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| http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/2013/07/cheesy-topped-shepherdess-pie.html |
Hello Dear Reader,
I lay the blame completely at the feet of TV chefs. Even more so, I lay the blame at the feet of TV chefs who promote their own brand and therefore feel the need to make those who can't afford it, buy it. It lies even deeper than that! They feel the need to promote artisan, locally produced (both highly commendable!) products and use guilt to make us feel bad for not buying them. They want us to be morally responsible for local jobs, local landscape (again, highly commendable) and therefore to buy local from small suppliers.
Doesn't every body want to do that? Of course they do.
The problem being that the bucolic view of Cornwall (I can't speak for anywhere else as I don't live there) is of a county for the privileged to pop in and out of therefore giving them the view that it's all oysters and locally produced hand reared and organic. Actually, life here is polarised and the wealthy 'live' in the same county as many people in dire poverty. It's not all sunshine and surfing.
The county is full of incredible growers, producers, bakers, caterers, restaurants, sellers and promoters. I wish them well. The issue I have is that very few of us who live here, who are real local people can afford anything that they have on offer. If it's like that here, then I suppose it's like that everywhere. Locals in Dorset can't afford the fish. Families in Somerset and all over Wales can't afford the local lamb. We have a look around the farmer's markets and can't afford a single item! Not even the local sea salt!
So, if we locals can't afford it and we're not eating it, buying local isn't for the locals. It must be for the poppers in and outers. Even though none of us can afford it, the TV chefs are still promoting local, organic, artisan and small producers. As I said before, good luck to them.
The point I want to make is that we're already being ****ed sideways by the food producers, sellers and thieving supermarkets and not one single person needs to feel any guilt whatsoever if they are doing the best they can, to put any food on the table in front of their children!
You do not need to feel guilty if you are feeding your family for £40 a week. Your genuine emails of concerns about food prices mean working families all over the UK are being so squeezed by the cost of living that they only place left to cut corners is to eat less. You have no need to feel guilty if your cabbage comes from a 100 acre field in Lincolnshire and not from the farm next door. Seasonal British veggies are good enough whether they are from a huge farm or a small one. Even the poshest organic farm in ***** employs hundreds East European workers on minimum wage, who live on site, in rusty caravans (and pay rent back to the farm for the privilege) so don't think the premium price is going back into better working conditions, maternity pay and a pension!
Today, if you feed your family beans on toast, if you feed them lentil soup, if you feed them indoor farmed animals, you have done the best with your budget and the best for your family! Do not feel guilty. Even more so, do not allow someone who is wealthy who may have no idea what it is like to struggle financially, who may never ever have chosen between heating and eating to let you feel guilty for the food choices you have to make!
I'm going to continue to support real families struggling to put food on the table. I'm going to continue to support real people all over the world as food insecurity is global, to cook the best they can on a budget! I am not going to feel guilty when I eat NZ lamb which can be shipped frozen across the globe and sold cheaper than I can buy it from the field next to my house! I am not going to feel guilty that pigs I eat lived in a barn. It's food, not a pet and if you are that worried about animals then don't eat them.
Food poverty is real in the UK! Families are struggling to eat and people are going hungry. I want to keep promoting simple recipes and to get anyone to read and understand that you can eat well and healthily for very little. You can eat well if you are on minimum wage, a pension, a student, a one worker family or if you are on benefits. No one needs to go hungry and no one needs to feel guilty about what they eat if they are doing the best they can.
Over to you, let's fill the comments today! I want to hear from everyone who is sick and tired of food snobbery! I want to hear from people who are proud that they put food on the table today and managed to fill their children's bellies even though the prices just keep going up and up!!!
I love your support readers and as ever, I'll see you tomorrow.
Love Froogs xxxx
Brilliant post Froogs, about time someone said this! Let's face it, the media has a lot to answer for, not just in terms of telling us what we should be eating, but what we should be wearing, doing, buying, looking like etc. This is why so many folk are in debt. Last week, i read that Aldi was voted best supermarket. Says it all really. There was none of this nonsense about food when we were kids, just good, fresh meat and veg. Meals were batch cooked back then. Mince and tatties on a Monday, shepherds pie on a Tuesday, curried mince on a Wednesday. Beef stew or liver casserole lasted three days. Egg and chips on a Friday.
