Beat Jamie at his own game!

[rockchick]

I like doing a bacon hotpot:

Layers of thinnly sliced potato, onion and strips of streaky bacon. Cover with a basic white sauce (i like to add wholegrain mustard as well) then bake covered in the oven for about 2 hours, last half hour with the lid off gives a nice golden topping. I like it served with lots of shredded cabbage.

[Millymollymandy]

That's loads of money - I've been feeding the two of us on a meal budget of €2 for the last 4 years! AND that used to be £1.50 until recently. So suck on that Jamie Oliver!

[Clara]

So right MMM, you have to wonder if the easiest way to feed your family for under a fiver is not to enter said supermarket in the first place!

[StripyPixieSocks]

So right MMM, you have to wonder if the easiest way to feed your family for under a fiver is not to enter said supermarket in the first place!

... and oddly enough certainly not to buy Mr Oliver branded items which are about 3 times as expensive as 'own brand' items.

I buy most of my fruit and veg from a local greengrocer who does huge bags of stuff for £1 and then top up at the Asian Shops for the likes of Lentils, Rice and what not then buy the remainder at Morissons.

I don't like the butchers around here there's Mr Dodgy down the road who we still think sold us cat and not Rabbit and then there's a bahzillion and one Halal butchers... haven't found a decent everday one apart from the one in Morissons yet!

[invisiblepiper]

the easiest way to feed your family for under a fiver is not to enter said supermarket in the first place!

Just make that a statement - you got it in one!

[MuddyWitch]

When I first saw the ads I thought, "heck, at that price that would be a REALLY special meal for us!"

Glad I'm not the only one!

MW

[Elizabeth]

I like doing a bacon hotpot:

Layers of thinnly sliced potato, onion and strips of streaky bacon. Cover with a basic white sauce (i like to add wholegrain mustard as well) then bake covered in the oven for about 2 hours, last half hour with the lid off gives a nice golden topping. I like it served with lots of shredded cabbage.

Rockchick, it was lovely - had a variation for tea last night. I cut up streaky bacon and sliced sone leeks. Fried them in the bottom of the dish. Tipped onto a plate. Put a nob of butter in the dish which on melting I swished around the bottom and sides. Sliced pots. Layered pots, bacon & leeks, salt and pepper twice, placed a final layer of pots on top. Poored sauce over placed a couple of strips of streaky bacon round the edges added some grated cheese over the top.

It was yummy we had it with a green salad.

[Odsox]

What does this fiver include ?
As you probably know, I produce ALL our vegetables with the exception of mushrooms, so do I have to reckon up the cost of seeds, compost, percentage of the cost of a polytunnel, greenhouse, tools etc
If not ... wow, I will really have some great meals, £35 a week to spend on meat !!

[Mal]

Wow, I've been reading this thinking that you guys are really good.

Elizabeth -

When we have a roast chicken, it's only ever a medium size one, under £10 we eat it four times i.e. eight meals and the 2 dogs have it twice with their buscuits and then I make soup from the bones.

4 meals from a medium roast chicken is v. impressive - I get 3, be interested to know what else you do

Day 1 - roast chicken, roast veg
Day 2 - chicken pie
Day 3 - risotto with left over roast veg

I guess I could get a chicken soup for lunch out of it as well, I really need to get out there and get a big pot!

Everyone else - I stand in awe of your thriftiness! I've always thought of us as being quite abstemious but now I see how profligate we are!

[Millymollymandy]

We do the same with chicken. Have it roast the first night, then three nights of cold roast chook with salad. Usually there's enough left over for sandwiches on day 5 as well, and this is just from a 1.5 or 1.6kg chook, free range, cost about €6-7 total (this is not the normal price - I bulk buy when they are on promo about twice a year). The trick is to not eat too much meat - fill up on veges and stuffing instead!

[Annpan]

Wow, I've been reading this thinking that you guys are really good.

Elizabeth -

When we have a roast chicken, it's only ever a medium size one, under £10 we eat it four times i.e. eight meals and the 2 dogs have it twice with their buscuits and then I make soup from the bones.

4 meals from a medium roast chicken is v. impressive - I get 3, be interested to know what else you do

Day 1 - roast chicken, roast veg
Day 2 - chicken pie
Day 3 - risotto with left over roast veg

I guess I could get a chicken soup for lunch out of it as well, I really need to get out there and get a big pot!

Everyone else - I stand in awe of your thriftiness! I've always thought of us as being quite abstemious but now I see how profligate we are!

