Hello there ...
how do you fancy a bit of tasty mince.
As a child I was brought up on mince ... as no doubt many of you were too.
It was a conversation I had with an elderly lady today ... that got me in the mood for mince ... Hubby P will eat it anytime ...mind you he eats most anything 'meaty' ... any
time.
Anyway ... back to the elderly lady ...we were talking of Thrift ... and the price of food .. and how its all very well saying these young families could stretch their pennies if they cooked good wholesome filling meals ...but a lot of young people do not know what to do ... cannot budget and cannot cook.
The lady said she remembered her cookery lessons at school ... it was basic cooking ....such as a good handful of different dishes all made from half a pound of mince. And that stood her in good stead to raise a family and feed them well.
As I sat in the fresh air (watching the rain ... Yes .. we were doing that 'making a living' thing again)... I pondered this conversation.
Just where have we gone wrong ... we have given our young people so much ... extensive education...better diet... health care...more home comforts ...more equality etc etc....
But have we equipped them for the hardships ... the skills of living ...if they cannot cook...make do and mend...use their money wisely ...how are they expected to survive the hard times.
I worry for them ....
So back to the mince....
I made a bit of pastry..
Browned the mince .. added a bit of onion and bulked it out with some carrots and mushrooms.
And made a couple of plate mince pies ... one for tonight's tea and one to freeze for another time. I made Richard a little veggie pie.
These rolls have been sat in the bread bin a while .... so I thought they ought to be used up ....
A nice bread and butter pudding ...with a hint of marmalade (I have got one or two jars handy)... seemed to a good idea...and I had the oven on for the pies.
The ciabatta rolls were another good buy from Approved Foods...they are just handy to have in the freezer.
I'm afraid I slightly forgot the pies ....bit on the brown side ..but they tasted just fine ... I was on the phone trying to get a decent quote for house insurance. Just basic straight forward ...simple Insurance ... why they insist on trying to add on all these extras...how many times do I have to say 'NO I don't want it to cover my goldfish/steamroller ...or whatever ... just my house ...in case it burns down'.
Anyway the pie was nice .. I made a bit of gravy too...although this is Hubby P's ... he doesn't really like gravy ...strange ..I know!
Anyway what I was going to say ... before I got carried away with the pie making and the Insurance was... what about the mince and the poor people who cannot cook.
What can be done?
Should we encourage schools to teach basic life skills ...and if you were the teacher what would you teach.
How many of us have a handful of dishes to make from a half pound of mince?
xx
