get cooking, get shopping · get shopping a resource pack for developing community based cooking...

get cooking,get shopping

A resource pack for developing community based cooking and shopping skills.

Originally developed and run in Scotland by the Co-operative Group, the Scottish

Federation of Community Food Initiatives, Greater Glasgow Health Board, the Scottish

Community Diet Project and Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Revised and updated July 2001 by the Co-operative Group.

Published on www.co-op.co.uk

This resource is also available on request in Braille and large print.

Freephone 0800 0686 727 Minicom 0800 0686 717

e-mail [email protected]

P A R T I C I P A N T S N O T E S

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contents

PARTICIPANTS NOTES PAGE NO.

Welcome to ‘Get Cooking, Get Shopping’ 4

Basic Kitchen Equipment 5

Get Cooking, Get Shopping, Get Safe 6

Basic Store Cupboard Ingredients 8

Herbs and Spices Know How 11

Soups 12

- Lentil 13- Minestrone 14- Carrot 15

Miracles with Mince 16

- Beef Chilli and Rice 17- Easy Shepherds Pie 18- Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti 19

Shop and Cook 21

Using Fruit in Cooking 23

- Pear Crumble 24- Fresh Fruit Trifle 25- Rhubarb Toad in the Hole 26- Scones 27- Banana Bread 28- Tangy Bread and Butter Pudding 29

continued overleaf…

contents …continued from page 2

PAGE NO.

Fish 30

- Mackerel and Pasta Supper 31- Fisherman’s Pie 32- Tikka Cod 33

Chicken and Turkey 34

- Turkey Stir Fry 35- Chicken Curry 36- Spicy Turkey Risotto 37- Quick Chicken Casserole 38- Turkey Biriani 39

Cooking with Convenience 40

- Quick Vegetable Pizza 41- Breaded Peach Custard Dessert 42

Vegetable Main Meals 43

- Mushroom and Pepper Stroganoff 44- Multi-coloured Stir Fry 46- Cheese and Vegetable Filled Pittas 47- Vegetable Balti 48- Vegetable Lasagne 49- Vegetable Pancake Pizza 50

Cooking for One 52

Food and Nutrition Labelling 55

The Power of Advertising 60

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WELCOME TO ‘GET COOKING,GET SHOPPING’Cooking and shopping are skills we allneed to be able to look after ourselves.Food is also one of life's greatestpleasures and learning about food canalso be fun as well as an essential skill.Good eating habits are vital tomaintain a healthy life and it isespecially important to establish goodeating habits in childhood.

This course has been created to helpa variety of people from youngpeople at school, through first timeparents, people with families topeople living alone or caring for asick relative or friend.

The aim of ‘Get Cooking, GetShopping’ is to put cooking back oneveryone’s agenda.

The objectives of the course are to:

• Encourage you to try new foods/cooking methods

• Encourage participation in groupsettings and build confidence

• Learn new skills in relation to readingand understanding labels

• Encourage you to think about yourdiet.

There are many myths surroundingcooking and before we start it isimportant to dispel some of the cloudshanging over home cooking.

Myth: Cooking is difficult

Reality: During this course we’re goingto prove this one wrong, not only thatcooking is not difficult but that it is fun.We’ll start off with easy recipes and asyour confidence increases we’ll moveon to slightly more complicated recipes.

Myth: Cooking takes a lot of time

Reality: All the recipes used in the‘Get Cooking, Get Shopping’ courseare quick and easy. We try to use aslittle equipment as possible to save onthe washing up. Most of the recipestake no more than 30 minutes.

Myth: Cooking costs more

Reality: Part of the ‘Get Cooking,Get Shopping’ course includes lookingat budgeting and using a wide varietyof ingredients. When you think aboutit, cooking can’t be more expensivebecause, when you buy convenienceyou are paying for someone else tomake it!

Myth: Cooking needs a lot ofequipment

Reality: All the recipes in this packrequire a minimum of equipment,usually things such as a saucepan,sharp knife, a chopping board and abaking tray. Other equipment can beadded as you go along.

BASIC KITCHEN EQUIPMENT

Chopping Boards Chopping boards are common harbours of bacteria.Make sure they are kept very clean, and if possiblehave separate boards for raw and cooked foods.

