Caitriona Redmond: How to make comforting carrot, apple and ginger soup on a budget 

If you use low salt stock cubes then this is also a great dish for weaning.

I'm feeling like my household budget has been spread a bit thin nowadays. Last week I bought a packet of biscuits that used to contain 10 biscuits and now they contain 8. I also bought some capsules for the coffee machine, a packet used to contain 16 capsules but this time there were only 12. Both items cost the same price as previously, just contained less. This method of increasing food prices is often called shrinkflation.

Speaking of spreading things thin. The cost of butter has increased again in 3 of the main supermarkets, which means the remaining shops will follow shortly. When I started tracking the price of a half-pound of own-brand butter in March it cost €1.49, the current cost (as of writing my column this week) is €1.99 per half a pound of Irish butter.

I expect certain things to be costly. A fancy loaf of bread or the type of biscuits reserved for visitors is always going to be more expensive. There’s price anticipation knowing that there is a premium price attached to premium products.

When my shopping basket contains only essential items and their price has increased significantly that’s when I begin to feel anxious. We all do. Would I say that I’m buying a third less butter than this time last year to compensate for the price increasing by 50c per half a pound? I’m certainly using it less and when I am spreading the butter it’s a little thinner to last longer.

Have you ever enjoyed the top-tier treat of butter sandwiched between two biscuits? In our house, it’s digestive biscuits, but I know it’s common to also use rich tea. Either way, there’s a double whammy of price increases this week for biscuit sandwich aficionados because the cost of digestive biscuits is also on the rise. At the start of March, 400g of digestive biscuits would have cost 34c and that same package now costs 55c.

Managing that feeling of being spread thin is a little more complicated. Living on a low income and feeding yourself on a budget is a balancing act. Many will arrive at a point where a choice will have to be made between maintaining the groceries as they are and starting to drop products from the trolley. I’ll continue to spread things a little bit thinner and trying to make my shopping stretch to last the week. It has to after all.

Chicken Noodle Lunch

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

Easy to assemble, this meal can be popped into an insulated flask or lunchbox for a hot lunch in school or work.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Dried egg noodles

• 2 large carrots, peeled

• 3 scallions, chopped

• ½ cup of sweetcorn

• ½ cup of defrosted peas

• Punnet of cherry tomatoes

• 1 cup of cooked chickpeas

• quarter head of fresh broccoli, chopped

• cooked chicken

• For the dressing:

• 3 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp runny honey

• juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon

• pinch of garlic powder

• pinch of paprika

Method

1. Break up the dried noodles into a large heat-proof bowl. Pour a kettle of boiling water over the dried noodles. Cover the bowl with a plate and set it to one side for 10 minutes to allow the noodles to cook in the heat.

2. Put the dressing ingredients into the bottom of a very large bowl and stir with a fork so that they are all combined. Grate the carrots into the bowl, add the scallions, sweetcorn, peas, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, and broccoli. Drain the water from the noodles, then add the noodles to the bowl and finally the cooked chicken breast.

3. Stir well so that all the ingredients are coated in the dressing and serve immediately, or portion into a thermos for a hot lunch on the go.

Carrot, Apple, and Ginger Soup

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

You can freeze this soup in portions easily once it has cooled to room temperature. If you use low salt stock cubes then this is also a great dish for weaning.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 6 medium carrots, peeled, and sliced

• 2 sticks celery, chopped

• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced

• 1 knob of fresh ginger (about the size of your thumbnail), grated

• 1 medium apple, chopped

• 1 litre vegetable stock

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Put the pot on the hob on a medium heat, add the vegetable oil then the ginger and onion, stir well.

2. Add the celery and carrots to the pot and stir.

3. Add the apple to the pot and stir around.

4. Pour the stock over all the vegetables and bring the pot to a simmer.

5. Cover the pot with the lid and leave to simmer for approximately 45 mins.

6. After which time the vegetables should all be tender.

7. Turn off the pot and leave for 15 mins before blending.

8. Season to taste before serving.

Now is the time to pick up a frozen turkey before the prices increase

Shopping Tip 

You might have heard about the outbreak of bird flu in Monaghan affecting a large flock of turkeys being prepared for Christmas. It is likely that the spread of bird flu may affect other flocks in the next couple of weeks. It may not, but either way, the loss of 3,000 turkeys from the market this close to Christmas will push demand and prices higher. There’s also the chance of a shortage of fresh turkeys because demand could be higher than supply.

If you are a turkey fan but are not fussy about whether your turkey is fresh or not, then now is the time to pick up a frozen turkey before the prices increase in line with demand. All of the supermarkets have frozen turkeys in stock along with turkey crowns in prepared roasting trays. They also tend to be a good bit cheaper than picking up fresh.

Special Offers Tesco finest leg, and half leg of lamb has been reduced to half price from €15.99/kg to €7.99/kg until December 15. Roast lamb is a lovely alternative to the classic ham and turkey on Christmas day, but equally a decadent roast for Sunday dinner.

Tassimo and selected Dolce Gusto coffee pods are half price in Dunnes Stores until November. 29 Making your own coffee at home can save you a fortune compared to daily coffee shop trips.

Finally, a bag of Irish apples in Lidl are half price reduced from €1.99 to 99c. Apples keep for weeks in the fridge and are perfect for my soup recipe this week as well as lunchboxes and snacks.