The Dogmother Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00m2790 BBC 2, 8pm, Wednesday 5th August Top chefs Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett have devised Economy Gastronomy, a system to slash our food bills and eat better than we've ever done before. The Economy Gastronomy system will show every household in Britain how to save time and money and still create amazing, flavour-packed meals on a budget. Chris and Julia England have three children - nine-year-old Billy, and twins coming up to the terrible twos. Julia is a classroom assistant who's just learned that her contract will not be renewed, and Chris is a lorry driver who works shifts. Julia and Chris are spending fortunes at their local takeaways which they have on speed dial, and they've never been into a butcher or fishmonger for fresh produce. They really want to eat better for less - as a family - but don't know how to. Will the family stick to the Economy Gastronomy plan, reduce their food bills and successfully cook every meal for a week from scratch? With a surprise visit from the in-laws, how will Julia and Chris cope when they're challenged to cook a three-course meal for six people against the clock, using only the principles of Economy Gastronomy and with just ten pounds extra for ingredients? That'll be fun! I suspect, though, that it will just be a reality TV type thing, picking fun at people who just need educating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperwife Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 take aways on speed dial its not difficult to do decent food for a family on not a lot of money. I watched a jamie Oliver programme where this young mum (about 19) bought her 2 year old daughter dinner, 2 polystyrene boxes... when the child was asked what was in them, she said "cheesy chips and kebab meat" sad really I hope that they help this family, not just take the mickey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Nothing easier than making up a load of bolognese mince. Cheap & you can have spag bol one day, add chilli & kidney beans another day, make lasagne with it another day, or even make a cottage pie type dish. It's also good in tacos! You can do so much with mince, it's cheap & freeezes so well too. We almost always eat fresh & what we have made ourselves. I'm sure this has medicinal benefits. We are great believers in getting everything you need (vitamins & minerals) through your food rather than chemical type supplements! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 If the programme is full of hints, tips and recipes then it will be good. Somehow I don't think it will be though. Eating well on a budget isn't hard at all, but some people don't have the examples to learn from. I manage it and still hold down a full-time job. You just have to put your mind to it, and it's much more fun than you'd imagine A roasted free-range chicken is a fantastic bargain for us, feeding the two of us many times over, with loads for the freezer and the stock ends up as soup or risotto. But then I'm teaching you lot to suck eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clur Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 We're on a very tight budget, cook everything from scratch (and both work full time) and feed the four of us on about 55 quid a week. Bonus having lots of veggies growing in the garden though! Rewind a few years ago (pre-kids) and our shopping bill wasn't far off double as we used to live off convenience foods. Took us a few years to work out for ourselves what cooking healthy food was all about! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 LOL at emma, I've got lasagne, cottage pie, chilli, spag bol and mince in onion gravy in my freezer, (plus a cple of variations on sausage casserole and chicken chasseur)- I wish I had a bigger freezer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I'll probably watch it just to see what its all about, its sounds like a good concept though. Although we cook everything from scratch hopefully i can get some ideas. I hate takeaways and would much rather make myself the same meal eg. pizza from scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 I have a titchy freezer but have regular bake-ins to keep it stocked up. One of my favourites is venison sausage and bean casserole. We get lots of venison aroud here at the farmers' markets when the local wild herds are 'trimmed'; it's as cheap as the loacl beef and much leaner/more tasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 Any chance of the recipe please. We cook all of our meals from scratch and we all have strong immune systems and tend to bounce back pretty quickly after illness. i think our diet has a lot to do with this. My mum fed me and my dad on a tiny budget when I was growing up and I learnt a lot of valuable lessons. I remember going shopping with her and her coming home with just 2p left in her purse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 6, 2009 Author Share Posted August 6, 2009 I'll whack the recipe in All Things Nice for you Liz. I managed to mis the programme last night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted August 6, 2009 Share Posted August 6, 2009 I was really looking forward to the programme. I did wonder how they managed to get all that stuff for under £60 Our weekly shop for 5 is about £160 give or take, which I know is alot, but I am not sure why its so much as we use everything. I try and make sure I take a list, but our last shop, with list was even more than usual. Mind you, the cupboards were completely bare and there were only chicken livers and icecream in the freezer. I will keep watching the programme though for more helpful hints and with the optimism that it will reduce our food bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milly Posted August 7, 2009 Share Posted August 7, 2009 I got around to watching the programme last night. The main theme was make a plan for what you are going to eat over the week and then make a list, so you don't go round the supermarket buying things aimlessly. And the other theme was make a basic dish (this week it was braised mince) which you can then use as the basis for other dishes during the week. Nothing very exciting, but I suppose they have to start somewhere. Milly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 7, 2009 Author Share Posted August 7, 2009 Standard stuff that you teach your children really - I guess that some folk just missed out on that stage. I watched it online too and all that braised mince reminded me of student days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
