I'm going to London for work, never been before and am traveling alone. Anyone know where I can eat a nice cheap lunch and a moderately priced dinner. There is a restaurant in my hotel, but I don't want to sit alone at a stuffy hotel restaurant.
Also, does anyone know of any grocery stores around Hyde Park where I could buy some snacks and drinks, hotel does not have a shop.
Thanks for any suggestions.
I have noticed the prices starting to spike for quite awhile now. Recently it has become depressing the amount of food that I walk away from the supermarket with.
There are only 2 of us, but we are red meat eaters, at least twice a week normally. Now I am buying more chicken, buying bone in meats and removing bones and skin myself to save even a few cents. Shopping sales helps, but we live in an apartment and stocking up isn't always an option. Now I look for recipes with few ingredients, try to utilize the things that I have on hand on any given day instead of going out to buy more food.
I will be making weekly trips to the farmers market in the summer and changing our diets to more veggies, grains and pasta in the summer so that we can at least save on food in the summer. It is scary to think about where this is all heading, and if you watch the news it's in your face every day that this all wont get better any time soon.
Thank you all for the suggestions, I will only be in London for 4 days, I think you have supplied me with enough places to eat. I tried searching some UK websites but wasn't having any luck with local shops or restaurants. Frommers suggested Gordon Ramsey's restaurant, and though I know it would likely be very good, I don' think my bosses will be pleased with me if I expense a solo dinner at Ramsey's place, lol.
Thank you all, wish me luck!
My family used to make tea sandwiches using sardines. I forgot all about them until I read this post.
On a piece of toasted pumpernickel bread rub a piece of garlic on the bread to give it some taste.
Smear a bit of Mayo on the bread (I like it w/o the Mayo if the Sardines are oily)
Place a few pieces of fish on the bread and top with sliced or fork mashed hard boiled egg.
Combo sounds funny now that I'm resiting it, but the taste is delic.
My family is Russian, sardines are somewhat of a staple. If you have a Russian or Polish Deli in your area you are sure to find canned sardines in many varieties and pretty reasonable prices.
Try Princess cruises. My parents just got back from a trip on a Princess ship and really enjoyed it. Many food options and your didn't have to get locked into a set dinner place/time. Entertainment was plentiful, and for all tastes.
They docked very early on the return in and were even fed breakfast before leaving the ship.
I have been using agave for awhile, I use it mostly on breakfast foods, on waffles, pancakes, etc. I have also been hearing lately that bars are begining to use it in mixed drinks as a sugar substitute.
I say buy any brand of kosher matzoh ball soup mix (throw away the soup seasoning, just use the matzoh meal micture. Prepare the matzoh ball mix as directed, usually with an egg and some oil, so basic.
I always boil the matzoh ball seperate from my soup, this way my soup stays clear and the matzoh balls dont get soggy and fall apart while sitting in soup... I swear that the boxed mix are the softest must delicious matzoh balls I have ever had.
I made a recipe this weekend that I found on epicurious.com, "eggs with cream, spinach, and country ham".
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/241180
This was the most amazing egg dish that I have eaten in a very long time. Simple to make, beautiful presentation, and delic.
You will have to serve some sort of bread along with it, maybe bagels or toast, some bacon and maybe sausage, I think some fruit too b/c the dish is somewhat rich in flavor.
I made it just for the 2 of us, but the recipe is for 8.
Peanut butter! I have a sensitivity to wheat and have searched high and low for a good slice of pizza that wouldn't destroy my stomach. Wouldn't have done the same for peanut butter.
guess what I make a living out of them. I do product development for a certain brand in asia. But eversince I started working on it, I stopped eating them at home. C'mon give me a break, they're everywhere at work. =) I want to eat something else. lol.
I'm not sure if you're familiar with fried sardines but they're great on toasts and on rice as well. One can eat it right off the can or bottle (yes, there are bottled sardines). But for the tomoto sauce based sardines, I'd rather heat them first and add some lemon or a bit of soy sauce.
Matriarchy, you have got to jump on the no-knead bread bandwagon. No special equipment required, just a lidded pot that can take high heat in the oven.
Also, the great thing about using the turkey legs in soups/stews is that the long simmering times makes the meat just slide off the bones and tendons behind.
Thanks for the smoked turkey idea - I will need to find a good local source. I have had "straight" smoked turkey legs and I love it right off the bone - I feel like a Henry the 8th skit when I eat them. They are a bit of work, to remove the meat from the connective tissue in a leg, but they could be a nice ham alternative.
Making my own bread and pasta are the next frontiers for us. I have carpel tunnel and can't knead, but I am looking for a decent used bread machine and a pasta machine at this summer's yard sales - someone must have gotten one for Christmas a few years ago, and has now accepted that they are not going give it a try. I want to get rid of the high fructose corn syrup we get in most commercial bread (even whole grain), and artisan bread can be a budget killer.
