Busy Day

It has been a really busy day today.  I met with a friend had a lovely walk and put the world to rights chat, broke my umbrella (it was raining) and then went shopping at my local shops.  The Co-Op and the Vegetable shop.

Under normal circumstances all my shopping is done by now apart from the last minute bits and bobs and I steer away from town at all costs.  Today was the first opportunity I had of going and gathering a little shopping to cover us over the coming Christmas period.  I had not done any apart from the meat in the week.  It has been very much "a draw in the horns Christmas" for us, but it is what it is honest and realistic and we have afforded what we can afford with some food into January as well without going into debt which is the main thing.  We are more concerned about the heating costs at present.  Generally we eat reasonably well in many respects but keeping warm has been a little difficult.  We are therefore being very careful and preferring to err on the side of caution in order to keep warm.  Next Christmas though will be different, I am determined about that. I intend to do preserving of some kind during every month of the coming year, using up items that I have to hand or indeed items that are left over from Christmas.  There is always something that you can do.  Next Year though, I think we have difficult times to come which will need navigating through.  I think there is going to be more of a need in the New Year to have a little stockpile of items to hand as an emergency stockpile for most households.

I was not particularly impressed with what was available today on the food front when we nipped into Waitrose; this could possibly be  because the choice is much more limited in the last couple of days of shopping before Christmas a time more often than not I am not in town shopping. We had tried to get there by car but the traffic was horrendous so in the end we came home and then walked back to the Waitrose store.  Its about 25 minutes from where I live, and then we walked back again. We bought cheese in Waitrose, some Stilton, two different types of Cheddar, and Gorgonzola.  I think that there could be a vegetable quiche coming along somewhere along the line. I have milk, cream and butter in as well.  There were a few more items added, but generally speaking I was a little disappointed with what was available in the store.

I have between the shops bought a lot of baking bits and bobs, lard, margarine, butter to make pastries and cakes. These are things I tend to keep inhouse in any event so that we have the option of a little baking throughout the month. Very rarely is cake bought.  When I was in the Co-Op they did not have any eggs.  At the veg shop they had plenty of eggs in and I was able to get a full tray.  These eggs have the most beautiful deeply golden yellow yolks.  I have also bought a lot of fruit we have beautiful sweet Muscat green grapes, Lemons, Limes, Melon, apples, bananas, (I have bought a big bunch of green ones and a bunch of ripe ones; banana bread and pancakes could be on the cards; clementine's, Oranges, pears. Vegetables consisting of potatoes red and white, onions, leeks, kale, Hispi cabbage, broccoli, celeriac, cabbage Savoy, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, beetroot, garlic, a few sweet Chestnuts for roasting. I also picked up a couple of reduced mediums sized pumpkins.  They will make marvellous soup, be a good addition for pasta and is also delicious roasted.  Could be having some of this with the Beef Christmas day. I have bought some variegated Swiss Chard to try as well. We have not had this before and are looking forward to trying it.  I also have some ginger and also some garlic The veg shop kindly gave me four punnets of Raspberries to use in a pudding over Christmas.  I think this is going to go into a trifle.  I have a homemade Victoria sponge which I will break down into pieces for the base, custard, cream, pears and hundreds and thousands.  At Christmas the Veg shop people and I have a little exchange between us at Christmas.  They have a large family and like ourselves have cold cuts over the Christmas period. They do not do any preserving, and are always grateful for a few jars of home preserves.  Have been doing this for years.  When I dropped off the jars today, I have asked for the jars back when they have finished with them as well.  They are very good and often will knock some money off on particular items during the year i.e. Strawberry or Rhubarb, plums etc or similar.  I have a pretty good working relationship with them.  If I am after something they will see if they can get it for me from the sales and the auctions they go to.  I really see the value in such a veg shop.  I get more for my money by shopping with them.  I do of course buy bits elsewhere as well.

I have bought no sweets at all this year and will do a little baking, as I have said for a few sweet bits and bobs.  I have a lot of ingredients in the Pantry for baking so I will have a choice, a little restricted to what I normally have, but we will have enough to eat overall which is the main thing.  We have Roast Rib of Beef for Christmas dinner.  There will be cold cuts from this and I have also bought a Chicken, a small piece of Gammon, Pigs in Blankets, Stuffing on the meat front and of course the Pork Pie and we will have homemade sausage rolls.  I managed to get the puff pastry for those and other items today as well.  Petit-Pois were also purchased as well.  I like my peas.  I intend to make my own Coleslaw as I have the basic vegetables and salad cream inhouse for this.  I can also make Mayonnaise if necessary.

I am grateful I have been able to source these items in the greater scheme of things as I was not hopeful that I would be able to get what I was after without paying through the nose.  There are a lot of items that I have not gone looking for this Christmas which I would have liked to have done. I am talking smoked Salmon, Gravadlax, prawns etc.  Hopefully next year will be able to make not only my Pork Pies (that is if I have a freezer) but also the Gravadlax which if you produce it at home from a shop bought Salmon is absolutely fantastic.  I can then stockpile Prawns if I can afford them by then in the freezer as well.  Lets be honest, I do have a lot of cooking and baking to do, but it will be proper eating with no nasties in it which will be the main thing. Some will be done tomorrow and the rest I can do in sessions so that we do not end up with too much food cooked and getting wasted, which is an absolute "No-No" here.

Tonight we have had homemade chips and Cod Fishfingers for himself for tea.  I have had Scampi and chips. It has gone down very nicely.

I know I am not the only one who has made cutbacks this year to the food budget. When times are uncertain it pays to be "sensible" and excuse the pun not to "put all one's eggs in one's basket".

Hopefully will catch up sometime tomorrow.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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