Ok, it's fine. I've managed to do some work, as have my husband and children, we haven't killed each other, and the sun is shining. Knowing you can't go out is no fun, but, as I have a close friend who is a front-line nhs worker, I know it could be an awful lot worse.
I have definitely had to change my shopping patterns from choosing recipes and buying those ingredients, to buying what is available and then devising a meal plan. I really hate food waste, so this makes me twitch, as did the first big food shop since lockdown. It was also fine. One in, one out, social distancing to the max, disinfected trolleys, but also the calmest shop I have done for some weeks. Everyone was friendly and careful, no-one was rushing or grabbing, and most things were in stock. I was slightly worried about looking like a hoarder - picking up bits for locked-down parents - but the staff were cheerful and helpful. I came home feeling a lot less anxious and less worried about being unable to get food.
Having said all that, this week has still been heavy on comfort food. Today's lunch was tomato soup and excellent cheese scones from a previous blog post by Kate Evans (the recipe totally worked, thanks Kate!)
Soup was two each of onions, carrots and celery, cooked down for 10 mins, then I chucked in 1.8 litres of stock, 2 tims of tomatoes and 5-6 fresh tomatoes that were slowly moldering in the fridge. The recipe called for fresh basil, but I used dried. I simmered it for another 10 minutes before liquidising.
I have done more baking this week than the last 6 months put together, and have made a soup about every 3 days. Maybe this phase will end soon? Given my issues with wasting food, I doubt it - the soups will probably just become more eclectic as time passes...
I have definitely had to change my shopping patterns from choosing recipes and buying those ingredients, to buying what is available and then devising a meal plan. I really hate food waste, so this makes me twitch, as did the first big food shop since lockdown. It was also fine. One in, one out, social distancing to the max, disinfected trolleys, but also the calmest shop I have done for some weeks. Everyone was friendly and careful, no-one was rushing or grabbing, and most things were in stock. I was slightly worried about looking like a hoarder - picking up bits for locked-down parents - but the staff were cheerful and helpful. I came home feeling a lot less anxious and less worried about being unable to get food.
Having said all that, this week has still been heavy on comfort food. Today's lunch was tomato soup and excellent cheese scones from a previous blog post by Kate Evans (the recipe totally worked, thanks Kate!)
Soup was two each of onions, carrots and celery, cooked down for 10 mins, then I chucked in 1.8 litres of stock, 2 tims of tomatoes and 5-6 fresh tomatoes that were slowly moldering in the fridge. The recipe called for fresh basil, but I used dried. I simmered it for another 10 minutes before liquidising.
I have done more baking this week than the last 6 months put together, and have made a soup about every 3 days. Maybe this phase will end soon? Given my issues with wasting food, I doubt it - the soups will probably just become more eclectic as time passes...
I can definitely feel soup-making becoming a bigger part of my life. All those lunches stretching out ahead...
ReplyDeleteSoup was my pre-Lockdown prep task - there are three different types in my freezer at the moment...
ReplyDeleteYeay, scones! They look great.
ReplyDelete