BARGAIN BASEMENT

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Nothing!

Just been shopping as the kitchen was bare, and nothing I wanted was on offer.

Even the 2 packets of mince were £6.
And 3 packets for a tenner .... eh?

[Renée Profile]

What??!!!

I've thawed out some prawns and will use smoked salmon pieces to make some kind of a pasta dish. I'm still thinking .....

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Did somebody mention prawns.
My favourite!

[Petronius Profile]

Waitrose, Dorset Cereals, Alpen and Jordans Muesli buy one get second half price.

Special K reduced to £2 from £2.99 - because they were out of Peach and Apricot (OH's favourite) popped into Co-op - their's wasn't reduced but normal price £2.69. Co-op cheaper than Waitrose - in our town that's unusual.

Never understand why anyone pays money for cornflakes in any form wonders off muttering.

[Sakkarin Profile]

I used to treat myself to the "red berries" Special K when it was on offer, but there's no need now, as in my opinion Tesco's own brand of red berry cereal is just as good, and only £1.50...

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

There was a time when own brands were inferior. I still remember Tesco rice crispies ... more like crispy greasy fried noodles.

But not any more.
We buy own brands from whichever supermarket we are in.

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Gill and Sakkarin, I am totally with you with regards to supermarket own brands. They have definitely upped their game in recent years. We buy very little in the way of the big brands these days, it's literally just HP sauce and Flora as far as foodstuffs go.

[jeral Profile]

I bought on introductory offer the new Bird's Eye posh fish fingers, i.e. haddock with lemon/black pepper panko coating. The fish inside was very good, as fish fingers go, and the coating flavour comes through nicely. I haven't managed to get the fish cooked properly without the coating drying out yet still with that soggy layer under it. So I'd recommend them if only I could figure out how to cook the darn things successfully. Not sure I'd recommend them at full price though.

[Petronius Profile]

Yesterday, Waitrose had Hellman's on special offer, 800g for £3. And that was when the news was telling us Unilever products would soon disappear from the shelves.

[Petronius Profile]

Today, Sainsbury had Special K Peach and Apricot reduced from £3 to £2, though OH decided to try their own brand at £1.50.

Bertolli olive oil was reduced as well.

Local Farm shop were selling off gammon joints - one was reduced by £4 - use by date was 16/10/16. Obviously, being the 20th, use by dates aren't mandatory.

[jeral Profile]

In my change today, I was given a new plastic £5 note and wanted to keep it to inspect it Of all the other notes I took out with me, I had only £1.03 left so to stop it burning a hole in my pocket I wandered around Tesco to see if I could buy anything at all now for £1... Not a lot

However, Coleman's sauces e.g. tartare, seafood etc were on special offer at £1 (So my £1 is now gone.)

Double take then: Oliver on GBM has said that a chef's tartare sauce was the best he'd eaten ever. I wonder what was so special about it?

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Tartare sauce does vary doesn't it? I have to watch it in restaurants wher ethey might make it themselves as some people put tarragon in, to which I am allergic

Tell you what you can get for a pound - Iceland have a new Luxury own brand, there are frozen desserts, which I haven't tried but they look appealing (lattice topped Morello cherry tart for example) but I have been buying the (not frozen) bakery stuff, most packets are £1

Not had a bad one yet, but I particularly like the brioche burger buns (best I've had), the crumpets, the ciabatta (needs heating quickly but lovely), and 4 little squares of focaccia that are just right with a bowl of soup - oh and folded flatbreads

[Sakkarin Profile]

I've got a £1 bargain at Tesco: their "Exotic Juice" was only £1 a litre pack, and is real juice, not a sugared-up "juice drink". However they have just reduced it to 89p, so you'd have some coppers back out of £1 too! It seems to be a permanent reduction not an offer.

EDIT: P.S. their Euphorium ciabatta rolls which I have raved about recently, which were reduced from 50p to 25p but stayed enormous, have now been reduced to the size of normal rolls. No special trips to Tesco for ciabatta rolls any more.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Tartare sauce

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/jun/19/how-to-make-the-perfect-tartare-sauce-fish-chips

I used to like Burgess's which I don't think they make any more

[jeral Profile]

Thanks for the tartare link Stokey Sue and other tips from you and Sakkarin. Cherry pie is a long standing favourite so I'll gladly take a pound in my sticky mit

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Thanks for the tartare link Stokey Sue and other tips from you and Sakkarin. Cherry pie is a long standing favourite so I'll gladly take a pound in my sticky mit

I think the desserts may be more than £1 - it's the cellophane packs of bread that are £1

[jeral Profile]

Thanks. In that case I'll gladly take two pounds in my sticky mit for the cherry dessert (no flies on me). Might have to take three pounds if buying bread as well. Seriously though, I've often thought that Iceland is underrated and I wish there was a closer one.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Thanks. In that case I'll gladly take two pounds in my sticky mit for the cherry dessert (no flies on me). Might have to take three pounds if buying bread as well. Seriously though, I've often thought that Iceland is underrated and I wish there was a closer one.

I seem to be promoting it, but as I live about 300 metres from Iceland, I pop in for odds, hence now buying most bakery there
So it amuses me that until recently it seemed to have a Yummy Mummy exclusion zone around it, as a lot of what they sell is excellent, you don't have to buy nasty ready meals - but who with children doesn't want some ice cream, peas, fish fingers etc. ?

The Luxury range is definitely aimed at those who pine for Picard.

I notice a new range of frozen fruit for smoothies & desserts, I bought raspberries, excellent, decent bag £1.50

[strictlysalsaclare Profile]

Hello Stokey

We also have an Iceland near us too, approx 400 metres away. We have recently started shopping there for our meat, fish and some other bits and pieces like frozen veg. Their frozen mackerel in particular is delicious. Next time we go in I will have a look to see if our store sells the frozen berries, and also have a look in the luxury section for a festive treat.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Still keep meaning to pop in there and try their wagyu beef burgers... unfortunately my Iceland is the furthest bit of the high street where I rarely venture.

Just popped into Poundland , for a couple of pairs of their reading glasses which fit me perfectly and don't look too bad, and found an unexpected bargain: Simon Hopkinson's follow-up to "Roast Chicken and other stories". Quite a surprise, as the first book (which I've already got) was very highly regarded, some reckon one of the best cookbooks ever. I see poor old Lyndsey has got the sack for volume 2, though...

Still, maybe she's off writing her follow up to "The Prawn Cocktail Years", which I loved.