Knives Sharp knives are the key to cooking, however they arealso very dangerous and must be treated with respect.Two knives are all that are really necessary, a goodgeneral purpose vegetable knife (small, short, flat blade)and a bigger, longer bladed knife such as a bread knife.

Keep knives stored in a place where children cannotreach and be careful about leaving them lying aroundthe kitchen.

Kitchen Scissors Keeping a pair of scissors for use only in the kitchen isa good idea. They are often much easier to use forthings like cutting up bacon or chicken breast. Ensurethey are properly washed after each use.

Saucepans A couple of sizes of pans are all you need to get started,a large one for cooking rice, pasta etc. and a smallerone for cooking meat, sauces etc. Try to buy the bestyou can afford and they will last longer. Check that theyare suitable for the kind of cooker you have. A fryingpan or a wok is handy as well, although not essential.

Wooden Spoons Every cook needs a wooden spoon! Using woodenrather than metal protects your saucepans.

Baking Trays/Dishes These are a necessity if you intend cooking in the oven.A couple of large baking trays and an oven proof dishfor things such as Lasagne are ideal.

Measuring Jug/ A plastic or glass measuring jug is necessary Weighing Scales for measuring liquids and a set of basic measuring

scales makes life easier.

Although not essential other useful pieces of equipment include:

Grater, sieve/colander, blender, potato peeler, fish slice, tongs, potato masher,whisk, tin opener.

5

‘GET COOKING,GET SHOPPING’‘GET SAFE’A healthy diet is important, but havinga safe healthy diet is an even greaterpriority. The number of reported casesof food poisoning has risen over thelast few years and we are all nowmore aware of the importance of safefood handling.

General hygiene

• Always wash your hands beforestarting cooking

• Keep fingernails short and clean

• Wash your hands after blowing yournose, visiting the toilet and afterthrowing away waste

• Do not allow pets in the kitchenespecially on preparation surfaces andequipment

• Wash down surfaces and equipmentwith hot water and detergent after use

• Cover up any cuts with a waterproofplaster before you start cooking.

Shopping wisely

• Look out for the cleanliness of thestore, look at the shelves, floor andalso staff personal presentation

• Check ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ datesand ensure they are current

• Avoid cans or packaged goods thatare damaged

• Avoid freezer or chiller cabinets whichare overfull

• Avoid dirty or cracked eggs.

Packing it up and taking it home

• Separate fresh foods from tinned ordried, and wrap meat products andvegetables separately

• Take chilled and frozen food home assoon as possible

• Do not leave foods, especially freshfood in a car or office, refrigerateimmediately.

Storing food

• Storing food under the rightconditions is vital

• Keep your cupboards, fridge andfreezer clean

• Wipe up any spills immediately

• Ensure you are rotating your stock anduse goods within the appropriate dates

• Ensure your fridge is running atbetween 1-5°C and your freezer at–18°C

• Defrost your fridge and freezerregularly

• Never keep cooked and uncookedmeat on the same shelf in the fridge

• Keep uncooked meats as low down inyour fridge as possible.

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Care in the kitchen

• Follow the golden rule - ‘clean as you go’

• Always wash your hands with soap andwater before preparing a meal, afterpreparing meat and vegetables, aftervisiting the toilet and after touchingpets, dirty nappies or the dustbin

• Clean all work surfaces includingknives and chopping boards beforestarting to prepare food

• Wash fruit and vegetables beforepreparing

• Cool and cover left-overs as quickly aspossible and then store in the freezeror fridge

• Keep food covered, wherever possible

• Change tea towels, dish cloths andhand towels regularly

• Empty the bin regularly

• Keep equipment used for raw foodseparate from cooked.

Careful cooking

• Meat, meat products and poultry needspecial care as they cause most foodpoisoning outbreaks

• Cook meat and poultry thoroughly

• Always defrost meat or poultrycompletely before beginning to cook

• Once thawed never re-freeze unlessyou cook it first

• After food is cooked, cool quickly andrefrigerate for no longer than 1-2 days

• If re-heating previously cooked food,make sure it is piping hot rightthrough

• NEVER REHEAT PREVIOUSLY COOKEDFOOD MORE THAN ONCE.