ReplyDeleteI would love to buy more fresh fish for the family. All the health advice tells us how much fresh fish we should be eating every week. Fresh, locally caught fish is absolute heaven to eat but it's a luxury in our house. Of course I would love to buy local, organically grown fruit and vegetables but I'm afraid that's too expensive too. When we were clearing debt, I was just grateful to be putting three meals a day on the table, and sometimes it was beans on toast (a perfectly healthy, balanced meal by the way), or egg and chips.
I am really concerned about rising food prices in the UK. Wages are still frozen for many people and it looks as if interest rates are going to start rising next year, impacting on mortgage and credit card repayments, so people will have less money to spend on food and fuel. There's nothing wrong with feeding your family for £40 or less each week. With some careful shopping and menu planning/cooking, people can eat well enough. I know people who wouldn't shop in Aldi or Lidl because they are seen as 'cheap shops'. We eat extremely well from these stores and when I have to use the more expensive shops, I'm happy to buy the value and basic ranges x
Well said ... just simply that Well Said !!
ReplyDeleteIt needs saying ..... so many folk feel the guilt and then give up and buy a cheap ready meal because they can't afford the artisan, the organic, the locally produced.
But saying that the pigs that live in the barns are not the ones that produce your cheap pork they live in much worse conditions, but that's why I don't eat meat, and I will not and do not make anyone else feel guilty for eating the meat that is produced from them. Each to their own.
It's so sad though that we import so much meat and even eggs when there is so much on our own doorsteps to be had, there has to be a better system that is not ruled and led by the supermarkets, but I feel we are getting past the stage of no return and they have taken over.
I don't buy processed or packaged. I buy British meat with the red tractor and British milk. The uk has higher welfare standards that most other countries. All meat sold has to pass defra checks whilst alive which means even intensive forms pass vetinary inspections. I will not feel guilty and I don't want anyone else to feel guilty either
DeleteIntensive farms means larger than average farms
DeleteWhat bothers me as well is that there is still so much food waste coming from the supermarkets. I know they mark things down at the end of the day but they still throw a lot of it away. I don't see why they can't set specific times when food near or at its use by date will be out in a clearly defined area and advertise these times. Many people still don't know when to go and shop for these bargains. They tend to mark things down as and when and its sometimes luck if you see something. Surely it would be better for struggling families to make use of this food than throw it in the bin, I know they can't donate food that is often at its use by date but people will by it and be fine.
ReplyDeleteHand on heart, most of what we are cooking with our Aldi broccolli and Lidl minced beef is still excellent quality when we are cooking from scratch, compared with over priced ready meals form the top of the range shops. Home or locally produced would be great but its all artisan when its cooked in the home. That shepherdess pie looks bloody delicious by the way x
ReplyDeleteYou could be talking about Canada! We get produce cheaper from the States than what is grown in our own back yards, so much for free trade, eh? We each do the best that we can to get by.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog.
Food in Canada is stupidly expensive. It's even cheaper in the US than what we pay for American produce up here.
DeleteI refuse to buy food processed or packed in China, due to their food supply issues and poisonings.
We just spent three weeks in Europe and food in the markets and shops is far cheaper than anything here.
Good post froogs, there is a lot of food snobbery I couldn't care less, I love Aldi and always shop there I love Lidl even more but there isn't one nearby. Just had a frugal holiday and there was a Lidl nearby it was heaven shopping in there as there are some fantastic lines, fantastic prices and best of all hardly anybody in there.
ReplyDeleteI spent eighteen years living in Germany and was over the moon when Aldi and Lidl came to the UK. I never got the snobbery over shopping there as the quality had always been excellent.
DeleteI live in Tx USA and do the best I can on our Social Security checks.We are guardians to a fifteen year old grandson and believe me,putting nutritious food on our table means eating whatever we can afford.I try to buy organic produce but sometimes the canned foods bought on special at the grocery store just has to do the job.Thanks for keeping those of us who struggle in the picture...
ReplyDeleteexcellent post, hurrah for you saying your piece, an well said may i add, Canadian I am an sad to say its the same here, we have lovely organic an local foods close at hand but the people who need them most cannot afford them, bottom line one of the first things in the budget to get trimmed is the food allowance, so it will always be as it has always been, the rich eat the best food, sometimes not the healthiest but at least they have an option,
ReplyDeleteGreat post Frugs, it needed to be said. We're all doing the best that we can and if that isn't good enough for the "foodies", to hell with them. Every time they find something that poor people have been eating for year, sow belly, pigs feet, they make a treat out of it and drive the price through the roof. They need to shut up for a while.
