Monthly Archives: July 2013

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Jack Monroe - food poverty campaigner and blogger.


Hello Dear Reader,

My eldest is now 27 and when he was the size of Jack’s son in this photo, he and I lived alone and on benefits. We lived through an incredibly cold winter without heating as that was the only way I could afford to make sure he was fed. We used to receive our benefits by queueing up in the Post Office once a fortnight and would walk out with cash. Even then, my housing benefit didn’t cover my rent. I used to take a bus to the rent office of my landlord and pay out the difference. We were given enough money to live on, after paying the rent……………..there wasn’t enough to live on! Twenty five years later and nothing has changed. In the mid 80’s, jobs were hard to come by and it’s the same now but to compound poverty to an even deeper level the difference in the cost of living means that even working families are going hungry these days.

When Jack speaks, the nation listens. Read her blog from yesterday when she spells out cheaply and simply what each of us can do to help.


This is what Jack wrote in her blog one year ago

“Poverty is the sinking feeling when your small boy finishes his one weetabix and says ‘more mummy, bread and jam please mummy’ as you’re wondering whether to take the TV or the guitar to the pawn shop first, and how to tell him that there is no bread or jam.”

Here’s how you can help this Saturday! Go to your local ASDA - buy what ever you can afford to donate off the following list. (OR! Clear out your cupboards of any of the below as long as it is ‘in date, or shop at any shop you like and take it to the collection point either in ASDA, your local church anywhere local to you)




On Saturday 3rd August we’ll be holding foodbank collections at 200 ASDA stores across the country to help provide emergency food to UK people in crisis.
ASDA will donate all profits to Trussell Trust foodbanks, making your gift go further. Here are foodbanks that are hoping to hold collections, we’d love to see you there!
Store Name Address Store Type Foodbank

