A year of The Frugal Cook

Twelve months ago today I started blogging as The Frugal Cook. I can't claim credit for the idea - it was my publisher's who thought it would be interesting to chart my efforts to cut back and eat more thriftily.

I remember wondering if I'd have anything to say (hah!) and whether I was mad taking on the extra workload. (I was!) But it's been nothing but fun, so much so that I now have two other blogs on subjects that interest me - The Cheeselover and Credit Crunch Drinking.

The reason it's worked so well is thanks to all of you. All blogs need an audience, preferably a vocal one and the recent response to such topics as frozen veg and food for flu have shown that there's a wealth of expertise to share.

The book is now out, as you know, and has had some great reviews, most recently on Henrietta Green's FoodLovers' Britain (you need to scroll down the page to find it). There have been one or two complaints that there weren't enough recipes using cheaper cuts of meat but that was deliberate. My feeling was - still is - that people by and large want to eat the kind of food they were enjoying before the credit crunch, just to pay less for it and that they don't want to go back to the sort of dishes we had in the '50s. (The irony is that many so-called 'cheap cuts' are now dearer than some of the more expensive ones)

The most important thing I've learnt is that you have to shop and cook in a way that suits your own time and temperament. Some people manage to plan a week - or even a month - ahead but I find that I always end up wasting food when I do. Plans change, we go out to friends, they come round to us. I spend less when I plan two to three days ahead but I'm lucky enough to work from home.

You also have to keep your wits about you far more than you did even a year ago. The incredible offers on some products mean that prices may suddenly soar on others. The received wisdom that produce that food that is in season is cheaper than food that is not and that loose produce is cheaper than pre-packed isn't always the case these days. Offers of 50% off are not always as good as they seem. So it seems well worth while carrying on.

If you have a moment let me know what you think of the blog - publically or privately (to fibeckettATliveDOTcom) Is it useful to you? Could it be more so? Are there any subjects you think I should tackle (I've had a couple of good suggestions recently). Just let me know.

And thank you all again for making the blog and the book a success

A year of The Frugal Cook

Twelve months ago today I started blogging as The Frugal Cook. I can't claim credit for the idea - it was my publisher's who thought it would be interesting to chart my efforts to cut back and eat more thriftily.

I remember wondering if I'd have anything to say (hah!) and whether I was mad taking on the extra workload. (I was!) But it's been nothing but fun, so much so that I now have two other blogs on subjects that interest me - The Cheeselover and Credit Crunch Drinking.

The reason it's worked so well is thanks to all of you. All blogs need an audience, preferably a vocal one and the recent response to such topics as frozen veg and food for flu have shown that there's a wealth of expertise to share.

The book is now out, as you know, and has had some great reviews, most recently on Henrietta Green's FoodLovers' Britain (you need to scroll down the page to find it). There have been one or two complaints that there weren't enough recipes using cheaper cuts of meat but that was deliberate. My feeling was - still is - that people by and large want to eat the kind of food they were enjoying before the credit crunch, just to pay less for it and that they don't want to go back to the sort of dishes we had in the '50s. (The irony is that many so-called 'cheap cuts' are now dearer than some of the more expensive ones)

The most important thing I've learnt is that you have to shop and cook in a way that suits your own time and temperament. Some people manage to plan a week - or even a month - ahead but I find that I always end up wasting food when I do. Plans change, we go out to friends, they come round to us. I spend less when I plan two to three days ahead but I'm lucky enough to work from home.

You also have to keep your wits about you far more than you did even a year ago. The incredible offers on some products mean that prices may suddenly soar on others. The received wisdom that produce that food that is in season is cheaper than food that is not and that loose produce is cheaper than pre-packed isn't always the case these days. Offers of 50% off are not always as good as they seem. So it seems well worth while carrying on.

If you have a moment let me know what you think of the blog - publically or privately (to fibeckettATliveDOTcom) Is it useful to you? Could it be more so? Are there any subjects you think I should tackle (I've had a couple of good suggestions recently). Just let me know.

And thank you all again for making the blog and the book a success

Off to press!

It's been a frantic couple of days - my last chance to read through The Frugal Cook before it goes to press.

It's a frustrating process because however many times you look at it - in fact, however many pairs of eyes go over it, silly mistakes always slip through. The author is the last person to spot them, being so familiar with the text.

The compensation is that you finally get to see what the book is going to look like when it's published and I have to say the design is simply brilliant, with wonderfully original, quirky illustrations. (Thanks to Matt, Claire and Andy!) You can't see it that clearly but you can get an idea from the image above of a sample chapter opener.

