hi im new to this but i just wanted to strenghen what mrs shrek is saying budget to some and budget to others is totally totally different i agree about everything she has said look for your bargains and the value ranges in your supermarkets are fantastic we wouldnt be able to eat for half the week if we didnt use them and the reduced produce at the end of the day can be a great way of saving some pennies well done mrs shrek for including the average joe. no disrespect to anyone else intended

I will continue to say this until it sinks in! Use your local market and find a quality butchers who sell in bulk! Your local market will sell items in season (not half ripened foods flown half way round the world and wrapped in plastic!) ...... buy your meat from a good local butcher who sells in bulk - and along with that learn some butchery skills!

I go down North End Road market in Fulham with less than a tenner in change and struggle home with the produce I buy from the stalls! I do the same with a butcher down there - what I spend on the stalls on FRESH fruit and veg, I save over £15 on the imported, forced veg in a supermarket!

To make a point - today I spent £13 on fruit and veg which was: 2 packs of strawberries (£3 in supermarket for 2 - market 2 for £1!) - 2 packs blueberries - 1 7-fruit bunch bananas; 2 avocados; 6 maroc oranges; 1 bunch celary; 2 red onions; 5lb white potatoes; 2lb cyprus potatoes; 1kg vine tomatoes; 1 iceberg lettuce; 1 very large cucumber; 2 bunches spring onions; 2 packs kiwi fruit; 3lb French trufflette potatoes (purple potatoes); 3lbs carrots; 3lb NZbraeburn apples; 1 pack of asparagus; 1kg broad beans in pod; 2 artichokes and 2lb beetroot!

Try buying all of that in a supermarket for £13!

I would also like to see more healthy food. Jane Clarke does healthy food but not sure if she is on very often as I work during the day. It would be good if chefs could think about the thousands of people who are tying to lose weight who want to cook meals themselves and are looking for healthy lowfat meals. I remember years ago Rosemary Conley used to do meals for slimmers but I don't think anyone has taken over from her. We all know that we should be cooking ourselves instead of buying ready-made meals with added preservatives etc so what about encouraging people to cook healthily. Come on UKTV Food lead on

They had a healthy eating on Mondays last year,dedicated to people who want healthier options. and sablebombe your strawberries are coming from spain just now,your Blueberries from Chileor New Zealand, tomatoes from Spain? Asparugus not English yet so how do you know your locol trader has them any fresher than a supermarket since all those products you list have travelled miles and miles to get to you.

They had a healthy eating on Mondays last year,dedicated to people who want healthier options. and sablebombe your strawberries are coming from spain just now,your Blueberries from Chileor New Zealand, tomatoes from Spain? Asparugus not English yet so how do you know your locol trader has them any fresher than a supermarket since all those products you list have travelled miles and miles to get to you.

They had a healthy eating on Mondays last year,dedicated to people who want healthier options. and sablebombe your strawberries are coming from spain just now,your Blueberries from Chileor New Zealand, tomatoes from Spain? Asparugus not English yet so how do you know your locol trader has them any fresher than a supermarket since all those products you list have travelled miles and miles to get to you.

didn,t mean it to come out 3 times.

The thing is, sablebombe, not everyone lives in the middle of a busy metropolitain city. What about those in the who live in housing estates in the middle of nowhere where it costs a small fortune to get to the bargains in the first place? How about encouraging the more proactive to create opportunities for a healthy and varied diet by creating a neighbourhood cooperative to bring good cheep food in. And what do you do with this lovely food once you've got it home. Not everybody has the skills necessary. Yes, I use my local market and some small shops but I'm not ashamed to say I also use the supermarkets. That is the true meaning of shopping around. It's not sticking your nose in the air while declaring that you only shop at certain places.
Good food is a building block for the next generation. Good food for good health and a better performing mind. Who was it that said that "knowledge is power"? That is why a show for the average Joe Shmoe would be so good!

Clearly there is a gap in the market both for the food writers and the programme schedulers. I agree with much that has been said. As a mother of 5 (who thankfully have now left home) I could only aspire to buy some of the ingredients used in most recepies shown on TV and in magazines.
There appears to be a lot of effort being expended to encourage us to eat '5 a day' but perhaps it would be better to divert that effor to show us economical & tasty ways of using fresh ingredients. My own way of feeding a large family on a budget was lots of casseroles (packed with veg and not a lot of meat), fresh soups, home made biscuits/tray bakes and home made bread.

Well, thanks AlexP for the support. To point out the lack of basic knowledge, I was in a supermarket and I picked up a pack of pitta breads. I unconciously said, "Ah, scrambled eggs, the boys will like that." An elderly lady asked me what she could do with them. I thought everybody knew that you toasted them lightly and could fill the pockets with all sorts of fillings hot or cold. So many people scared of even trying the basics. Why doesn't the Food Channel respond to and address this need?