7

BASIC STORE CUPBOARDINGREDIENTSThis is just a brief outline of some basic store cupboard ingredients you may like to keepon hand to be able to pull together a quick meal. You do not need to go out and buythese all at once, but maybe when you shop each week you could buy one thing extraand over a period of time your stock will build up.

Flour (Self Raising /Plain)

Useful For: All sorts of things including cakes, scones, crumbles and sauces.

Storage: In a cool dry place for up to 6 months.

Sugar (Granulated/Castor)

Useful For: Lots of things such as crumbles, scones, cakes and puddings.

Storage: Indefinitely, if stored in an airtight container.

Lentils/ Soup Mix

Useful For: Useful for soups and also for bulking out mince.

Storage: In an airtight container for up to 12 months.

Tinned Fruit – preferably in juice

Useful For: Puddings, with ice cream, quick crumble, pineapple for sweet and sour.

Storage: In a cool dry place. Use by the best before date.

Tinned Vegetables – preferably in water.

Useful For: Just on their own with a meal, pasta, risotto, in soup.


Tinned Fish e.g. tuna. salmon, sardines

Useful For: Tuna and salmon are good with pasta while sardines on toast makea healthy lunch.


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Tinned Soup

Useful For: Watch the salt content but a good stand by on its own or, ifcondensed, as a sauce for pasta.


Pasta or Ready to Serve Sauces – Jar

Useful For: Watch for salt and sugar content but good for a quick meal such assweet and sour vegetables or tomato based pasta sauces.


Dried Pasta

Useful For: Endless options, from macaroni cheese through to pasta bakes orpasta salad.


Dried Rice

Useful For: For savoury dishes, salad or made into rice pudding.


Noodles

Useful For: Something different from rice and pasta, good with chicken andvegetable based dishes.


Stock Cubes (Chicken, Ham, Beef,Vegetable)

Useful For: For making a quick pot of soup - beware of the salt contentespecially if cooking for young children.


Worcestershire Sauce

Useful For: In curry, in pasta, anything that needs a ‘kick’.


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Longlife Orange/Apple juice

Useful For: Base for fruit salad or dilute and make into ice lollies for the kids.


Cheese

Useful For: In pasta dishes or in baked potatoes. Again watch salt content.

Storage: Up to 2 weeks in the fridge. Check the best before date.

Cold meat

Useful For: Serve with potatoes and vegetables for quick meal or on sandwichesfor packed lunches.

Storage: Up to 3 days in the fridge.

10

‘HERBS & SPICES KNOW HOW’Again, like the store cupboard ingredients, you don’t need to go out and buy all theseherbs and spices in one go. Gradually build up your collection and you will be amazedat how much of a difference it makes to your cooking. Herbs are especially useful if youare trying to reduce the salt in your diet. Many people use salt to add taste whencooking, whereas they could equally and more tastily use herbs and also reduce theirsalt intake. Herbs and spices tend to last for quite a long time if correctly stored (in acool, dry, dark place). To save you some money, try and buy with a friend and splitthem. This will also help you to build up your collection more quickly.

Herb/Spice What to use it in

Mixed Herbs Minestrone and tomato soups, Italian dishes, omelettes, chicken andvegetable dishes, pasta dishes.

Basil Rice, pasta, soups, especially tomato based sauces. Also good with mixedvegetable dishes.

Cumin Soups, Mexican dishes, curried dishes, chilli dishes.

Chilli Powder Rice, pasta, chilli-con-carne, potatoes, meatballs.

Oregano Italian dishes such as lasagne, minestrone soup, roast chicken, tomatoes,courgettes.

Coriander Carrot or tomato soup, fish, all stews, curries, celery.

Cinnamon Biscuits, scones, crumbles, yogurt, melon, chicken dishes.

Ginger Biscuits, scones, fruit crumbles, chicken stir fries, sweet and sour dishes.

Curry Different strengths for different dishes, good with chicken, beef, pork,vegetables.

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SOUPSSoups are part of our natural heritage,but over the last few years we’ve lostsome of the skill involved in soupmaking. More and more tinned soupshave become available as well as freshsoups. Although tinned soups arehandy they tend to be highlyprocessed with large quantities of saltand sugar.

