{"id":3714,"date":"2009-04-09T10:34:58","date_gmt":"2009-04-09T09:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/wp\/?p=3714"},"modified":"2018-02-27T15:52:32","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T15:52:32","slug":"the-frugal-cook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/the-frugal-cook\/","title":{"rendered":"The Frugal Cook by Fiona Beckett – review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The There is a difference between being frugal and being just plain mean. We all know people who will invite you over for the afternoon but not offer you a cup of tea… that\u2019s mean. There are those who invite you over and offer you a cup of tea with a big slice of apple pie (the fruit having been swapped with the lady down the road for some tomatoes that grew in amazing profusion)… that\u2019s frugal. Get the drift?<\/span><\/p>\n

Times are tough just now. More people are looking to make cut-backs and that might include a change in lifestyle. This doesn\u2019t have to be a painful process with regard to home economics. You might be forced to re-evaluate the necessity for meals out and take-aways, but your health and your finances might thank you for taking a different approach.<\/p>\n

Fiona Beckett has penned The Frugal Cook not as a new fad diet, although it\u2019s probable that you might lose that \u201cslight chubbiness\u201d if you take Fiona\u2019s advice. It\u2019s about making the best of the food you already buy and looking for some alternatives. You could find that you save both time and money.<\/p>\n

The Frugal Cook is stuffed with advice on buying produce at a reasonable price, stretching meals so the Sunday roast lingers for a delicious Monday lunch, and avoiding waste. It isn\u2019t rocket science but we sometimes need a reminder that food in the bin is money down the drain.<\/p>\n

You might expect this book to have chapter headings such as \u201c1001 things to do with leftover sprout water\u201d, \u201cHow to save a fortune by keeping a cow\u201d. There is nothing nasty or outlandish. None of those folksy, woodsy sermons on wearing vegetarian sandals. It\u2019s sensible stuff. Great recipes that just happen to be frugal. Your family won\u2019t notice that you have made economies and they won\u2019t feel deprived. There will be new meals to enjoy and perhaps a few lovely afternoons hunting blackberries.<\/p>\n

Kids are notoriously picky but there are plenty of dishes that will soon become new family favourites. Meatloaf is bound to be a winner. The meat is padded out with oats. This is a flexible dish and can be seasoned to become an Italian Meatloaf (add Oregano), American (serve with BBQ sauce) or Mexican (add some chilli). It\u2019s also a sandwich filler that\u2019s hearty and sustaining.<\/p>\n

The pizza moped might be a regular sight chez vous but it\u2019s possible to have the same meal for a fraction of the price. Why not buy the basic, thin crust Margherita and add more toppings? The kids will be enthusiastic about designing their own pizza (probably chocolate and ketchup) and they\u2019ll be eating it in less time than it would normally take Dwayne to arrive with the greasy box.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s week-day meals and the youngsters sorted, but you\u2019ll want to consider feeding guests. Cooking for dinner parties is always a financial fright. We want to be generous hosts but it\u2019s easy to blow the week\u2019s food budget on just one meal. First thing to remember is that friends come to see us and not to criticise the food. Pies are trendy at the moment and Fiona offers a Frugal Fish Pie that gives not a hint of frugality. Use small frozen prawns and \u201cbasic\u201d white fish (it\u2019s just good \u201cfish\u201d and I use it all the time. Most supermarkets have a version.) The result is luxurious but it\u2019s a simple recipe and ideal for smart entertaining.<\/p>\n

The Frugal Cook is a delightful recipe book. The bonus is that you\u2019ll save money and time. Fiona Beckett has pointed the direction for the future. We might not \u201cneed\u201d to take her approach but most of us will want to. A practical and positive guide to better living.<\/p>\n

The Frugal Cook
\nAuthor: Fiona Beckett
\nPublished by: Absolute Press
\nPrice: \u00a314.99
\nISBN 9781904573852<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker \u00a9 2018<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a difference between being frugal and being just plain mean. We all know people who will invite you over for the afternoon but not offer you a cup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,22],"tags":[1237,1236],"class_list":["post-3714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-cookbooks","tag-fiona-beckett","tag-the-frugal-cook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3714"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9727,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3714\/revisions\/9727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mostlyfood.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}