Bulk Bargains!

      This blog post appears to be contrary to my last which extolled the virtues of daily shopping.  Today I will sing the praises of bulk buying and the joys of home delivery!  I have mentioned in the past my love of bargain hunting and in corrolation with this I do not like to waste money or food.  Food waste is a very real and current problem and is something that we should not take lightly. It does not sit well with me that perfectly good food should hit the bin whilst we live in a society where many rely on food banks. 

"Scotland throws away 630,00 tonnes of food and drink our homes every year and most of this could have been eaten.  This waste costs us over £1 billion a year, or £470 for the average household."  http://scotland.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

I live alone and between University, burlesque, my irregular work schedule and of course - hectic social life (!!), I cannot guarentee that I will open the fridge from one day to the next, let alone use up the contents. Excepting of course the beer... that seems to disappear far too often!  I have found that bulk cooking is the solution to this problem.

A small pile of meat!

      This weekend I ordered a massive shop from Asda, spending over £150 on meat, pasta, canned food and of course some more beer!  I do this a few times a year to ensure that I always have a full freezer so when I need to eat quickly I know it is not processed, it is nutritious and cheap.  I know this is the best way to feed myself, and I believe that a lot of families could save money and minimise waste by adopting similar principles.  Buy one get one free offers are appealing but regularly lead to waste, especially on perishables, there is, after all, a limit on the amount of one food type that can be consumed!  Dedicating one day to cooking eliminates this problem, allowing you to use everything up and space your consumption out over a longer period.  Bulk cooking also reduces power bills, using the oven for lots of items at once is naturally more economical than making a stew every night during the winter.  Freezers also consume less energy when they are filled to capacity.  Moreover, as I have mentioned I do not have a car so it is a real treat to have someone else carry my heavy shopping, not only home, but up the four flights of stairs!

This pile just grew and grew...

Three different types of mince, sausages, chicken thighs, chorizo, stewing beef, beans, pasta and piles of vegetables!  I cooked up such a storm on Sunday, that I definitely have enough food, divided into individual portions, to see me through the whole winter. (Also I am handing out an open invitation should the apocalypse come! Even by my standards, I may have over done it this time!) Bolognese, meatballs, lasagne, chili-con-carne, shepherds pie, sausage casserole, chicken and chorizo stew, beef stew, goulash, soup...   

Brunoise baby!

      Something I get a kick out of is chopping vegetables: I find it therapeutic! Most dishes begin with the holy trinity: celery, onion and carrot and therefore cooking en masse provides me with an opportunity for an epic chopping session! It also stops bunches of celery going limp in my fridge and carrots wrinkling in the cupboard.  Using all the fresh ingredients in one go also stops me having to pop into the shop for a carrot or a pepper - as after all who actually manages to enter a supermarket and just spend £1?  It always inevitably ends up at the £10 mark even on a restrained day!  More money saved.  

      Last minute entertaining becomes a pleasure - no time spent in the kitchen and you can present your guest with a delicious homemade meal! Do not get me wrong, on days when I have nothing to do, I will still spend all day cooking for myself or a lucky friend.  I do not find it a chore to cook everyday, but like so many, I simply do not have the time. Bulk cooking has given me access to speedy, healthy (in comparison to processed foods with hidden sugars etc) and of course fabulous food!  It cuts down on waste - dramatically!  It even allows me to get rid of all the packaging at the same time in one recycling trip! And over all saves me money!  No need for that take away when the freezer is full!


      ...Unless you wake up on your birthday in need of unhealthy goodness delivered to your door!  A while ago an old colleague of mine opened up a home-delivery burger place called Brooklyn Diner and Deli. With the help of the people at Just Eat, within the hour a juicy burger was delivered to my bed (well almost - I still had to go to the door #firstworldproblems).  I chose the biggest burger from the menu and was very happy with what I unwrapped.  The burgers were juicy and tasty, the bacon was a substantial bacon steak with none of the annoying fat that sticks and drags it all out in one go. The cheese was melted to perfection and the bun was substantial enough to encase it all for most of the eating.  The only criticism would be the onion ring, which during transit had lost its crispy batter to the steam of its friends.  I would recommend this place and hope that the plans for the sit in aspect of this restaurant comes into fruition soon, so that the added pleasure of a crisp onion ring can be the crowning glory on this burger.  I am not sure, however, that a crispy onion ring would have provided enough inducement to get me out of my bed!   

