Christmas is pretty much the only time I buy pickles, and every year I’m disappointed by the quality.
This week I’ve bought a jar of Sainsbury’s sweet piccalilli – deeply crap bits of rubbery veg in a sickly-sweet goop that also manages to be savagely acidic. That’s because, while sugar is the greatest ingredient, it’s followed closely by
Once everything is settled here – it’s been a problematic year so far – I can settle down to the business of growing microgreens. The lack of success with my first try was, I believe, simply that I was trying too hard.
The shallow plastic trays that supermarket veg comes in – about 2 cms deep is ideal – are perfect, with a few drainage holes poked in the bottom using a hot nail or something similar (held with pliers, of course!), and filled with seedling compost rather than potting compost, which is too coarse. Vermiculite, which I tried, seems to be Continue reading
Other than instant soup, quite possibly…
If, like me, you’re disabled and appreciate tasty food with minimal preparation, then you might like this.
Smoked Haddock & Butterbean Soup
I used to make this from scratch – the whole nine yards, including soaking the beans the previous night. This is much easier.
You need:- Continue reading
According to researchers, compared to a low-calcium intake a high calcium intake increases the excretion of fat in the faeces. This means the more dairy calcium you include in your diet the less fat will be absorbed by the digestive system, and Continue reading
Do not buy meals that contain the words “king prawn” – not unless you like chewing on chunks of flavoured rubber. Seriously, they’re crap! Ordinary prawns are better, but not by much. Continue reading
I’ve banged on at length here about eating well on a budget, but what I haven’t addressed are the problems of cooking with a disability, which are many and various, and a complete pain in the butt.
I don’t cook much, I’m not able to, so when I do cook I tend to make stews or casseroles, or robust soups, which would last me for several days. Periodically, I’ll go off whatever I’ve made, having eaten it only once, and the rest will be wasted. I’ve tried Continue reading
Refusing to have veg with my pub meal (because it’s horrible), I was taken to task because, while I write about eating cheaply, I don’t mention vegetables.
There’s a reason for that – vegetables are so cheap as to fall outside my cheapness parameters (my only advice here would be to buy decent potatoes – very cheap ones are horrible). That, and because an awful lot of people don’t like them.
But what of the “5 a day” I hear you ask Continue reading
After reading Nigel Slater, in today’s Observer magazine, extolling the virtues of the fattier and bonier cuts of lamb in a casserole, I was amazed, when I got to Sainsbury’s, to find they had loads of the stuff on sale, in portions of around a kilo for a little over £4. You needed to exercise a little care selecting your pack (if you’re a fussy bugger like me), as some were far Continue reading
In the Guardian, their resident doc was asked by a parent for advice about her six-year-old, suddenly wanting to be a vegetarian – should she feed him vitamin supplements? Amazingly, these days, the doc trotted out the official line about nobody needing vitamins when they get a balanced diet. The doc also said that 6 was too young to make a reasoned choice about becoming a veggie, and the mother should Continue reading
If you’re wondering why I’ve posted a soup recipe, I was asked to post it on Facebook, but it’s too long, so I’ve posted it here and linked to it.
Minestrone soup with pork sausages.
1 large onion, diced
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 small celery heart, finely chopped (leaves reserved), or two sticks, de-stringed with a potato peeler)
2 baby green cabbages, or half a small Savoy, trimmed and shredded (the baby cabbage has a more delicate flavour)
2 or 3 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped Continue reading
