Home Economics
The most sumptuous of ingredients are so abundant these days that the art of thrifty cooking has, on the whole, been forgotten. But if you give last night's leftovers a chance to shine and make the most of cheaper cuts of meat and lowly vegetables, writes Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the first instalment of our Guest Chef series, you can achieve great satisfaction – and become a more creative cook.
PROFILE
- Born 1965 in London and moves to Gloucestershire at the age of six: the template
for urban escape is set.
- Attends Eton College and St Peter's College, Oxford.
-
After graduating, kicks off his career by travelling to Africa to do conservation work.
-
In 1989, returns to London and begins his culinary career as a sous chef at The River Cafe.
-
Leaves The River Cafe within a year. Moves into journalism and TV production where he gains a reputation as an advocate of edibles such as squirrel and roadkill.
-
Presents his first TV series, A Cook on the Wild Side, in 1997.
-
Moves to River Cottage in Dorset in 1998, to grow and rear his own food. The first of three TV series documenting his experiences, Escape to River Cottage, is broadcast in 1999.
-
In 2003, publishes the award-winning The River Cottage Cookbook and establishes River Cottage
HQ near Bridport, Dorset.
The company moves to Park Farm on the the Dorset/Devon borders in 2006.
-
Now lives in Dorset with his wife Marie and their children Chloe (ten), Oscar (seven) and Freddie (three); between them, the kids can make a mean bacon sandwich, a fine fish pie and a superb Victoria sponge.
WFI readers can order a copy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's 'River Cottage 2007 Diary'
(rrp £10) for £9, including p&p worth £2.99 (UK mainland only), by calling 01297 630318 or visiting rivercottage.net/wfi
Thrift is not a word that gets bandied about much these days – perhaps the concept is seen as outmoded, redolent of dust, mothballs and desolate making-do. But in fact, when it comes to food, thrift can be
a stimulus for enormous creativity and a source of great satisfaction. It's nothing short of a thrill when the cupboard is almost bare but you still pull together a delicious meal from yesterday's potatoes, a couple of rashers of bacon and a forgotten jar of capers.
'Never throw good things away' is perhaps the First Rule of Thrift. A careful cook will look at leftovers with an enthusiast's eye: are they really 'the end' – or a new beginning? If what is now leftover was tasty to start with, chances are the remnants can be put to good use too. Couldn't quite finish that lovely fish? Its flesh, picked from the bone, tossed with lentils, parsley, and a lemony dressing, wouldn't be out of place as a dinner party starter.
Bread is another good example. A stale bit of loaf is tomorrow's crisp breadcrumbs, apple charlotte or pain perdu. It helps if the loaf was a good one in the first place.Being a good shopper is another essential element in thrifty cooking. That doesn't necessarily mean buying the cheapest – you'll be motivated to make more out of quality ingredients. Happily, buying food that's in season and locally produced will keep the price down, as you're not paying to chill, vac-pack and transport the food from the other side of the country, or even the world.
Another good tactic is elevating some of the 'also ran' ingredients of everyday cooking onto the winner's podium. Onions are a case in point – cheap as chips, they'll perform beautifully if you ask them to play the lead, rather than their usual supporting role. Proper French onion soup springs to mind, as does caramelised onion tart. That tart will also need some well-flavoured cheese and a splash of cream, but basing your cooking
on salt-of-the-earth ingredients means that you can splurge on more expensive items of which you need use only a little.
But there's more to being prudent than saving cash. Gaining a respect for your ingredients will also make you a better cook. The more resourceful you can be, and the less you waste, the greater appreciation you will have of the qualities of any food, from the humble to the lavish. This is particularly true with meat. Discarding any of the edible parts of a carcass is really quite an insult to an animal that has died to feed you. You need
to explore the less expensive cuts, such as pork belly or shin of beef, that need a little more time spent on them, but which will repay your efforts tenfold.
The second prong in a thrifty approach to meat is to treat it less as a centrepiece, more as a seasoning. A little crisp bacon scattered on your bubble and squeak makes it taste wonderfully rich, while a ham bone can be cooked with some stock vegetables and a few handfuls of split peas to create a protein-packed soup – the very spirit of good husbandry, and delicious to boot.
At the start of the year, when a warm kitchen is particularly appealing, it's the perfect time to work on these old-fashioned household management skills. Remember: thrifty cooking is not miserly, it's not parsimonious, it's not thin and watery or stodgy and flavourless – that's just bad cooking. What I'm talking about is a pleasing craft that involves using good ingredients with wisdom, respect and skill to produce something you really want to eat. It's one
of the most satisfying ways to cook and, whether you're genuinely on a tight budget or you just can't bear needless extravagance, it's as relevant now as it ever was.
Prices correct at time of publication.