ABBEY PARK Abbey Park, London Road, Whitley, Coventry, CV3 4AR Small Coventry
ABERDEEN BEACH Unit 1 Beach Boulevard Retail Park - Links Road, Aberdeen, AB24 5EZ Asda Superstore Aberdeen
ADEL Holt Road, Adel - Leeds, LS16 7RY Small Leeds North
ANDOVER Anton Mill Road, Andover, Hants, SP10 2RW Asda Superstore Andover
ANTRIM 150 Junction One International Outlet, Northern Ireland, BT41 4LL Asda Superstore Ballymena
ARDROSSAN Harbour Road, Adrossan, Ayrshire, KA22 8BZ Supermarket North Ayrshire
ARNOLD 111-127 Front Street, Arnold - Nottingham, NG5 7ED Asda Superstore Arnold
ARROWE PARK Woodchurch Road, Birkenhead, CH49 5PD Asda Superstore Wirral
ASHTON Cavendish Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne - Lancashire, OL6 7DP Asda Superstore Tameside East
AYR (NEW) Liberator Drive, Ayr, KA8 9BF Asda Superstore South Ayrshire
BANGOR 2 Market Lane, Bangor, BT20 4SD Small Bangor NI
BANGOR FARRAR ROAD Farrar Road, Bangor, LL57 1LJ Supermarket Caernarfon
BARKING Station Parade, Ripple Rd, Barking, IG11 8DJ Asda Superstore Barking
BARNSLEY Old Mill Lane, Barnsley - South Yorkshire, S71 1LN Asda Superstore Barnsley
BARROW Walney Road, Barrow-In-Furness - Cumbria, LA14 5UG Asda Superstore Barrow
BASINGSTOKE Brighton Way - Brighton Hill, Basingstoke, RG22 4DH Asda Superstore Basingstoke
BEDMINSTER East Street, Bedminster - Bristol, BS3 4JY Asda Superstore East Bristol
BENWELL Benwell Shopping Centre, Adelaide Terrace, Benwell, NE4 8LU Supermarket Newcastle West
BIDEFORD Clovelly Road, Bideford, Devon, EX39 3QU Asda Superstore Bideford
BISHOP AUCKLAND South Church Road, Bishop Auckland - County Durham, DL14 7LB Asda Superstore Durham
BISHOPBRIGGS 276 Kirkintilloch Road, Bishopbriggs, G64 2PT Asda Superstore East Dunbartonshire
BLACKBURN Lower Audley Retail Park - Grimshaw Park Road, Blackburn, BB2 3DY Asda Superstore Blackburn
BODMIN Launceston Road, Bodmin - Cornwall, PL31 2AR Asda Superstore Wadebridge
BOOTLE 81 Strand Road, Bootle, Liverpool, L20 4BB Asda Superstore South Sefton
BOSTON Lister Way- Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 8EQ Asda Superstore Boston
Asda Stores planning to hold a Trussell Trust foodbank collection on Saturday 3rd AugustBRADFORD Rooley Lane, Bradford, BD4 7SR Asda Superstore Bradford
BRIDGE OF DEE Garth Dee Road - Bridge of Dee, Aberdeen, AB10 7QA Wal-Mart Supercentre Aberdeen
BRIDGEND Coychurch Road, Bridgend, CF31 3AU Asda Superstore Bridgend
BRIDGWATER East Quay - Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 5AZ Asda Superstore Bridgwater
BROADSTAIRS Westwood Road, Broadstairs - Kent, CT10 2NR Asda Superstore Deal Area
BROMSGROVE 21 Market Street, Bromsgrove - Worcestershire, B61 8DA Asda Superstore Redditch
BRYNMAWR Lakeside Retail Park - Nantyglow, Ebbw Vale - Gwent, NP23 4SL Asda Superstore Ebbw Vale
BYKER Unit 5 Newcastle Shopping Park, Foss Way, Byker, NE6 2UJ Asda Superstore Newcastle East
CAERPHILLY Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly - Mid Glamorgan , CF83 3SX Asda Superstore Rhymney Valley
CANNOCK Avon Road, Cannock - Staffs , WS11 1LH Asda Superstore Cannock & District
CANNOCK LICHFIELD ROAD Rumer Hill, Lichfield Road, Cannock, WS11 8UF Supermarket Cannock & District
CAPE HILL Off Windmill Lane - Smethwick, Cape Hill - West Mids - Bham , B66 3EN Asda Superstore Smethwick
CHADDERTON Milne Street - Chadderton, Oldham - Lancashire, OL9 OJE Asda Superstore Oldham
CHATHAM 387 Maidstone Road, Chatham, ME5 9SE Asda Superstore Medway
CHEADLE Ashbourbe Road, Stoke On Trent, ST10 1HF Supermarket Stoke on Trent
CHEADLE HULME The Precinct, Cheadle Hulme, SK8 5BB Supermarket Chelwood
CHESSER 3 New Market Road, Edinburgh, EH14 1RJ Asda Superstore Edinburgh SW
CHESTERFIELD 358 Sheffield Road, Chesterfield, S41 8JZ Supermarket Chesterfield
CLYDEBANK 31 Britannia Way, Clydebank, G81 2RZ Asda Superstore Glasgow NW
COLCHESTER Turner Rise, Colchester - Essex, CO4 5TU Asda Superstore Colchester
COLERAINE 1 - Ring Rd - Coleraine, County Londonderry, BT52 1QP Asda Superstore Causeway
COVENTRY Brade Drive, Coventry, CV2 2PN Wal-Mart Supercentre Coventry
COVENTRY JUBILEE CRESCENT Jubilee Cresent, Radford, Coventry, CV6 3EX Supermarket Coventry
CWMBRAN Llewllyn Road, Cwmbran - Gwent , NP44 1UL Wal-Mart Supercentre Eastern Valley
DAGENHAM SUPERSTORE Merrielands Crescent, Dagenham, RM9 6SJ Asda Superstore Barking
DALGETY BAY Fulmar Way, Dalgety Bay, Fife, KY11 9YX Small Dunfermline
DARWEN School Street, Darwen, BB3 1BE Supermarket Blackburn
DONCASTER Gliwice Way - Bawtry Road, Doncaster, DN4 5NW Asda Superstore Doncaster
DOVER Unit 1, Charlton Green, Dover, CT16 2QH Supermarket Dover
DUNDEE WEST Kingsway West, Dundee, DD2 3XX Asda Superstore Dundee
DUNDONALD 1009 Upper Newtonards Road, Dundonald, BT16 1RN Small DundonaldDUNFERMLINE Halbeath Retail Park - Halbeath Road, Dunfermline - Fife, KY11 4LP Asda Superstore Dunfermline
DUNSTABLE Court Drive, Dunstable - Bedfordshire, LU5 4JD Asda Superstore Dunstable
EASTBOURNE The Crumbles - Pevensey Bay Road - Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6JH Asda Superstore Eastbourne
EASTGATE Eastgate Shopping Centre, Basildon - Essex, SS14 1AE Wal-Mart Supercentre Basildon
EDINBURGH STRAITON New Pentland Industrial Estate, Loanhead, Mid Lothian , EH20 9TF Asda Superstore Midlothian
ELGIN Edgar Road, Elgin, IV30 6YQ Asda Superstore Moray
ELLESMERE PORT Grange Road - Ellesmere Port, Merseyside, CH65 0BZ Wal-Mart Supercentre Chester & Ellesmere Port
FALKIRK 3 Newmarket Street, Falkirk, FK1 1JT Asda Superstore Falkirk
FALMOUTH Jennings Road - Penryn, Falmouth - Cornwall, TR10 9LY Asda Superstore Penryn & Falmouth
FARNWORTH Brackley Street - Farnworth, Greater Manchester, BL4 9DT Asda Superstore Farnworth & Kearsley
