So August has turned into September. It’s one of the key months of change in the year, with it being the beginning of Autumn and children returning to school – or starting school for the very first time. We start to make plans for Christmas, and it’s my birthday month! I used to get enthusiastic, but once you’ve passed your 60th it’s not so exciting. I don’t want to count again until I can claim to be the oldest woman ever.
What I do like about Autumn is the changing of colour in nature. Everything starts going from green to orange, red and brown tones. Fruits are harvesting and we wear more snuggly clothes, we start putting warmer bedding on, thinking of turning on the heating and getting out fleeces and throws.
Roasting meat joints have become so ridiculously expensive – and you don’t want the more affordable chicken every single Sunday. When we eat out, I tend to go for a beef roast as, whilst expensive, it’s not all that much more these days than buying the joint and vegetables and cooking it myself. We rarely have lamb because the price has risen so much – just for the two of us a small leg of lamb would be over £12. But I really fancied it for today.
Mealtimes should never be a battle. It’s simply a stressful lose:lose situation. Young children, toddlers in particular, can be the most stubborn little brick walls. Parents understandably want the child to eat, but, unless there’s medical reasons that the child absolutely must eat, it’s not going to hurt them to miss a meal if they refuse. They’ll come back when they’re hungry.
One of my children had the exact same lunch every single day of primary school – a completely plain ham sandwich – nothing added, not even butter on the bread! Goodness knows what the school thought of me, but it meant he ate. As a baby and toddler he just hated chewing. Everything had to be soft and sloppy – he pretty much lived off fromage frais for a year! I’d already had 2 children before him and learned the hard way what trying to force a toddler to eat results in – plenty of bolognaise stains on the carpet to prove it. So, I had a much more relaxed attitude the 3rd time round. And guess what, none of the children ended up under-nourished or under-fed. As an adult, the child in question will now try absolutely any food and is probably the most adventurous eater of the 3.
Home made crisps
Avocado and Strawberry Salad
So, the sun’s out in the UK and the daily summer temperatures have been confirmed as the highest since records began. It’s the perfect excuse to eat as many ice lollies and as much ice cream as you can get away with.
Slice up some fingers of vegetables such as carrots, peppers, cucumber, celery, mange tout, mini sweetcorn. Ideal on their own, you can add a healthy dip such as hummus or peanut butter if you like. For an element of sweetness, slice up a nice crunchy apple, some blueberries, raisins, Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds. Again, if you need a dip some natural yoghurt would be a nice addition.
A lot of our eating timescales are habitual. As a species, humans like consistency and habits form easily. Try to avoid insisting on a set time for your coffee or tea break, or at least don’t always take a slice of cake or sugary biscuit at the same time. These should be occasional treats, not a daily habit. If you can mix up your break times, you won’t find you feel hungry shortly before this time as a matter of habit.
Nuts: Mixed nuts are a brilliant source of protein and healthy fats, but you may want to add sultanas or raisins for a top up of sweetness. Avoid salted nuts to avoid excess sodium in your diet.
Root vegetable crisps: If you’re a crisp fiend, and just can’t let them go, swap potato crisps for vegetable crisps. You can buy them, or make your own (simple recipe available in my book ‘Picnics, Parties and Drinks’).
Roasted chickpeas: drain and rinse a tin of chickpeas, then dry them as much as possible. Place in a bowl and drizzle with oil, then sprinkle with salt and any herbs you may want to add for flavour. With your hands, mix together to ensure all the chickpeas are coated then spread them out evenly onto a dry baking tray. Roast the chickpeas at 400F/200C for 20-30 minutes, stirring or shaking the chickpeas every 10 minutes to ensure even roasting. Don’t worry if any chickpeas pop or split. Once golden in colour remove from the oven and, while still warm, sprinkle spices if you want (eg chilli or paprika) and stir through. When warm these are crispy, but when cool they become more chewy.
Sugar is a prime culprit. You get a short-term mood lift, but sugar causes an imbalance in chemicals in your brain. These chemical imbalances can lead to depression or cause mood swings and raise feelings of anxiety. On top, excess consumption of sugar can of course cause obesity and tooth decay – in themselves these cause you to dislike your own appearance and can even result in quite serious clinical depression.
If you’re a fish eater, eat more Omega 3 rich fish such as sardines, trout, salmon and mackerel. For non-fish eaters, other foods high in Omega 3 include walnuts, chia seeds, soybean oil, plus foods specifically fortified with Omega 3 (this will be declared on the food packaging). Dietary supplements are also available.
To avoid blood sugar drops, eat regularly but also choose slow-release energy foods such as rice, pasta, wholegrain breads, cereals, nuts and seeds. Avoid sugary food and drink, to avoid blood sugar fluctuations.
I recommend keeping a basic stock of spices to hand ready. A little pestle and mortar means you can create your own curry powder/paste for your own signature dish. A simple spice mix would be equal quantities of brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nigella seeds, turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom and garam masala. Grind any non-powdered spice (eg cumin seeds) to a powder with a pestle and mortar, and mix all the powders together. When using your home-made curry powder, you can add heat by including fresh chopped chillies, or dried chilli powder. You can use a tinned tomato base or a creamy one with coconut milk. Ensure you cook the spices for a minute or two in oil to release the aromas, but don’t allow them to burn before you add in your chosen liquid.
