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Economy Gastronomy

117 replies

conniedescending · 12/08/2009 21:01

Anyone just watched that utter wankage?

Their budget came down to £210 a fricken week AFTER the economy drive

thought this would be useful to me but seems I'm doing ok on my £200 a month

OP posts:
Mousey84 · 13/08/2009 15:11

I think that a lot of people do not budget, or even know how much they really spend on food. For them, this program may persuade them to pay more attention.

For the rest of us, the basic rules and principles are probably already in use, but there are new recipie ideas etc.

I do watch it, despite my budget being much, much lower and think that this sort of program is a step in the right direction. Hopefully they plan to show how to meal plan and have a family on a tighter budget somewhere in this series though.

Sheeta · 13/08/2009 15:23

argh - the tumble down recipes are the bit that wind me up, it's a ridiculous programme.

Who wants to eat minced beef 4 nights a week, why not make batches of things like chilli or shepards pie, and then freeze it?

tumble down.. what a ridiculous phrase.

On the plus side the programme has encouraged me to meal plan, meaning the Sainsbury's shop was only £99 this week

GrendelsMum · 13/08/2009 15:31

Agree that the title's not accurate - Spend (A Bit) Less, Eat (Much) Better would be much more like what happens.

I think the tumble-down concept is much more interesting than freezing 4 meals worth of chili etc - I don't know about you, but each time I do this, we get fed up with whatever it is and there's still loads in the freezer to get through, stopping us putting new things in the freezer ("no, we can't buy any ice-cream till we've eaten all that casserole") . And I think there are a surprising amount of people who don't know the tumble-down concept (ok, I don't call it that, but it's exactly what my mum's always done). My DH is a fabulous cook, but because he's learnt entirely out of cookbooks, where you buy a set of ingredients and start from scratch each time, the idea that you can cook a base and then spin it off into 7 different meals is not something that he'd realised. And if you freeze the base, you can pull it out each time.

Also that spaghetti looked gorgeous. And we all know that macademia nuts cost a fortune, but you can leave them out!

And finally, yes she does look just like Jamie Oliver with amazing breasts.

GrendelsMum · 13/08/2009 15:33

p.p.s. last week's family were on a much tighter budget, weren't they? But the main emphasis was on the children's fussy eating, so I can't remember what it actually was.

Sheeta · 13/08/2009 15:47

Agree that making a base for recipes (does she call it a bedrock recipe? ) is a good idea, but not to keep in the fridge and eat a variation of every night, I'd definitely get bored of that. Making it to freeze and then turning into different meals is a brilliant idea though.

Can't remember last week too clearly, but they were spending something like £40 on just takeaways...

SlartyBartFast · 13/08/2009 15:50

and her amazing kitchen and utensils... i wondered, when i saw a whole stack of pyrex dishes, whether it was a mock kitchen?
fancy mixer but the kids used a different one?

elliott · 13/08/2009 15:57

I'm always seduced by these programmes and then realise that I'm already a)able to cook and b) able to budget and don't really need someone to tell me to 'write a list before you go shopping'... duh

BUt at least these looked like tasty recipes. No doubt I will buy the book...

talbot · 13/08/2009 16:05

I really don't agree with the tumbledown concept at all - who on earth wants to eat beef or salmon in whatever guise 4 nights in a row? Far better to say make a huge vat of tomato sauce and freeze in containers. From that you can make stuff like vegetarian lasagne, chicken with chorizo and beans in tomato sauce, pasta with tomato sauce, koftas with tomato sauce, pizza etc etc in minutes. Same goes for bolognese sauce for spag bog, lasagne or cottage pie.

You can freeze stuff like chicken balls and turn them into an asian sensation with rice (make a sauce with soy sauce, brown sugar and water) or koftas (serve with tomato sauce, rice and toasted pine nuts). I've always cooked that way and it is very economical both in terms of cost and effort.

SlartyBartFast · 13/08/2009 16:07

yes i wonder who this programme was actually aiming at.
?

PrincessToadstool · 13/08/2009 16:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

muddleduck · 13/08/2009 16:21

only watched the first one.

seemed to say the best way to make a cheap meal was to use the things that you already had in your cupboards

arolf · 13/08/2009 16:22

I was a bit taken aback by the 'economy' ingredients - stem ginger, macadamia nuts, and poncy mushrooms - wtf? It's just another programme for people to feel smug about though (like 'how clean is your house' and any others of that ilk) - or at least, that's how it seemed to me.