First copies should come through in a week or so and it should hit the shelves by the end of the month. Amazon for some mysterious reason has lost the cover and hidden it away below several other similar titles but you can find it here if you want to get your order in. (Course you do ;-)

I can't wait to have the final copy in my hands.

Off to press!

It's been a frantic couple of days - my last chance to read through The Frugal Cook before it goes to press.

It's a frustrating process because however many times you look at it - in fact, however many pairs of eyes go over it, silly mistakes always slip through. The author is the last person to spot them, being so familiar with the text.

The compensation is that you finally get to see what the book is going to look like when it's published and I have to say the design is simply brilliant, with wonderfully original, quirky illustrations. (Thanks to Matt, Claire and Andy!) You can't see it that clearly but you can get an idea from the image above of a sample chapter opener.

First copies should come through in a week or so and it should hit the shelves by the end of the month. Amazon for some mysterious reason has lost the cover and hidden it away below several other similar titles but you can find it here if you want to get your order in. (Course you do ;-)

I can't wait to have the final copy in my hands.

What - and who - is The Frugal Cook?

Welcome to The Frugal Cook! I guess there's a lot of us out there but the reason I'm blogging is to create a day-to-day (well, more or less) record of a book I've been commissioned to write by my publisher, Absolute Press (to be published in hardback in September 2008 at the amazingly frugal price of £12.99. More details to follow.)

Frugal cooking may mean different things to you than it does to me. It's not just about cheap meals and ingredients, it's about making the maximum use of everything you buy. Not - for those of us who are meat-eaters - insisting solely on using the most expensive cuts of meat but every edible bit of the animal. Buying fresh produce in season when it's cheap and tasty rather than having it flown half way round the world. Making use of what's left over from meals rather than leaving it to fester in the fridge then having to chuck it out. 

It was an idea that was popular in the '70's but things have changed a lot since then. For a start we all have a lot less time - or are less prepared to spend hours in the kitchen. Ingredients - and tastes - have changed. We're familiar with exotic dishes and cuisines we couldn't have imagined then. But the downside is that we've got into the habit of stacking our storecupboards with new ingredients every time we try a new recipe. We've lost the habit of thrift. 

Over the next few months I'm going to try and curb my own desire to go food shopping and instead find inventive ways to use the ingredients I already have. When I cook I'll cook with a view to creating leftovers for the next day - and even the day after that.

Hopefully it won't be too tough. I've already written three student cookery books called Beyond Baked Beans, the most recent of which, Beyond Baked Beans Budget was very much focussed on economical eating. I've got my own website www.beyondbakedbeans.com which carries recipes and tips for students, singles and others on a budget.

Like every other book I've written, The Frugal Cook will be a voyage of discovery. Come and join me on the ride . . .

What - and who - is The Frugal Cook?

Welcome to The Frugal Cook! I guess there's a lot of us out there but the reason I'm blogging is to create a day-to-day (well, more or less) record of a book I've been commissioned to write by my publisher, Absolute Press (to be published in hardback in September 2008 at the amazingly frugal price of £12.99. More details to follow.)

Frugal cooking may mean different things to you than it does to me. It's not just about cheap meals and ingredients, it's about making the maximum use of everything you buy. Not - for those of us who are meat-eaters - insisting solely on using the most expensive cuts of meat but every edible bit of the animal. Buying fresh produce in season when it's cheap and tasty rather than having it flown half way round the world. Making use of what's left over from meals rather than leaving it to fester in the fridge then having to chuck it out. 

It was an idea that was popular in the '70's but things have changed a lot since then. For a start we all have a lot less time - or are less prepared to spend hours in the kitchen. Ingredients - and tastes - have changed. We're familiar with exotic dishes and cuisines we couldn't have imagined then. But the downside is that we've got into the habit of stacking our storecupboards with new ingredients every time we try a new recipe. We've lost the habit of thrift. 

Over the next few months I'm going to try and curb my own desire to go food shopping and instead find inventive ways to use the ingredients I already have. When I cook I'll cook with a view to creating leftovers for the next day - and even the day after that.

Hopefully it won't be too tough. I've already written three student cookery books called Beyond Baked Beans, the most recent of which, Beyond Baked Beans Budget was very much focussed on economical eating. I've got my own website www.beyondbakedbeans.com which carries recipes and tips for students, singles and others on a budget.

Like every other book I've written, The Frugal Cook will be a voyage of discovery. Come and join me on the ride . . .