A beginning

It is difficult to start something new like this especially when you don't know exactly where you're going. We are heading into difficult times, more difficult for some than others, perhaps. To get through, I think that it's important for us to group together, help each other and share our ideas with others. This blog will be mostly about one of the most important aspects of life - eating.

It's obvious. Without enough food, the right kinds of food, we will not survive. Even if we have enough, it may not feed our souls.

Once upon a time food was a simpler question. We grew it, raised it, or bought in in shops or markets. Our mothers taught us how to cook so that we could go out into the world ready to do the same for ourselves and our families. And then things changed. Our lives became more complex and there were more calls on our time. We started to buy convenience foods and ready made meals. Take out (or take away) food became cheaper and more available. Many of us are of a generation whose mothers used convenience foods and so we didn't learn to cook.

Cooking shows in the United Kingdom have turned food and cooking into entertainment. We watch these wonderful creations being prepared, buy the books to go along with them, perhaps we even prepare some of the recipes but do we really learn the basics of cooking? Do we learn how to cook on a limited budget? Recently, Dehlia Smith presented a series on cooking using ready made goods from the supermarket. The dishes were meant to be ones that you could prepare quickly with the aid of these products. It was wonderful for people who had the money to buy these expensive products but not for those who didn't. Did they know anymore about making their food 'dollar' go further? Not really! You missed out on an opportunity, Dehlia!

The supermarket chain, Sainsbury's, has come up with a good idea fronted by another celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver. It's called 'Feed your family for a fiver'. However, I still can't help but think that you can do it even less expensively than that.

Finally, and more importantly, is the question of whether or not people have enough time to learn to cook, hunt for recipes, get the best deal on food buys when our lives are so busy and stressful all ready.

So, where to go from here? I think that I will probably work in a somewhat random manner initially. I'll highlight anything that seems interesting or germane to the issue of living more (and eating) more with less and just hope that it helps friends and family. Please feel free to comment and to send along ideas and recipes through the comments section.