Sneaky supermarket pricing strategies

Remember a time - not so long ago - when the standard advice on how to save money on fruit and veg was to buy them loose? And that the best bargains were on the bottom shelf? I've trotted those tips out myself more times than I care to mention but have to tell you now they're out of date.

Pre-packed veg can be cheaper than loose ones. The best bargains can be at eye-level.

Here's an example from Somerfield just now. Loose potatoes, sold down on the bottom shelf are £1.65 a kilo or 75p a lb. (That's not new potatoes which are £2 a kilo) If you buy a pack of four, which I'm guessing would come to about 800g, they're only 90p. Even organic potatoes, sold at eye-level at £1.03 a kilo, are cheaper.

How on earth does this make sense? Well, for what it's worth, my hypothesis is this. Potatoes are a staple - people don't have to be encouraged to buy them. Supermarkets (or rather their suppliers) are taking a hit on the special offers they're doing so they need to make it up somewhere else. They want a minimum spend on lines like potatoes so they want to encourage you to buy a pack rather than the amount you actually need.

None of which is good news for pensioners and other people on a budget who are living on their own but since when have the supermarkets cared about them?

You will almost certainly find potatoes - and other veg - more cheaply if you go to a street market, greengrocer or farm shop but if you're buying them in supermarkets be on your guard!

Sneaky supermarket pricing strategies

Remember a time - not so long ago - when the standard advice on how to save money on fruit and veg was to buy them loose? And that the best bargains were on the bottom shelf? I've trotted those tips out myself more times than I care to mention but have to tell you now they're out of date.

Pre-packed veg can be cheaper than loose ones. The best bargains can be at eye-level.

Here's an example from Somerfield just now. Loose potatoes, sold down on the bottom shelf are £1.65 a kilo or 75p a lb. (That's not new potatoes which are £2 a kilo) If you buy a pack of four, which I'm guessing would come to about 800g, they're only 90p. Even organic potatoes, sold at eye-level at £1.03 a kilo, are cheaper.

How on earth does this make sense? Well, for what it's worth, my hypothesis is this. Potatoes are a staple - people don't have to be encouraged to buy them. Supermarkets (or rather their suppliers) are taking a hit on the special offers they're doing so they need to make it up somewhere else. They want a minimum spend on lines like potatoes so they want to encourage you to buy a pack rather than the amount you actually need.

None of which is good news for pensioners and other people on a budget who are living on their own but since when have the supermarkets cared about them?

You will almost certainly find potatoes - and other veg - more cheaply if you go to a street market, greengrocer or farm shop but if you're buying them in supermarkets be on your guard!

What's wrong with a bit of mud?

Don't know if you've noticed but one of the things that's been sneakily creeping up in price is parsnips. There was a time when they were one of the cheapest vegetables around during the winter months. Now, like many seasonal veg it seems, they sell at a premium.

Unless they're dirty, that is. Yesterday I bought a handsome quartet at my local greengrocer for just 48p a lb. In Tesco they were selling at over twice as much at £1.28 for a 500g pack. Just because they were washed.

I'd rather have my parsnips dirty, thankyou - and my carrots and spuds (£1 for 5lbs at Terry's) It only takes a couple of minutes to scrub them clean. Worth 50p in anyone's book I would have thought.

What do you reckon? Do you mind a bit of mud or does it put you off?

What's wrong with a bit of mud?

Don't know if you've noticed but one of the things that's been sneakily creeping up in price is parsnips. There was a time when they were one of the cheapest vegetables around during the winter months. Now, like many seasonal veg it seems, they sell at a premium.

Unless they're dirty, that is. Yesterday I bought a handsome quartet at my local greengrocer for just 48p a lb. In Tesco they were selling at over twice as much at £1.28 for a 500g pack. Just because they were washed.

I'd rather have my parsnips dirty, thankyou - and my carrots and spuds (£1 for 5lbs at Terry's) It only takes a couple of minutes to scrub them clean. Worth 50p in anyone's book I would have thought.

What do you reckon? Do you mind a bit of mud or does it put you off?

