I used to hate shopping! Even clothes shopping! Straight into one dress shop, buy a dress and out. Supermarket – straight into one, week’s supply of food and out. Until I discovered charity shops and price-cutting times at supermarkets. Now I love it!
Take today. I hit the co-op at just the right time to get all my veg at half-price. I’m making a beef casserole in the slow cooker with half a pound of local stewing steak and a shed load of veg. I’m also gonna make a Bolognese sauce for the freezer. I also got 6 free range eggs.
From Tony‘s mum I have three over-ripe bananas so its banana cake/bread for that; I have two pears so I may bake them at the same time as the cake; a tub of cherry tomatoes will make roast tomato and garlic soup.
All the food mentioned, except the stuff from Tony’s mum, came to less than £10 – the steak was under £2 from the local butcher, the free range eggs were £1.40. The veg was from the Co-op. All local, all gorgeous, all fabulously nourishing and all at less than £1 a portion – (my slow cooker is a 5-pint one which makes 10 portions).
That just leaves three kiwi fruit and some half-price oranges. Marmalade? mmmmmm…….
CAROLE ANNE ROGERS 