FENTON Victoria Road, Berry Hill, Fenton, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2HE Supermarket Stoke on Trent
FLINT Holywell Road, Flintshire Retail Park, Flint, CH6 5BG Supermarket Flintshire
FOLKESTONE 19 Bouverie Place, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 1AU Asda Superstore Dover
FORFAR Unit 1 New Road, Forfar, DD8 2AE Asda Superstore Angus
GATESHEAD Gibside Way, Gateshead, NE11 9YA Wal-Mart Supercentre Gateshead
GLASSHOUGHTON Leeds Road, Glasshoughton, Castleford, WF10 5EL Asda Superstore Knottingley
GLENROTHES Queensgate Industrial Estate, Fullerton Road, Glenrothes, KY7 5QB Asda Superstore Glenrothes
GLOUCESTER Bruton Way, Gloucester, GL1 1DS Wal-Mart Supercentre Gloucester
GOSFORTH Hollywood Avenue - Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 5BU Asda Superstore Newcastle West
GRANGEMOUTH Dock Road, Grangemouth - Scotland, FK3 8TY Asda Superstore Falkirk
GRAVESEND Thames Way, Kent, DA11 0DQ Asda Superstore Gravesham
HAILSHAM 3 The Quintins, North Street, Hailsham, BN27 1DP Supermarket Hailsham
HAREHILLS Harehills Lane, Leeds, LS9 6EU Supermarket Leeds East
HARLOW Watergardens - Southgate, Harlow - Essex, CM20 1AN Asda Superstore Harlow
HARROGATE Bower Road, Harrogate, HG1 5DE Asda Superstore Harrogate
HARTLEPOOL Marina Way, Hartlepool, TS24 0XR Asda Superstore Hartlepool
HAVANT Larchwood Avenue, Bedhampton, Havant - Hampshire, PO9 3QW Wal-Mart Supercentre Portsmouth
HAZEL GROVE 114 London Road , Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 4AG Supermarket Stockport
HESSLE Hessle Road, Hull, HU3 4PE Asda Superstore Hull
HODDESDON High Street, Conduit Lane, Hoddesdon, EN11 8HD Supermarket Broxbourne
HOLYHEAD Kingsland Road, Anglessey, Holyhead, LL65 2RN Supermarket AngleseyHUNTLY Steven Road, Huntly, AB54 8SX Supermarket Aberdeenshire North
HYDE Water Street - Hyde, Cheshire, SK14 1BD Asda Superstore Tameside South & Longdendale
HYSON GREEN Radford Rd - Hyson Green, Nottingham, NG7 5FP Asda Superstore West Nottingham
IRVINE Rivergate Centre, Irvine, KA12 8EH Asda Superstore North Ayrshire
KENDAL Burton Road, Kendal, LA9 7JA Asda Superstore Windermere & District
KIDDERMINSTER NEW ROAD New Road, Kidderminster, DY10 1HG Supermarket Kidderminster
KILLINGBECK Killingbeck Drive, Leeds, LS14 6UF Asda Superstore Leeds East
KILMARNOCK 10 Queens Drive, Kilmarnock, KA1 3XF Asda Superstore Ayrshire (East)
KINGS HEATH 99 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7BW Supermarket Sparkhill
KIRKCALDY Carberry Road - Kirkcaldy, Fife, KY1 3NU Wal-Mart Supercentre Levenmouth
KIRKTON 7-9 Derwent Avenue, Dundee, DD3 0SZ Asda Superstore Dundee
LANCASTER Ovangle Road, Lancaster, LA1 5JR Asda Superstore Morecambe Bay
LANGLEY MILL Wesley Street, Langley Mill, Nottingham, NG16 4ED Asda Superstore Clay Cross
LARKHALL Broomhill Drive, Larkhall, ML9 1QP Supermarket Clyde, Avon and Nethan Foodbank
LARNE 1 Redlands Road, Port of Larne, County Antrim, BT40 1AX Small Larne
LEAMINGTON Chesterton Drive, Sydenham Industrial Estate, Leamington Spa, CV31 1YD Asda Superstore Warwick & Leamington
LEEK Springfield Road, Leek, ST13 6EN Supermarket Leek and District
LEIGH Atherleigh Way, Leigh - Lancashire , WN7 5RZ Asda Superstore Atherton & Leigh
LEIGH WINDERMERE ROAD Market Place , Leigh, WN7 1QX Supermarket Atherton & Leigh
LINCOLN NETTLEHAM ROAD 323 Wolsey Way, Nettleham Road, Lincoln, LN2 4SX Supermarket Lincoln
LINWOOD Phoenix Retail Park - Linwood Road, Paisley, PA1 2AB Asda Superstore Renfrewshire
LISCARD Sea View Road, Wallasey, CH45 4NZ Asda Superstore Wirral
LLANELLI Murray Street, Llanelli, SA15 1BX Asda Superstore Llanelli
LLANGEFNI Ffordd Cae Sel, Llangefni - Anglesey, DWLL77 Supermarket Anglesey
LONGSIGHT Stanley Grove, Longsight, Manchester, M12 4NH Asda Superstore Manchester Central
LONGWELL GREEN Craven Way, Bristol, BS30 7DY Asda Superstore Keynsham
LOWESTOFT Belvedere Road - Off Horn Hill, Lowestoft - Suffolk , NR33 0PX Asda Superstore East Suffolk
MALTON Norton Road, Malton, YO17 9RD Supermarket Ryedale
MEANWOOD 34 Green Road, Meanwood, Leeds, LS6 4JP Supermarket Leeds north
MERTHYR TYDFIL Dowlais Top, Merthyr Tydfil - ‘Mid-Glamorgan, CF48 2YF Asda Superstore Merthyr Cynon
MIDDLESBROUGH 2 North Street - South Bank, Middlesbrough, TS6 6AB Asda Superstore MiddlesbroughMILL LANE BENWELL Mill Lane, Benwell, NE4 6QA Supermarket Newcastle West
MILTON OF CRAIGIE Milton Of Craigie - Longtown Road, Dundee, DD4 7RX Asda Superstore Dundee
MINWORTH Walmley Ash Road, Minworth - Sutton Coldfield, B76 1XL Wal-Mart Supercentre Erdington/Aston & Nechells
MORECAMBE Lancaster Road, Morecambe, LA4 5QW Supermarket Morecambe Bay
MORLEY Howley Park Road, Morley, LS27 OBP Asda Superstore Leeds south
NEWARK Beaumand Cross, Lombard Street, Newark, NG24 1XG Small Newark
NEWPORT Pencarn Way - Coedkernew, Gwent - Newport , NP10 8XL Asda Superstore Newport
NEWPORT PILLGWENLLY East Market Street, Newport, NP20 2BH Asda Superstore Newport
NEWTON MEARNS Ayr Road - Newton Mearns, Glasgow, G77 6EY Asda Superstore East Renfrewshire
NEWTOWNARDS Ards Shopping Centre - Circular Road, Newtownards, BT23 4EU Small Newtownards
NORWICH Drayton High Road, Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 5DT Asda Superstore Norwich
NUNEATON Newtown Road, Nuneaton - Warwickshire, CV11 4FL Asda Superstore Nuneaton
OLDBURY Wolverhampton Road, Oldbury - West Midlands, B69 4PU Asda Superstore Quinton
OLDHAM HOLLINS ROAD Hollins Road, Oldham, OL8 4JZ Supermarket Oldham
PARK ROYAL 2-20 Western Rd, Park Royal - London, NW10 7LW Asda Superstore Brent
PARKGATE Taylors Lane, Parkgate, Rotherham, S62 6EE Supermarket Rotherham
PARKHEAD 1300 Duke Street - Parkhead Forge, Glasgow, G31 4EB Asda Superstore Glasgow NE
