Another Food Crisis in the UK? - It's Time To Cook For Ourselves

So here we are in the midst of another food crisis in the UK. This time it seems that we have become victims to an international food scam, where horse meat has been systematically passed off as beef. Both the Food Standards Agency and the government have been caught on the back foot and the bald truth is that we poor consumers cannot be sure of what we have been eating, for how long and from whence it came. I sense that we are seeing merely the tip of the iceberg and have been fascinated and entertained by politicians and officials squirming to justify their existence and giving reasons why someone else is to blame.

But it is one particular part of this story that I would like to discuss here. On Thursday 14 February 2013 Maria Miller, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, speaking on the BBCs Questiontime, talked about the poorest in our society being disproportionately affected by this scandal, presumably because she believes that they are the ones more likely to be buying processed foods like ready meals from the local supermarket. Of course, I’m paraphrasing, but this was the general thrust of her comment. What she said went almost unnoticed as it was tagged onto the very end of her answer on the horsemeat question. And this is not the first time I have heard this argument. I have also heard it in relation to healthy eating and the fact that some processed foods and ready meals contain high levels of salt and fat.

I can only assume that the reason for this argument is that buying a ready meal is deemed cheaper than buying other foods and making meals from scratch at home. The argument may also assume that poorer people cannot cook or are unwilling to do so. This does not ring true to me and is, at least, patronising to the poorer members of our society. No-one is being forced to buy these products; they do so out of choice and there will surely be more than one reason for doing so.

So are ready meals the cheaper option? I decided to try an experiment to find out. I make my own version of Lasagne for my family regularly and I began to wonder whether buying a readymade version would indeed be cheaper. I chose an Asda low calorie Lasagne ready meal (400g) with which to make my comparison, which costs £2.05 at the time of writing this article. On the face of it this does appear to be reasonably cheap, and convenient – just pop in the microwave or oven straight from the fridge. If you are on your own and want a quick and easy meal for one this seems ideal.

I have listed all the fresh ingredients I use to make my homemade Lasagne and noted their cost below. Of course, I need to estimate the cost of most items – cheese for example, as I only use a proportion of the whole pack to make the meal. You will have to trust that I have made my estimations as honestly and accurately as possible. I do not pretend that this is a scientific experiment.

Ingredients (All from ASDA) – Serves 4:                                Cost:

6 x Lasagne Sheets (Asda)                                                        £0.16 (18 sheet pack for 50p)

1 x 500g Pack Extra Lean Minced Beef (Asda)                          £4.00

1 x Large Onion                                                                         £0.30

1 x Red Pepper (Optional)                                                         £0.80

1 x 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes (Smart Price)(Asda)               £0.31

1 x Heaped Tablespoon Tomato Puree (Asda)                          £0.10 (Approx 20% of 48p Tube)

1 x Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar (Asda)                                  £0.05 (Approx 5% of £1.00 Bottle)

Sprinkle of Oregano (Asda)                                                       Negligible

1 x Tablespoon of Olive Oil (Optional)(Asda)                            Negligible

125g Cheddar Cheese (Grated)(Asda)                                       £0.68 (Approx 25% of £2.75 Block)

¼ Block of Butter (Asda)                                                             £0.25 (Approx 25% of 98p Block)

1 x Heaped Tablespoon Plain Flour (Asda)                               Negligible

¼ Pint Semi-Skimmed Milk (Asda)                                             £0.12 (Approx 25% of 49p Pint)

Pinch of Salt and Black Pepper                                                 Negligible

                                                                      Total                      £6.77

 

These ingredients make four good portions of Lasagne. Therefore a single portion costs £1.69, which is 36p less than the Lasagne ready meal at £2.05. Each portion can be separated and frozen as an individual meal for future use and easily reheated once completely thawed. I have not chosen the cheapest ingredients here. There are cheaper options out there so this meal can be made for less, but also for much more depending upon the brand of the ingredients used.

It is clear to me that making this meal at home with good ingredients is more cost effective and healthier than buying a boxed meal. However, I will acknowledge that there is a significant cost involved in the initial purchase of the required ingredients - £14.49 in fact (based upon the above scenario). You cannot buy a tablespoon of olive oil, for example. A 250ml bottle of Asda’s own olive oil costs £1.38 but will last a long time and can be used to cook many, many meals. Therefore, once all the necessary ingredients are in your kitchen cupboard you can forget about them. Buy a family of four a boxed Lasagne each on only two occasions and you have already spent more than the total cost of stocking your kitchen cupboard with all the above ingredients. Add to this the health benefits and the sense of achievement in being able to cook for yourself and, in my opinion, there is no contest.

I do not believe that cost can be used as an excuse for not making this Lasagne at home. Maybe some people are just too busy; and that’s fine. Some may prefer the ready meal: that’s fine too. But there are a significant number of people in our country who buy these products simply because they do not know how to cook or cannot be bothered to cook. In either case it is an indictment of our society. We should get back to buying good local produce, support our butchers, markets and grocers and cook food for ourselves. Then we will not have to worry so much about what we are being fed by an international manufacturing machine that is more interested in profit margin than the good of our health.