Wow matriarchy, it sounds like you are doing a phenomenal job of feeding your family with scarce resources. I am truly impressed. The difficulties you described finding fresh, high quality produce make me realize how very lucky I have it in Austin.
Can you get smoked turkey legs where you are? I started to like them for the flavor they bring, but also because they seem to have a lot more meat on them vs the ham. They are 1.69/lb. in my local Mexican market. Simmered with some collards a la Alton Brown and served over rice, it's very good stuff.
On a frivolous note, you should keep an eye out for Dave Lieberman on the Food Network, if you want some more accessible food porn. Maybe you're already familiar with him, but he always has an eye to the budget, and in a sincere way (vs., eg. Michael Chiarello's budget dinner that featured boneless chicken cutlets).
We have always been a family of limited means, 2 adults and 2 kids. We have always had a limited budget for food, usually $40-80/week. It's insulting and glib to imply that the rise in food prices will force low-income families to stop wasting their food stamps on junk food. In many urban neighborhoods, there is very little fresh food available. It takes hard work and planning to eat better, and many families don't have the skills or transportation. Fortunately, we do have a car, although it is not a late-model high-mileage vehicle. The price of gas hurts. We plan our trips carefully - we can't just drive out into the boondocks to visit the cute lil' organic boutique farm every weekend.
Our two "farmer's" markets are mostly not producer-markets - so often the supermarket has cheaper produce sales. "Eat local" is hard when most of your area's produce is shipped to a larger regional Northeastern city to be sold in trendy urban neighborhoods at a premium we local schmucks can't match. But I do score organic chicken backs at $5 for a 2-lb bag, to make stock for soup, sauces, grits, rice, beans, etc. Smoked ham shanks are one of my favorite budget-stretchers.
The Food Network is fun food-porn, but what I have really been studying is peasant food from various cultures. Notice, there is no cooking show aimed at poor people. You have any idea what that meat costs for those trendy grilling shows?
We do buy bulk - the Hispanic stores have the best bean and rice prices. I make my own stock, sauces, soup, etc. We buy almost nothing name-brand. We braise and slow cook a lot - I am planning to build a solar oven to try slow-cooking in it. We don't drink soda or coffee; we brew our own herbal tea. We have as large a vegetable/herb garden as we can in a small city yard. We bake our own snacks and desserts. We buy day-old bread to make bread pudding. I've tried to justify paying $7.99/gal for raw milk, but I cannot when commercial milk is half the price. I barter for pastured eggs, and go to pick-your-own orchards - fruit is harder to find and more expensive than veggies.
There is no slack in our budget. I admit to stockpiling rice, cornmeal, dried beans, spices, sugar, honey, and flour - I buy an extra bag as often as I can. I watch yard sales for working manual old-timey tools - meat grinder, grain mill, apple peeler, etc. I have not been able to stand canning in an airless city kitchen with no air-conditioning in the middle of summer - which is when the food wants canning - but I will try again this summer.
The global food news is scaring me - my family does not have the means to adapt as fast as the world can crush us.
I will be taking advantage of my large freezer in the garage more now, to buy "big packs" of meat. Luckily I already have a Food Saver vacuum thing which really makes a big difference in the quality of frozen stuff.
I saw my first case of $4/gallon gasoline today! YIKES
We do Costco as much as possible. We actually eat the leftovers now. And last, but not least, my mom started a garden for me...I am seriously thinking about how NOT to kill it.
Go out and buy Croyden House Matzo Ball Soup Mix and follow the directions. That's Croyden House, not Manischewitz, not Streich's...you can't go wrong. The flavour is the best and the Matzo balls are always fluffy. Runs about $ 2.50 USD a package............
Fwiw, Ramsay has taken ownership of several pubs around London, including one of my old locals (Warrington in Maida Vale).
Also, if you're caught out and hungry, there are several high-quality sandwich chains in London, like Pret a Manger and EAT. Organic ingredients, excellent soups, good coffees, and mercifully priced. Avoid Benjys.
Thank you all for the suggestions, I will only be in London for 4 days, I think you have supplied me with enough places to eat. I tried searching some UK websites but wasn't having any luck with local shops or restaurants. Frommers suggested Gordon Ramsey's restaurant, and though I know it would likely be very good, I don' think my bosses will be pleased with me if I expense a solo dinner at Ramsey's place, lol.
Thank you all, wish me luck!
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Location: Brooklyn, NY
About: Love cooking, been cooking since I was about 10. Was considering culinary school when I finished high school, but ended up in fashion instead. So now I design by day, and cook as a hobby every chance I get.
Favorite foods: I lived in Miami for awhile and became totally obsessed with Cuban food. Not fancy fusion, just no frills Cuban food. Ah, and Cuban coffee! Any type of cuisine though, I'll give it a try.
Last bite on earth: Tough. Hmmm. A chunk of fresh warm bread with a drizzle of the best olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.