absolutelynotfabulous · 02/10/2015 16:01

soup phew! I've come across this IRL, too-parents who seem to pander to children's tastes. I've never done it myself.

myotherusernameisbetter · 02/10/2015 16:07

I pander - I am a soft touch :)

Also just thought that the Dad is probably having half his meals at the fire station which make the food spend even more outrageous - I hope she uses up some of the stockpile in the cupboards for a few months and that will save a bit too.

I always wonder what happens to all the food they have just bought but aren't allowed to touch - is it all just artistic licence and editing though? SO they come home with shopping and crew ban it all and take photos of fridge food all banned. Crew go away, family eat all the food and then do the shooting of the replacements a week or so later?

annatha · 02/10/2015 17:49

The bowls annoyed me too. And I can't help feeling that the kids are reading from a script every week, its wonderful that they like the new foods better every single time but most kids wouldn't be able to explain exactly what's different and why its better.

Still can't believe how much they spend on food and that they go shopping without a list and just grab what they fancy. Oh, to have that much money.

I'd love to see them help a less well off family instead.

LineyReborn · 02/10/2015 17:56

Soup I missed the bit with the dad cooking something at home - my honest impression was that he sat around a lot waiting for his dinners to appear.