PERRY BARR Walsall Road - Perry Barr, Birmingham, B42 1AB Asda Superstore Aston & Nechells
PERTH 89 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 5AP Asda Superstore Perth and Kinross
PETERLEE Surtrees Road, Peterlee - Co. Durham, SR8 5HA Asda Superstore Durham
PLYMOUTH Leypark Drive - Estover, Plymouth, PL6 8TB Asda Superstore Plymouth
PORTADOWN Bridge Street, Portadown, BT63 5AW Asda Superstore Craigavon Area
PORTSMOUTH The Bridge Shopping Centre, 11 Somers Road North - Portsmouth, PO1 1SL Asda Superstore Portsmouth
QUEENSFERRY Aston Road, Clwyd, CH5 1TP Wal-Mart Supercentre Flintshire
QUESLET 6 Old Horns Crescent, Off Queslett Road, Great Barr West Mids, B43 7HA Wal-Mart Supercentre Great Barr
QUINTON Hagley Road West, Birmingham, B68 0PH Supermarket Quinton
RHYL St Asaph Avenue North, Kimnel Bay, LL18 5EQ Asda Superstore Abergele & District
ROCHDALE The Old Cricket Ground - Dane Street , Rochdale, OL12 6XT Asda Superstore Rochdale
ROCHDALE KINGSWAY Unit 2 Kingsway Retail , Kingsway, Rochdale, OL16 5AF Supermarket Rochdale
ROTHERHAM Aldwarke Lane - Off Doncaster Road, Rotherham, S65 3SW Asda Superstore Rotherham
RUGBY 12 Chapel Street, Rugby, CV21 3EB Asda Superstore Rugby SALTNEY River Lane, Saltney, Flintshire, CH4 8RH Supermarket Flintshire
SCUNTHORPE Burringham Road - Scunthorpe, North Lincs, DN17 2XF Asda Superstore Scunthorpe
SEFTON 126 Smithdown Road, Liverpool - Merseyside, L15 3JR Asda Superstore Central Liverpool
SHAW Greenfield Lane, Oldham - Lancashire, OL2 8QP Asda Superstore Oldham
SHEFFIELD Handsworth Road, Sheffield, S13 9BN Wal-Mart Supercentre Handsworth
SHEFFIELD CATCHBAR LANE 98 Catchbar Lane, Sheffield, S6 1TA Supermarket Sheffield S6
SHEFFIELD CHAUCER ROAD Chaucer Road, Parson Cross, Sheffield, S5 8NH Asda Superstore Sheffield Burngreave
SHEFFIELD QUEENS RD 405 Queens Road, Sheffield, S2 4DR Supermarket Gleadless Valley
SHORE ROAD BELFAST 219 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 3PR Small North Belfast
SKELTON Pheasant Fields Lane, Skelton, Saltburn by the Sea, TS12 2LQ Supermarket Redcar
SLOUGH Telford Drive, Slough, SL1 9LA Asda Superstore Slough
SMALL HEATH 859 Coventry Road - Small Heath, Birmingham, B10 0HH Asda Superstore Sparkhill
SOUTH WOOTTON KINGS LYNN Langley Road, South Wootton, Kings Lynn, PE30 3UG Supermarket Kings Lynn
SOUTHGATE CIRCUS Asda Southgate Circus Supercentre, 130 Chase Side, Southgate, N14 5PW Asda Superstore North Enfield
SOUTHPORT Central 12 Shopping Park - Derby Road, Southport, PR9 0TY Asda Superstore Southport
SPENNYMOOR St Andrews Lane - Spennymoor, Co Durham, DL16 6NE Small Durham
ST AUSTELL Cromwell Road, St Austell - Cornwall, PL25 4PR Asda Superstore St Austell
ST HELENS Kirkland Street, St Helens, WA10 2EF Asda Superstore St Helens
ST LEONARDS-ON-SEA Silver Hill, St Leonards on Sea, Hastings, TN37 7AA Asda Superstore Hastings
ST.LEONARDS St Leonards Street, Dunfermline, KY11 3AY Small Dunfermline
STAFFORD Queensway, Stafford, ST16 3TA Asda Superstore Cannock & District
STANLEY Front Street, Stanley - County Durham, DH9 ONB Asda Superstore Durham
STENHOUSEMUIR 17 Hallam Road, Stenhousemuir, FK5 3DB Small Falkirk
STOCKPORT Warren Street, Stockport, SK1 1UA Asda Superstore Stockport
STOCKPORT BELMONT Hamilton Square, Belmont Shopping Centre, Stockport, SK4 1JG Supermarket Stockport
STOCKTON Portrack Lane, Stockton-On-Tees, TS18 2PB Asda Superstore Billingham
STOKE SCOTIA ROAD Scotia Road, Tunstall, Stoke On Trent, ST6 4HE Supermarket Stoke on Trent
SUTTON IN ASHFIELD Priestic Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, NG17 2AH Asda Superstore Clay Cross
SWANSEA Upper Forest Way , Swansea, SA6 8PS Asda Superstore Swansea
SWINDON HAYDON Orbital Shopping Park, Thamesdown Drive, Swindon, SN25 4BG Wal-Mart Supercentre Swindon
TAMWORTH Ventura Road Retail Park - Bitterscote, Tamworth - Staffs, B78 3HB Wal-Mart Supercentre TamworthTAUNTON Creechbarrow Road, Taunton, TA1 2AN Wal-Mart Supercentre Taunton
TONYPANDY Colliers Way, Tonypandy, CF40 2JQ Small Rhondda
TORYGLEN 555 Prospect Hill Road - Toryglen, Glasgow, G42 0AE Asda Superstore Glasgow SE
TRAFFORD PARK Barton Dock Road - Trafford Park, Manchester, M41 7ZA Wal-Mart Supercentre Salford Central
WALKLEY 330 South Road, Walkley, Sheffield, S6 3TD Supermarket Sheffield S6
WATFORD Odhams Industrial Estate, Watford, WD24 7RT Wal-Mart Supercentre Watford
WEMBLEY Forty Lane, Middlesex, HA9 9EX Asda Superstore Brent
WEST BRIDGFORD 184 Loughborough Road, West Bridgford - Nottingham, NG2 7JA Wal-Mart Supercentre NG11 Clifton
WEST SWINDON West Swindon Shopping Centre, Swindon, SN5 7DL Asda Superstore Swindon
WESTBROOK Westbrook Shopping Centre, Warrington, WA5 8UQ Asda Superstore Warrington
WESTERHOPE Stamfordham Road, Westerhope, NE5 2LD Supermarket Newcastle East
WIDNES Widnes Road, Widnes - Cheshire, WA8 6AH Asda Superstore Widnes
WINSFORD The Drumber, Winsford, CW7 1BD Asda Superstore Mid Cheshire
WISBECH North End, Leverington Road, Wisbech, PE13 1PE Small Wisbech
WITHAM HIGHFIELDS ROAD 24 Highfields Road, Witham, CM8 2HJ Supermarket Braintree Area
WOLSTANTON Wolstanton Retail Park, Staffordshire, ST5 0AP Asda Superstore Newcastle-Staffs
WOLSTANTON MORRIS SQUARE Morris Square, Kyme, Wolstanton, ST5 0EN Supermarket Newcastle-Staffs
WOODSEATS 801 Chesterfield Road, Woodseats, S8 0SQ Supermarket Sheffield S6
WORCESTER Silver Street, Lowesmoor, Worcester, , WR1 2DA Asda Superstore Worcester
WORKINGTON Dunmail Park, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 1NQ Asda Superstore North Lakes
WREXHAM Holt Road, Wrexham - Clywd, LL13 8HL Asda Superstore Wrexham
YORK Monks Cross - Huntington, York, YO32 9LF Asda Superstore York

