SMARTER COOKING
cookers Did you know, slow cookers are a great, cost-effective way of cooking, and much cheaper than using an oven? Traditional oven-cooked food is one of the most common but also most expensive ways of preparing food, but you can cook most of the same recipes in the slow-cooker. Even though slow-cookers are on for a lot longer than a normal oven, they use a lot less electricity, so cost less in the long run. For example: 2hrs in the oven
8hrs in the slow cooker *Based on electricity costs at £0.56 kWh.
Take a look at this easy recipe from budget food expert and blogger Jack Monroe; at just 29p per portion this rich and filling lentil ragu can form the base for a soup, be served with pasta, or eaten on its own with some crusty bread. INGREDIENTS • 1 small onion or a handful of diced frozen ones, 9p (90p/1.5kg, supermarket basics range). • 6 cloves of garlic, 12p (35p/2 bulbs, avg 10 cloves each). • 1 tbsp. oil (optional), 2p (£3/3l, sunflower or vegetable oil). • 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes, 35p (35p/400g, supermarket basics range). • 2 tbsp. tomato ketchup, 1p (45p/460g, supermarket basics range). • 1/2 a vegetable stock cube, 2p (35p/10, supermarket basics range). • 200ml water. • Approximately 400g tin of lentils, 55p (55p/410g). • A pinch of mixed dried herbs, 1p (40p/14g, supermarket basics range). METHOD 1. First turn your slow cooker on to the high heat. 2. Peel and finely slice the onion and toss it in to the pan. 3. Peel the garlic cloves, halve them lengthways, and add those too. 4. Add the oil, tomatoes and tomato ketchup, and crumble in the stock cube. Pour in the water, and give it all a stir. 5. Cook for an hour on high heat, then reduce to low for 3-11 hours more, depending on how much time and patience you have! 6. The longer it is cooked, the sweeter and more ‘caramelly’ the taste, but it starts to come into its own around the third hour and just improves from there. 7. However long you decide to cook it for, drain and rinse the lentils half an hour before the end and crank the heat up to high again to soften them and start to break them down, and then serve. Delicious with pasta or rice, or stuffed into wraps, layered into a lasagne, or used as the base for a casserole or stew.
Household support fund
Telford & Wrekin Council has been helping families and pensioners since October 2021 with the rising costs of energy and food. Some of this has been through supermarket vouchers to families during school holidays and to pensioners receiving credits or who are in receipt of either Housing Benefit or a Council Tax Reduction. There may be some people that haven’t received a payment who are experiencing exceptional financial hardship. If this is the case, an application can be made to our discretionary Household Support Fund.
Scan the QR code to find information on the Household Support Fund
TOTALLY TELFORD
11
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator