My winter diet begins! Soup, soup, soup and maybe a broth? I am a big fan of homemade soup, not only is it hot warming, nutritious and delicious. It can also be an incredibly economic way to feed yourself.
I work in Shoreditch, East London, where at lunchtime you can easily spend on average £5 for a sandwich or even £7 for some sushi. This all adds up over a year (240 working days) you could spend a total of £1200 compared to £240 for making you're own lunch. Now you might gorp at only spending £1 on food for your work lunch. However if you make a big batch and are aware of the ingredients your spending money on I can be done! £1000 should not be sniffed at. Some may say that life/money is there to be enjoyed and you can't eat a five pound note. Which I can see what they are saying but personally I enjoy cooking and I enjoy making dishes out of what can be found in the fridge. I think it's because it feels like an achievement rather than throwing food away, which I cannot bare. But then to also realise that by making my own lunches I am also indirectly giving myself nearly £1000 .... well I'd be lying if I said this didn't spur me on! Spending £1000 on something I'd keep forever rather than £5 on a posh sandwich that lasts a lunch would give me a lot more happiness!
Another great thing about making lots of soup is the fact you can make large batchs and freeze it in smaller portions. Meaning every night before you go to bed you can take out another soup, to defrost so you can take it into work the next day. Not only do you save money and time, you also end up having a variety of different soups. Remember to keep any soup containers you buy from the supermarket as they are perfect for portion control and storage.
Also it gives you the opportunity to use up any left over veg that's lying in the fridge. Just type in the list of ingredients & the words soup recipe into google. I am yet to not find a recipe.
I work in Shoreditch, East London, where at lunchtime you can easily spend on average £5 for a sandwich or even £7 for some sushi. This all adds up over a year (240 working days) you could spend a total of £1200 compared to £240 for making you're own lunch. Now you might gorp at only spending £1 on food for your work lunch. However if you make a big batch and are aware of the ingredients your spending money on I can be done! £1000 should not be sniffed at. Some may say that life/money is there to be enjoyed and you can't eat a five pound note. Which I can see what they are saying but personally I enjoy cooking and I enjoy making dishes out of what can be found in the fridge. I think it's because it feels like an achievement rather than throwing food away, which I cannot bare. But then to also realise that by making my own lunches I am also indirectly giving myself nearly £1000 .... well I'd be lying if I said this didn't spur me on! Spending £1000 on something I'd keep forever rather than £5 on a posh sandwich that lasts a lunch would give me a lot more happiness!
Another great thing about making lots of soup is the fact you can make large batchs and freeze it in smaller portions. Meaning every night before you go to bed you can take out another soup, to defrost so you can take it into work the next day. Not only do you save money and time, you also end up having a variety of different soups. Remember to keep any soup containers you buy from the supermarket as they are perfect for portion control and storage.
Also it gives you the opportunity to use up any left over veg that's lying in the fridge. Just type in the list of ingredients & the words soup recipe into google. I am yet to not find a recipe.
The book is full of tasty & healthy recipes, however some of the ingridients do not fit in my current 'frugal' lifestyle. You try buying umeboshi plums and keep the cost of your soup to 40p per bowl! I don't think so... Whilst I do love these recipes I find it quite easy to tweak or even omit certain ingredients to stay in budget.
RECIPE
- Serves 5 bowls
- 1 onion chopped - 9 onion in a 1kg bag - 11p (£1 a bag)
- 1 clove garlic chopped - 10cloves in a bulb, 3p (30p per bulb)
- 1tbsp vegetable Bouillon powder - 2g 2p (£1.33 per 100g)
- 2 ¼ cups water - free
- 1 bulb fennel (quartered and roasted at 175°C for 30 minutes) 83p
- 3tbsp Sunflower Oil - 15p per 100ml - 45ml 7p
- 900g celeriac chopped into 2cm cubes - £1.26 400ml coconut milk - 50p
- Zest of 1 orange - 30p
- drizzle extra virgin oil & squeeze of lemon juice - 16p + 30p
- total: £2.33 - 46p per bowl
- METHOD
- In a pan on a high heat add the garlic onion and oil and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add a 1⁄4 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of Bouillon, simmer for another 2 minutes on a medium heat.
- Add 1 cup of water and leave to simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Add your chopped celeriac & roasted fennel and cover with water.
- Cover pan with lid and leave to cook on a medium heat for 40 minutes.
- Add your coconut milk & 1 cup of water.
- Blend and serve with zest of orange over the top.
So at 46p per bowl you would still have a remaining 52p to spend on some bread or a piece of fruit for afterwards!
TIP: Get yourself a china-graph pencil to write the name of the soup and the date it was made on the lid. It helps when going through the freezer trying to work out what needs to be eaten next.
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