Bargain food (part 2)

It appears that readers like to hear how I regularly rummage in the reduced section of supermarkets with the best of them so here it is… the next installment of my Bargain food thread.

As before, the challenge is to create meals inspired from these special offer findings. To begin, I happened to stumble on a small treasure of reduced items by being in the right place at the right time when I popped in to pick up something on the way home from a meeting. Nothing mind-blowing but definitely useful – a bag or organic spinach down to 49p, fresh baby plum tomatoes at 39p, fresh egg noodles down to 39p and a bag of large courgettes for just 49p.

Of course, this is just the beginning so the next morning I set off on my quest for additions to create actual meals. First off, I find a pack of fresh prawns, substantial enough for two and a reasonable £2.80 and a £1 bag of bell peppers they are so versatile and always a safe bet. Meal number one is born – sweet and sour prawns with the fresh noodles.

There are two other vegetables that I love to cook with – red onions and spinach. As the spinach is at it the end of its peak, I want to use the whole bag so for the second dish so opt for a vegetarian option. I already have a red onion in the fridge, plus the red and yellow peppers so I’m going to go for a red Thai vegetable curry.

I find a pack of garlic and coriander naan breads for 60p and then for an extra touch, I pick up a £1 bag of new potatoes. Rather than boil them, I pop them in the oven and the results are perfect – baby baked potatoes.

These two meals have achieved my target of using up all the bargains with no waste. And as the third meal is falling on a Sunday evening, it’s time for a lazy treat – fabulous barbecued ribs, half price at just £1.50 and plenty for two with chips and a pepper, red onion and tomato side salad.