The Vicar's Wife's Cookbook

Hi Chad, how did it go last week?  Make a note of things you didn't like (and will never make again) and things you would change..eg more salt, less garlic etc. Before you go shopping check your cupboards, fridge and freezer.  Throw out anything iffy but don't buy stuff you already have.  That way madness lies. Menu Saturday        lunch     ratatouille with Irish beer bread                     dinner    sausage, mash, baked beans                                  fresh fruit salad Sunday          lunch      Roast chicken, roast veg                                  French style apple tart and cream/custard                 ...

This is a build-up confidence week and a time to make some stuff you won't actually use for a week or so, but which needs time for flavours to develop.  And I hope it's a varied set of meals. Menu Saturday    shopping and preparation day Lunch      ploughman's platter Dinner      cheese flan, new potatoes, tomato salad                chocolate cup cake Sunday       lunch       pork chop, apple sauce, stir fry veg               apple pie and cream/ custard tea          baguette pizzas, salad (if you're feeling virtuous) Monday lunch       vegetable soup and crusty bread dinner      cheese and onion pasty, salads               alcoholic bananas Tuesday lunch      bread and butter pick...

Sunday After Church put the kettle on for coffee or pour a sherry/g and t. Lunch    20 minutes before you want to have lunch put a frying pan on to heat with a little olive oil.  Get the pork chop, season with a little salt and black pepper and when the oil is hot put the chop in.  Fry 4 or 5 minutes, turn over and fry the other side.  Turn down the heat and cook on both sides for another couple of minutes. When the juices run clear it's cooked so lift it out of the pan, keep it hot while you do the stir fry.   Reheat the frying pan/wok with 2 tbsp olive oil. When hot, tip in all the prepared veg, stir every minute or so, turning the veg so they all cook to a crunchy finish.  You can put a lid on so it steams a bit.  If it looks like it's going to burn glug in a little wine, sherry or water.  How long it takes depends on how thin the veg are cut.  Serve on a warmed plate with the apple sauce. Then it's apple pie and cream/custard for ...

When you get in from shopping don't unpack it all.  Do it this way. Soup take 1 onion, 1 stick celery, 3 carrots, half the sweet potato Peel them and cut into small dice.  Lob the lot into a large saucepan, add 1/2 tsp (teaspoon) of salt, grind in lots of black pepper and put it on to boil.  Get the red pepper and cut it in half.  Dice one half and add to the pan.  Put on the lid and when it boils turn it down to a simmer.  You can forget it for a good 40 minutes whilst the veg cook and flavours mingle.  When it's cooked just turn it off and leave it. Stir fry veg Take the other half of the pepper and sweet potato and cut them lengthways into thin strips (julienne strips). Put them into a plastic bag or box.  Do the same with a carrot, a stick of celery, half the courgette.  Take 2 spring onions and discard grotty leaves and roots.  Chop small and add to the bag.  Put it in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch with 2 or 4 green bean...

Print off the list then check your cupboards , freezer etc before you head out to Asda and cross off what you don't need to buy.   Fresh stuff bag mixed peppers,   head celery,    1 x cucumber,    4 x onions,      4 x lemons,     cherry tomatoes, 2 x large tomatoes (not beef toms),   iceberg lettuce,  spring onions,  radish,   new potatoes,  2 x baking potatoes,  1 x sweet potato,   1 x courgette,  2 x bananas,  3 x large cooking apples,  1 kg carrots,   eating apples,  green beans,  shallots,  fresh chillis,  1 x cooked beetroot (not essential!) pork chop (if it's a pack of several you can freeze the others individually for later in the month), smoked mackerel  (ditto)  Dairy 6 x eggs,  butter,  cheese........at least 1 large block of cheddar and 2 or 3 others that you like, pate,  cream or custard or both,  milk, pac...

Hi Chad, this blog is for you.  I'm assuming that you have no knowledge of cookery though there will be lots of things you do know, but this way I can try to make it foolproof. The way I organise my cooking and shopping is to plan a menu, check what's in the freezer/cupboards and then write a shopping list.  That's not to say that things don't get altered if there's a good offer or something which isn't always available, but when you have a  very busy and, occasionally, disorganised, life then this method can help.  It's the way I've done it for years.   The other thing which has developed over the years is to spend a long session in the kitchen preparing and cooking so meals for several days are sorted and you don't have the often dispiriting task of cooking a meal for 1 from scratch when you've had a long day.   So, here goes. I can't remember what's in your cupboard so I'll assume there's nothing!!!!