Whenever that family warbled on about thier mum not having any new cooking ideas, I was shouting 'have you never heard of a fricking recipe book?' at the TV though, so maybe it's aimed at people who need to raise their blood pressure by shouting at idiots?

ClaraDeLaNoche · 13/08/2009 16:29

It was quite unbelievable. If I spent their "economical" budget on food, I would just buy from M&S and never cook. Plus 100 ways to cook mince - yuck.

vonsudenfedhatespauldacre · 13/08/2009 16:49

as far as 'tumbledown' cooking goes, I think The New Kitchen Revolution is much better at it too - the extra meals often use the veg part of the main meal rather than it being beef all week (who wants to eat that? ffs).

Plus it's about the only recipe book I've ever seen that has lots and lots of nice supper ideas that don't take half the evening to make - and it has finally taught me how to make beanburgers as good as the Burger King ones . (And that's real economy gastronony - two cans of red kidney beans and some breadcrumbs!)

ClaraDeLaNoche · 13/08/2009 16:52

Also your man said "Oh I own a restaurant and I have to make a list, can you just imagine what would happen if I didn't". This is at odds with the other TV chefs who meander through markets looking for the best produce and sniffing nice things.

sarah293 · 13/08/2009 17:17

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Message withdrawn

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 13/08/2009 17:23

Did anyone else wonder how they were so thin with all their eating?
The portions they were serving up were huge - for example that lamb she did for just herself and her husband, there was about half a sheep involved!
Also all those cakes etc. Very Odd.

talbot · 13/08/2009 20:27

Alibaba, I too was very puzzled by their thinness, particularly given the unbelievably fattening processed sweet things they all seemed to eat so much of. I'm not veggie but was also puzzled by the emphasis on meat. I try to make at least 2-3 non-meat meals a week.

Starbear · 13/08/2009 23:59

I loved the programme I know it was just food porn. I liked Allegra McEvedy style and she obviously likes her own cooking! I like her husband too! Jamie just gets right up my nose even though I love the setting, gardens and country kitchens, of his programmes. I know it's all wrong but I like it, the recipes and ideas. I loved the kitchens but granted it isn't really cooking a budget. It does make me feel smug as we don't (and never have) spent that kind of money and I have always cooked good food and I have the figure to show for it very curvy. Now my mum can cook fab food on a budget but her programme would be a comedy as you won't understand a word she says. My mum's lentil stew is to die for.

Clary · 14/08/2009 00:07

riven sorry but lol at yr boys' "snacks".

Reminds me of when my brother comes to stay and a loaf of bread mysteriously disappears.

I watched this and was also struck that they spent a huge amount, both before and after. And home-baked biccies are certainly nicer, but sooo not cheaper ("and at just 11p per cookie" yes well that's a bit more than a choc digestive innit?)

Also who wants to eat beef casserole every other day? Or are they allowed to do different "bedrock" recipes each week?

Grendelsmum where are you? Cause they lived near(ish) to me!!!

Clary · 14/08/2009 00:10

yes the woman was very thin wasn't she and the kids not fat at all.

Maybe they run five miles a day

Starbear · 14/08/2009 09:24

Did you see the 'For Sale' sign at the end? So I think she'll be having a less glam house soon. Sad, really, because if they ran a small business other people will losing their jobs too. I thought they came across very well. I must must go on five mile runs!

fatjac · 14/08/2009 10:06

What I want to know is if the two cooks are married to each other why do we always see Allegra coking in that lovely country kitchen while he is filmed in the other modern one? Probably both kitchens are film sets.

Well I've just ordered the book to keep all the other cookbooks that I never really use company. Have also ordered one by Fay Ripley(Cold Feet actor). Thats about £25 out of this weeks food budget so the recipes better save me some money.

sugarpop · 14/08/2009 10:13

She is definately not married to Paul Merrett. He is the wrong gender for her. She is famously gay.

merryberry · 14/08/2009 10:28

and patrol of london gay symphony orchestra. much much adored by my gay mates...going to dinner with 2 tomorrow night, and all their food has been her recipes these past few years, especially the leon stuff