MAKE Do & Cook is the latest book by Patricia Mansfield-Devine, who has lived in France for more than 10 years and is the author of the Living in France book.
In her latest title Patricia offers advice and tips on preparing delicious meals, whilst keeping an eye on the cost. Here she writes about why it’s time to Make Do & Cook:
As a downshifter living in rural France, I felt almost compelled to write this book.
When the recent recession hit and food prices rose dramatically, along with fuel costs, I found that many of my friends and acquaintances suddenly became nonplussed about what to eat. It seemed to them a deprivation not to be able to have steaks and salmon, etc.
We ourselves don’t have much money to spend on food but nevertheless, we continued to eat very well – all we did was change the menu. I think this is because in France, cooking, eating and preserving are major national pastimes.
It rather shocked me to discover that many British people no longer cook from scratch. They’ve become used to eating ready meals and processed food, and to simply adding ready-made sauces to meat.
But this is a very expensive way to eat, the money spent on it could easily pay for an annual holiday.
Meanwhile, the TV chefs seem to have bottomless budgets of the ‘first take your whole salmon’ variety, which are just unreasonable for the average person. Most people want to cook tasty food for their families, not show-off food for dinner guests.
There is really no need to eat junk just because you’re broke, or pushed for time or didn’t learn to cook at school, with just a little understanding of nutrition and some basic techniques, everybody can eat well, you just have to eat differently.
The book is based around 10 key ingredients that are always in season and therefore always cheap.
People in the UK often think of the meat first when they’re cooking, but they’d be better off making sure they have staples such as onions, carrots, herbs and potatoes in the house.
I’m not against meat, I enjoy it very much, but with a little imagination, a very little meat can be made to go a long way, which is good for your health and waistline as well as your budget.
The book begins with a section on ‘savvy shopping’, detailing where to shop and what to buy, but also includes chapters on economical cooking methods such as slow cooking and stir-frying, necessary kitchen equipment and 100 recipes including salads, soups, main courses, side dishes and desserts.
Many of them are taken from world cuisine rather than British. The average family is better off eating Indian, Moroccan or Italian food rather than British. The peasant cuisine of other nations has a lot to teach us.
A family could save up to £1,400 a year by following some of the techniques, and I feel you will get back the price of the book in your very first shop.
False economies such as buying familiar brands can end up costing a family a lot of money, so I’ve included a guide to brands and price points. But planning proper menus and budgets is the real key to economy, that’s another thing this book will show you.