Before we get into my thoughts on the whole thing lets just get tonight out of the way; we could have gone for either a proper blow out or a super frugal finale but in the end, I decided to go a third way, with a premium dinner in. As a family we don't eat enough fish, in fact as a country we don't eat enough fish but one of our absolute favourite family meals are mussels. They're very sustainable and stuffed with good stuff so they should be top of our food agenda but we don't get to eat them as much as we would like because, let's face it, they are pretty pricey. We all love mussels but none of us more than The Child who has developed a literal killer instinct when she suspects they might be available of an evening.
So tonight, as we faced the end of the challenge with a substantial cushion for the weeks finances (almost £30 left - enough for that monthly take away treat), I splashed out on some lovely moules and a decent bottle of plonk. There are some things in life which are worth the money and I hope you've picked up a few as we've gone through the past twenty eight days. For me, there is no question that spending that bit extra on good quality salt, pasta and wine then putting in the time to make some other essentials such as stock or a cheese sauce yourself, benefits more than just your bank balance. Confidence reduces fear and increases willingness to try new things, all of which is essential for enjoying one of the main activities in your life.
Anyway I digress, I've cooked mussels in many different ways but I keep coming back to a simple mariniere. If anyone knows me at all, they know that simple is best and against all expectations, the French got this one bang on: as many onions as you can scrape together, finely chopped garlic and wine - oh and don't forget some good bread to dunk. If you start with quality, you get quality. Don't forget to clean your mussels and the golden rule: 'if it's open when raw then show it the door and if it's still closed when cooked then don't eat it.'
That there is a good night in.
The base - what could be easier??!
A bowl of salad completes the table alongside a couple more glasses of vino. Normally, samphire is the only natural accompaniment for this most delicious fishy feast, but sadly the supermarket shelves were bare! We fed four again tonight but The Child was feeling very put out when she only managed two bowlfuls.
So, this is what you want to know: What did we discover over the past four weeks? Well, one thing is clear; without any doubt in my mind, we had enough money to eat well over this month. So, to the lady on the TV who started this whole thing, we say No! You are wrong! You can eat perfectly healthily on benefits and your daughter is obese because of what you choose to prioritise. In fact, we had more than enough money and food because over the past 28 days we have had a guest at our main meal of the day for 21 of them. Yep, you read that correctly, for 21 of 28 dinners our food had to stretch to at least one extra setting - things don't come easy in this house let me tell you. But we certainly didn't dredge the bottom of the budget frozen supermarket barrel. We still bought decent free range meat, and got some brands when I thought they were worth it. However, it did take a whole day of the weekend to plan and buy for the following week. That's time which is difficult for us to give on an on-going basis with a full time job, but if it's time that is the deciding factor between health or fattyness, then perhaps for people who find themselves in the position that they are in receipt of such benefits, it isn't time that is the issue.
Do I think we should cut benefits then? Well, that's problematic. If I thought it would tackle the issues then maybe, but actually the realisation that has been bestowed upon me is that it all starts much earlier than that. Because we're not cooking at home or at school, there is loss of recognition of how to do it or why it's important. Kids are being thrown images of healthy lifestyles but their reality is simply so far from achieving that - I'm just not sure we give them any viable middle road to aspire to? If you don't know how to boil an egg by the time you're sixteen, the kitchen becomes a totally unnecessary addition to the home. Eating is something that you do several times a day - why the hell don't we recognise the danger that eating badly can have on our physical, psychological and emotional lives and then teach ourselves how to stop it?
Our average weekly budget came in at just under £54 and if we hadn't had tonights extras, then we would have achieved £49.51 per week. You don't need to be Stephen Hawking to realise that there is some flexibility in there. People - you can all eat anything you want. There are so many eatables in the world that are tasty that it's impossible to fit them all in to one belly, but please, please, please just promise me this; don't eat too much of one thing. Too many crisps are not good for you. Too many sweets are not good for you. Processed food is designed to be tasty - but its not good for you and besides which, do you know what's in it?! Too much of anything is not good for you, so just do me a favour and mix it up, change your flavours and expectations, embrace variety (and even the stove from time to time???) and you'll be all the better for it. Just as I learned this month, a little education can change your life. Peace out and I'll see you on the flip side.
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