When the value range is better!

[truck71]

Couple of weeks ago I bought a value pack of bacon in Sainsburys, labelled up as cooking bacon. It was ludicrously cheap (£1.15 for 640gms) and it piqued my intrigue. Anyway, turns out it's mainly run of the mill cuts of back and streaky bacon that hasn't gone through the cutting process quite right leaving odd shaped cuts. I haven't looked back since, bought some this afternoon and it looked like two piles of best back bacon side by side. On opening it tonight the cuts hadn't been sliced leaving a great big steak in place of 10 or so slices. Made a fantastic supper with baked new potatoes and peas, cost of ingredients probably under a quid.

So, what have you discovered that with a bit of imagination (or maybe as it comes) has over delivered?

Edited by truck71 on Wednesday 25th March 20:54

[21TonyK]

In my old restaurant we used to order "market mix" from our fish supplier.

Basically £4 as kilo for whatever turned up.

Some days a load of fish frames and wrass or half crushed dabs.

Other days 20 cod heads and a box of megrim.

Numerous times a box of small monk fish tails.

Out of season boxes of mackerel.

Boxes of plaice, lots of hake and sometimes... just a couple of times... turbots with their heads a bit mangled.

Essentially anything left over of stuff that didn't sell.

Sometimes just good enough to soup, sometimes much better

[Don]

truck71 said:

Couple of weeks ago I bought a value pack of bacon in Sainsburys, labelled up as cooking bacon. It was ludicrously cheap (£1.15 for 640gms) and it piqued my intrigue. Anyway, turns out it's mainly run of the mill cuts of back and streaky bacon that hasn't gone through the cutting process quite right leaving odd shaped cuts. I haven't looked back since, bought some this afternoon and it looked like two piles of best back bacon side by side. On opening it tonight the cuts hadn't been sliced leaving a great big steak in place of 10 or so slices. Made a fantastic supper with baked new potatoes and peas, cost of ingredients probably under a quid.

So, what have you discovered that with a bit of imagination (or maybe as it comes) has over delivered?

Edited by truck71 on Wednesday 25th March 20:54

I discovered this stuff too. Fantastic. I make a bacon and potato casserole with it cubed up. It's excellent in stews too.

[Du1point8]

Don said:

truck71 said:

Couple of weeks ago I bought a value pack of bacon in Sainsburys, labelled up as cooking bacon. It was ludicrously cheap (£1.15 for 640gms) and it piqued my intrigue. Anyway, turns out it's mainly run of the mill cuts of back and streaky bacon that hasn't gone through the cutting process quite right leaving odd shaped cuts. I haven't looked back since, bought some this afternoon and it looked like two piles of best back bacon side by side. On opening it tonight the cuts hadn't been sliced leaving a great big steak in place of 10 or so slices. Made a fantastic supper with baked new potatoes and peas, cost of ingredients probably under a quid.

So, what have you discovered that with a bit of imagination (or maybe as it comes) has over delivered?

Edited by truck71 on Wednesday 25th March 20:54

I discovered this stuff too. Fantastic. I make a bacon and potato casserole with it cubed up. It's excellent in stews too.

Been doing this for years as its always good quality and the bonus steak is always fun.

[dazco]

People love our fish and chips, the batter is made from cheapo supermarket cans of bitter at 25p a can.

;)

EDIT

And our cheesecake made from aldi digestives (35p a pack) and cheapo cream cheese which is 50p a tub rather than £2 for Philly

[truck71]

Excellent, keep em coming. Turbot with mangled heads at £4 a kilo- they're hardly beautiful un mangled! Top value.

[Porkbrain]

My local farm shop that rears Gloucestershire Old Spots sells bacon offcuts for peanuts - though they do have a fair bit of fat and rind the large lumps of bacon more than make up for that.

Perfect when fried with sliced potatoes and onions.

[Nuisance_Value]

truck71 said:

Couple of weeks ago I bought a value pack of bacon in Sainsburys, labelled up as cooking bacon. It was ludicrously cheap (£1.15 for 640gms) and it piqued my intrigue.

Edited by truck71 on Wednesday 25th March 20:54

Yep, we used to get this all the time. Perfectly good bacon. Makes for great bacon rolls, or macaroni cheese with leeks.

[calibrax]

truck71 said:

Couple of weeks ago I bought a value pack of bacon in Sainsburys, labelled up as cooking bacon.

"Cooking bacon"? I don't think I've ever bought bacon that you don't cook! What next, "Wiping Andrex"?