Home made soup tastes very differentfrom bought and is an ideal way ofencouraging children to eat morevegetables. Also, because you aremaking it you know exactly what is init which is very important for youngchildren. Soups can be introduced tobabies from a young age as long asthere is no salt added and it is madewithout stock cubes.

A blender or liquidiser is very usefulwhen making soup as it allows you tomake different varieties and puréethem which often encourages childrento eat them.

Soups are an ideal way of using upvegetables which you’ve maybe hadfor a few days, and usingcombinations of vegetables youwouldn’t normally put together.

Here are a few suggestions foryou to choose from to make

• Lentil

• Minestrone

• Carrot

Once you have made your soup,compare it to a tinned or packetversion for taste and cost. Rememberthe cost of your home-made soup willbe for a bigger volume than the tin orpacket. Also have a look at theamount of additives, preservatives andflavouring in the packets / tins.

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LENTIL SOUPIngredients

2 carrots (80g)4 small potatoes (120g)2 onions, peeled and chopped (180g) 850ml (11/2 pints) vegetable stock100g (4oz) red lentils

Method

1. Prepare vegetables by peeling andgrating or finely chopping the carrotand potato.

2. Peel and chop the onion.

3. Place the stock, vegetables and lentilsinto a saucepan, bring to the boil thenreduce the heat and cook forapproximately 30 minutes, or until thevegetables are tender.

4. Allow the soup to cool beforeliquidising or blend until smooth.Alternatively, press through a sieve.

5. Return to a saucepan and heat gently.

6. Serve with plenty of crusty bread.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

For extra flavour remove fat fromtwo slices of bacon and then chopup bacon and add to soup alongwith vegetables.

Good soup for babies and youngchildren as it is nice and smooth.

Other vegetables can be added,depending on what you like.

For a change add a tin of choppedtomatoes for lentil and tomato soup.

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NUTRITION

TYPICAL VALUES PER SERVING (1/4) PER RECIPE

Energy Value 540 kJ 2170 kJ

(Calories 180 kcal 510 kcal)

Protein 7 g 30 g HIGH

Carbohydrate 23 g 93 g HIGH

(of which Sugars 5 g 19 g) MEDIUM

Fat 0.6 g 2 g LOW

(of which Saturates 0.1 g 0.3 g) LOW

Fibre 3 g 11 g HIGH

Sodium 0.2 g 0.7 g MEDIUM

MINESTRONESOUPIngredients

50g (2oz) Co-op broth and soup mix25g (2oz) smoked bacon, rind

removed and chopped1 small sized onion, peeled and finely

chopped1 small sized carrot, peeled and finely

diced1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed2 level tablespoons (30ml) plain flour397g can Co-op chopped tomatoes

with herbs100g (4oz) cabbage, finely sliced100g (4oz) Co-op quick cook

spaghetti Black pepper, to tasteGarnish: 25g (1oz) grated mature

Cheddar cheese, optional

Method

1. Soak and fast boil the soup and brothmix as directed on the packet, drainand set aside.

2. Dry fry the bacon until browned in alarge saucepan. Stir in the onion, carrotand garlic, if using and fry untilsoftened. Add the broth and soup mix.

3. Sprinkle the flour over the bacon andvegetables and stir until evenly coated.Pour in 1.2 litres (2 pints) cold water andbring to the boil, stirring until thickened.

4. Reduce the heat, cover and simmerfor 15 minutes. Add the cannedtomatoes, cabbage and spaghetti,broken into small strands.

5. Cover and simmer for 5 – 6 minutes,or until the vegetables and spaghettiare cooked.

6. Spoon into four warmed servingbowls and sprinkle over the cheese ifusing. Serve immediately with plentyof crusty bread. Serves 4

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Handy Hints

Use any variety of vegetables: fresh, frozen or canned in water, drained. If you use anyother pasta shape or variety, remember to extend the cooking time if it is not quickcook. This soup may be frozen on the day of making and used within one month.

