Selfsufficientish.com

Years ago my friend and I had a job share - we alternated 3 days one week with 2 days the next - on the 'days off' we minded our combined kids - 6 in all and cleaned each others houses. We were still broke and it lasted for a year before our husbands had had enough!!

Anyway, I digress. Our favourite cookbook - given we were still poor - was The Pauper's Cookbook by Jocasta Innes. In fact we liked it so much that once we had both finished the job share, we used to do a weekly challenge of shopping together and seeing how little each of us could spend on the week's shop. Great fun and very, very useful - that way the kids got shoes.

This book has some great recipes.

Sue

Is this the same Jocasta Innes as in paint effects fame?

kind thoughts
Deb

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 04-3959921

looks like it deb

Thanks, Woolcraft - that looks just up my street and I am going to get one!

Yep, got that one, in a similay vein -

The Thrifty Gormet or Feeding a Family on a Budget - Ann Marshall - Angus and Robertson - 1974 (Aus)

Penny Pincher's Cookbook - Sophie Leavitt - Tempo Books - 1973 - (US book but my copy published in Aus)

The Money Savers Cook Book - Geri Tully - Tower Publications - 1970 (US)

Eating Better for Less, A guide to Managing your Personal Food Supply - Ray Wolf (Editor) - Rodale Press - 1978 (US)

Inflation Cookbook, good Food for Hard Times - Lena E. Sturges - Omoor House Inc. - 1973 (US).

All bought second hand at one time or another.

Nev

Alternatively - just eat the Scottish staple foods: Porridge; tatties and neeps; offal. All cheap and nourishing! Oh yes, and black pudding - that used to be made when money was scarce and they wanted something rather more fulfilling than porridge: They did a bit of bloodletting - didn't kill the cow - and mixed the blood with oatmeal.

Errkk! That's just made my head swim - I know they do things like that in Africa but that's a bit close to home!

Can't say I fancy that, either. But I don't suppose they do it that way nowadays... Although they still eat black pudding. I stick to my beloved oatcakes!

I have another book by Jocasta Innes,The Country Kitchen and thats been so useful to me.Its quite diverse with chapters on smoking meats,bottling,brewing,salting ect. Cant help wondering why she changed to paint effects?

I have to say that having looked at this book I just can't find any recipe that inspires me enough to cook it. There is an offal lot of offal!!!! The food is just not the sort that we eat, and I find it is set out really oddly, making it difficult to find certain sorts of recipes.

Also, some of the ingredients aren't what I would consider that cheap. Spaghetti with lumpfish caviar and creme fraiche? She uses a lot of meat and fish; I don't eat much meat and find fish quite expensive, so would have liked a few more interesting looking veggie dishes.

I suppose I might change my mind when I get round to actually cooking from it!!