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25/03/08 : Feeling good about food

There has been much discussion in the media recently about battery chickens. The usual argument for is that people on low incomes can't afford anything else. Well, as someone on a low income I thought I'd give an opinion.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a chicken from Tesco. It was free range (although not organic). It was just under 2kg and cost just under £8. I made the following -

Roast chicken for two adults and one child.
Cold chicken for lunch the next day (the best bit - in soft brown rolls with far too much butter).
After removing the remaining meat and making stock out of the carcass I made chicken supreme (chicken, ham, mushrooms, stock/cream sauce, rice) for two adults and one child and, for a light meal the following evening, chicken and vegetable soup (with the last of the stock).

I kinda think that's good value.

Actually I think I'm doing quite well with my resolution to eat less crap. The other day Sarah made a cake (ingredients: self raising flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract - less than half the stuff you'll find in anything from the shops) and after all the heavy Easter food and choccy and stuff we decided to have a starter and a dessert instead of a main course in the evening. Sarah made bread - a granary cob (well, a granary splat - though it tasted nice) and I made broccoli soup (don't knock it 'till you've tried it). We followed that with a summer fruit crumble - the fruit was frozen and came from Tesco (we used up the stuff we picked and froze last summer ages ago) but I made the crumble topping and proper custard.

As well as tasting better, I'm sure it's all better for you - and you know exactly what you're eating. It just sort of makes you feel good about stuff in general.

P.S. And anyway, why does anyone have a "right" to have cheap chicken? I mean, good food needs to be available to everyone, but there are other things that can be eaten - what's the thing with cheap chicken? I haven't heard anyone moaning about the lack of cheap fillet steak. Or complaining that Tesco won't add caviar to their value range.