…that I know of, and perfect as a BBQ side order or cooked up on a campfire at a festival, is detailed below. It’s also suitable for vegetarians and vegans. So no excuses, it’s a taste sensation.
Take a can of baked beans, and wash them until they’re free of tomato juice. Sweat an onion in a frying pan, add a bit of rosemary and some chives, and throw the beans in. Chuck in a tin of chopped tomatoes, and a sprinkling of tobasco sauce. (Keep tasting it so you don’t add too much or too little.)
Cook up some rice (boiled basmati is best for this,) and serve hot with salad. This little beaut is full of nutrients and costs very little to make.
I have also discovered the joys of cooking fish on a barbecue. You can get two fillets for around £3 which will fill you right up, and fish is full of protein and omega 3. Perfect for a healthy diet.
Take a fillet and cut it into 3 chunks. Place a piece on a square of tin foil, sprinkle with pepper, add a sprig of rosemary or a touch of parsley and top with a lemon slice. Wrap the foil around the fish segment like a little parcel, and chuck it on the BBQ for about 15 minutes, turning it occasionally to ensure even cookage. It will not disappoint.
So, where would we be without cheap, own brand knockoffs?
“Rice Krispies” become “Puffed Rice”, “Pot Noodles” become “Noodles in a pot” (with added wheat proteins apparently…) and “apples” become “round fruit”.
Superb.
I think it’s fair to say that Sainsbury’s Basics products have helped me live more efficiently and cheaply than buying brand name products- even if they do contain more sodium and preservatives than your average munch. I draw the line at Basics meat and eggs though, I want to know the things I am eating have had a nice life before being slaughtered for food.
Basics tortilla chips for example are 18p for 100g, whereas with a certain brand you would be paying 35p for a 40g pack.
Another bargain is Basics orange juice. 
At 58p per carton there’s not much to argue about. And it’s pure. straight from concentrate. No additives.
In fact, Basics is brimming with a range of products at teeny tiny prices, and it’s all quite nice. Well, adequate. I for example am a connoisseur of the generic, non-descript frozen white fish fillets. What is it? Haddock? Pollock? Monkfish? Who the hell cares?! It’s cheaper than a fishing rod.
Bargains make me happy 
You’d be surprised how much less it can cost you to create your own culinary delights rather than buying them from stores. PLUS home made food tastes so much better!
Fudge Cake recipe:
- 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
- 3 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (not olive or other strong flavoured oil)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar (optional)
- Icing:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cups hot water
Heat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 20cm round tin. Place all cake ingredients (except icing sugar) into a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into prepared tin and bake 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out. When cool, either dust with optional icing sugar (vegan and dairy-free option), or top with icing. To make icing, combine sugar, cocoa and butter, then add small quantities of hot water, stirring continuously, until icing consistency is as you like it.
Broccoli and Feta pasta Salad
serves 4
- 1 pound mixed tri-color pasta
- 1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
- 8 ounces feta cheese
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Cook the pasta and drain. Cook the broccoli in a heavy frying pan with a little olive oil over medium heat until crisp-tender – 5-7 minutes. Toss with cooked pasta and olives.
Crumble the feta cheese into the pasta. Whisk the oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper and toss with the pasta.
Chocolate Chip cookies
Makes about 12 cookies.
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder.
Preheat the oven to 300F. Place the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla for 30 seconds longer, until well combined. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixer, while beating on slow speed. Beat for about 15 seconds, stir in the chocolate chips and espresso powder, and mix for 15 seconds longer. Prepare a cookie sheet with about 2 tablespoons of shortening (or use a non-stick spray). Using a 1-ounce scoop, or using a 2; tablespoon measure, drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet in dollops about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into 2-inch circles; there should be room on the sheet for six or eight cookies at a time. Transfer to the oven in batches and, bake for about 20 minutes or until the cookies are nicely browned around the edges. Bake for a little longer for crisper cookies.
Mango Sorbet
Serves 6
- 200g granulated sugar
- 1 red chilli seeded and finely chopped,
- 2 mangoes
- Juice of 4 limes
- 3 tbsp vodka
- Tiny pinch of salt
Place the sugar in a saucepan with the chilli and 270ml water. Set over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved, then bring up to the boil and cook briskly for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
Peel the mangoes. Cut the flesh of each mango away from its stone and roughly chop. Place in a food processor and blend until it forms a purée. Add the lime juice and vodka. Mix in the chilli syrup and salt, then chill in the fridge for an hour. Churn in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then transfer to a sealed container and put in the freezer. Keep frozen until needed.
Thank you kindly to;
The sun is shining, it’s warm outside, and there’s nothing to do. Except work. This in itself is depressing- even without considering the fact that in Farnham, the most exciting place you can visit is the toilet.
SO without further ado, a boredom-buster within the monetary boundaries of someone who can barely afford toilet roll without selling their bodies to medical science. WHY didn’t we think of it before? LET’S have a Barbecue!
Eating is expensive. Which is a pain in the arse, as it’s kind of necessary in supporting life. Eating out in restaurants (a more tempting prospect when summer approaches,) is a lot more expensive than eating a pot noodle on a plastic chair in the kitchen of your student halls. Depressing.
This is why group BBQ’s are such a good idea. The cost is split equally (always handy), it’s an outdoor activity which means that you increase your chance of being hit by UV rays, (doesn’t happen so much when you’re sat indoors…) and you get to relax and socialise at the same time. Darn lovely. Last week we had a barbie outside. There were around 14 of us, two fat disposable barbecues, and enough meat combined to make a sausage the size of Scotland. Probably.
I think in the end I spend about £4 on food, and £7 on drinkies. A lot cheaper than a night at the Slug and Lettuce and a lot more fun. Twenty burnt sausages and a steaming hangover for the barry-argin price of £11. It also led to drunken antics such as this. Observe:
Super.
All in all, can highly recommend outdoor pursuits involving food. We also collectively bought a frisbee, which kept the boys happy for hours.
(Also, I don’t know if this offer is still on, but there’s a stand by the front door in Sainsburys boasting packets of six bread buns at 20p each. Well chuffed. There are still 3 packs going hard on top of our fridge.)
Happy shopping!
