Look after the pennies and...

 The pounds will look after themselves!

In these times of severe financial strain, planning your shopping is essential to your week. It's easy to go then find you come home having overspent and don't really have many meals in the bags. These are some tips on how I do my food shopping on a budget.

My Staples Shopping List

• Oil (Cheapest store brand)
• Flour (Cheapest store brand)
• Porridge Oats (Cheapest store brand)
• Bouillon or Stock cubes
• Sugar
• Seasoning (salt, pepper, spices)
• Gravy Granules (Cheapest store brand)
• Soy Sauce 
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Rice
• Pasta
• Lentils
• Tomato Passata or Chopped Tomatoes (Cheapest store brand)
• Frozen Peas/Mixed Vegetables (Cheapest store brand)

Don't go shopping when hungry, this seems almost cliche but very true nonetheless. Your willpower to budget and avoid unnecessary items will be seriously impaired and make it difficult to be more discerning.

Price Marking is an important thing to look out for. A legal requirement for retailers is to clearly display the selling price and, where appropriate unit, the unit price (e.g. 45p per 100g). This is a very useful aid for budgeting whilst shopping. Retailers will mix the use of this (to confuse us?) and instead of all items being shown as price per kilogram you will notice they change from per 100 grams on some items. Remember just multiply by ten for the price per kilo.

 On this topic, usually, the larger quantity or package size of an item is cheaper. This is a particular bugbear of mine, if you look closely many items are not. One such item I've noticed recently is oil (e.g. vegetable, sunflower etc.). Since the war in Ukraine prices of all fats, oils and solids, have increased substantially. An example of this is vegetable or sunflower oil before I could buy a 1lt bottle for around £1 but this has gone up to the lowest price anywhere being £1.75 for the same amount. I have noticed this is where checking the price per litre is useful as many large retailers are selling a 5lt bottle, which you would expect to be better value, at more than five times the one-litre price. This is also one of the areas where one is listed as price per litre and the larger at price per 100ml.

Brand vs Store Brand is another area to keep an eye on. Nowadays store brands are usually equally good quality and look and taste almost identical but with slightly less flavour. This is, in my opinion, because the store's brand usually appears more healthy and has reduced salt which is easily rectified. The other difference is manufacturers of these brands use less sugar, as sugar in foods is now taxed, to save on the costs. So with a pinch of salt and sugar, many items will be much improved while saving money over the popular branded items.

World Foods/ European Foods sections of stores are another place to look for quality and price differences. Whilst these areas may have some expensive items or luxuries the more basic items are often better. An example of this is Polish bouillon, either in powder form or cubes. The best chicken stock cubes I use are Polish, by Kucharek the company also produces vegetable stock powder which is amazing and will greatly improve your soups, sauces or stews.

Porridge Oats should always be on your basic shopping list. This has so many uses I will give you a few I use regularly. Other than the traditional breakfast recipe, rolled oats are the basis of all muesli. So with a little creativity, you can make a really tasty breakfast or snack with the addition of a few other items. My favourite is simply to grate an apple into my bowl and cover it with oats and a teaspoon of sugar or honey then add milk or water ( with water, stir and allow to sit for 10 minutes and it becomes like oat milk). This can be further improved by adding anything that you have around like nuts or dried fruit.

Oats can also be spread out on a baking tray and toasted till golden in the oven which will add a crunch and nutty flavour to enhance your muesli or used as a crunchy topping on desserts. Alternatively, add a little salt then sprinkle over soup when serving to add another tasty dimension. 

I always have, next to my cooker, a small container of ground oats. This is easy, put a cupful of oats in a blender, or food processor and grind till oatmeal is produced (or pop it in a jug and use a stick blender). The resulting oatmeal can be added a teaspoon at a time to thicken soups or stews at the end of cooking, just stir in and add more if you want thicker.

In either natural rolled or oatmeal form make a wonderful alternative to breadcrumbs for coating fish or chicken giving crunch and a slight nuttiness. This can also help make a little meat go a bit further. For example, thinly slice a chicken breast into strips. Then beat an egg or mix some flour and water to make a batter. Season some oatmeal with salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, onion or garlic powder. Then dip chicken strips in oats, then egg wash or batter then back into oats. Allow strips to sit for 10-20 minutes so the coating really sticks then shallow or deep fry for a really good KFC alternative. Great with chips or served in a bun with salad and mayonnaise.