ReplyDeleteI remember when lamb shanks were a cheap option. I saw two in a supermarket yesterday, not terribly big and they were almost seven pounds!
DeleteI totally agree with your statment "They need to shut up for a while" Making things streach some day is wearysome, for example I had five loads of laundry and only enough for 2 loads so streched it out with some soda crystals and some grated household soap only to have my neighbour go and light a bar-b-q with some foul smelling accelerant and I have to do it all again as it stinks. Hopefully rinsing it through with a little conditioner will cure it,but its going to mess up my water bill for a month!
DeleteExcellent post. I used to buy meat from our farmers market and free range chickens. Now our circumstances have very much changed and I'm now only buying meats that are marked down at the supermarket, it's all I can afford now. Do I feel guilty? I struggled for a while with my own thoughts and why I was buying from the farmers market in the first place. Now I try not to think about where it comes from but what can I make with it and make it go further. Thank you, Froogs, for making me feel normal and less guilty.
ReplyDeleteCarolx
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! We have been struggling for four years following hubby's job loss and reemployment at half his original salary alongside my work cutting my salary by just under 15%. Thanks to some amazing sites such as yours where people are sharing their money saving knowledge, we are still eating well and 'living' rather than 'existing'
ReplyDeleteGreat subject - we suffer the same situation here on Vancouver Island Canada. So many people spouting off how we should support local but when it costs $4.50 for eggs down the blog (free range) and $2 for a dozen eggs from the grocery store I am sorry but I am not paying over double. Same with meat and sometimes even veggies. I love going to farm markets but they have raised the prices so much I do better on veggies with the large grocery stores. We eat a varied diet and I have no guilt for buying what I do sticking to the budget. Some of these producers see themselves as "cottage industries" but charge Mercedes Benz prices. Seems like the expect the consumers to just take it.
ReplyDeleteI am proud of myself today, for going round the supermarket with my husband with £42.50 and a voucher, and adding up all the items on my phone on the way round, and managing to get all that we needed (for about a week and a half I estimate). We have cut out all meat and eggs for lent so we included some 'pretend meat' and extra cans of beans. I am really proud of my husband for not minding that I am marking items off on my list and adding up as I go. I am really proud of the homemade chili and nachos I made last night that we both agreed was nicer than anything from a restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at how you can figure these things out, post about them and relieve me of all my guilt. I live in a tourist town and I can NOT afford anything here that is for sale, nor eat in my local restaurants. Yet, our local resident numbers about 6,000 and most make their living from these tourists.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was just limited to American counties, but apparently I am incorrect.
I have to travel (24 miles round trip, plus a $1.25 toll) to a much poorer town to do my weekly shopping, buy gas or search the Goodwill store for clothes and other needed things. Rising taxes and utilities have made it almost impossible for me to afford where I live currently than what it was a few years ago. Moving is out of the question but I am slowly reconsidering it. I may not have any other choice in the near future. But for now, this system of living here and shopping there is working. But, nonetheless, very sad.
You are a brilliant woman, Froogs. And a special hug and 'thank you' goes out to you from across the pond.
It saddens me that people feel guilt about food because of impossible standards set by others. People do what they have to do to feed their family and run the home. Sadly I see so many who do not have basic skills and as a result spend more than they need. Worse still I see others who feel compelled to have expenses such as cable television while not paying for essentials first. I support a reality check. I refuse to judge a family by the eggs, meat, fruit or veg they buy. There are worse things than feeding people well on a low income by utilising the best option and one of those is cold, hungry children.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! It is so refreshing to hear somebody else (apart from me) say that farmer's markets are expensive and people can't afford them.. I hear people in the media say food is cheap. Well, no, food is not cheap. Not on my budget anyhow!
ReplyDeleteso glad you posted this .. I get so sick of hearing these tv chefs preaching at the viewers! and they have time to not only grow their own veg but animals as well! good for them! I dont mind them living the way they do ... just dont try and make the rest of us feel inadequet because we cant !! Keep up the good work .. love reading your blog x
ReplyDeleteYou pretty much said it all, and said it well... I have often wondered how folks paid so much for local food and were able to make it... I can't
ReplyDeleteWe've got this problem in the US, too. The talking heads are always pushing "eat local and organic" but there seems to be no discussion about cost and how the average person is supposed to afford these things. I realize that the organic farmers need to make a living too, but we can never have change if only the rich can afford to buy the local goods.