Foodbanks are a sticking plaster over a gaping social wound and I wish people didn’t need them but they do. Set any political ideals aside and make time on Saturday to donate food. I’m off to ASDA in Estover in Plymouth on Saturday, so look out for me and if you see me then come up and say hello. If you are outside the UK, there will be a foodbank of some sort near you. Join in with us on Saturday and take them some food. Yesterday, almost 10,000 people viewed Frugal Queen and if only a fraction of you donate to your local Foodbank on Saturday then that simple compassionate act will make such a difference to the small child who is told that today he can have jam on his bread.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chocolate and Banana Muffins

http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post

Hello Dear Reader,

Usually, I have an appetite and wake up ready for a big breakfast. My favourite is natural yoghurt, fruit and bran flakes but I didn’t eat much at all for a week and have fruit that is well past its best. I don’t like soft bananas so decided to use them up by making Chocolate and Banana Muffins.

Recipe.

Heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6

300g SR Flour (or plain with 1tbsp of baking powder)
100g sugar
100g of melted butter
2 large eggs
2 tbsp of cocoa
200ml milk (I used UHT skimmed)
2 soft mashed bananas.

Mash the bananas with a fork and blend the cocoa into the banana.

Add all the other ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. I used a hand held electric mixer. Pour into lined muffin tins/or greased and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Whilst the chocolate and banana muffins were cooking I made another batch using up the remnants of some Lidl frozen fruit that I had. Even though it’s frozen, it soon passes its best once the bag has been opened.


I used the same recipe as above but omitted the banana and chocolate and added 200g of defrosted blackberries, raspberries, blueberries red currants and black currants (£1.80 for 750g of fruit which I usually eat with natural yoghurt for breakfast or as a dessert).

I will bag these up, two at a time so Dearly Beloved can take a treat to work each day. They are relatively low in fat and sugar and make a good mid morning or afternoon snack and would be brilliant for picnics or children’s lunch boxes. They are also so incredibly easy to make. The flower motif on the few middle muffins are from a silicone mould.


Well Dear Reader, we made it to the end of July and I hope we’ve eaten down a lot of the stock in our store cupboards. However, I will not be rushing out to fill the freezer with shoulders of pork! Oh no! As I’m moving at some stage in the future, there will be costs and I need to save up for them. Welcome to Austerity August! I’m going to make sure I upcycle lots of clothes and fabric into quilts for gifts for family and friends. I’m also going to make bags for gifts and I’ve plenty of food in my store cupboards and my job will be to make sure we don’t get bored by eating the same things over and over.

August is going to be my month for finishing UFOs, making gifts and cooking with what I already have in the house! Thanks so much to everyone who’s joined in with ‘just make do with what I have July’. Thanks to the fellow bloggers who have linked to my blog or mentioned it when writing about their own stockpile menus, thanks to everyone who has written or commented on the recipes this month. There are more to come, money saving, finding bargains for necessities. I’m also going to be working with a sponsor to bring money saving deals on back to school ‘kit’ such as uniform, shoes and getting us clothed and fed for less with voucher codes and links. I hope some of them might be of use to you, I know I will be looking for some additions to my winter wardrobe and I’ll need all the discounts I can get.

Tomorrow’s the last day of July and I’m going to dig through the cupboards, tins, the freezer and pantry and just cook with what I have left.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx

How to make mint sauce

Budget recipes, frugal food

Hello Dear Reader,

I’m no gardener but I do grow herbs in tubs on my patio. I also have mint that has self seeded all over the garden. I’m not sure if anyone outside of the UK (and probably Oz and NZ) are familiar with mint sauce. It is the condiment to have with cooked lamb. I relented and went to the butchers and bought a half leg of lamb (needed a bleedin’ sit down after paying for it) for £5. It has to have mint sauce and this is how to make it.

Pick the mint and wash it. Remove the leaves from the stalks.

Sprinkle with a small amount of salt and three tablespoons of granulated sugar.

Finely chop. Pivot the tip of a very sharp knife on the board and hold the pointed end down, use the handle to move across the mint in a chopping movement. Drag the mint into the middle to incorporate any leaves that haven’t been chopped. Keep chopping as this will take about ten minutes.

You want chopped mint and not a pulp.

Add to a jam jar and add four tablespoons of boiling water and four tablespoons of vinegar. Any vinegar will do, I just used cheap malt vinegar. Put the lid on and shake. It’s best to make the mint sauce a few hours before you need it or at least an hour.

Once you’ve made it, taste it. Does it require more salt or sugar to suit your taste?

The vinegar and sugar will preserve this for months if the jar was full. No need to add heat or do anything else to it. Ha! Contains salt, sugar and preservative!

Yesterday, we visited my parents who filled carrier bags potatoes, green beans, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, radish and lettuce all grown in their garden. As usual, our roast dinner will be stretched to four meals, two of which we will eat tonight and two we will eat tomorrow.

Who else makes their own mint sauce? Is this a British thing? Do Americans eat roast lamb with mint sauce? I’m sure you’ll let me know.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cauliflower cheese and courgette frittata - 58p per person

frugal weight watchers recipes, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post
Hello Dear Reader,

I’m feeling better and ravenous so only a big cheesy supper would do!