Missing Mojito

Cars have had a very dramatic effect on the way in which people shop.  Focus has moved away from the high-street; popping into the butcher, baker and greengrocer are activities of a bye-gone era.  Supermarkets are king.  Having your own car allows families to travel to ever increasing supermarkets, to do weekly, ever increasing shops (to fuel ever increasing waste lines).  This is a very obvious statement for many, but the normality of this existence has always passed me by.  My parents did not get a car until I was 12 or so, and I have never learned to drive.

Taj, one of the few things I miss from Brighton!

As a young student in Brighton, I shopped in various places.  I worked beside a fruit and veg stall and quickly realised this was a more economical way for me to buy, not only cheaper, but I was able to control quantities in a way that the supermarket 'pre-pack' does not allow.  I moved all over Brighton and Hove in the 10 years I lived there, my shopping habits changing for the sake of convenience; the Open Market  or Taj replacing the stall near work.  I often got my meat from the butcher, the blood red always appealing to me more that supermarket gray.  Now, do not confuse me for a 'shop local' militant - I am a through and through bargain hunter.  I have always used three or four supermarkets, searching out offers and deals, but also sourcing the best quality of high-end products.  I love a frivolous shop in Waitrose!  Who has the time for this though?  Just get it all over with once a week.  However, necessity borne out of carrying limitations has always made me shop daily and locally, therefore allowing me to visit lots of different shops. 

I love being a canny shopper - I pride myself on it - it should be on my CV!  Shopping also never becomes routine - inspiration is fed by new layouts and products.  Lately this tradition of shopping around has gone mobile.  As the proud owner of a scooter, I have been getting out and about more than I have ever been able to, experiencing new parts of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.  The great thing about the scooter is that again my carrying abilities are limited, so I have not fallen into the trap of the hypermarket!  I have come across lots of different shops, that not only would I not have know were there had I not rode past them, I would not have been able to access them so easily. 

My food adventures so far have taken me to Falko in Gullane.  It was a beautiful summer Sunday, the ride along the coastal route was spectacular and the pit stop here for a German sausage was really special.  A few pastries were all that would fit under the seat, but a perfect souvenir nonetheless!  The Polish Cottage, along Seafield Road has become a quicker holiday: the sun may have been shining in Gullane, but I spend my time abroad looking at food.  Some people may visit the beach and have ice-cream for that holiday feeling - for me it is a foreign shop!  (I'm pale, I burn... Ok, I'm odd, moving on...)  I have a passion for Polish food and was happy to be able to source a more diverse product range and at a cheaper price than available in Tesco.  Smoked pork belly has become a fridge staple - it has so many uses and as it is smoked it lasts a long time!  Also I have a love for Almette cream cheese, which I first discovered in the Czech Republic whilst on holiday in a supermarket!!

I look better on mine!

This Sunday, grasping to the last days of summer, I wanted to visit the market in Stockbridge - but my Aprilia Mojito is in the garage.  How can I cruise along to Stockbridge pretending to be a cooler, prettier and certainly, more female, Jamie Oliver without my scooter?

Mmmmm!

I could have walked I guess, but somehow the ride has become an important part of my shopping ritual. I am stranded! On the other hand - this shopping trip would not have fit into the savvy shopper criteria; I have probably saved enough money to pay for the repairs to the bike. Except the freedom to drink, so often restricted, led me to the nearest cocktail bar. It would be lovely, neat and contrived, dear reader if I then had a rum mojito, but hey, everyone knows I am a sazerac girl! Cheers!