ReplyDeleteOh how I would love to be able to have a roast of our NZ lamb but it is so expensive here now. According to our son who lives in England it is cheaper over there than it is here.
ReplyDeleteWell said Froogs! Here in America we have at least 2 TV channels devoted to celebrity chefs and they are elevated to almost "rock star" status here. There are even competitive so-called reality shows featuring these chefs as judges. I applaud success but many of these people live in a rarified atmosphere disconnected from real people and they can't understand why you can't make pasta without truffle butter or why your refrigerator is not stocked with pure spring water, organic produce and free-range organic eggs.
ReplyDeleteReality is, as food prices continue to rise and wages remain stagnate, we everyday folks will have to be more and more creative as far as making our food dollars go as far as they can without resorting to bland, monotonous food. Here we can support each other by sharing our ideas and supporting each other as best we can!
Brilliant post! I am sick of chefs making people feel they have a substandard diet just because its been mass produced and not local or organic. Its all about doing your best to put the food on the table at a price you can afford. I think you are doind a fantastic job of spreading your knowledge and helping families to manage on a very tight budget and to teach them basic cooking skills so they can cook healthy filling meals from scratch. Well done Froogs xx
ReplyDeletePerfectly said Froogs. I think we need to get over ourselves here in the UK. There is nothing wrong with big or intensive farming. Anyway the NZ lamb is actually far more sustainable and ecological than our British ones even when you include all the transport. Here in the UK we are walking towards a disaster as we are fussing about free range and organic and whatever instead of making sure that we will be able to produce enough food for ourselves efficiently and sustainably. In the meantime the Chinese (and others) are virtually buying whole countries in Africa to secure food for themselves in the future. We are so used to being the first world and not used to competition and are completely blind to what is coming. Food will get more expensive, way more expensive as the buying power of China and India grows. those of us who have the skills to cook simply and frugally, live within our means and so on will be the winners. I think we should feel not guilty but congratulate ourselves on being smart.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post and spot on!! Three cheers for saying it like it really is out there in the real world. We can afford to buy local fruits because we are up to our eyeballs in farms and ranches within walking distance (hence lots of competition for our $) Some veggies I buy at the farm stands, but my favorite place is our .99 cent store....and not all their veggies are from CA. A recent example...I love orange peppers, but not the $2.50 local grocer price. Our .99 cent store has them for .59!!! I hope to grow an orange pepper plant to save more, but know where to go if it dies:-) Meat? I honestly am not worried about where it is from (my husband hunts when he can), as long as it is cheap....I can certainly jazz it up with herbs and spices.
ReplyDeleteI think as you state that TV chefs are not helping matters really. Some blogs too. Do what you can with your current situation. Do not let anyone make you feel you should do otherwise.
blessings, jill
Just yesterday morning whilst my wife and I had morning coffee we watched a well known chef cooking for a well known comedian and actor. This would be a cheap wine at £40 says one of the chefs! You are correct frugal queen they really don't get it and need a real slap to bring them back down to earth.
ReplyDeleteThe average family needs to source produce as best they can and should always "cut their cloth " accordingly and I admire your vigour in making that case.
I think we all need to try to produce as much of our own food as we can, even if it's just a few pots of herbs on the back step. Food prices in Australia are much higher than in the UK, so anything we can grow ourselves saves a lot of money. A single lettuce is usually $3, as is a bunch of parsley or basil - and not organic. Beetroot was 4 for $4.95 at the local supermarket recently. Free range eggs (not even organic) start at around $5.95 a dozen!
ReplyDeleteI read an interesting article a few years ago stating that many migrants from Italy paid their homes off a lot sooner and were better off financially because they brought their skills with them and grew and produced much of their own food, including bottling gallons of tomato sauce, making sausages and pasta from scratch etc...
As one of our Aussie money gurus says "if you can't afford it, you can't afford it" - no need for guilt :) If you can grow a bit yourself, you can fulfil the low carbon miles,fresh and organic ideal for a tiny fraction of the cost of buying at the shops. And if you can't grow your own you can shop at Aldi, menu plan and avoid food waste.
Have a wonderful day, all.
Madeleine.X
Thank you so much for this fantastic post. I've inwardly struggled with just this issue. I do feel guilty that I can't afford organic, local produce. I do feel guilty that I can't give my children the very best. I feel that giving them value brands I'm in some way endangering their health and feel a bad mum, because the quality of the ingredients and it's nutritional value possibly being inferior to the more costly brands. (is this actually true?) I go in fits and starts, I buy value brands, shopping in lidls etc, then after a while I feel bad about it and then start buying brand names, even buying in organic veg boxes to feel better about it, then I can't sustain that and go back to buying cheaper value brands and so the circle continues. This post however makes me think differently and you've put into words exactly how I feel about food and perhaps why I feel guilty. Thankyou again Froogs
ReplyDeleteFroogs, avid reader here from Southern California! It seems we do pay more here for food that you do in the UK, and things are just getting more and more expensive. Even though I have a great income, I live in a very high cost of living area, and have to send my children (special needs) to a costly private school, so money is tight and getting tighter. Even though California is a primarily agricultural state, I am unable to afford any of the local farmer's markets, and have to shop at big supermarkets instead, looking for bargains. I would love to support local producers, but cannot pay double for equal quality out of the goodness of my heart, I have a family to feed. It can be difficult here with all the "health nuts" that abound, but they probably charge their $8 a dozen eggs on a high interest credit card! Luckily I am older and learned how to cook, frugally when I need to. On a personal note, can you share how you control your weight despite eating more carbs that I am generally comfortable with? I know you exercise a lot (and admire you greatly for that), but it seems if I were to eat say, pasta or rice more than rarely I'd gain weight. Is it down to portion size? Love to hear your thoughts..I am making a lot of changes in my life, and m y diet needs to be one of the top priorities! Thanks, Kim
ReplyDeleteFroogs, avid follower from Southern California! I love this post...there was time when I was able to buy organic produce, free range eggs and meats, etc. I shopped at high-end specialty grocers, etc. My income was good and things were cheaper. Times have changed. Now I can no longer afford to shop local farmer's markets and support local producers. I simply cannot pay double what I spend in local grocers. I live in a high cost of living area (near the beach), and have to spend a fortune on private education for my children, one of whom has special needs. Thank heavens I can cook, and frugally too if I need to. It can be hard to live here surrounded by "health nuts", but they are probably buying their $8 a dozen eggs on a high rate credit card. Times have changed, and we all have to face that. On a personal note, can you share how you can maintain your weight despite eating more carb-based meals that I generally do? It seems if I look at quiche or pasta I gain weight. I know you exercise a lot (and I admire you for that ), but wonder if it's all down to portion control for you? Thank you for all you do, it really makes my day to read your new posts and know I am not alone in my lifestyle! Kim
ReplyDeleteI am coming out of "lurk-dom" to say: AMEN! Well said, and I completely agree! Thanks for putting this out there, because more and more people need to hear it.
ReplyDeleteHi again, Froogs,
ReplyDeletesorry to comment twice, but as I was thinking about your post today, I wondered if people might find another article about food waste useful. I think many people simply don't know what to do with that slightly worse for wear small bit of cabbage at the bottom of the fridge.
I have to admit, in the past I have been guilty of throwing things out that looked a bit old, or simply couldn't think what to do with them (especially things the kids aren't too keen on). Now I know better! Years ago a friend showed me how she made soup at the end of the week with all of the little bits and pieces that weren't used up. I wonder if you could walk us through your week and tell us what you do with the odds and ends to prevent waste?
Thank you :)
Madeleine
I make soups and stir fries with any soggy or leftover veg. I even peel and chop up broccoli stalk and use that (when you've use the florets of broccoli, just pop the stalks back into the fridge - they keep quite well for a few days). Bendy carrots and parsnips and soft potatoes are fine in soup too and remember, soup can be stretched using green or red lentils, or soup/broth mix, soaked overnight. I freeze soup in jam jars or margarine and ice cream tubs. I'm the only one in the house who eats soup but I still make it for myself. Some people keep a tub in the freezer and add left over bits of veg and peelings throughout the week. This can then be used to make stock or soup or stews/casseroles. Not much waste in our house - even the dogs get the carrot ends and peelings in with their food. If kids don't like lumpy soup, you can just whizz it with a stick blender (they can be bought for around £5). Using more potatoes will make a thicker soup.
DeleteAmen.
ReplyDeleteThe problem isn't just celebrity chefs on TV--it's the media in general. Everything the media promotes--be it TV or print--is politically correct. Feeding one's family on a small food budget isn't politically correct.
ReplyDeleteBeyond that, I blame my generation--the baby boomers--for being too busy chasing the almighty dollar (or pound) to teach their children and grandchildren to cook. The number of people who rely on food prepared for them is staggering. My son, age 35, can cook--not necessarily gourmet fare but the daily reliables--is one of the few of his generation who can actually prepare a meal. In fact, he's had several girlfriends with university degrees who survived on canned soup and cheese sandwiches (unless he cooked for them).
The greatest gift we can give our children is to teach them to provide for their own needs. What is more basic than the ability to feed one's self? We must teach others to cook, especially our children and grandchildren. They don't have to enjoy it, but they must learn. It's NOT THAT HARD.
Did you watch Famous Rich and Hungry, where one of the celebs couldn't even peel a potato!
DeleteOh wow, so true. People are like that with Tasmanian produce, and Kind Island Dairies, the wines and locally produced stuff. It's all great tucker but out of reach of we normal people. I like home brand.
ReplyDeleteFroogs - thank goodness for Aldi and Lidl! In France, the traditional cheap meats eg rabbit, offal etc aren't cheap, neither is fish, so these supermarkets offer good prices for decent food. Vegetables are expensive, whether at market or shop, so we grow our own. The government have made it difficult to get home reared animals slaughtered professionally, so our sheep are just for grass cutting now, and we have stopped keeping pigs - tried killing and butchering but it was horrible. Our son at uni lives in the city where there isn't an Aldi or Lidl, so I buy here and freeze it for him, and he carries it on the bus in a freezer bag! He is learning how to be frugal too - at least he can cook a mean spag bol! So important to pass on frugality to our kids and grandchildren - they should be taught frugal lessons for life, who knows what is round their corners.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the multiple posts...I am quite technically challenged and wasn't sure they were going through, but the sentiments are still the same:)
ReplyDeleteLove this post. Food does seem very expensive here in the states. I moved cross country (NY to Alaska) & I miss Aldis!! The quality of produce here is poor & it costs a lot. We grow our own in the summer & my brother hunts & fishes & shares. Even so, it is so expensive. Still...gardens & even small pots of various veg & herbs can supplement! Also I believe in keeping a stockpile against hard times, like job loss. The Mormon church has some great helps even for those of us who aren't Mormon! Frugality & making things, reusing, mending...all good skills! I LOVE what you have done, Froogs. You are an inspiration!! Please also continue to share on home coziness and improvements... I like these quality of life posts too :-) and I am SO curious about your little house!! I love that you have downsized. I am behind you on the house bit, but I have gotten down to no debt hurrah! So hoping to put plans into action for my future, in frugal fashion, of course!! :-) anyway thanks for the blog!
ReplyDeleteYES! This seems to be a worldwide issue - or at least just as relevant here in Sydney Australia.
ReplyDeleteI personally choose to eat less meat so I can spend that budget on meat that, where possible, has been ethically raised, but I have no problem with buying the cheapest fruit and veg in season, the Mark downs and the no name frozen veg to give us good nutrition at fair prices.
That, and just learning to cook at home! Last night I craved pizza, but my husband talked me back to dinner at home and we made scrumptious lamb pies for less than $2 each - much healthier and more nutritious than a pizza, tasted better, and we must have saved at least $20 we didn't need to spend.
Even on a budget we can make great food to care for our families x
These types of conversations always, always make me uncomfortable and not a little frustrated. I also live in an area where people go on food and wine tours because our local produce is exemplary. Like you, it's not terribly budget-friendly. In a perfect world I would buy local from small producers, or at least support Aussie grown and produced food. I would love to do that! BUT...I have three teenaged children and a self-employed husband. We're not earning big bucks and expensive food is definitely a luxury. We eat healthily but my supermarket shopping is full of store-branded items and I find my way to Aldi as often as I'm near one (it's a half hour drive one way to the closest).
ReplyDeleteMy first responsibility is to feed my family and ensure their needs are met before I go off buying the most expensive brand or locally produced items that would leave my kids without the food they need.
If only my budget matched my perfect-world ideals! Maybe one day.
I see these posts about "food shame" on many blogs, and am always baffled. Is it really so prevalent, and I am just out of touch? Honestly, I just don't get it. No one can "make" me feel ashamed or embarrassed about the way I eat.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the US, living on a very limited budget. I grew up hearing that "wasting food is a sin," and although I don't quite look at it that way, I do try hard to not waste food! I use the internet for ideas on inexpensive meals (like this site, froogs, which is so helpful - thank you!) and I choose carefully at the market, based on my own values - not the values of a "celebrity chef" or anyone else.
Personally, I do not choose to buy meat that may have come from a CAFO - not because of what someone else thinks about feedlots, but because I have lived in areas with feedlots and I have seen firsthand what the conditions are and what kind of "feed" and medication is going onto those animals, and I'd rather eat much more veg and much less meat, with the meat purchased from a local producer. Meat is a treat at my house, and that's my choice. I would never suggest that anyone else "should" do what I do. And if anyone else tried to "make" me feel guilty about my choices, I would send them off with a flea in their ear.
No one should feel bad for not being able to buy organic anything. Eggs are the biggest offenders here in the US supermarkets. Overpriced beyond all belief. The one thing that has always pissed me off is that healthy foods, organic or not, are always priced higher. Soy Sausage at Trader Joe's is $1.99 but we go there only twice a month because it is 45 minutes away. Now, at the local Shop Rite, for that same package of sausage, they charge $5.99!! Uh, no. It is like you are being punished for being health conscious which is obscene.
ReplyDeleteThe part of NJ we live in is very nice and can be very pricey, so with that comes higher prices on lots of things because you have chosen to be in a decent place with an excellent school system.
A good example is that one of the biggest local farms in the area attracts a ton of Eastern NJ/NYC-area customers. They run all sorts of events and have a petting zoo. Weekend traffic in the fall and summer are oppressive and locals all know not to drive near the farm during that time. It is a HUGE local business, and what they charge for produce and picking your own is absolutely out of line, but the "city folks" pay the prices asked. They think this is what a "farm" looks like and in many ways it is sad, but hey, they have the big bucks so they get the experience they want. Thankfully there are other farms in the area that are far more reasonable.
Food security is really only an issue for those of us who have to choose items based on unit prices and sales. For others, it is something that will be figured out without much input or thought from them.
Here in the US, many news articles have been discussing the price of gas going up as well as certain food items due to other circumstances like the cost of propane. I wonder how many people are really paying attention, or will they one day pay $10 for eggs and not question it? Sad and scary.
I live in Western Australia so I can't comment about the cost of living in the UK, but during a visit to Sussex 18 months ago I overheard a lady telling her friend that she would shop in Aldi if she could put a paper bag over her head so that no one would recognize her. FOOD SNOBBERY in capital letters. It should not matter what anyone else thinks - living within your means = happiness! living beyond your means = misery. You talk so much sense Froogs.
ReplyDelete14 years ago I was visiting a friend in Indiana and saw an Aldi - where I used to frequently shop and still do (along with Lidl and Sainsbury). When I commented that we had Aldi too - the comment was very derogatory about the type of person who shopped there - that's the first time I came across Food snobbery - did it stop me from shopping there - NO!!! Will I stop shopping in Discount stores - NO!!! It's my money and I'll spend it where I can get more for it. My salary is about to take a HUGE drop (NHS downgrading) so I need to make my £'s stretch even further. If someone doesn't like the fact I shop in discount stores - great don't eat my food and there's tomorrow night's tea for me!! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe live in Melbourne Australia and on average spend 20 dollars per day on food for my family of three adults. I believe that this is about 11 British pounds. Given prices in our supermarkets I would not be able to feed a family of 3 let alone 4 for 40 British pounds (around 73 Australian dollars). Perhaps I could if I made some compromises but for the moment I don't have to. We try to get as much organic and local food from our own backyard. At the moment we are drowning in tomatoes, zucchini and beans. There is always a supply of herbs, lemons and oranges over winter. It is only a small garden but it produces quite a bit of our food. We bake bread that is better than the most expensive loaf in the shops for a fraction of the cost and we preserve as much of our produce and bulk bought produce as we can. Its a huge effort but so is working hard to earn the dollars to buy the same stuff at the supermarket. Given half the chance I would buy organic and local all the time but I cannot afford this. It is very important to me that I think carefully about food miles and how what I buy is produced. Apart from the cruelty animals are often subjected to, I am very conscious of the use of hormones and antibiotics in growing our meat and the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers to produce our fruit and vegetables. I am also conscious of food miles and emissions that are added to the atmosphere carting food across the world. You and your readers might think that I am a silly so and so and just like all the other food snobs around. I am not. I just want to feed my family nutritious and health food that is sustainable. I listened to a report recently advising that honey prices in Australia are rising because the extreme heat caused the wax in bee hives to melt so now we have a shortage of honey. I think we all have a responsibility to ourselves and to each other to think about the consequences of mass produced and imported foods. The documentary Food Inc spells this out in black and white. The only way I can achieve cheap, ethical and nutritious food is to grow as much as I can. I am very much inspired by the British during the war years who fed themselves from allotments and what they grew and raised in their back yards. When I grow and cook from scratch I take control of what I eat and I gain some independence from the supermarkets. I suggest people stop watching cooking shows that promote food snobbery, turn of their televisions and get themselves outside to dig a patch or two and start growing.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post Frugal Queen.....it does sicken me when I hear of MPs getting an 11% wage increase....I wish I could get one of these. There is a petition on Change.org if anyone wants to sign it. In the meantime, I will keep reading your blogs and gleaning more ideas and looking after my family
ReplyDeletethe stamp on the bottom of cans shows the country and cannery where the product was canned. You'll find that the canned products sold in Lidl and Aldi come from the same canneries as the expensive brands. Theres no difference.
ReplyDeleteYes, I used to work in a factory chopping fruit and we produced things for all manner of different companies. There was one store that had very different standards and we had to change some production methods but the rest was the same, low or high priced.
DeleteDear Froogs
ReplyDeletewith the supermarkets going to war over prices again I have had to re jig the way I shop so as to get the best deal for me and not them.
Each week I visit Sainsburys and Tescos web site compile a list for each then shop from there as I have to be in town most days I can do one one day and then move on to another. I used to have the funds to just go to one shop as I wanted and then get a cab home, this is now impossible. When my sister is down she takes me to Aldi and Lidl where I stock up and preserve what I purchase.
Now buying plain flour and baking powder so it is for me more versatile.
Thank you for the Yorkshire pudding recipe yours is a lot cheaper than the one I have been using and saves me 3 eggs! Oh talking of eggs would anyone have a sponge recipe that is easy on eggs as well please?
Why do others (not here) feel the need to degrade peoples economic choices as a rule there are not any options. We all need to forsake certain aspects of life in order to feed and cloth ourselves and the ones we are responsible for. Lately realising that there is no money to buy deodorant, personal sanitation and toilet rolls the latter two being made by me for reuse from a couple of web sites found on the net.
There is an allowance I make myself and that is conditioner as my hair tangles so very easily, even that is watered down to gain more mileage.
Like you said froogs we wont see cheap food etc. again.
All the best
Rachel
I was delighted to read your post and agree with you completely. Poor people across the pond have to do the same as you...the best we can with what little money we have. It is frustrating to know that what USED to be available for everyone (local veg and meat) is now reserved for the wealthy visitor. Here in the states, it is similar, except that fresh vegies of all varieties tend to be expensive. The really poor are eating canned food, which has almost no nutrients at all. Much of our food is adulterated, but we do the best we can. Here in the state of New Mexico, there are a LOT of poor people. Many are of Hispanic descent, and eating rice and beans is common. Most of America's elderly are poor and food is a real issue for them. 85 people own more than half the wealth in the world. Just think of it! A handful of 85 people. There are people in the United States who are making BILLIONS a year, yet we cannot get a minimum wage high enough so that people don't have to rely upon "food stamps," which were recently cut, by the way. Well, it is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle.
ReplyDeleteI have just started buying my veg box from the local box scheme. They are linked to Eds the greengrocers in Braunton (its been there for years) and they use local food from farms when its available. When its not they use Bristol food markets (they have it delivered by them in Braunton) Its cheaper than Tesco by far and is delivered to my door. I can have a general box or choose what I want (I tend to do this as I can choose according to my budget that week). I live over 40 miles from Braunton and they still deliver (as they do to local businesses). I can't buy much cheaper unless I go round all the supermarkets (only 3 small ones where I live). So I compromise. No organics but localish, affordable fruit and veg - my choice what to eat, so no wastage, plus I help a long term business get on well. I am not sponsered by them (if only, haha) but always promote good, local businesses wherever I can. Thanks Froogs. You make me glad that I live in Cornwall and can still afford to eat with a conscience (albeit a compromise).
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! We ARE made to feel bad (by the media) for our choices even when we are trying to do the best we can with limited resources. Love your blog. Thought you may be interested in mine - especially this one about attempting to eat thrifty healthy snacks
ReplyDeletehttp://www.slendermeans.co.uk/food/possible-thrifty-healthy-snacks/