What happened to the onions

Just in case you wondered if they were mouldering away in the veg rack I used a handful of the green stalks to make a green onion and goats cheese omelette a bit like the wild garlic and chervil omelette I made a couple of months ago and used the rest to make this tasty green onion soup.

Green onion, bean and bacon soup
Serves 2-3

2 tbsp olive oil + extra for drizzling over the soup at the end
75g pack pancetta cubes or 2-3 rashers of chopped streaky bacon
A good handful of green onion tops (about the equivalent of a bunch and a half of spring onions), trimmed and roughly sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
A pinch of hot pimenton or paprika (optional)
1 x 400g tin of borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
500ml vegetable stock made with 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder or 1/2 a stock cube
Salt and pepper
Fresh Parmesan, Grana Padano or Pecorino for grating

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the pancetta or bacon for a couple of minutes. Add the sliced onions, cook for another couple of minutes then stir in the garlic and pimenton or paprika. Tip in the drained beans and add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 7-8 minutes then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and/or some shaved or grated parmesan

I've still got the onion bulbs left to use for something else. Probably a tomato and raw onion salad. Although they were expensive for onions (£1.75 a bunch) they have a fabulous flavour and are inspiring a whole week's cooking

What happened to the onions

Just in case you wondered if they were mouldering away in the veg rack I used a handful of the green stalks to make a green onion and goats cheese omelette a bit like the wild garlic and chervil omelette I made a couple of months ago and used the rest to make this tasty green onion soup.

Green onion, bean and bacon soup
Serves 2-3

2 tbsp olive oil + extra for drizzling over the soup at the end
75g pack pancetta cubes or 2-3 rashers of chopped streaky bacon
A good handful of green onion tops (about the equivalent of a bunch and a half of spring onions), trimmed and roughly sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
A pinch of hot pimenton or paprika (optional)
1 x 400g tin of borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
500ml vegetable stock made with 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder or 1/2 a stock cube
Salt and pepper
Fresh Parmesan, Grana Padano or Pecorino for grating

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the pancetta or bacon for a couple of minutes. Add the sliced onions, cook for another couple of minutes then stir in the garlic and pimenton or paprika. Tip in the drained beans and add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 7-8 minutes then season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and/or some shaved or grated parmesan

I've still got the onion bulbs left to use for something else. Probably a tomato and raw onion salad. Although they were expensive for onions (£1.75 a bunch) they have a fabulous flavour and are inspiring a whole week's cooking

Rescued roast peppers

I've had a bizarre 48 hours moving from Arles in Provence back to the Languedoc then flying home to Bristol yesterday, in the process experiencing a couple of thunderstorms and a temperature drop from 33° to about 14°C last night.

We took some vegetables with us to Arles (as you do . . . ) that we hadn't got round to using then didn't get round to cooking them because we got distracted by the heat and the photography and the cooking facilities in the flat we were staying in were so basic. (At least that's my excuse . . . )

Two aubergines had bitten the dust, I'm afraid to say, but I salvaged a couple of big red peppers and beefsteak tomatoes and some gorgeous sweet onions that they sell by the bunch at this time of year. I cut them up and roasted them in a moderate (about 180°C) oven, Elizabeth David-style with slivers of garlic and lashings of olive oil for about an hour and a quarter until they were all sweetly caramelised then left them to cool. We ate some for supper, dunking chunks of fresh baguette in the gorgeous garlicky oil then I left the rest for my husband to pick at while I'm away. They make a great addition to sandwiches or you can add pasta to them for a pasta bake.


No sooner had I got back, of course, than I had acquired more veg in the form of this fabulous bunch of onions I picked up from an organic food stall at the Bristol Wine and Food Fair. Not wholly sensible as there's only me to feed but they were irresistible. I think maybe a green onion soup with beans would be good. It's certainly cold enough for it.

Rescued roast peppers

I've had a bizarre 48 hours moving from Arles in Provence back to the Languedoc then flying home to Bristol yesterday, in the process experiencing a couple of thunderstorms and a temperature drop from 33° to about 14°C last night.

