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Posted at 12:02PM, 19 March 2008 by Jenni Muir - Food writer

With all this talk in the news of banks failing, food price increases and recession, food and wine writer Fiona Beckett could not have picked a better time to be working on 'The Frugal Cook', the book of which is due to be published in September. Do you have any of the great old budget cooking books? I loved Richard Cawley's 'The Artful Cook: Secrets of a Shoestring Gourmet', which includes his own paintings, and 'Poor Cook' by Susan Campbell and Caroline Conran has so many fans that a second-hand copy is being offered on Amazon for £75!!

Fiona has noticed, as have I, that the old standard-issue advice to buy fresh local seasonal produce no longer holds up when shopping on a budget, particularly not in supermarkets. As the Financial Times has said this week: 'Fresh vegetables are fast becoming a luxury.' Supply and demand is clearly a factor, but with tv chefs and food writers promoting seasonal ingredients as things to be cherished and celebrated, retailers and some market stalls are also grasping the opportunity to sell them at a premium.

"Even my mother... is disturbed by my tendency to hoard parsley stalks, leek tops and asparagus trimmings..."

People joke about traditional kitchen economy practices but I find some of them very satisfying. Deep down in my DNA there lurks a mean gene, definitely, but even my mother, who used to wear dresses made of hessian sacks during the last years of WWII, is disturbed by my tendency to hoard parsley stalks, leek tops and asparagus trimmings. I've always despised wasting food, but fortunately that's become rather fashionable. And once you've embraced stock and soup as a habit, parsley stalks do come in very useful.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has been campaigning to get more people making full use of their chicken - could we do the same for veg? The trick is for it to be genuinely delicious rather than just miserly.

My all-time favourite is using stripped cobs of sweetcorn to make corn stock - it tastes surprisingly like shellfish stock once reduced (even my mother approves of that one). You can also just bung corn cobs in simmering soups for extra flavour and remove them before serving. What are your favourite tips?

Comments

James

19 March 2008, 10:35PM
James

The worst thing everyone does with veg is to use what you need for that evening's dinner and put the rest back raw in the fridge where it creeps to the back, and is pulled out two weeks later smelly and furry. Much easier just to cook the whole lot in one go and freeze what you don't eat that evening, then re-heat it from frozen in the microwave - much easier the second time round. And if the freezer is getting a little full of left over vegetables you make a large panful of winter 'potage'. Also left over mash potato makes a great instant soup base. Left over cooked vegetables, a few eggs, the bit of cheese lurking in the fridge door can be made into a spanish tortilla which you can eat warm one day & heat in the microwave the next - that's as frugal as it gets.

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Elaine

20 March 2008, 11:01AM
Elaine

Risotto is another deliciously cheap dish and a great way to use up leftover veg. I recently made Lesley's risotto from your website. Ready in under half an hour and you can use a variety of veg. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1579/creamy-veggie-risotto

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Maggie

20 March 2008, 1:56PM
Maggie

These are all great ideas about being eco - aware. Few people realize that by being sensible about choosing your ingredients for your food you are being eco conscious. What used to be â��poor personâ��s foodâ�� has now become expensive, good for you etc. For example, brown sugar, unrefined flour, fresh vegetables to name a few. I agree with Jenni when she says â��People joke about traditional kitchen economy.â�� I shave my asparagus down to the end that is not tough and sautÃ© before sautÃ©ing the tops and less tender parts. There is also a great degital magazine here in Canada; www.citystyleandliving.com THAT HAS GREAT IDEAS ABOUT FOOD FASHION AND TRAVEL TAKE A LOOK!!!! Maggie

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katie duck

24 March 2008, 7:52PM
katie duck

our family are good at saying how we need mre veg in our diet so on the evening meal a big pile is chopped and cooked,only for a less big bt still nt finshed one to be left at the end,bt nw my dad has re-found an old love which is bubble and squeek so nw this problem is no longer an issue,the only one if the garlic smell that will waft throgh to every conrer of the house the next day when he has it!!but no more wastage veg can only be a good thing!!

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chowhound

25 March 2008, 1:47PM
chowhound

There's a good article about thrifty food here: http://bigbarn.co.uk/blog/?articleid=195

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Jen

1 April 2008, 3:21PM
Jen

Delia Smith's 'Frugal Food' is fantastic for veggie, pulse and cheap cut of meat recipes. My, how times have changed...

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Budgie

4 April 2008, 12:47AM
Budgie

I make 'fag end' soup with whatever veg is left in the rack + a good stock. The delight is that no 2 soups are ever the same. As I am cooking for 1, I keep 2 portions inthe fridge and freeze the rest. No waste and always a lunch to hand with the addition of some crusty bread.

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SUE

4 May 2008, 5:53PM
SUE

When I got married in the 70's I bought an excellent book called'The Pauper's Cookbook' by Jocasta Innes. It was aimed at students etc, and has sections on preplanned meals;ie buying ingredients for a week's worth of menus at at time. Don't know if it's still in print though.

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