Thrifty cooking in preparation for the costs of Christmas

At this time of year we scrimp and save so that we can put on the best possible spread for christmas and new year. It is therefore in our best interest to eat as frugally as possible up to this point. How do we beat the rising costs of groceries?

Making as much ourselves as we can is an excellent start. Bread-making is a dying tradition that many within varying communities are trying to revive. Get down to your local library and find books on baking and breadmaking and get started. A simple white bread recipe will suffice as a starting point and tastes so much better than anything shop bought. it costs a fraction of the price as well.

While breadmakers are an excellent option, i would hazard a guess that many money saved in doing it yourself would be lost on the electrical cost of the breadmaker but it is worth trying if you happen to have one.

Making your own shortbread and biscuits is another great place to save the pennies (unless you buy shop value ranges, in which case it possibly the same but will taste better and you'll know exactly what has gone into them).

Soup in cans or cartons is at a ridiculous price in shops - 85p for heinz tomato soup! Over a pound for covent garden soups! Make your own. it goes much further and tastes much better. try something simple like a home-made tomato and butterbean soup:

2 cans chopped tomatoes (or plum if you prefer)
2 pints stock (veg or chicken)
2 cloves garlic
1 med onion
1 tin butter beans
1 tsp paprika
oil

Put a dash of oil in the soup pot and cook onion until transparent.
Add garlic, tinned goods and paprika. Finally, add boiling stock and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes and leave to stand off heat for 2-3 minutes before liquidising or hand blending. If you have neither, mash with a potato masher. Return to heat for 2-3 mins and serve with homemade bread.

Cheap cuts of meat are the way to go if you eat meat. cook them for as long as you can and they will taste just as good as even the most expensive cuts.

For vegetarians, buying frozen rather than fresh vegetables where possible is a great idea. Some veg do not freeze well - like leaks and peppers - but most are fine, esp peas, broccoli and spinach.

Look out for special offers on cheeses and don't forget that you can shop on the day for foods reduced as they are near their sell by dates. just because food is close to or on this date doesn't mean they are not as good or taste bad, or are in any way unhealthy. Judge by look. Generally all foods within their dates are fine and cost much less than at full cost. The only food I would be wary of doing this with would be fish. With fish, fresher is better.

Remember that you can fish at this time of year. It is very cold but people still go out. Sea bass is in season, as are an array of shellfish.

Finally, buy seasonally. out of season foods always cost more than those currently in season, with the exception of cabbages - which are always cheap.

Good eating :D