A definitive list
I had a recent conversation with someone on mumsnet.com who said that they always stocked certain 'storecupboard' ingredients thus ensuring a nice family meal when stuck. If you have read my blog you will see that on the whole my family eat well but not always. I now feel that a 'definitive' list of storecupboard and fridge items, that can cost as little as £36 per week (or £5 a day), can sustain me and my family well for a week.
Personally, I am on a tight food budget but find myself breaking it every week and largely because I am tempted by offers when in the supermarket. Today however, I went to my local supermarket today (in my case Sainsbury's) and just bought the ingredients that I will need for the week. To make this work I must stick to the list and this way I can still buy the produce that I like such as free range chickens and parmesan cheese without compromising my food values or budget. Normally, I would buy some food from the supermarket and some from my local produce market and will be doing this next week.
I don't like the supermarket driven idea of feed your family for £50 because it prioritises price over quality. I like to make good food a priority in my life and see it as one of life's great joys. Every meal I will endeavour to make simply and well without too many convenience products, aiming to show that you can eat well for very little. Pricewise, I am going to give prices for the 'basics' range and also for branded and premium products so that if you wish to do this with me then you can tailor it to suit your budget.
I am going to give this list below and each day I will tell you what I cooked from it for the next 3 weeks. After that I will revise and amend it for the sake of variety. Please note that I will include the odd breakfast and lunch item but I am focusing on an evening meal, or tea where I come from.
OK lets see what I bought. I already have in my cupboard the following items that I feel I won't have to buy each week and I see as staples. Yes they have to be bought but not every week. My first post will be tomorrow - some kind of chicken dish, any suggestions anyone?
Staples
4 types of flour - plain, self raising, gram and bread
caster sugar
milk
salt and pepper
sunflower oil for frying
marigold vegetable stock
Storecupboard items
Pasta (500g) - £1.00
Chopped tinned tomatoes (400g) x 2 - 31p for basics, 59p for own brand and 98p for Napolina
Medium curry powder (80g) - 99p
Extra virgin olive oil (500ml) - £1.99
Rice - basics long grain 45p for 1kg or £1.46 for 500g basmati
Bread, unsliced (800g) - £1.20
Cashew nuts (90g) - £1.44
Dried porcini mushrooms (25g) - £1.78
Total: £9.47 (basics)
Fruit and veg items
Herbs - 2 for £2
Onions - 98p (kg)
Garlic - 30p (clove)
Potatoes (new) - £1.00 (kg)
Mixed peppers - £1.35 (600g)
Carrots - 75p (1.5kg)
Mixed chilli - 54p
Lemon - 30p
Tomatoes - 72p (450g)
Frozen Peas - £1.75 (900g)
Total: £9.69
Fridge items
Cheese
- Parmesan - £2.30 (250g)
- Cheddar - £1.50 (330g, basics) or £2.50 (300g own brand)
Chorizo (cooking) - £2.39 (225g)
Cream - 95p (300ml)
Natural yogurt - 54p (basics) or £1.00 (own brand)
Ham - 85p (basics, 200g) or £3.00 (breaded, own brand)
Parma ham - £2.00 (70g) or £2.69 (85g)
Eggs (dozen) - £1.40 (barn) or £2.50 (free range)
Whole chicken (medium) - £4.00 (standard), £6.00 (free range), £8.00 (organic)
Minced beef (500g) - 96p (standard mince) or £2.96 (minced steak)
Total: £16.89 (basics)
Basket Total: £36.05 (basics)
No comments:
Post a Comment