Cauliflower cheese

25g of cornflour - 3p - 2WW/PP
50g of half fat grated cheddar - 30p - 4WW/PP
250ml of skimmed milk - 13p - 2WW/PP
half a cauliflower 35p - 0WW/PP

Total - 81p - serves 3 - 27p each. 3WW/PP per person


I usually eat the greens around my cauliflower but it has been in my fridge for over a week as I’ve been too ill to eat much but dry toast. Trim your cauliflower but use the greens too and the stalks. They are nutritious and taste just the same. Don’t over cook them as these will finish cooking in the oven. Bring to the boil and then gently simmer until cooked but not soft. Leave to cool.

To make the cheese sauce.


Weigh everything into the same microwave proof bowl or pyrex dish if you are worried about plastic. You will need 25g of cornflour, 50g of grated cheddar or any cheese of your choice (save 10g for the topping) and 250g/ml (it’s the same!) of skimmed milk. I always use UHT milk and haven’t died so if I’m an example of cheap food then go ahead and risk it. Stir the milk in so there are no lumps until all dissolved and microwave for three minutes. (I don’t add salt as the cheddar is salty - but I did add some pepper and a sprinkle of nutmeg)

The blurry photo is due to the steam. Each time you take it out of the microwave, whisk to remove any lumps. Too thin, put it back in the microwave, too thick and whisk in some more milk. Leave to one side when it is at the right consistency.

Courgette Fritatta

Half an onion - 9p - 0WW/PP
1 large courgette - 23 - 0WW/PP
3 eggs - 45p - 6WW/PP
1/10 of punnet of value mushrooms - 15p 0 WW/PP - 2 points per person.

Total 92p - serves 3 - 31p each (Serves 3? I’ve portioned one meal for my lunch tomorrow as DB’s summer break is over and I’m home alone for five weeks - I shall eat well regardless.)

Chop onion, courgette and mushrooms and fry with frylight or a little oil. Decant into a small oven proof dish. Season and beat four eggs and stir through.

Just to prove you can eat well on the cheap - you can buy lovely British free range eggs in Aldi - 15p each.

The uncooked fritatta will need cooking for 15 to 20 minutes in a hot oven.

Top the cauliflower cheese with a sliced tomato and 10g of grated cheese.


Here’s the final result. Just perfect for a cheesy, stuff your face kind of supper.

…..and here are the close ups. All the ingredients came from Aldi where I buy their Super 6 vegetables that are on offer, such as three large courgettes for 69p or one large butternut squash for 69p


I’m still a believer that you can buy value brands, from value supermarkets and turn them into something tasty, nutritious and a still be a hit with your family members. You could serve this with steamed veggies or some bread to make it go further but it’s certainly enough on its own.

I hope you enjoy the recipe, it’s certainly cheap and tasty.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Be Real!

Budget recipes



Hello Dear Reader,

In the UK, we have see drastic price increases since 2007. However, on average, wages have risen by 1.5%. A lot of people have lost their jobs, their homes and are having real financial difficulties. We are faced with making a sensible choice with housing and downsize to a small house where we can pay off the mortgage sooner rather than later. Dearly Beloved and I both took pay cuts. My own, was my choice and I need go no further into the details on that matter. On the other hand, Dearly Beloved’s public sector pay cut was not of his choosing. We now earn (after tax) £650 less a month than we did a couple of years ago.

Our bills have not shrunk, they’ve just got bigger. Fuel is 52% more expensive than it was when we moved into this house is 2007. Food is 32% more expensive than it was in 2007. The huge increases in energy bills for our homes in the UK have risen 30% in the last three years. In real terms, we earn a massive amount less than we used to. Throughout all this, we’ve paid off debts, over paid our mortgage to the point that we’ve paid £52K back since we moved in here in 2007. Some where along the line, just to keep our heads about water, something has to give.

We heat only part of our house with a wood stove instead of running the central heating. We have four minute showers and no longer have baths. We cook in our mini oven and use our microwave. We fill a Thermos flask with water to save boiling the kettle repeatedly. We wash our car with a bucket and sponge to save water. We only buy what we really really need. We save every penny we can so we can cover any eventualities. We even got married on a tiny budget and just had FM and MW for guests and ate lunch in a fish cafe. I make any gifts I give. We don’t eat out. We home cook everything but even that is getting more and more expensive.

I look for alternatives so we don’t have to give up fruit and vegetables completely. I eat natural yoghurt with tinned fruit (in juice) to get protein and vitamins for breakfast. I supplement our shopping bill with frozen fruit and veg and some tinned too. I am not going to beat myself up any further because I can’t buy a veg box. I would love to make cut backs but when I look at everything we’ve cut back already, I just wonder where I can cut back any further.

I am not going to feel guilty about buying my clothes in Matalan (for work and about once every two years), shopping for groceries in Aldi or opening a tin of 19p spuds (we had some roasted and they were fine). I am not going to feel guilty about having to admit that I need to downsize to pay off my mortgage sooner rather than still have it to pay when I’m retired.

Let’s be real! There are families out there who only ate today because a food bank fed them. Today and every day, families are losing their homes, their jobs and desperately trying to cope with benefits cuts, bedroom tax and reduced wages and ever increasing prices. My message to everyone is just to do your best, if you best is frozen fruit with Aldi plain yoghurt then give thanks that you can afford that!

It’s a hard world, I’m coping but thousands and thousands don’t - let’s give them, and their 19p tinned potatoes, a frickin’ break!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxxxxx

Let the downsizing begin!

Down shifting



Hello Dear Reader,

As promised, the house is on the market! We’ve had a wonderful time living here but it’s time to move on and find a small home just for Dear Beloved and me. I’ve just surfaced from an eleven hour migraine and have had another day in bed! Hopefully, with a smaller house, I’ll spend the first weeks of the school holiday in France and resting…………well, that’s the plan.

Click HERE to go to the Rightmove sight and the listing for our house.

