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[CLKD]

revealed in The Guardian this morning  ………. article by Felicity Lawrence.  DH has read some of the scams to me  but will read the remainder later …………….

[Taz2]

It seems to be mostly what we knew already and is really disheartening http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/07/fake-food-scandal-revealed-tests-products-mislabelled  Reckon we should go back to growing our own pigs and chickens and keeping a cow for milk!!  I really feel for the younger generation who have to try to cook wholesome meals for their children while working full time. I really don't believe that we can have it all - in a family unit then one person really needs to be at home for at least some of the time in order to buy and then cook fresh foods - it doesn't matter if it is mum or dad - but time is so limited.

Taz x

[CLKD]

We should be able to eat out though and know that if we order Tiger prawns, that's what we get served!  I think there may be too much choice out there too, no longer do we have a basic larder from which a meal can be cobbled together with wholesome food stuffs ………..

[honeybun]

Generally if you order tiger prawns that's what you get. It's when you buy cheaper frozen prawns that the issue begins. It's the amount of water that is added. It means you are paying for something that is discarded and the final product is far less than it should be.
When looking at ingredients of say a fish pie. The amount of fish you get always amazes me. It can be as little as 20%. Frozen fish fillets with as little as 40%. Not everyone has the time or inclination to read what's in the food you are buying.
For hard-working mum who can also have limited money as well as time it's a case of filling tummies.
As they said on TV th e other night. If someone who is hard up has a choice between an apple and a packet of biscuits what would they choose.

All this rubbish that chefs spout about organic being best. Bet they have never struggled to feed a family on a limited budget.
It makes me want to 

It would be great if we all could be sure that what we ate was top quality. Unfortunately real life is just not like that and we have to buy what we can afford.


Honeyb
x

[Hurdity]

I saw the end of a programme about cooking wholesome food on very limited budget and including left-overs. Many of us are from the generation that does not throw anything away and I rarely throw any food away. The man on the programme who was being cooked for ( I think it was by Jamie Oliver) said he threw away his left-over meat from roast - I couldn't believe it, and was paying a huge amount of money 2-3 times a week for take-aways for his family. Jamie showed him how to cook a Thai-style curry using the left-overs and other things.

It is possible to eat well and from scratch - sty-fries take minutes to cook and are the healthiest and probably amongst the cheapest food around! My kids were brought up on these. Pulses, beans, rice, grains, eggs, carrots, potatoes etc are all cheap as are foods in season and anyone on a budget can save money by shopping at Lidl whose fruit and veg are better ( and much cheaper) than our local mainstream supermarket. As one example - old fashioned cauliflower cheese is cheap and quick and children love it... Tuna with veg in white sauce and pasta equally cheap and nutritious etc . I could go on...

Yes organics are best but fresh food of any description is better than processed foods, and with a little thought it should be possible fill up on easy to cook nutritious foods!

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

When I eat out and order i.e. Tiger Prawns that's what I expect to be served 

This is about foods stuffs that are not what we expect to be buying ! that are not what is on the menu nor label.

[Taz2]

I can't see Tiger Prawns mentioned but they do talk about King Prawns which contained more water than they should have CLKD

"Using water to adulterate and increase profits was a problem with frozen seafood. A kilo pack of frozen king prawns examined contained large quantities of ice glaze, and on defrosting the prawns themselves were found to be 18% added water. Only half the weight of the pack was seafood as opposed to wate"

I think the worst part is the slurry and the cheese which is cheese analogue whatever that is instead of real cheese on pizzas.

Taz x

[CLKD]

Also the ham on pizza - found to be a mix of chicken and pork  which is awful when you consider what a mixed society we live in

[Taz2]

.. and the ham made from poultry...

[honeybun]

Another problem is that not everyone knows how to cook from scratch even if they did have time.
Home Economics at school has either been scrapped or changed. That would be an ideal opportunity to teach kids how to cook.
I chose cooking as a career and rarely buy anything ready made as I look at it and then the price and know I can do it cheaper. I don't throw away much stuff either.

So many people are just not able to cook.


Honeyb
x

[Taz2]

You are right Honeybun but I think that also goes back to the fact that lives are too busy nowadays to learn even the basic skills. A home takes quite a lot of running and it is difficult to do two jobs well. I'm not saying that women shouldn't go to work, far from it, but it needs to be acknowledged that something has to give when we try to do all things.  It's such a shame that the role of "housewife/husband" is seen as something that really has no merit.

Taz x

[Joyce]

Home economics - hated it. Used to get into trouble for mixing my scrambled egg in a pan before cooking, instead of a bowl. I was being economical with the washing up. 

I was lucky, my mum taught me a lot & let me do stuff in the kitchen. But she was a stay at home mum. When I worked, I'd try & cook from scratch, but it was hard some nights. Always cooked proper meals at weekends though. It's easy to get into the habit of quickie meals.

[Limpy]

Home Economics 1969 - Cottage Pie.
Take one can of minced beef and a packet of smash, arrange in dish, take home to put in oven later.
It's true!

We did make egg and bacon pie (quiche?) this did involve ready made pastry, but that didn't seem as much as a cheat somehow.

At the time I was doing the cooking at home as mum had left my dad. Strangely, I never used that cottage pie recipe...........

[Joyce]

Guess it depends on time available during teaching. I remember being taught how to make hot chocolate & marshmallows. No, it wasn't real chocolate, just the usual powdered stuff. 

When I was training as nursery nurse, we had to do home economics, but our teacher bought the best of ingredients. I still have the recipe book, as some became firm favourites at home. But we had about 3 hours of teaching per lesson, which is more than school teachers get. Think we got about 90 mins.

I do cheat sometimes though. 

[honeybun]

Never really understood ready made potatoes. I see people buying them in the supermarket and just think why.

When my daughter was at school she did the compulsory Home Economics. We had to provide most of the ingredients. She never really learned anything basic. It's such a missed opportunity to teach kids how to cook something they would actually like to eat. It's old fashioned stuff. How about pasta and rice type dishes. Her classes were more about crowd control because the kids were not engaged or even remotely interested.

She can now cook because I taught her. My son is a really good cook and will try just about anything. I'm afraid it's down to the parents.


Honeyb
x