Economy Gastronomy

A place to chat about anything you like, including non-gardening related subjects. Just keep it clean, please!

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Geoff
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Anybody been watching the latest BBC comedy "Economy Gastronomy"? Each week a family turn up to boast that they can afford to go to the supermarket every day and spend more in a week than a rational family would spend in a month or two. The two experts sort them out by introducing them to the novel idea of shopping lists and weekly shops and doing a bit of home cooking. They triumphantly slash their bills to something only mildly extravagant. No sign of any sort of healthy living in the menus they end up with though. I would be wanting to cut down on the costs they end up with, are we the only people who do a large shop only every 5 or 6 weeks? I would never get the chance though as I would be on a prison diet for assaulting the awful kids!
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MrsL
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I watched the first one out of interest, but expected to do a lot of :roll: - ing, which i did!! :lol:
It really was a load of patronising old rubbish; we have since ditched the TV completely from the sitting room, so won't have to endure any more of this sort of carp.
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richard p
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why do these economy "experts" insist on only buying whats on the list for use now.. if i spot something half price that we use a lot of ill buy a load, even if weve still got some in the cupboard...
for example we let the kids have a bottle of appletise or schlure with sunday lunch, both are often on bogof, so i stock up and rarely buy it at full price... if the whole salmon are half price ill get a couple and chuck them in the freezer till we want one... soon be time to look for a cut price frozen turkey :)
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Tigger
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We buy our fish from Gloucestershire (Severn Wye and Smokery) 6 times a year and veal from Boccadon Veal Farm about the same rate. We get our meat from a local butcher who's family run a farm with the odd extra from Chatsworth as I think they have the best beef and pork I have ever tasted.

We grow pretty much all of our veg and fruit and have now established some vines. In the meantime, our wine comes from Tanners and the Honiton Wine Shop in Devon which is simply the best supplier in the country.

We make all of our jam, chutneys, bread, cakes and biscuits.

We get our basics from Aldi, Lidl and local markets, keeping Waitrose and Sainsbury's for treats. We probably spend far too much on food but it's our only indulgence. We're keen cooks, love to eat out at special places and have 5 freezers plus a walk in larder room!

Like you - Richard P - we buy when there's an offer that can't be resisted!
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macmac
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Tigger wrote:We buy our fish from Gloucestershire (Severn Wye and Smokery) 6 times a year and veal from Boccadon Veal Farm about the same rate. We get our meat from a local butcher who's family run a farm with the odd extra from Chatsworth as I think they have the best beef and pork I have ever tasted.

We grow pretty much all of our veg and fruit and have now established some vines. In the meantime, our wine comes from Tanners and the Honiton Wine Shop in Devon which is simply the best supplier in the country.

We make all of our jam, chutneys, bread, cakes and biscuits.

We get our basics from Aldi, Lidl and local markets, keeping Waitrose and Sainsbury's for treats. We probably spend far too much on food but it's our only indulgence. We're keen cooks, love to eat out at special places and have 5 freezers plus a walk in larder room!

Like you - Richard P - we buy when there's an offer that can't be resisted!

smug or what :lol: i don't mean it good on you sounds smashing :D
sanity is overrated
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oldherbaceous
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I bet Tiggers larder is full of Tescos ready meals really. :twisted: :)
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
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Tigger
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NO - not the T word OH! I'd rather starve than enter there.

Macmac - my indulgent weekness is M&S. Since they opened a food store 3 miles away in Bridgnorth far too much of my earnings go there. Mind you, I've sussed when they put their 'yellow labels' on now, so even that can be a bargain most of the time.
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Franksmum
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I've watched EG once and just wanted to throw things at the telly.

Why oh why does it take 'being on the tv' to make people realise they're wasteful and extravagant? Eating overprocessed muck and rubbish and buying it all from evil supermarkets?

Instead of putting what they buy every week on a table they should put what they throw away on there, that would be shameful I expect.

and stocking the cupboard with £10 bottles of oil and vinegar is NOT the way of a normal family trying to save money.

AAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!

*phew - that's better*
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seedling
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I watched last weeks episode and was horrified. How stupid do they think people are? What ever happened to common sense?

Biggest load of twaddle i have seen in a long time.

Seedling
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The Grock in the Frock
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Just out of curiosity,how much do you all spend on an avarage weeks shopping?
Love you lots like Jelly Tots
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Geoff
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Obvious question, I have been wondering about it since my original critical post. I've gone through the year-to-date credit and debit card entries for Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and Clitheroe Famous Sausage Shop and got to just over £35 per week - there are two of us plus visitors. But what else is there? Some wine by mail order I could include, annual lamb and beef from local farmer not in this period, cash at Saturday market stall and monthly Farmers' Market and cash at the butchers. You could go mad keeping detailed records. How much of my gardening spend do I include? Whatever it is it doesn't approach the wealthy fools on EG!
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Tigger
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I think I'm going to regret admitting this. :oops:

It varies, but it probably averages out at 100 - 150 a week if I include everything. There's 2 of us but we also feed Lyn's apprentice every day (breakfast, mid morning, lunch and afternoon tea), plus regular visitors, at least one dinner a week for guests and I take homemade cakes and biscuits to work for my teams, as well as a few other treats for people.

I have been known to go on a savings campaign, so I know we can live on a lot less, but as we don't have anyone to leave our wordly goods to (except our friends), I'm keen to spend it whilst I can!
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macmac
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Why should you apologise for what you spend :?: it's your money and your plate.
As long as your not throwing half of it away which I think is one of the biggest problems,I love doing a ready steady cook meal-looking in the fridge/larder/garden and making a meal.It can be a little strange at times but hey ho we're still here :lol:
sanity is overrated
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Tigger
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One thing I can say is there's very little waste in our house!

Just mentioning the word 'apprentice' reminds me of one of Lyn's previous ones. He was a young man who's folks never cooked a meal. If he wanted a dinner, he went to his nan's. His parents were intelligent people, both working so they had a reasonable income. Their shopping consisted of crisps, ready made sandwiches and biscuits. Neither he or his younger sister ate any fruit or veg. They ate takeawys during the week and went out to eat at the weekend. They had a lovely kitchen with a double oven that had never been used!

By the time he left us, after 2 years, he had learnt how to cook and would eat anything I put in front of him, but he couldn't convince his family to change their ways.

Wherever I've worked I've had colleagues who live on ready meals, takeawys and supermarket sandwiches. As I always take my own food to work for my lunch and I'm into food and gardening in a big way, one of my current colleagues calls me the 'throwback'.
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Franksmum
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Hmmm we probably spend about £50 per week on average. This includes cat food, chicken food & cleaning stuff. We get a veg box delivered fortnightly as well as the stuff we grow. We buy meat from the farm shop or farmers market, fish from the market & eat a lot of beans & pulses.

Saying that we've been living out of the freezer & using up what we have and have spent £20 at Sainsburys this month and that was catfood.
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