Home Cooking

As a family, when our children were growing up, we often had very little in the way of disposable income. In those days we took our own sandwiches and if we couldn’t get back in time we would go to McDonald’s or somewhere similar. Now, with somewhat more disposable income we take our own sandwiches and if we can’t get back in time we go to McDonald’s or somewhere similar! On really special occasions we can push the boat out, but my wife and I always think the same thing. We could cook something just as good or better at home for a fraction of the cost.

Earlier this year I had a landmark birthday and I marked the occasion, as I so often do, by cooking turkey and preparing a whole range of salads for the day the family came round. Every year, my birthday cake is a second Christmas cake my wife bakes and stores for three months. There isn’t a restaurant in the world that could provide a meal I would enjoy even half as much. I am an excellent cook particularly with basic ingredients and my wife bakes cakes, buns and pies that are incredible and use half the sugar and none of the additives found in meals outside the house. Our children eat restaurant meals more than we do, much like we did at their age, but they are also very good cooks in their own right. By teaching them to cook we have provided them with tools to be able to make a choice of restaurant or home.

When we are on holiday and not self catering big expensive meals are largely avoided and simple cheaper meals are prioritised. I would rather have the money to pay for a concert or a day out as great live music and stately homes or lovely countryside are things we cannot reproduce at home.