Food

You have no idea. I'm tempted to post a picture. They are fucking cactus.

I'm grimacing reading this :)

But also smiling thinking about freshly baked scones for breakfast...

But then grimacing at Balki.

Then smiling.

Grimacing.

You get the picture.

i can't remember if i've asked in here before, but, tight week, any good cheap food besides pasta? saying that, i think i will do a load of chilli, the only expenditure being the mince as i have everything else. word to the wise: do not buy frozen mixed mince. it is foul. luckily, i wasn't the one who bought several kilo's of it, a housemate last year did.

If you're after cheap meat then get down to a proper butchers and see what they have. This isn't just about offal, other cuts of meat like oxtail, shin, skirt, basically anything that is slow cook tends to be a lot cheaper, and often cheaper than mince.

I've done the chilli for a week thing, it doesn't always age well and can get a bit tired towards the end of the week.

Other options include chicken thighs, which can be done either quick or slow cook.

The essence of slow cooking is pretty simple. Brown off and seal the meat, add vegetables, stock, herbs and leave for a while. Add a few more herbs before serving.

On lean weeks I usually make an effort to get to the supermarkets around 5.30pm when they're reducing stuff. Quite often there's plenty of good stuff at silly prices and you'll end up making something better, more interesting than when you're loaded. Actually these days I regularly hit the discount counters.

i love fish too. problem is my other half is working on a programme about sustainable fishing, so now i have a very limited list of fish i can eat. we both previously worked on programmes about pork and chicken, so when we go out to eat our choices are very limited!!!! sometimes i wish i didn't know everything i know, or that i didn't care! but the thought of eating a bit of factory farmed chicken makes me feel physically sick.

A lot of bass is farmed these days isnt it?

bet they chafe a bit !

mackrel recipie for tonight
1 mackrel
2 ginger ,chillie, garlic, salt peper in to a paste, slash fish, rub in paste
3 fry fish, bit of lime / lenmon
4 boiled new pots
5 salad
6 nom

Rich, just bumped into Sinden

You're kidding me??? You had time this morning to think "bugger, I'm out of toast, might just whip up some scones?"

I rode to work with one sock. :(

hahaha!

If you're after cheap meat then get down to a proper butchers and see what they have. This isn't just about offal, other cuts of meat like oxtail, shin, skirt, basically anything that is slow cook tends to be a lot cheaper, and often cheaper than mince.

The only butchers around me are asian ones, the problem is that everyone fucking loves offal and all the really odd slow cook bits.

Everything like hooves, knees, brain, heads, kidneys all going for prices nearly as high as the main cuts. This stuff just gets scrapped from the meat sent to supermarkets.

Im glad my favourite fishes also happen to be the cheapest and most plentiful. Sardines are starting to make a feature in my breakfasts.

Rich, just bumped into Sinden

ha Nice one how is he??? think his studio is round rathbone place?? or it was going to be.

Yeah, just round the corner from me, he was in a rush but gonna meet for a pint/lunch soon. He's off to Japan & Australia for 2 weeks

he never stays still for more than 5 mins! think he must spend at leat 70 % in airport waiting areas. is he promoting the lp out there ?? mental seeing how far he has come.

The only butchers around me are asian ones, the problem is that everyone fucking loves offal and all the really odd slow cook bits.

Everything like hooves, knees, brain, heads, kidneys all going for prices nearly as high as the main cuts. This stuff just gets scrapped from the meat sent to supermarkets.

It's a bit of an odd situation really. Pre WW1 and our heavy pre-processing industries for food we really knew how to cook the whole animal at home. Cuts that we often look down on, like offal, were often reserved for the best tables. More often than not, your butcher wouldn't just cut and sell you meat, but also give out advice on how to cook it as well.

These days slow cuts and the less favoured cuts of meat are more often flogged off for ready meals and the budget foods. Handy for the supermarkets who don't want to invest in meat counter staff that have much useful knowledge. I'd be surprised if supermarkets are selling off to your asian butchers though, there's more profit for them in mechanical reclamation.

My kings heath butcher (best sausages in the uk dontchaknow) gives me cooking advice. And advises me on how many faggots i should get, cos his misses can only eat one. They're more filling than you think apparently.

bet they chafe a bit !

mackrel recipie for tonight
1 mackrel
2 ginger ,chillie, garlic, salt peper in to a paste, slash fish, rub in paste
3 fry fish, bit of lime / lenmon
4 boiled new pots
5 salad
6 nom

Win.

&@DFP ( & Jemjah), is mackerel one of the fish we're allowed to eat? Asking because when I was young, which was ages ago, you caught mackerel anywhere by throwing a spinner out of the boat. Now when you go on a trip they use fish finders to seek out the shoals. Can't be right.

When i go down sarf i just have to show the water my rod and mackeral are throwing themselves at me.

bet you say to all the girls n3lson

would love to do the whole go fishing for a morning hopefully catch some bits, beach BBQ eat what you caught. fresh as it can be.

If you're after cheap meat then get down to a proper butchers and see what they have. This isn't just about offal, other cuts of meat like oxtail, shin, skirt, basically anything that is slow cook tends to be a lot cheaper, and often cheaper than mince.

I've done the chilli for a week thing, it doesn't always age well and can get a bit tired towards the end of the week.

Other options include chicken thighs, which can be done either quick or slow cook.

The essence of slow cooking is pretty simple. Brown off and seal the meat, add vegetables, stock, herbs and leave for a while. Add a few more herbs before serving.

On lean weeks I usually make an effort to get to the supermarkets around 5.30pm when they're reducing stuff. Quite often there's plenty of good stuff at silly prices and you'll end up making something better, more interesting than when you're loaded. Actually these days I regularly hit the discount counters.

Browning only caramelises which adds flavour - it does not seal the meat. Personal bugbear there. Sorry.

All excellent ideas. So called "peasant" cooking and classic French dishes are all based on these cuts. Chicken thighs - tastiest part of the chicken - you can get the nice free range thighs for a fraction of the cost of the breasts. Buy whole legs and learn to debone them yourself - very, very cheap that way. Knife-skeeelz FTW.

chicken thighs FTW best part. got some very nice whole legs from the Herne hill butcher for my last summer BBQ very tasty.
as for "pesant cooking" love trying to make the most of cheaper cuts, oxtail a briliant winter warmer.

My kings heath butcher (best sausages in the uk dontchaknow)

Have you been to Rossiters butchers in Bournville, the rib of beef I bought from them when I lived there was one of the best pieces of meat I've ever purchased.

http://www.organicbutchersbirmingham.co.uk/

I will check it out!

Its really good value for the quality of meat as well. Much cheaper than supermarket alternatives. Everytime I'm in Birmingham I visit and get a bag full of stuff.