Yes, exactly.... soup.... when you boil all the bones (with left-over veg, if there is still some) lots more meat falls off and you get a proper stock for a soup - I posted somewhere before that real chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties and can really help if you are poorly (truly is the Jewish penicillin)

I have to say, I love chicken soup so much that it is usually made on day 3 and forgo the other meal.... the pot of chicken soup lasts 3 or so days though

[Elizabeth]

Mal wrote:
Wow, I've been reading this thinking that you guys are really good.

Elizabeth -
Quote:
When we have a roast chicken, it's only ever a medium size one, under £10 we eat it four times i.e. eight meals and the 2 dogs have it twice with their buscuits and then I make soup from the bones.


4 meals from a medium roast chicken is v. impressive - I get 3, be interested to know what else you do

Day 1 - roast chicken, roast veg
Day 2 - chicken pie
Day 3 - risotto with left over roast veg

I guess I could get a chicken soup for lunch out of it as well, I really need to get out there and get a big pot!

Everyone else - I stand in awe of your thriftiness! I've always thought of us as being quite abstemious but now I see how profligate we are!


Yes, exactly.... soup.... when you boil all the bones (with left-over veg, if there is still some) lots more meat falls off and you get a proper stock for a soup - I posted somewhere before that real chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties and can really help if you are poorly (truly is the Jewish penicillin)

Normally roast twice - I do twice as much roast pots/veg and stuffing
Cold with Jackets and salad
and a pasta dish, some times a pie.

After I've picked the bones for the dogs I only get stock from the bones - so make a chicken stock vegtable soup!

[rockchick]

Have leftover, will eat!

And I will sort that stock too.

[Big Al]

We do the same with chicken. Have it roast the first night, then three nights of cold roast chook with salad. Usually there's enough left over for sandwiches on day 5 as well, and this is just from a 1.5 or 1.6kg chook, free range, cost about €6-7 total (this is not the normal price - I bulk buy when they are on promo about twice a year). The trick is to not eat too much meat - fill up on veges and stuffing instead!

we have between 6 and 8 veggies per night..... lovely roasted over a spit with a good bacon joint...

sorry I mean we eat 6 or so types of vegetables each night so bulk out on them and don't need much potatoes and bread or meat. Mind you as I am only starting to grow my own this year we spend around £35 a month on veg.

[mrsflibble]

tuna pasta bake; i generally make this when my brothers and sister come over. feeds 5 gannets with second helpings lol!!

3 tins tuna (drained; i use asda's own brand)
1 large tin, or a mug of frozen sweetcorn; if feeling flush you can add some frozen peas and i have been known to bulk it out with brocolli too lol!)
1pt milk
table spoon marge or oil (mum uses tuna in oil and uses the oil from the tins, i use tuna in brine cos i prefer it)
table spoon bread flour (can be done with plain, but breadflour makes a smoother sauce; nb: 1desertspoon to each 1/2 pint milk)
grated cheese if liked
3 oz pasta per person, cooked al-dente.

put the pasta on. when it's done, cool rapidly by plunging into cold water. reserve some of the pasta water, but not much 2tbsp or so. grease a baking dish.

first, melt or warm the fat in a pan. add the flour and beat to a paste. cook for a couple of mins til it stops smelling too floury, but doesnt go brown (do it a lot and you can do it by eye).
add a little milk and beat well. change from spoon to whisk; add milk bit by bit, whisking lots until it's lumpfree....well, mostly lol!

add sweetcorn an cook until heated through.
add peas if using, but if using brocolli dont add it yet.
chuck in the tins of tuna and stir, but not breaking up too many of the lumps.
warm tuna through. remove from heat.
mix in the part-cooked pasta, pasta water and the raw brocolli if using.
mix well until it's all coated, pour into baking dish, sprinkle on cheese if you are using it and bake for 20 or so mins, until the pasta and brocolli is as soft as you like it. the dish will become fairly solid.

th only person who doesnt eat this is my hubby, he doesnt like tuna lol!!

Veg Stew-soupey thing.

2 large handfuls of dried lentils, prepared and boiled so they're ready to eat.
whatever veg is going bendy in your fridge
onion or leek
3 medium potatoes; floury work best but i use whatever i have got; except new pots lol!!
stock to cover the veg in the pan.

peel and chop all the veg. chuck it in a massive pan. fry off a little.
add stock to cover veg (add water to cover, plus a couple of cubes lol!)
cook until it's all soft. blend.
add lentils.

serve.

last time i made this it was for me, jim, soph and the other 3. i made a huge pan of it with 3 carrots, 2 parsnips, 1/2 a swede, 2 turnips, 1/2 a leek and a small onion and it fed all of us, second helpings and i had 4 portions left to freeze! (if freesing it, add a little slaked cornflour and cook it out a bit cos this will stop it all separating when it defrosts)