We took some vegetables with us to Arles (as you do . . . ) that we hadn't got round to using then didn't get round to cooking them because we got distracted by the heat and the photography and the cooking facilities in the flat we were staying in were so basic. (At least that's my excuse . . . )

Two aubergines had bitten the dust, I'm afraid to say, but I salvaged a couple of big red peppers and beefsteak tomatoes and some gorgeous sweet onions that they sell by the bunch at this time of year. I cut them up and roasted them in a moderate (about 180°C) oven, Elizabeth David-style with slivers of garlic and lashings of olive oil for about an hour and a quarter until they were all sweetly caramelised then left them to cool. We ate some for supper, dunking chunks of fresh baguette in the gorgeous garlicky oil then I left the rest for my husband to pick at while I'm away. They make a great addition to sandwiches or you can add pasta to them for a pasta bake.


No sooner had I got back, of course, than I had acquired more veg in the form of this fabulous bunch of onions I picked up from an organic food stall at the Bristol Wine and Food Fair. Not wholly sensible as there's only me to feed but they were irresistible. I think maybe a green onion soup with beans would be good. It's certainly cold enough for it.

Where to store fruit and veg?

I've just written a piece for my student website Beyond Baked Beans on how to rescue the foods that tend to get chucked out most often - 40% of which are accounted for by fresh fruit and veg according to WRAP, the government-backed organisation which tries to make us more waste-conscious.

Basically they reckon you should keep all your fruit in the fridge and obviously there's a lot to be said for that in terms of extending their useful life. But the fact is that I generally don't because I think it dumbs down the flavour and so much fruit (and veg such as tomatoes) is not fully ripe when you buy it.

I suppose it depends what kind of cook you are. If you're conscious of the ingredients around you on a daily basis you can probably afford to leave them out. If you're short of time or live the kind of life where you're constantly changing your plans it's probably safer to refrigerate them.

What do you reckon?

Where to store fruit and veg?

I've just written a piece for my student website Beyond Baked Beans on how to rescue the foods that tend to get chucked out most often - 40% of which are accounted for by fresh fruit and veg according to WRAP, the government-backed organisation which tries to make us more waste-conscious.

Basically they reckon you should keep all your fruit in the fridge and obviously there's a lot to be said for that in terms of extending their useful life. But the fact is that I generally don't because I think it dumbs down the flavour and so much fruit (and veg such as tomatoes) is not fully ripe when you buy it.

I suppose it depends what kind of cook you are. If you're conscious of the ingredients around you on a daily basis you can probably afford to leave them out. If you're short of time or live the kind of life where you're constantly changing your plans it's probably safer to refrigerate them.

What do you reckon?

Eats Stalks and Leaves

This is the bunch of beets I bought at the farmers' market yesterday. Beautiful isn't it? And a few months ago I'm ashamed to say I would probably have thrown two thirds of it - the leaves and stalks - away.

Now I know better. I roasted three of the beets for salads. I saved one which I shaved raw onto a pizza base smothered with soft goats cheese and topped with finely cut fennel (more about the virtues of wafer thin slicing to come . . .)

I cut off the beet leaves, washed them, tore them off their stems and wilted them in a pan with the water that was still clinging to the leaves, drained them and tossed them in a little oil and soy sauce. Fabulous. Even better than spinach. And the stalks are still sitting in the fridge waiting to be turned into . . . what? I'm not sure because they'll turn anything they come in contact with magenta pink. A stir fry? A soup? Probably the former.


I also made a gratin from the stems of the chard I bought on Friday which I couldn't quite bring myself to throw away. I had some recollection that's what the French do - use the leaves as a vegetable or in a paté and save the stalks for a gratin.

I chopped up an onion, softened it in a little oil and butter, chucked in a few thyme leaves, added the chopped chard and cooked it for 2 or 3 minutes. Then I stirred in a spoonful of flour, added about 150ml of milk, brought it to the boil and waited until the sauce thickened. Finally I stirred in a spoonful of crème fraiche (not strictly necessary but it was almost at its use-by date) and about 25g of grated Grana Padano, tipped the whole lot in an ovenproof dish, grated over some more cheese and flashed it under the grill. Again, it worked out really well. I took the remains down to the neighbours downstairs to stop us scoffing the lot.