The rising cost of living isn’t a new concept, but this year many people are really going to feel the pinch with the massive uplift in oil costs, stagnant wages, loss of income thanks to Covid, rising National Insurance Contributions in April, and disproportionate rises in food costs. It may feel dire, especially if you’re pretty frugal already. Maybe it’s time to take a page out of Granny’s book and see what we can do to tighten the purse strings and mitigate some of our expenditure.
Firstly, cook something! The heat from the oven increases the ambient warmth in the surrounding rooms. But also, your body temperature rises when you’ve had something to eat or a hot drink. Now, I don’t expect you to be cooking and yamming food down all through the day but a warming lunch, rather than a sandwich or salad, really helps. Consider a soup perhaps, or a pasta bake. When you’ve been cooking, leave the oven door open when you’ve turned it off, rather than waste that lovely heat.
They’re really popular in soft furnishing design these days. I have a wicker log basket with various rolled up throws in, as well as those slung all designer-ish on the chairs and sofas, and even on the foot of beds. When feeling a bit chilly, snuggling into a nice warm throw is yummy. As the evening draws in, close the curtains. This keeps so much warmth indoors, as the glass windows just seep in the cold air. If your radiator is in front of the window, tuck the curtain behind it rather than let out what heating you do have on. 
Revert to the old methods at bedtime – pre-warming the bed with an electric blanket (always turn them off when you actually get into bed!) or a hot water bottle. Once actually snug in bed, you have a better night’s sleep with the room being a bit cold than you do by leaving the heating on. If need be, add another layer of bedding too.
Saving water. Now, as well as saving the planet we can save money on our water bills. Unfortunately, for those who still have water rates rather than a water meter, whilst you could still do your bit for the environment you won’t be saving on your bills as they’re based solely on the property size. So recommendation #1 would be to ask your water provider if your home can be converted – the general rule of thumb is if you have the same number or more bedrooms than people in your property, a water meter is highly likely to save you money. Fitting is still free in England and Wales. This way, you pay for what you use and can be more in control of your expenditure.
We all know the ‘shower not bath’ comparison, but some of us actually enjoy a relaxing soak in the bath. But, you can still save by just putting less water in. You don’t need a bath filled to the top. Just put an inch or two less in than usual. You’ll barely notice but be saving gallons of water. Which of course, you’ll be draining into your water butt when finished!
Transport. OK this is an emotive issue. We like our cars. They give us the freedom to go out whenever we want, not be restricted by a timetable, we get there more quickly than public transport stopping every few yards or meandering around the town. But, they’re a money-pit. Tot up just how much the vehicle costs you – not just literally the one-off purchase expense, but also yearly vehicle tax (unless exempt), MOT and servicing costs, insurance, petrol/diesel costs and ongoing maintenance. Also remember any recovery service costs if you’ve signed up to one. The ever-rising cost of parking, let alone any ‘low emission zone’ charges (eg if you drive into London). It adds up. Then compare that to the cost of public transport. Even the odd taxi could be cheaper than the ongoing running cost of your own car.
Shopping. Put those apps away! It’s so easy to scroll through Amazon, Ebay, Boots, etc etc and be slipping unnecessary wants into your electronic basket. One swipe and it’s paid for and on its way. It’s a shopaholic’s dream. If you wait until you actually head out of the house to buy stuff, the chances are that many of your spontaneous purchases just wouldn’t happen.
Look at the food you’re giving them. Does it have to be the super-expensive, prettily packaged, doggy terrine? Surely Poochy could eat just as well with a different brand? Look at online pet supermarkets, you can bulk buy and often save quite a bit on your regular brands, but also some online firms do cheap tester packs of brands you may never have tried before. Do you have to buy expensive toys? Believe me, a cat will play just as long with a ball of rolled up cooking foil or a walnut (in its shell!) as they will with a purchased ball.
But, there are other tricks you can try. Downsizing your brands is a very simple one. Whatever level you shop at, whether you buy all proprietary brands or are a supermarket own-brand shopper, there’s generally one step lower. I don’t expect everyone to go from top brand names straight to value ranges, but some key items could really save you money. Unless you’re a professional baker, downgrading your flour to own brand, or even the value range, really won’t be noticed and may save you over £1 per bag. Similar with other basics such as sugar, butter, milk or dried fruit. But also look at your bread – if just making sandwiches then a simple cut loaf is far cheaper than the bakery artisan loaf. Keep those for treats. Do the same with other products and you could save quite a hefty amount.
Your salary income, taxes and many outgoings may be out of your direct control. But, let’s do what we can to mitigate the impact on us and maximise where your money goes. Be wary of scams – if it looks too good to be true, it generally is! Don’t let some spotty teenage oik half way around the world deplete you of your hard-earned money.
Some people decant items into glass storage jars such as Kilner jars, and in baskets, but this is purely for aesthetic purposes. There’s no real need to. What I would suggest, although it still could be considered cosmetic, is to line the shelves before you fill them. It doesn’t matter what you use, whether it be beautifully intricate lace, oil cloth, old newspaper, or anything in between. It simply helps to keep the cupboard clean especially when something is spilt. Having had to wash out a cupboard following a treacle ‘incident’, this is something I’d always recommend.