Sunrise (A Poem)

I wrote this poem in June 2006 and found it again recently while flicking through my old notebooks. The photograph shown was taken in January this year on the beach where the poem was written all those years ago. I return there at least once a year to recharge my batteries. It's a place that has been good to me all of my adult life and never fails to satisfy. This poem is just a small tribute to my favourite place in the world.

 

Triumphant, the sun god rises, blazing light;

A sentinel against the night.

Darkness cowers before his feet,

Fearful of the morn to meet.


Above the lighthouse and in the bay

His radiant warmth will waft the mist away,

Revealing lines of vivid blue,

A brush stroke, swift and clean and new.


In awe I stand upon the sand;

A pilgrim, alone upon this land

Of virgin white, my homage paid

Awash in preternatural light and shade.

Les Miserables - The Film (a review)

Let me say at the very outset that this is a really great film – a must see. There, that’s that. You now know where I’m coming from. Of course, that’s only my personal view and I urge you to go and see it for yourself, if you do nothing else this month. If you miss it at the cinema, get the DVD. And if there’s anything you should do before you die you must see this wonderful story at the theatre. I’ve seen the musical theatre version a number of times and I’ve loved it every time. Its impact on the audience never fails to amaze me: tears, sobs, laughter, stunned silence, thunderous applause and eager chatter in the bar afterwards. If you ask another theatre-goer if this is their first time the answer is usually no.

I must admit that I was a little sceptical about seeing the film version of Les Miserables. I was worried that it would not do it justice. After all it has been in packed theatres for over twenty-five years and is currently stronger than ever. Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean) means X-Men to me. Russell Crow (Javert) means Gladiator. Great actors, megastars, household names. But Les Miserables? Would it work? I went to see the film at the iMAX cinema in Manchester. My only previous visit to an iMAX cinema was to see The Lion King years ago and I had forgotten just how big the screen actually is. It turned out to be a great choice this time. The film employs many, many close-ups of the actors’ faces, uncomfortably close at first on the giant screen; you could see every pore, every line, and every bead of sweat. Although you soon get used to this I did find myself wishing for some relief part way through a song; hoping the camera would pull away and I would see some movement. I sometimes felt claustrophobic, but only for brief moments. The camera work is supreme and sometimes takes you on a roller-coaster ride through ship’s rigging, gloomy streets, dazzling roof-tops and sweeping countryside; I had the urge to hang onto my seat at times (thanks iMAX). As a viewing experience this film is a standout success. It doesn’t come much better than this.

Should I have been worried about whether a film version would do this amazing story justice? Well. The answer is both yes and no as there is a fly in an otherwise satisfying and potent ointment. Hugh Jackman’s Jean Valjean is sublime. He threw everything into this role and Valjean’s damascene conversion to a better life early on in the film was spellbinding. It moved me. I didn’t want to blink and risk missing some look or gesture during Jackman’s brutal and believable emergence from crushing defeat to hopeful quest in a moment of pure emotional and spiritual pain. I wanted to applaud there and then, a few minutes into the film. But hey, I’m English and we just don’t do that do we? Jackman sustained his intensity throughout the film and his portrayal of Jean Valjean was more than I could ever have hoped for. Bravo! Top marks too for Anne Hathaway and her Fantine, giving me the second and probably the most moving experience of the film with her ‘I dreamed a dream’. Her total commitment to the part is without parallel, having almost starved herself stick-thin for this moment of brilliance. She looked emaciated and gaunt and completed the scene in a single take by all accounts. This was not sugar-coated, easy viewing. It was totally absorbing and intense with a disturbing reality. Bravo number two.

And now to that fly in the ointment in the form of Russell Crow and his Inspector Javert. Don’t get me wrong, I like Crow, especially with a sword in his hand, which he wielded with great skill when required – that’s what he’s good at. But what he clearly cannot do is sing. He certainly can’t sing and act at the same time. His screen presence is second to none especially when in full period costume. Perfect! But I had wanted and expected a lot more from him and didn’t get it. Every Javert I’ve seen in the Theatre has thundered out the words, spitting them in my face, hurling each syllable directly at my heart. Crow was weak. Sure, he can sing the notes in tune, mostly, but his voice lacked strength and he was unable to play with the score in order to make it his own. This was singing by numbers. And the effort he put into trying to do his best detracted from his acting, making him stiff and wooden. It’s a shame. On the way home from the cinema I wracked my brain to think of an actor who could have taken his place but could not think of one. Maybe that was the problem faced when casting took place. They went for the big name, the big screen presence. But this is a musical and they made a mistake.

My only other complaint, and I’m probably nit-picking here about a fantastic film experience, was the Thenardier partnership of Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. If I had not seen many theatre performances in the past I would have been completely satisfied with their take on these lovable rogues. Their partnership worked well but I would have liked to see Bonham Carter make more of the ‘living with this bastard in the house’ line. It could have been so much funnier but it was a very good performance with Bonham Carter virtually playing herself! She was cast perfectly.

There’s no doubt that I will see this again, at least once, before it leaves the cinema. It’s that good. And I will await the DVD with eager anticipation. This is a must have for any fan of Les Miserables. As the screen went black at the end of the film the cinema audience clapped, pretty feebly I have to say, but that was because we are English, remember? But they clapped nonetheless. I’ve only ever seen that happen in American cinema. Bravo number three!