Tomorrow, we’re off to view two cottages! One in a tiny moorland village and one here in Liskeard!

Let the downsizing begin!

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Deals on Meals from a real Superscrimper

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Hello Dear Reader,

I enjoy watching Superscrimpers for all the wrong reasons! It’s car crash TV. Here’s how it works. Get some hapless folk without a clue and edit the show so it makes them look like dorks with money! This week, a seemingly nice couple who spent £16K a year on food! That included eating out, throwing food away and having almost £1000 worth of food in their house. To be honest, a lot of people can’t plan, budget or cook so this young couple were not out of the ordinary and by the end of the show had quickly learned how to make the most of their money. Good for them.

I am a superscrimper. I know I spend a lot less than the average Joe on food so I feel I can comment on knowing something on deals on meals.

Where do I start? Firstly, I know what I have in my cupboards. Currently, I don’t need to buy any starches or carbs as we’re eating down the supplies of rice, pasta and cous cous. I’m using mostly veggie recipes at this time of year as meat prices are high due to barbeque season. The shops are not stocking many joints of meat as everyone wants simple cuts to put on the charcoal and they retailers have increased their prices. So, to beat them at their own game, I’m eating a lot less meat. We have meat once a week or use it as a flavouring in food. Today, I cooked a butternut squash and chorizo risotto - I used 50p worth of chorizo and it was enough to flavour the entire meal. As I know what I have in my cupboards, I can plan meals to use up the supplies I have.

Menu planning - Now this isn’t difficult and I would suggest that families did this for the month. If you want variety then eat something planned for next week, this week. Look at what you can do with pasta or rice and vary your meals around those ingredients if that is what you have. Check that your meals are balanced nutritionally. We eat pulses for protein AND carbs as they are high in both. So, if we eat lentils, we cut back on other carbs. I’m a great fan of another West Country bird, at Penny’s recipes and if you sign up she’ll email you a week’s menu plan every week and it will be healthy and frugal.

Use up everything you have - Don’t shop until you’ve used everything up! I am soooooooooo sick of rice, pasta and cous cous, but I bought the bloody stuff so I’m responsible for making sure we use it. I have been ill for a few days and my fresh foods are not looking so great but rest assured that I will find a way of incorporating them all into recipes. I have moudly mushrooms, flaccid carrots and a mountain of courgettes so I will be creative with them. I don’t have much meat and I do have some tinned and frozen fruit and I will use them up.

Buy tinned and frozen - I would love to wander around markets and climb back on my scooter and wizz back to my scrubbed farm house kitchen and cook on my Aga but reality isn’t like that! I am utterly p****d off with the criticism railed at tinned and frozen food! It’s cheap and nutritious and for folks who are struggling with all bills including the energy bills having food that won’t go off it a total must. Like A girl called Jack I use tinned potatoes as they are so much cheaper as is instant mashed potato. It doesn’t go off and nutritionally is just as good as fresh. I use instant mash in fish cakes and on top of shepherdess pie. I used to be able to buy a family size sack of spuds for under a fiver and now you would be lucky to buy them for under ten quid. I buy bags of ‘mixed’ frozen veg and add the contents to paella, risotto, bolognaise and casseroles. I use frozen and tinned fruit. I eat frozen fruit with natural yoghurt most days and get my hit of protein and vitamins. I use tinned fruit all of the time as fresh fruit is prohibitively expensive. I always buy UHT milk as it keeps forever and doesn’t go off. You can also buy UHT dairy desserts for children and stock pile them on pay day to keep their lunch boxes topped up for the week.

Eat on toast Once a week, give yourself a break. Grill some bread, spread with butter or marg and eat with a poached egg or some baked beans. We all deserve a break and aim for one ‘on toast’ meal a week. Try and think of the things that can go on toast. Baked beans, some grated cheese and a fried egg is a favourite here. If you ever had a takeaway night, then this is your break night. There’s very little washing up either.

Cook once, eat twice. We treat ourselves to meat every Sunday and then eat the same meal again on Monday. I buy very meagre portions of meat so there isn’t enough to stretch it until Thursday! Take a look in Poundland or Ikea for the plate covers so you can plate up two extra meals and eat them the next day. If you make a cottage pie (shepherdess pie in my case) then make two and freeze one for a can’t be bothered to cook day.

Treat yourself once in a while We splurge once in a while but we do it at home. I’ll make a stir fry, or homemade fish and chips, we don’t eat curry but you could make your own. Beat the takeaways and restaurants and make your favourite meals at home. We love rustic French recipes and I will treat us to Beef in Burgundy with Tarte Tatin to finish but instead of heading to a restaurant; I’ll cook it for us. You don’t have to go without because you don’t eat out.

Use BBC Food - You can search for an ingredient and then find out what you can do with it. I will be investigating courgette recipes and rice recipes and vegetarian alternatives for traditional recipes. It’s a great source of information when trying to use up what you have.

Eat less meat and fish - We are eating less and less meat and fish. It’s financially beyond our food budget and we’re having to find our nutrition else where. Embrace pulses and find out what you can cook with kidney beans, lentils and chick peas - they are far more nutritious than you think.

Portion Control - work on the basis that some is plenty and enough is too much. Always leave the table feeling you could eat more. A portion of meat should be no larger than a deck of cards, a portion of fruit or veg should fit into the palm of one hand, a portion of cheese should be the size of a small box of matches, a portion of cereal is one cup, a portion of cooked rice or pasta is one cup only. Look at the chair you are sitting on……….can you see the edge of it either side of your hips……………I’ll say no more on the matter xxxxx

It’s only food! I hate the word ‘foodie’! It has connotations of food snobbery and let us all remember that if you ate today, had a roof over your head and are healthy that in comparison to millions of people, you are so very very blessed! We need food to live, to sustain our bodies. Food does not love us, it doesn’t care for us and it isn’t our friend. When we share our table with the people we love, the food isn’t the importance, the people are! If you are in a shop and you can get your nutrition for less, whether it’s frozen, in a tin, homemade or simply raw, then make sure it fits your budget. I stick to a budget but make sure we have a balanced diet and that we are healthy.