It made me think how much we needlessly throw away. Parsley and coriander stalks, for instance can be used to flavour any recipe for which their leaves are a garnish. Spinach and watercress stalks can be sweated off along with their leaves for soup. Why chuck them? They taste great and once you've bought the basic ingredient they're free.

Eats Stalks and Leaves

This is the bunch of beets I bought at the farmers' market yesterday. Beautiful isn't it? And a few months ago I'm ashamed to say I would probably have thrown two thirds of it - the leaves and stalks - away.

Now I know better. I roasted three of the beets for salads. I saved one which I shaved raw onto a pizza base smothered with soft goats cheese and topped with finely cut fennel (more about the virtues of wafer thin slicing to come . . .)

I cut off the beet leaves, washed them, tore them off their stems and wilted them in a pan with the water that was still clinging to the leaves, drained them and tossed them in a little oil and soy sauce. Fabulous. Even better than spinach. And the stalks are still sitting in the fridge waiting to be turned into . . . what? I'm not sure because they'll turn anything they come in contact with magenta pink. A stir fry? A soup? Probably the former.


I also made a gratin from the stems of the chard I bought on Friday which I couldn't quite bring myself to throw away. I had some recollection that's what the French do - use the leaves as a vegetable or in a paté and save the stalks for a gratin.

I chopped up an onion, softened it in a little oil and butter, chucked in a few thyme leaves, added the chopped chard and cooked it for 2 or 3 minutes. Then I stirred in a spoonful of flour, added about 150ml of milk, brought it to the boil and waited until the sauce thickened. Finally I stirred in a spoonful of crème fraiche (not strictly necessary but it was almost at its use-by date) and about 25g of grated Grana Padano, tipped the whole lot in an ovenproof dish, grated over some more cheese and flashed it under the grill. Again, it worked out really well. I took the remains down to the neighbours downstairs to stop us scoffing the lot.

It made me think how much we needlessly throw away. Parsley and coriander stalks, for instance can be used to flavour any recipe for which their leaves are a garnish. Spinach and watercress stalks can be sweated off along with their leaves for soup. Why chuck them? They taste great and once you've bought the basic ingredient they're free.

A super slaw

In desperation about what to do with my remaining cabbage in this hot weather I made a coleslaw - and it was some slaw! Recipe below but it also used up one of the veg box carrots, some leftover fennel and herbs and half of one of the two rather sad-looking apples in the fruit bowl. We had it with some cold pork - the remains of Sunday night's roast - and, I'm embarrassed to admit, scoffed the lot. (In the case of my husband with some eye-wateringly hot Hyderabadi chutney)

Ready-made coleslaw is so dire, so over-mayonnaisey, that you forget what a cracking salad it can be. Perfect for a barbecue. Perfect for using up leftovers.

Serves 4

1/2 a good quality cabbage e.g. Hispi or Savoy
1/2 a small onion or 3-4 spring onions
1 medium carrot, trimmed and peeled
Fennel trimmings or 1 stick of celery
1/2 an apple
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
2 heaped tbsp plain yoghurt
2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, dill or tarragon
Salt and pepper

Remove the central core and outer leaves from the cabbage and shred finely. Tip into a bowl of iced water and leave while you prepare the other vegetables. Peel and finely chop the onion (or trim and slice the spring onions), grate the carrot, finely slice the fennel (and chop the leaves if you have some), chop the apple and toss it in lemon juice. Mix the yoghurt and mayonnaise. Drain the cabbage thoroughly and put it in a bowl with the other vegetables. Tip in the yoghurt and herbs and toss together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and leave the slaw in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour then toss again, scatter with a few more chopped herbs and serve.

