Sam Malin

Sam Malin

Budget cookery: When re-inventing the wheel is a waste of time and money

  • January 13, 2022
  • , 10:09 am
  • , Opinion, Tips

Everyone knows I believe that homemade is generally cheaper and much tastier. I stand by that view in almost all cases. I make make a delicious pizza loaded with toppings for under £2 a person so why would I buy it readymade? I’ve got a tight budget to consider. It takes very little time and money to prepare a tray of vegetables to bake so buying pre-prepared ‘Mediterranean’ vegetables is just a waste of money.

There are a few instances though where I do think it is cheaper to buy readymade products. The obvious instance is something like Thai curry paste. If you look at the list of ingredients needed to make a green curry paste, it seems never ending. Many of the ingredients are hard to find if you don’t live in a multi-cultural area and, added together, the cost of the ingredients can easily add up to £15. This is not great if budget is your top priority. However, you can buy an authentic Thai curry paste on line or at a specialty store (if you are lucky enough to have one nearby) for around £2.50.

Another sauce which I think is cheaper to buy pre-made is satay sauce. A Chinese or Singaporean sauce will taste so much better and you do not need much of it to make a vegetable and noodle stir fry taste fabulous.

Like Mary Berry, I would never dream of making filo or puff pastry from scratch. It is not good for the budget or one’s sanity. Supermarket pastry is absolutely fine and, at around £1 a roll, it is cheap. And the time saved is worth it.

Since I embarked on my budget food project feeding our household of 4 adults, I have started really looking at the cost of making certain things. I offset the cost of a pre-made paste or sauce by cutting down on meat and increasing the amount of vegetables I use.

I can buy 48 pork dumplings at my local Asian superstore for about £6. I couldn’t buy the ingredients for that amount. Even if I had the time and skill to make the dumplings, I just don’t think it is worth it.

If you have the time and money and want to make something from scratch, then go for it. More power to you. But I try to spend my money as carefully as I can to get the most bang for my buck. If a good quality pre-made paste or sauce means that a meal tastes so much better, then I think it is worth it. I know my housemates do!

Share this post

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on pinterest
Share on email
Share on print
Share on whatsapp

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Catch up with the latest

10 tips for adding flavour amid an awful week for Britain’s poor

Full piece »

Supermarket shop for May 22 for Croydon Castle

Full piece »

A super-simple pie hack

Full piece »

Monthly Supermarket Shop for Croydon Castle – April ’22

Full piece »

Getting saucy for pancake day

Full piece »