Gravy Granules are another staple in my cupboard. Other than the standard use you can have a super quick takeaway-style curry in minutes. Put a little oil in a pan and add some roughly chopped onion. Fry on high heat to singe the edges of the onion then lower the heat and add 1-3 teaspoons of curry powder. Stir and fry for about a minute then add 500ml of water and season a little. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Add 5 heaped teaspoons of either chicken or beef gravy granules and stir well. If it's not thick enough add some more granules and stir till it's to your liking. You can use as is over chips or rice or add some cooked meat or vegetables, use your imagination.

Soft Root Vegetables that have been in the fridge a little too long don't have to go to waste. Potatoes, carrots, parsnips or even turnips can make amazing Rosti or Hash browns. Wash and grate (peel if scabby) into a bowl and sprinkle with some salt. Allow to sit for 10-20 minutes then squeeze out discarding the water. Put back in the bowl and add some flour, just enough to make grated veg stick together when mixed. Then heat some oil in a nonstick pan till hot. Lower the heat then drop spoonfuls of the mixture flattening slightly with the back of the spoon into the oil. Don't move around till you see the edges next to the pan going golden, then turn with a spatula or fish slice. Turn every 5 minutes or so till cooked, around 10-15 minutes. Remove and drain, season and enjoy.

Flour is the number one item on my shopping list. Bread has always been part of any meal since I was young, the reason being it helps fill you up when you maybe don't have as big a portion as you'd like. Bread has so many recipes which make it seem daunting for many people to even try. I was in LIDL recently and the man in front of me at the checkout asked if I was baking as he pointed out the six bags of flour I was buying. I explained it was for my daily loaf of bread, and he asked if it was difficult. I explained I throw all the ingredients in the mixer each night, shape the dough when it's done and pop it in the fridge ready to bake in the morning. He was honestly surprised at how simple it was and that I'd managed to explain it before we were even served. I make sourdough bread for two reasons, the flavour and also buying yeast is not necessary. 

If you ever find you need some rolls in the morning you can easily make soda bread rolls ready in about 20 minutes. Flour, water, salt and bicarbonate of soda are all it takes. I pop all these in a jug and mix the dough by hand with a spatula, divide it into rolled balls and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes.

Pancakes are another quick and versatile use of flour. Most recipes require eggs and milk to make pancake batter but it's not necessary if you don't have them or trying to budget the cost. On the occasion that I do have eggs, I keep them as the main event, not just an ingredient. One part flour, one part water, a pinch of salt and a half teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. Mix in a jug or bowl, then drop spoonfuls into a hot lightly oiled pan to cook. Add a little more water till the consistency of double cream if you want thinner crepe-like pancakes. You can add a teaspoon of sugar to the mixture if you want them sweet but since you usually put sweet things with pancakes I don't bother, it also means they go with savoury too.

Flatbreads can be made in minutes by mixing two parts flour, one part water, a pinch of salt and a dash of oil. Divide dough into balls, then roll thin on a floured surface. Heat a heavy-based frying pan or flat griddle till hot and cook flatbreads, one at a time, turning only when the downside gets some good colour, remove from pan and cover with a tea towel while cooking the rest. If you add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the mix before cooking you get more of a pitta bread style.

Coating meats or fish especially when thin slices, help protect and keep the moisture in when frying. Also once the protein is cooked add a liquid of your choice (wine, beer, stock) to make a jus or gravy which will thicken a  little because of the flour coating.

A thickening paste can be made by mixing a spoonful of flour with a splash of oil. This can be stirred into soups, sauces or stews at the end of cooking to thicken quickly.

Rice can be used as an alternative to potatoes to accompany any meal. Adding a stock cube to the cooking liquid makes tasty savoury rice. An easy all-in risotto can be made as a main dish. In a pot add a finely chopped onion or garlic clove, 300g rice, 1lt water and 2 stock cubes. Part of the liquid can be replaced by chopped tomatoes if you like a tomato base. Also add any ingredient you like e.g. tuna, prawns, cooked chicken or meat, mushrooms etc. Put the pot on heat and bring it to a boil then turn the heat down to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning. Simmer, stirring every 5 minutes, for 15-20 minutes till the liquid has been absorbed. Cover and remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes more. Stir and serve.

TO BE CONTINUED...