My husband didn’t marry me for my cooking skills, my talents just about stretch to summoning up a very basic Sunday roast.
There was the time my mother-in-law gave instructions on how to make a cheese sauce before shaking her head sadly in resignation, or the infamous Christmas dinner incident which saw the turkey served with a side helping of charcoal.
But then I became a mother, and have tried my best to provide my son with balanced meals.
I would love the know how in creating basic family dishes instead of relying on my limited repertoire.
With a wealth of online tutorials, not to mention recipe books and social media tips, I surely have no excuse?
I’m talking about the kind of cooking beloved by the older generation, though.
Those of a certain age who can demonstrate with basic ingredients and a limited budget, because of lived experience.
If grandparents ran cooking classes, sign me up.
Knowing how to put together family meals on a budget is a necessity for many, given that British households are facing the fastest annual increase in food and drink prices since 1977.
In a world of complicated cook book and air fryer obsessions, is it time we went back to basics?
I’ve spoken with Mairi McCallum, who is project manager at Moray Food Plus, and Aberdeen baker, Florence Stanton, to find out more.
Mairi McCallum: ‘People want to cook smarter .’
Moray Food Plus, which can be found on Elgin High Street, was set up in a bid to help alleviate food poverty in the Moray area.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, the charity helped around 10,000 families, and the pressure isn’t letting up any time soon.
Volunteers have launched various projects as part of Moray Food Plus, and it has been a year since a mobile pantry was set up – in a bid to improve access to food for villages and towns.
For project manager Mairi McCallum, it’s not a question of lacking the know how.
Rather it’s the soaring costs which accompany meal times, from utensils, equipment, and of course gas and electric.
“There’s a misconception that people have food insecurity because they cannot cook,” said Mairi.
“Cooking can be quite expensive, some people only have one pot.
“They know how to cook, it’s the cost of the ingredients.
“Herbs and spices for example, or recipes which require the oven to be on for a long time.”
Start with simple dishes
The charity runs cooking classes at The Bosie, a family centre based in Elgin, with sessions aimed at a variety of people.
“Cooking can be about increasing confidence, and it’s also the social side,” said Mairi.
“It’s about building yourself up, starting out with simple dishes with affordable ingredients and what we call fast cooks.
“It can be a challenge to cook for one person, it’s about coming together, sharing a meal and cooking smarter.
“People are looking for simple dishes which take half an hour to cook, the cost of living has had a huge impact on what people can put together.”
Florence Stanton, baker
With more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, Florence Stanton has no doubt inspired hundreds of people to get baking.
She launched her account in a bid to heal her own relationship with food, and to share simple cake recipes online.
With mission accomplished, Florence believes there’s a misconception that baking is expensive.
“I grew up watching my mum baking and cooking, I learnt from her,” she said.
“I think it’s really important for the next generation to see how cooking and food forms part of life.
“We were a low income family at several points over the years, and during those times my mum continued to bake.
“We were a very frugal family, and I think the way some food bloggers recommend buying from expensive online cookery shops, doesn’t reflect how normal people would approach a recipe.”
To this day, Florence has continued with a thrifty approach and buys supermarket own brand for the majority of ingredients.
“There’s certainly a barrier at the beginning in terms of equipment, but overall you can get baking trays for as little as £1,” she said.
“It can be done.”
‘It’s about going back to basics’
As for whether we need to return to basics, Florence thinks there’s a lot to be gained from the wealth of material online.
“My grandparents grew up in the time of rationing, where you couldn’t get fresh fruit or veg after the war,” she said.
“There’s so much information available online now when it comes to cooking, and of course more efficient ways of doing things.
“I think it’s about going back to basics to an extent.
“Not choosing the expensive but fast option, and shopping smart in the supermarket.”