Over to you Dear Reader. Leave your advice in the comments on deals on meals and how to be a superscrimper in the kitchen. Who else uses frozen, dehydrated and tinned with pride? Let me know!

(House sale progress - carpets cleaned, legal forms signed and we’re on the market as of today!)

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx

Garden Ta-dah!!

frugal home


Hello Dear Reader,

I’ve been seriously beating myself up about the state of my garden but I have to remember that it’s rained for three years without any prolonged dry spells to make any impact in my garden. Over the previous years, it’s dried out for a few days and we’ve got some work done and then it rained solidly for months on end. The picture above is of the ‘before’ and all the rest are of the ‘after’. There’s still work to do and we’ll keep going. Apparently, we’re due a rain storm later which usually precedes the end of summer and lots of cold wet weather. We’ll wait and see.

In the photo above, you can see how high up we are as we look over all of the other houses.

The laundry won’t be there when I have viewings.

We had a builder in to repair all the broken paths and a gardener to cut back all of the shrubs and hedges. There’s far too much for us to do which is one of the reasons we’re moving. I thought I like gardening but actually I can’t bleedin’ stand it! Not on this scale anyway. I would rather have more time for walking, sitting in a smaller garden reading or listening to the birds, for cooking, for writing and certainly not for what I view to be outdoor housework.

The photo above is of the ‘front’ of our house with the drive way.

Today I stained the summer house and deck.

There’s a job………..the bird table needs re-staining.

All the borders have been weeded, a membrane put down and landscape bark on top.

This is part of our drive way………I love the stone wall.


There it is, the tour of the garden! I love it when it’s tidy, neat and in order but I know it won’t stay like this for long. I’m going to enjoy having a garden I can manage. Thanks must go to Dearly Beloved who did most of this! Our house goes on the market on August the first so watch this space for news. I could sell quickly, take ages or not sell at all!

Thanks so much everyone for the good wishes - I’m on the mend xx

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxx

Apologies for my absence.

Down shifting

Hello Dear Reader,

Apologies for my absence, I’ve been horizontal for a few days - no need for details. I’ve dragged myself to the TV every night for the last three weeks for the one sporting spectacle that I watch every year and follow now matter which team is winning, where the best riders come from or who the current sponsors are.

I’ve watched every stage of the Tour de France. Firstly, like so many Brits, I am totally in love with France and everything French. My French holidays have given me my love of cycling and the ‘Tour’ has given me the ambition to get really fit so I can ride ‘L’etape de tour’.(approx 100km)

 On January 1st, I was 14 and a half stone, today I weighed in a 12 stone and 4 lbs and I’m fitter than I’ve ever been. Like so many Brits, who watched the Olympics last year and became part of the ‘Olympic legacy’ as I’m not the only person who decided that this was the year I AM going to get fit and be a healthier person.

I couldn’t blog last night if I tried! I watched the final stage (that mattered) on Saturday and knew that Chris Froome was the winner and then watched the run into Paris live on Sunday night. Mark Cavendish just couldn’t win another Champs Elysees stage as Marcel Kittel turned out to be the better rider on the night. I watched every minute from my bed, with the sound on quiet and the lights dimmed and even feeling rough, I couldn’t miss it.

It’s those moments that remind me WHY am am frugal!

From Froogs’ bucket list….”12. Cycle one of the stages of the Tour de France…..even if it takes all week!(Thinking of it………or even a fortnight.) Add to that…ride a proper road bike.
13. Hire/own a camper van and follow Tour de France and write a chalk messages on the roads.”

Dreams don’t come cheap and they are not attainable with a massive mortgage. Being frugal now, means I can have choices later. That means, later I will be able to afford a road bike, later I will be able to afford cycling holidays, later I will be able to go to the Pyrenees. I’m still ill tonight and I haven’t surfaced since Saturday but it’s the dreams that keep me going.


Thanks for the incredible camera work, helicopter and bike shots of every piece of the action and to the riders for a fantastic tour. Roll on 2014, when I will be going back to France (busy saving every penny now so I can) and roll on the next Tour.

Until tomorrow (when I’m hopefully able to stand),

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxx

How to make a Sardine and Tomato Pizza

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Hello Dear Reader,

You will need: bread mix OR 1 and a quarter cup of water, 1 tablespoon of oil. 1 teaspoon of salt, 3 cups of strong white flour and 1 sachet of yeast - add to the bread machine in that order and set to ‘dough’.

Topping - 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, garlic granules, 1 teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of mixed herbs. Fry the onions, add the tinned tomatoes and rest of ingredients, season with salt and pepper. Allow to simmer - puree with stick blender - Allow to cool.

The dough setting on a bread machine usually takes about an hour. Switch off and remove dough and place onto a floured surface.

Roll out gently until the size of your baking tray.

You can put what you like on your topping - I used half a cup of grated half fat cheddar, a sprinkle of parmesan, some mushrooms and yellow peppers.

After rolling out the dough, grease with oil and place the oil side down onto a baking tray.

Spread out with your fingers.

Spread the tomato sauce onto the dough mix.

Cover the entire dough mix.

Sprinkle with a topping of your choice.

You can put what you like onto your pizza.

Remove sardines from the tin and cut in half, removing the bones.

Arrange onto your pizza.

Who doesn’t love sardines and at 32p a tin they are a great way of having affordable fish.

Sprinkle with some cheese.

Add 15g of parmesan if you so wish. I like the way it adds so much cheesey flavour without being too greasy or calorific.

Drizzle with the tiniest amount of oil.

Bake in a very hot oven for 15-20 minutes.

This is great eaten hot or taken to the beach on a day off.


Enjoy!

That’s how to make a sardine and tomato pizza. Four portions of pizza for 50p a portion! I made the pizza faster than I could walk to the supermarket, bring it back, take it out of the packet and cook it and for a lot less too.

Over to you - who’s been scorched today? We’ve been gardening, the estate agent has taken photographs and there was a welcome breeze. I’m aiming to have some time out tomorrow and hopefully a swim!

Until then,

Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx