I’m writing this post to keep myself sane as much as anything else because I need some more productive daily actions in my life. Anyway, today I want to talk about the importance of food during these strange and quite frankly, harrowing times. I think we are realising, now more than ever, the gravity of food. It has the power to make our day, or in some cases, send it the other way. We are being forced to recognise the value of what we have in our cupboards through the restrictions on shopping and the tumbleweed that’s found in some supermarket aisles at the moment although I have to acknowledge my own privilege in this situation in the fact our family can afford to still be shopping at the supermarket and for that I am truly grateful.
When you spend all day at home, as almost all of us are having to do at the moment, little things can make the biggest difference. Food is one of those things. For some of us, myself most definitely included, it has always had the power to lift our spirits, but it feels as if the rest of the population is starting to feel that way too. Every day I see more and more evidence of people engaging with food in a way they might not have been before. More people are baking, cooking, experimenting and sharing their culinary experiences through social media in a trend that is undoubtedly inspired by this sudden excess amounts of time that so many of us are finding ourselves with. It warms my heart to see people I know and strangers alike, taking to the kitchen and trying new things and I really hope that they are finding the same joy in the process that I have in recent years. If nothing else good can come from this devastating pandemic, at least food and family time has been thrust into the epicentre of our lives once again.
What’s more, the consequences of what we are eating have increased tenfold. Being cooped up at home all day, whether you’re working from home and living a weird virtual life through Zoom or Google Hangouts, or studying for exams that you’re unsure will even happen, we are all moving less and so trying to eat a varied and balanced diet becomes more of a priority. We are also eating all three of our meals at home every day which for students, and the employed alike, will be something of a novelty (or a nuisance). All things considered, then, food has presented itself to all of us as an inflated challenge where it may have previously been skirted around.
I want to have a look at how we can keep food exciting whilst best managing the food we have in our houses so that we can keep down unnecessary trips to the shops and try to protect our beloved NHS who are working so hard at the moment to try and keep the country from sinking.
There are a few things we can do to minimise waste, maximise efficiency and keep our meals engaging and healthy. Some are boring but essential and others are more light hearted but equally vital for maintaining that family bond in really testing times.
The first, and arguably most valuable thing we can do is pause and take stock. Choose some time when you have all clocked off from your virtual workplace for the evening and empty out your cupboards. Dig everything out, right to the back. You will be surprised at some of the weird sh*t you find in there. Do the same with the fridge. It’s so important that you know what you’ve got in the house at a time when some selfish people are panic buying whole carloads of food from the supermarket and leaving others with nothing. Make a list of what’s in each cupboard and stick on the inside of the door. It’s a great reference point to be able to glance at without having to dig about and means things won’t get overbought. Next time you go to make a meal, have a glance at your lists and you’ll know exactly what things you have to work with. This will also cut down on waste because you can prioritise things you know have been in there the longest. Saving money on unnecessary food and not having to throw things away at the moment can be a real lifesaver.
Secondly, make new things. With your newly organised storage spaces, you know exactly what you’ve got and you can build recipes around those ingredients. Websites like www.allrecipes.com will let you put in a single or multiple ingredients and bring back recipes for those specific things so if you can’t think of anything those sites can be a good place to look for inspiration. Making new dishes is not only a good way to use up old stock but is also great for keeping things fresh in the kitchen. At a time when you can’t eat out at your favourite restaurant, making exciting, tasty and new food at home is key. Learning those new recipes can also help to make your day feel more productive if, like me, you have been left feeling a bit useless. You can even make it into a game. Taking inspiration from ‘Masterchef’ mum set me and my sister, Lo, a mystery box challenge. We had an allotted time to produce dinner for the family from a box of random (really random) ingredients that she’d pulled from the ‘needs using up’ pile. We made it into a friendly competition (which I managed to fluff up and lose) and it gave us all great entertainment for the evening whilst making use of ingredients that might have otherwise been left sitting in the cupboard until the next global catastrophe.
I hope that you’ve found some of what I’ve written helpful. Remember that all this will pass and in the meantime, cook something that puts a smile on your face.
Lots of love, stay safe,
J