Sunday 14 February 2010

Sign of The Times & Thrifty Meals!

Well - a grey and rainy day here, a bit of a disappointment at the carboot sales, not a lot to report.
Still, it was nice to be out and about, bit of rain didn't stop us. We used today as a food shopping day - how I hate it! Just hate the impersonal , hot, pushy, busy supermarkets. But it has to be done - to certain degree, if we are to eat. Yes it would be nice to use all the specialist independent shops - if you can find any, but I can't afford to shop in that way.
Saying that - we do try and support local businesses, we buy fruit and veg from a stallholder who stands regularly at the carboot, and meat from the butchers stall (refrigerated lorry type thing) who also comes to the carboot - it is becoming more like a Market every year, with regular stallholders selling new goods.
This morning I bought my veg and was just about to leave when I thought about bacon - as you do! - you can do so much with a bit of bacon! So I said to Hubby P, I will just get a bit of bacon, anyway when asked for the bacon, the butcher asked if I was interested in a special offer - two joints of meat - pork and beef for £10. Now I don't usually buy joints - there is only Hubby P and I who eat meat, the lads are vegetarians, but I thought why not, those lumps of meat will go a long way.
I think, talking to other stall holders, trade has been very bad, no one has any money to spend, and meat/food is one economy that people can make. The butcher just wasn't selling much, so he was dropping his prices - after all meat is not something you can store for long.
I was quite pleased with my buy, and it meant we had a nice meal of roast beef and yorkshire pudding, and all the trimmings!



I've got the pic's mixed up, but as you can see - a lovely bit of meat, and I made a Thrifty Fruitbowl crumble to follow (all the old fruit in the fruit bowl plus a few frozen blackberries, collected last autumn, with a crumble topping!).




Hubby P made swift work of the meat - it was rather good, and Rich gobbled the crumble before I even thought to take a pic!
But a good old feast was had by all!
Its just a bit worrying when you see shops and businesses struggling for trade, the lack of money about, we are losing more jobs on Anglesey shortly. And they tell us we are out of the recession - not in our little corner we're not!
xx Hope you had a nice day, take care xx

4 comments:

  1. oh, does that look perfect. How do you make your Yorkshire? I put mine right quick into the pan I've roasted the meat in, so the meat can rest, and I've noticed it starts to rise before i've put it back in the oven!
    I like your jumble fruit dessert too.
    lovely meal

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  2. We have fruit bowl crumble every Sunday to use up the sad looking apples :) Must admit we don't eat much meat these days due to cost, but Twiglet is not a big meat fan, we did push the boat out today though and had a roast chicken. This is always good as we can stretch it to the next day and then make lovely homemade stock to freeze. We are totally mid recession in sunny Yorkshire, wonder which part of the country is supposedly coming out of the other side ?
    Twiggy x

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  3. Yes indeedy Twiggy - roast chicken yum!
    Julie asked about the makings of Yorkshire - she usually does it the 'correct' or traditional way - in the meat dish. However with the lads being vegetarian they dont want yorkshire cooked in meat fat, so I use some sort of veg oil in patti tins, it works well enough.
    Yorkshires are yummy whatever way they are cooked.
    Any variation on these two methods? Its funny how everyday mundane jobs vary.

    Vicky x

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  4. Yum yum - I'll be round next Sunday then?!
    x

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