[SVX]

Been using "cooking bacon" for years great stuff.

[Lee_sec]

Morison's M Saver range custard creams & bourbons...

[lockhart flawse]

You'll find all supermarkets' value brand of corned beef is exactly the same as their "own label". I am sure this is not ethical to say the least.

[RizzoTheRat]

Lee_sec said:

Morison's M Saver range custard creams & bourbons...

A mate maintains biscuit making machines and apparently all the supermarket custard creams except M&S ones come off the same production line and just get put in a different wrapper.

[Shaolin]

lockhart flawse said:

You'll find all supermarkets' value brand of corned beef is exactly the same as their "own label". I am sure this is not ethical to say the least.

Saw something on the tv some years ago now, it is often exactly the same, just packaged differently. Watch out for veg in particular, they have to have the value stuff there alongside the normal veg. If they don't have 2 standards of whatever the veg is, the same stuff goes into both packs. I've often stood there comparing normal and value bags to decide they have exactly the same contents.

[callmedave]

I once heard that all custard creams are made in the same factory, regardless of the label thats put on them. I cant tell the difference between the value ones and branded ones!

I have not found a nice economy coffee yet.

[jogon]

Those small North Atlantic/cold water prawns, only ones I now buy as hate farmed, the premium super market offerings which are 'fresh' have just been allowed to defrost and exactly the same as the cheaper versions in the freezer. Defrost them your self.

[Celt]

callmedave said:

I have not found a nice economy coffee yet.

Nor I. The Tesco and Saisnburys own brand higher range stuff is usually fairly comparable with Nescafe and the like though.

[truck71]

jogon said:

Those small North Atlantic/cold water prawns, only ones I now buy as hate farmed, the premium super market offerings which are 'fresh' have just been allowed to defrost and exactly the same as the cheaper versions in the freezer. Defrost them your self.

I had a look at these yesterday, the price per kilo was circa £19.00 for the fresh raw ones (clearly defrosted as you say) and about £17.50 a kilo for the frozen raw ones. I went for the fresh as I counted on the frozen ones having a greater water content (rightly or wrongly?).

Any pointers on where to buy these at a better price? (above was Sainsburys)

[Du1point8]

truck71 said:

jogon said:

Those small North Atlantic/cold water prawns, only ones I now buy as hate farmed, the premium super market offerings which are 'fresh' have just been allowed to defrost and exactly the same as the cheaper versions in the freezer. Defrost them your self.

I had a look at these yesterday, the price per kilo was circa £19.00 for the fresh raw ones (clearly defrosted as you say) and about £17.50 a kilo for the frozen raw ones. I went for the fresh as I counted on the frozen ones having a greater water content (rightly or wrongly?).

Any pointers on where to buy these at a better price? (above was Sainsburys)

Billingsgate if you are London based.

I don't know the prices this year but if you like fish that place can't be beaten, you would only need to go once a month and freeze the extras.

Large prawns (as in fking huge ones) were £8-10 per kilo.

If Billingsgate doesnt appeal to you, chinatown or any oriental supermarket and head to the prawn section and they are £12-14 per kilo for the large tiger prawns.

[jogon]

Du1point8 said:

truck71 said:

jogon said:

Those small North Atlantic/cold water prawns, only ones I now buy as hate farmed, the premium super market offerings which are 'fresh' have just been allowed to defrost and exactly the same as the cheaper versions in the freezer. Defrost them your self.

I had a look at these yesterday, the price per kilo was circa £19.00 for the fresh raw ones (clearly defrosted as you say) and about £17.50 a kilo for the frozen raw ones. I went for the fresh as I counted on the frozen ones having a greater water content (rightly or wrongly?).

Any pointers on where to buy these at a better price? (above was Sainsburys)

Billingsgate if you are London based.

I don't know the prices this year but if you like fish that place can't be beaten, you would only need to go once a month and freeze the extras.

Large prawns (as in fking huge ones) were £8-10 per kilo.

If Billingsgate doesnt appeal to you, chinatown or any oriental supermarket and head to the prawn section and they are £12-14 per kilo for the large tiger prawns.

I was checking the sell by dates on the Sainsbury's taste the difference small cold water prawns and noticed they were all frozen at the back. There is always quite a bit of liquid in the tub of the fresh ones probably the same as if you defrosted them yourself. Asda frozen are circa £13 a kilo.

As for large prawns at £8-10 a kilo check to see if they are farmed in Asia if so avoid, they taste like dirty pond water to me.