A super slaw

In desperation about what to do with my remaining cabbage in this hot weather I made a coleslaw - and it was some slaw! Recipe below but it also used up one of the veg box carrots, some leftover fennel and herbs and half of one of the two rather sad-looking apples in the fruit bowl. We had it with some cold pork - the remains of Sunday night's roast - and, I'm embarrassed to admit, scoffed the lot. (In the case of my husband with some eye-wateringly hot Hyderabadi chutney)

Ready-made coleslaw is so dire, so over-mayonnaisey, that you forget what a cracking salad it can be. Perfect for a barbecue. Perfect for using up leftovers.

Serves 4

1/2 a good quality cabbage e.g. Hispi or Savoy
1/2 a small onion or 3-4 spring onions
1 medium carrot, trimmed and peeled
Fennel trimmings or 1 stick of celery
1/2 an apple
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
2 heaped tbsp plain yoghurt
2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, dill or tarragon
Salt and pepper

Remove the central core and outer leaves from the cabbage and shred finely. Tip into a bowl of iced water and leave while you prepare the other vegetables. Peel and finely chop the onion (or trim and slice the spring onions), grate the carrot, finely slice the fennel (and chop the leaves if you have some), chop the apple and toss it in lemon juice. Mix the yoghurt and mayonnaise. Drain the cabbage thoroughly and put it in a bowl with the other vegetables. Tip in the yoghurt and herbs and toss together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and leave the slaw in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour then toss again, scatter with a few more chopped herbs and serve.

All-in-one roast veggies

What would you do with a kilo of pigs' liver? No, don't answer that - I'm not sure I'm up to it but it's so cheap in our local French supermarket at the moment - 2 euros (£1.50) a kilo - that I feel I should be.

As it was I wimped out and bought a coil of Toulouse sausage for just over 5 euros (£4) plus a whole load of veg to make one of my favourite recipes, a tray of roast veggies.

It's an infinitely flexible dish that you can vary depending on what you have available. The French, as I've noted before, don't do root veg in a big way so I had to make it with out of season Mediterranean veg which went slightly against the grain but still wasn't expensive.

I used an onion, a large red pepper (much sweeter here, don't know why), a large courgette, a bulb of fennel two plum tomatoes. You simply prepare and quarter or slice them put them into a large roasting tin, season (salt, pepper, thyme and 4 cloves of garlic, bashed and left whole), slosh over some olive oil, mix the whole thing together and roast in a moderate to hot oven (about 190°-200°C, depending on the veg) for about 45 minutes to an hour, tossing them again half way through. You know when they're done when the veggies are nicely caramelised.

We ate half with half the sausages and set aside the remainder for lunchtime sandwiches today. (We'll use the leftover sausages but those veg are also brilliant with goats' cheese.)

It's a really good dish to make from a veg box when they never seem to give you very much of anything or from end of day cheap veg from a market stall. I could eat it every week.

All-in-one roast veggies

What would you do with a kilo of pigs' liver? No, don't answer that - I'm not sure I'm up to it but it's so cheap in our local French supermarket at the moment - 2 euros (£1.50) a kilo - that I feel I should be.

As it was I wimped out and bought a coil of Toulouse sausage for just over 5 euros (£4) plus a whole load of veg to make one of my favourite recipes, a tray of roast veggies.

It's an infinitely flexible dish that you can vary depending on what you have available. The French, as I've noted before, don't do root veg in a big way so I had to make it with out of season Mediterranean veg which went slightly against the grain but still wasn't expensive.

I used an onion, a large red pepper (much sweeter here, don't know why), a large courgette, a bulb of fennel two plum tomatoes. You simply prepare and quarter or slice them put them into a large roasting tin, season (salt, pepper, thyme and 4 cloves of garlic, bashed and left whole), slosh over some olive oil, mix the whole thing together and roast in a moderate to hot oven (about 190°-200°C, depending on the veg) for about 45 minutes to an hour, tossing them again half way through. You know when they're done when the veggies are nicely caramelised.

We ate half with half the sausages and set aside the remainder for lunchtime sandwiches today. (We'll use the leftover sausages but those veg are also brilliant with goats' cheese.)

It's a really good dish to make from a veg box when they never seem to give you very much of anything or from end of day cheap veg from a market stall. I could eat it every week.