NUTRITION




Protein 10 g 40 g MEDIUM

Carbohydrate 38 g 152 g MEDIUM


Fat 6 g 22 g MEDIUM

(of which Saturates 2 g 10 g) MEDIUM

Fibre 5 g 19 g HIGH


CARROT SOUPIngredients

1 onion (90g)1 teaspoon (5ml) oil1 large potato, peeled (200g)6 large carrots, peeled (300g)1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock2 tablespoons (30ml) milk

Method

1. Peel and chop up the onion and fry itin the oil at the bottom of thesaucepan until it is golden.

2. Clean and chop the other vegetables.

3. Add the vegetables and the stock tothe onion.

4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30-45minutes until the ingredients are soft.

5. Allow to cool a little, and mash thesoup or put it through a blender.

6. Add the milk and bring back toserving temperature (but don’t boil itas the milk may curdle).

7. Serve with plenty of fresh crusty bread.

Serves 4

Handy Hint

Mashing the soup with a potatomasher will help thicken it.

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NUTRITION






(of which Sugars 13 g 51 g) HIGH

Fat 2 g 8 g LOW

(of which Saturates 0.4 g 1 g) LOW

Fibre 5 g 18 g HIGH

Sodium 0.2 g 0.8 g HIGH

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‘MIRACLESWITH MINCE’In this section we’re going to look atwhat you can do with mince –whether it is minced beef, lamb, porkor turkey.

Mince is a very versatile productwhich can be turned into an amazingrange of dishes. Using different typesof mince increases variety again.When buying mince be careful of thequality - some of the cheaper cutscan be up to 20% fat. These willappear cheaper in money terms butonce you start cooking it you’ll be leftwith a lot less meat once the fat ismelted and then drained away!

Try and buy mince with the lowest fatcontent – 5 or 6 %, even if it meansbuying less e.g. 200g instead of300g. You’ll end up just draining theextra 100g away as fat.

Mince can be bulked out in lots ofways to make it go further withoutaffecting the taste. Adding vegetablesor lentils is the easiest and quickestway as well as being cheap. Also ifyou cut vegetables up finely and mixthrough mince, children will oftennever notice!

Recipe choices

• Beef Chilli and Rice

• Easy Shepherds Pie

• Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti

NUTRITION







Fat 7 g 28 g MEDIUM


Fibre 5 g 18 g HIGH


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BEEF CHILLIAND RICEIngredients

1 medium sized onion, peeled andfinely chopped

1 medium sized carrot, peeled andchopped

1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil1 teaspoon (5ml) Co-op chilli powder200g (8oz) Co-op extra lean minced

beef397g can Co-op tomatoes and herbs220g can Co-op red kidney beans,

drained200g (7oz) Co-op long grain rice

Method

1. Fry the onion and carrot in the oil for3 minutes until soft and tender.

2. Add the chilli powder and mince andcook for 10 minutes, or until meat iscompletely browned.

3. Stir in the tomatoes and kidneybeans, bring to the boil and simmerfor 15-20 minutes.

4. Serve with rice, cooked as directed inthe cooking guidelines.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

Replace the minced beef with Co-opfresh turkey mince.

For a change, replace the can of Co-op red kidney beans with a 220gcan of Co-op baked beans.

Instead of serving with rice, use thebeef chilli as a filling for cookedbaked potatoes.

EASYSHEPHERD’SPIEIngredients

300g (11oz) potatoes, peeled anddiced

300g (11oz) swede, peeled and diced Black pepper, to taste3 tablespoons (45ml) semi skimmed

milk, heated 225g (8oz) Co-op fresh minced lamb 1 small onion, peeled and finely

chopped1 dessertspoon (10ml) plain flour 220g can Co-op chopped tomatoes1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) dried rosemary

Method

1. Carefully lower the preparedpotatoes and swede into a largesaucepan of boiling water. Return tothe boil and cook for 15 – 20minutes, or until tender.

2. Drain and transfer to a heatproof dishand mash until smooth with the hotmilk. Season to taste with the pepperand keep hot.

3. Meanwhile, dry fry the minced lamb ina saucepan over a moderate heat untilno pink meat is evident.

4. Drain off any excess fat before addingthe onion and frying for 3 – 4minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Sprinkle over the flour and stir untilthe mince and onion mixture isevenly coated.

6. Stir in the can of tomatoes along withthe rosemary and 150ml (1/4 pint ofwater. Bring to the boil, stirring untilthickened. Reduce the heat, cover andsimmer for 20 minutes, stirringoccasionally.

