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!