Low Cost Good Food | In Search Of Good Food

Can Low Cost Food be Good Food?

‘It’s what you do with it that counts’ – never a truer word was said than when eating well on a budget

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Shopping wisely, having an eye for a bargain and preparing a number of meals from one main ingredient are all proven ways to make a fiver go further.

Plus, all that extra care and attention paid to what you’re buying and cooking will probably result in more delicious and healthier meals. For inspiration, there are lots of books and websites out there with low-cost recipe ideas – and they’re not just for students!

Our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs when we shop

Food industry and government statistics show that the average person chucks out a staggering £420 of food a year. Much of this wasted food consists of expensive processed items that simply get forgotten about in the back of the fridge.

AN ABUNDANCE OF FOOD AND AN AMPLE GIRTH INDICATED A POSITION OF SOCIAL PRIVILAGE AND POWER

Nature already does a great job of providing its own packaging for free

Wouldn’t you rather be paying for quality, freshness and taste than polystyrene? A generation ago, almost all the items from your local shop, would have been sold loose. Now they all come in multiple layers of plastic, clingfilm, paper and cardboard. Often, the seductive packaging makes a bigger pile than the bare groceries themselves.

Just say ‘No!’ to shrink-wrapped vegetables

When you ‘unzip’ a banana or rip off the silky green jacket from a corn on the cob, it’s hard to comprehend why these naturally protected (and fresher) items usually come packaged in unnecessary plastic. Members from the Women’s Institute from all over England and Wales have already taken direct action with certain supermarkets – returning the discarded packaging to the checkout.

Foods that are in season not only have a superior flavour, they cost less too

Avoid buying seasonal fruits such as strawberries during the winter. They will probably have been flown in from abroad and taste of nothing. Locally grown root vegetables, British apples and pears are wonderful right now; and bought fresh from the greengrocer or farmer’s market, they are wonderfully cheap too.

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Eat like a king or queen with ‘poor man’s’ cuts of meat

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Cheaper cuts of meat usually have much more flavour than your posh fillet. Beef brisket, beef skirt, oxtail and mutton (as opposed to lamb) typically need to be casseroled for longer than more expensive cuts, at a very low temperature. This breaks down the fibrous connective tissue, resulting in extremely tender meat.

In case you’re thinking that longer cooking times mean higher fuel bills; consider dusting down the old 1980's slow cooker. It only uses 50W but cooks over 10 hours. Try using it for the classic French dish, Coq Au Vin. Tough, old birds that would be too chewy to roast are thrown in the pot with some wine. A tomato based sauce also works well, because the slight acidity tenderises the meat further.

Plan a series of meals and stick to a weekly budget to avoid impulse buys

Meals go further when you have ‘leftovers' in mind. Double-up the quantities in a recipe and use up all the fresh ingredients in one go. Individual portions can then be frozen as ready-meals. Stock made with meat and vegetables forms the base for all sorts of pasta sauces and soups. It also freezes really well, portioned out into freezer bags.

Tests have shown that many ÔvalueÕ products and their more expensive equivalents are pretty equal in terms of taste.

More is less

Bulk buying offers genuine savings too, especially if you share out the produce. Sacks of rice, for example, are incredibly good value from Asian grocers – simply divvy up the sack among friends and neighbours and make lots of nutritious meals using pulses, vegetables and spices.

‘No Frills’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘no good’

Tests have shown that many ‘value’ products and their more expensive equivalents are pretty equal in terms of taste. The most obvious difference, apart from price, is that the ‘no frills’ ranges tend to come in different shapes and sizes.

Not all economy brands cut it for taste

Tinned tomatoes, however, are a good example of when cheap isn’t necessarily better. The economy 13-pencers never live up to the flavour and colour of the ‘premium’ 55p ones. And you don’t want any green and tough bits of tomato ruining a good sauce.

Be canny and pick the right time to shop for bargains

Go to the supermarket near closing time for reduced prices. If vegetables are sold by the piece, choose the heaviest and largest. If sold by weight, avoid ones with bulky leaves and stems that will be thrown away.

So do you think cheap food always tastes ‘economy class’, or is it more down to how you prepare and cook the ingredients that make a great meal? Be generous – share your thoughts, tips and recipes on the forum. It won’t cost you a penny.

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