..........................I didn't make lemonade.
Early last week I had a prickly throat and thought it was a cold coming - so had a look in the freezer for lemon slices to make a hot lemon/ honey drink but there were none. The prickly throat didn't develop into anything thankfully, but I still put lemons on the shopping list.
Aldi don't sell lemons individually - I don't think many supermarkets do nowadays - so it had to be a pack of 4 Wonky Lemons but I didn't want to slice and freeze all four so rustled up a couple of lemon drizzle loaves.
I've just looked to see who does sell individual lemons and Tesco do for 35p each but the Aldi pack of 4 are 89p so 22p each which is quite a saving - as long as they all get used. According to ads on TV the average family wastes £1,000 worth of food each year. Selling things in large packs is probably one of the reasons.
The top wasted foods (supposedly) are potatoes, milk, bread and cheese.......Cheese? who on earth throws out cheese? ....that really should be a criminal offence!
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Cheese is so expensive here in New Zealand, you'd be mad to waste it! I've started using a proper cheese slice thing with a wire so I can get thinner slices with no wastage at all. after the family left, I found it difficult to cook small enough meals that there was no wastage, but I'm fine now. And I use blue painter's tape and a felt pen to clearly date and identify items in the fridge and deepfreeze, I confess to sometimes not using deep frozen foods before they "die" .
ReplyDeleteI usually put frozen food in another plastic bag to try and save for freezer burn - which is annoying when it happens
DeleteBread? What happened to bread pudding, bread and butter pudding, toast? No, no, no! June🤣
ReplyDeleteBread crusts can be made into crumbs and frozen for topping things too
DeleteDid I just read you said 'Cheese'? Who throws away cheese???
ReplyDeleteI do know it is also one of the most shop-lifted items from supermarkets.
I love any and all cheese - never throw any out. Shoplifters get away with too much now and the rest of us pay
DeleteOn the other side of the world I also made a lemon drizzle loaf last night. A thrifty recipe with a great taste.
ReplyDeleteNZ Nana
Good coincidence!. Easy make and good to freeze too
DeleteBananas are the usual casualty here. Neither of us like Banana bread. I don't buy them very often
ReplyDeleteI'm really fussy about bananas being just right to eat and as they go off so quickly I haven't bought any for ages.
DeleteI have to be very careful with cheese as only I eat it, some packs are just too huge for me, I have started purchasing sliced cheese in different flavours, it's not so cost efficient but I don't waste any. We waste almost no food here, we portion everything before freezing, any veg going over is put into soups.
ReplyDeleteI can eat easily eat too much cheese!
DeleteOh how I agree with you about selling food in packs, I use local greengrocers and farm shops whenever I can, as there's only two of us, and nothing is sadder for me than throwing good food away.
ReplyDeleteCarrots are annoying as they sell the cheap wonky carrots in huge bags that go off before I can eat them so I'm forced to buy a smaller pack costing more per oz
DeleteI too have a rant in the supermarket about not being able to buy single/small portions. I made two lots of soup yesterday in the new soup maker to use up mainly potatoes that were lurking around. I bought special cheese for New Year’s dinner and every one was too full up to eat any. Gave daughter some but am determined not to buy any more cheese until it’s used up! Catriona
ReplyDeleteNever a problem having too much cheese here - love it all!
DeleteAll of those freeze well! Breadcrumbs, B&B pudding {sweet or savoury with that cheese!} Although, I did throw some cheese out just before Christmas. I think there was something wrong with it. It was Use By Dec 24, so I thought it would be fine for the Christmas cheeseboard, I mean cheese keeps almost forever, but no! Two days before, I looked at it, and it was unopened but covered in a horrible mould!
ReplyDeleteBest to be safe with somethings - some mould is good but not others.
DeleteI have started cutting lemons into 8 chunks for freezing. Easier to open freeze and bag up. Easier to separate for use. And they work better as icy cubes for cooling drinks.
ReplyDeleteI slice and freeze separate so I can use just a couple of slices to make a hot drink
DeleteI buy economical, family packs of cheese and freeze it in weekly portions of 100g. We did well with Christmas cheeses in the sales.
ReplyDeleteI just love cheese!
DeleteI freeze a lot of foods, living alone. I zest then slice lemons and have both available in the freezer. You can freeze all those foods that are wasted. It's criminal to waste any food! My mother used to say it was a sin.
ReplyDeleteIt's frightening to read about how much food is wasted
DeleteSome Stilton that I bought pre Christmas has been added in small amounts to about 5 batches of soup now and I’ve only just put the rind in the food waste - lemons are something else we always have in, so versatile.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
I'd not made lemon drizzle cake for ages and forgotten how good it is - a good use of two lemons.
DeleteI get my single lemons from Sainsbury's, I rarely get them from Aldi as ours seems to stock mainly the waxed ones.
ReplyDeleteFood waste is scary isn't it, for a start I don't know how people can afford to throw food away and then go on to say how expensive everything is. But I think some of it is due to lack of food education or common-sense. Every time I mention making twice as much rice as needed and then using it the next day I get told it will kill me, or that using food that is out of date is equally dangerous ... I'm still here folks!! ;-)
My husband's son bought a small crockpot for us for Christmas. I think he was embarrassed to see how small it was. It was intended for sauces, I think. But I have discovered that it is just the right size for two people. I am forced to cook in small batches with it, and for that reason, it has become the most used pot in my crockpot collection.
ReplyDeleteI found it quite a different mindset when both my boys left for university - my quantities were so out that we often had left overs for days! I've managed to get it right now so there isnt that awkward conversation when we are eating and husband says .... pasta-the-rerun again ? *yum* accompanied with a sigh and sometimes even rolled eyes!😆
ReplyDeleteI usually buy the packs of unwaxed lemons from Sainsbury's and keep them in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge drawer along with a sheet of kitchen paper to absorb any moisture. They last for weeks and I remove them one at a time as needed. Love a good lemon drizzle cake though 😋 Yours look fab 👌
ReplyDeleteAngie
Oh...and I struggle with the concept of left over cheese too 🤔
DeleteThe stayfresh bags from Lakeland are brilliant for keeping veg, especially carrots, in the fridge for longer. (Been reading and enjoying your blog and others for ages; finally decided to join in the chat) Jan
ReplyDeleteYour lemon cake looks very fine, and it makes good use of the extra lemons.
ReplyDeleteI find by cooking meals that last only two days, everything tastes fresh and waste is minimized. Lately, I am making soup. My minestrone soup will last 3-5 days. Our cold and snowy weather calls for warm soup.
My food waste is getting so much better. I still make too much for the two of us, but have started to freeze the leftovers to be used in a different meal.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I usually make lemon drizzle loaves to give at Christmas and didn't do it this year. Now I'm craving one after reading this post!
ReplyDeleteAny little bits that don't get used in time is either given to the chickens,dogs, or compost. I don't feel so bad about it then.
ReplyDeleteThose lemon cakes look delicious. X
ReplyDelete