Tasty on a budget
SOPHIE GRAY’S message that you can eat tasty, healthy, fashionable food without it costing a fortune has always resonated.
During my flatting days, her early recipe books were a constant on my kitchen bench as I’m sure her new book Destitute Gourmet will be on many a student’s bench this year and on those impacted by Covid19.
Gray lost her job to Covid in the early days of lockdown, so she knows as well as any how stressful tough financial times can be.
‘‘Using the three destitute gourmet principles to strategically attack the grocery spend, we can still eat cracking good meals while saving a significant amount of money.
‘‘That money can be applied to some of those other important areas of life, which is empowering rather than depressing.’’
The three principles are. —
µ shop smart by menu planning, setting a budget and trying cheaper brands
µ eat healthily and inseason to avoid expensive healthcare by adding more vegetables
to your meals
µ make a little of something luxurious go a long way by working out what is essential and what is a luxury
Gray says the first step is to tally up how much the family actually spends in a week, including coffee and cafe visits.
‘‘When you have regained consciousness, work how much you can actually, honestly afford to spend on feeding your household.’’
Then cherrypick from the destitute gourmet principles and tips to see what will work for the family.
‘‘Set some goals, get the family on board and get started.’’
She suggests prioritising grocery spending: vegetables and fruit first, staples such as flour, rice, eggs, oats and milk next, then canned foods, next meat if you eat it and then cleaning products (dangly things for the loo are not essential).
There is no excuse for bland food especially given seasonings are normally the least expensive part of a dish, she says, so she includes a list of the condiments she uses in the book, as well as herbs, pastes and stock.
‘‘Curry paste and a can of coconut milk are absolute essentials for me. I can create a meal that will suit virtually any diet from these ingredients.’’
While her early books are now out of print, her latest features some of the favourites from them. Gray asked many of her social media followers what recipes they would most like to see in a cookbook their children could leave home with.
‘‘I selected only the ones that stood out by miles, along with some of my new current favourites.’’
Included is one that I’ve made many, many times over the years, her roasted vegetable salad with curried couscous.
There are recipes for main meals, onepan wonders, meatless meals, snacks, salads and sides, desserts and baking.