Kitchen Monkey

15 May 2008

Advancement has its price in all of our Kitchens!!!

Will the re-establishment of cookery classes in schools be too late??
Have we developed so far in technology yet have turned a full circle in time to take all of us back to 1940 in everyday life???

This may be some of the questions crossing you mind if you have been reading some of the headlines in the national newspapers over the past two days. I was only blogging about the issues they are discussing today, back in February of this year.

Here we are in the marvellous 21st century with all of our technological advancements and yet we missed the basics, and now what do all of us face today, you, me and our children.

Only in 1930 have we seen the food shortages which we are starting to see today. I cannot see how anyone had managed to miss the absurd price increases or ‘credit crunch’ as the tabloids refer to it affecting us all.

In less than a year general food prices have risen by an average of 19% and this is just the beginning. Pasta has risen by 80%, Rice & Butter up by 60% and Eggs 50% increase. The average family of 4 who were spending £100 per week last year on food are now spending £200 per week. A shocking 40% of the average family income is needed now for food alone, that’s before the increase in gas and electric up by 25% and about to go up again, the increase in fuel at the pump; my petrol tank price has increased by £20 in 10 months, that’s every tank full. The UK pig herds have been halved and we are heading for a pork shortage to mention just one of the meat price increases we have seen, and over the past few years more and more food is being brought outside of the UK to feed all of us in the UK.

Shortages and rising global prices have been driven by not only poor harvests from natural disasters like floods etc, but increased oil prices and the impact this has on everything else; but also the supply and demand we have created ourselves and the market we have diversified our UK farmers into.

We have created a demand naturally be requiring 67% more food supply needed by 2030 to cope with increased population to feed all of us, but not only this, with our advancement and need to be more eco friendly and the development of bio fuel means our food supplies are now grown for this purpose and not for food.

One staggering statistic is that 1 tank of bio fuel made from Maize could potentially feed a family of 4 for 3 months if this maize was used for food instead. I have considered bio fuel myself and have watched since my first enquiry about converting my car back in only September 2007 last year, when I quoted £1200.00, to being quoted now £2400.00 for the same job. Now being driven by the demand from us due to its popularity and the obvious cost of fuel today. As a farmer trying to survive in today’s climate you would be putting your efforts into the most lucrative of methods to bring in income from your land too.

Back in 1940’s our parents or grandparents spend 10% of their income on food, they were taught home economics and cookery at school valuable skills needed, I was taught these subjects at school and by my grandmother. I know my children did not have these subjects at school but I have taught them these skills. These basic skills teach you how to grow your own produce, budget for a household, plan meals around you budget and seasonal vegetables and meats etc.

Marguerite Pattern OBE was a famous cook who taught many people in the 1940’s how to cook during rationing and food shortages, while our government assisted the farmers to produce the extra food needed in crops and meats. Most homes were encouraged to grown their own vegetables and from this the allotment was born. I know today city councils charge about £50 per year for an allotment and some village parish’s charge as little as £15 per year.

Households everyway were taught as my grandmother was to cook one roast meal using the largest joint you could afford or get and from this you made it last for no less that 2 other meals besides your roast dinner. For instance my grandmother would serve leg of lamb on Sunday, a piece of lamb was then be hand minced and made into shepherd’s pie on Monday and then the bones made a stock to use in a soup or casserole with any further meat for Tuesday’s meal. The outcome from this is no waste, we would never throw anything away and our plates would always be clean & empty. You would eat it even if you didn’t like it, the saying ‘your not leaving the table until it’s all gone’ never was uttered, you would sit together as a family and eat being thankful for what you had. Any peelings were put on the compost heap and rubbish was minimal.

If you actually did this today you would be surprised at how empty your dustbin would be. Instead of going around the supermarket filling your trolley up if you actually planned your meals and brought only what you needed upon your list, there would be no waste. This would also save you money especially if you purchased seasonal groceries and shopped locally cutting down on your travel costs. I suppose another gripe here would be in 1940 each village had a butcher, baker, cobbler etc all of which have gone now to the supermarket in many areas. Like online shopping and its increased growth from our ever busy lives and our obsession with time saving, plus our passion to save money on fuel and be eco friendly and assist the planet. All of these areas make online shopping effective even more so when you choose someone like kitchenmonkey.co.uk, who use local producers and small holdings, and deliver to your door using seasonal produce, saving you money in transport and household fuel to cook as the dishes can be micro waved in minutes without any compromise in quality. Something if you add up all the costs involved they may surprise you and my grandmother would have loved our idea as she could have spent hours still baking and hours tending to the animals etc which she adored.

We have watched foods that were cheap staples now turn in to luxury items like rice. We have seen restaurant’s take meals off their menus, as the ingredients have either become too expensive for customers to pay to eat or due to food shortages.

What advancement have we made? What do you think to bring back cookery and food economics in schools or other issues I have raised, email me on jacqui@kitchenmonkey.co.uk