Price Comparisons...

After the comment after my latest menu post from Mum, I thought it might be interesting to do a like-for-like comparison shop of what I bought this week in the UK, with what I'd buy if I were in NZ. I was shocked at how expensive everything seemed to be in NZ when I was home last year (and it seemed an increase on what things had been like when I'd been home the time before that, about 2 years prior). So, I went to the website of Countdown - my former main-stay supermarket in NZ and tried to get a similar shopping basket to the one I ordered here via Ocado. I tried to be as fair as possible with Countdown, buying the versions of products I'd buy if I were there (so picking the cheapest options and budget ranges were possible, but keeping the same higher welfare meat standards) or matching items to weight where there wasn't a like for like (eg. the white chocolate eggs I plan to use in a raspberry white chocolate slice). There were a few things I couldn't get - chickpeas (dried or canned) which seems odd, but we can assume the tinned version wouldn't be too pricey (and I know the dried ones are hard to come by in NZ). Also fresh raspberries weren't available, so I had to go with frozen.

This is my Ocado receipt for today's weekly shop:

And this is the Countdown list (I couldn't get a screenshot of their shopping cart)

Quite a big difference in cost because I think typically you spend dollar for pound and vice versa, rather than seeing a difference based on exchange rates, but not perhaps as huge a difference as I had thought. In saying that, spending $134 a week on a fairly basic shop (one which has very few vege, no pasta or rice, no milk because I forgot to order it and only a couple of small toiletry items) does seem expensive to me. Maybe wages have gone up substantially in NZ since I left?!

Reflections on the process:

• The Countdown interface is hellishly annoying and has miles to go before it'd be even half as lovely to use as Ocado 
• There is a BIG difference in what's available in different parts of NZ. I don't think this is the case in the UK. If you live somewhere obscure you can't always get stuff delivered, but the general food stuffs would be the same. When I did the Countdown thing, I initially put Mum's address in Clyde in, and I couldn't get ANY fresh items at all (meat, fish, vege, fruit - nada). Seems geared towards Auckland which isn't terribly user friendly for the rest of the country
• Dairy products are obnoxiously expensive and hugely price fixed in NZ. All the yoghurts were the same price regardless of brand. Surely this is highly anti-competitive behaviour on the part of (one assumes) Fonterra? I'm genuinely surprised that the WTO hasn't slapped them and the NZ government on the wrist. 

While there are many things which are expensive in the UK, I will say that I think the food is really good quality and very good value. I know that's in part because of EU subsidies etc, and I will also say that we have high inflation here at the moment (or, relatively high inflation) so prices have gone up noticeably. But still, we eat damned well for not terribly much money. And we spend well above the norm.

Interesting food for thought...

Meat-free Tacos

Part of the whole cheaper-shopping thing is trying to introduce more meat-free meals into our weekly menu. I love vegetarian food, but Andrew clings on to a feeling that he needs to have meat in most meals. This is more a psychological quirk than anything I think, because he's actually not such a big lover of meat and wouldn't trouble you for a steak. So I'm convinced that I can find meat-free meals he'll like. We don't normally eat a great deal of meat - most meals we eat use only a small amount anyway (this being for both ethical and economical reasons). But proper meat-free is harder. I've made the following dish a few times and it seems to meet with approval. Typical tacos in our household would be made with tomato-based beef mince chilli (usually with kidney beans added), but I think this is actually nicer. I do have refried bean mixtures I like, but in the interests of winning over the other half, I've been trying to think of something with a more meaty texture. Green or brown lentils have proven a winner. The spices I add are as I like them - feel free to adjust/alter to your tastes or to whatever you have in the cupboard.

This is my recipe (which makes enough for two greedy people with plenty leftover for lunch the next day).

Lentil Chilli 

2 medium/1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried chilli
1 cup green or brown lentils
1/4 c tomato paste
1 tbsp soy sauce (or 1 tsp salt)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 litre (or so) of hot vege/chicken stock (or water)

Gently cook the onion in oil until soft and sweet, add garlic and whole cumin seeds if using. Cook a minute longer and then add the rest of the spices. Cook for a minute or so until fragrant, then add the lentils. Stir to combine and ensure they are all coated with spices. Add the tomato paste, sugar and salt/soy, plus half the stock. Bring to a simmer. Cook for about an hour. You will need to keep an eye on it and top up the stock/water. Keep the lentils moist throughout, but in final 10 minutes of cooking, let the mixture dry out somewhat. You don't want it to be too saucy as the texture is better when it's slightly drier.

Serve in tacos or soft tortillas (both in our house - I like crunchy, A like soft!) with guacamole, cheese, Greek yoghurt or sour cream, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, coriander - whatever you fancy! I would advise that you don't eat it over your computer for lunch like I did. Tacos are messy. 

Menu Plan this Week

This week we have visitors coming for lunch on Saturday so I've bought a larger quantity of beef than I usually would and the bill for the week is a wee bit higher (£55) but I will get at least one (possibly two) other meals from the beef so it'll work out.

This week's menu/plan is:

The falafel on Friday night are my Mum's good friend Shirley's recipe and they're rather infamous in our family circles. Haven't had them in ages but I'm looking forward to Friday's dinner already!

I've also just sown my tomato seedlings for the summer today and plan on Saturday (after lunch) to spend the afternoon sowing some greens in the garden. I love my garden but am not very good at gardening - tending to get excited in spring and then get distracted later on. This year's goal is to get the garden functioning more as a kitchen garden - with plans of growing so that we can have something to eat from it throughout the year. Will see how that goes!