7. Pour the mince mixture into a suitablesized heatproof dish. Spoon over themashed potato and swede topping,levelling the surface with the back ofthe spoon. If desired, roughen thesurface with a fork.

8. Place the shepherds pie under amoderate pre-heated grill for 3 – 5minutes, or until the surface is turning agolden brown and the potato is pipinghot. Serve immediately with freshlycooked vegetables of your choice.

Serves 2

Handy Hints

If you do not like swede, simplyreplace with the same quantity ofpotato. However, if peeling andcooking fresh potatoes and swede istoo time consuming, use Co-opinstant mashed potato made up asdirected. If serving one, make up therecipe as above and freeze the otherserving. This recipe will freezesuccessfully for up to one month iffrozen on the day of making.

Healthy Eating Tips

For an even healthier version of thisrecipe, replace the minced lamb withthe same quantity of minced turkey.

For Nutrition, see page 20.

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19

ITALIANMEATBALLS ANDSPAGHETTIIngredients

500g pack Co-op fresh steak mince1 medium sized onion, peeled and

finely chopped2 medium sized cloves garlic, peeled

and crushed50g (2oz) fresh white breadcrumbs3 x 5ml teaspoons Co-op dried

oreganoBlack pepper, to taste1 medium sized red pepper, de-seeded

and finely chopped397g can Co-op chopped tomatoes1 x 15ml tablespoon Co-op tomato

purée175ml (6 fluid oz) red wine1/2 - 1 x 5ml teaspoon sugar, or to

taste450g (1lb) Co-op dried spaghetti

Method

1. Place the mince into a large mixingbowl, along with 2 x 15ml tablespoonsof the onion, half of the garlic, all thebreadcrumbs, 1 x 5ml teaspoon of theoregano and black pepper.

2. Mix well with a fork until all theingredients are thoroughly combined.Using wetted or floured hands, shapethe mixture into 20 walnut sizedmeatballs.

3. Dry fry in a large frying pan over amoderate heat for approximately 5minutes, or until evenly browned,turning gently to ensure they do notbreak up.

4. Remove the meatballs from the fryingpan and set to one side. Add theremaining onion and garlic with thered pepper to the frying pan and cookover a moderate heat for 3 – 4minutes or until softened.

5. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée,red wine, sugar and remainingoregano. Bring to the boil, thenreduce the heat and simmer for 5 – 10minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Arrange the meatballs in the sauce,cover and simmer for 20 – 25 minutescarefully turning each meatball onceor twice during cooking.

7. Before the final 10 – 12 minutescooking time for the meatballs, cookthe spaghetti as directed on the pack.Drain and divide between 4 – 5warmed serving plates. Top thespaghetti with the meatballs and spoonover the sauce. Serve immediately as acomplete meal or with a crisp salad asan accompaniment.

Serves 4 – 5


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NUTRITION - Italian Meatballs and Spaghetti







Fat 9 g 37 g LOW

(of which Saturates 3 g 13 g) LOW

Fibre 6 g 28 g MEDIUM

Sodium 0.2 g 0.9 g LOW

NUTRITION - Easy Shepherd’s Pie







Fat 17 g 33 g MEDIUM


Fibre 7 g 13 g HIGH


‘SHOP & COOK’‘Shop & Cook’ is a fun way to get youto think about how you spend moneyand plan your shopping. It also givesyou an opportunity to try out a newrecipe or food that you’ve never had,take it home and let your family orfriends try it without spending any ofyour own money!

Shopping is a more skilled jobthan many of us realise

• You need to be a banker - to budgetyour money

• You need to be a nutritionist – toknow what to buy

• You need to be a chef - to know howto cook it

• You need to be a weight lifter - to beable to carry it.

With your partner, have a thinkabout what you would like to try and make remembering thefollowing points

• You must cook a two course meal(Soup/Main or Main/Sweet) for afamily of four

• You have £5 to spend on everything(excluding herbs, spices, stock cubes,flour, oil etc. which are alreadyprovided)

• You have an hour to cook and present it

• You must have at least one fruit orvegetable in each course.

Hints and tips

• Try and write a shopping list beforeyou go to the store and plan what youwant to cook

• Remember to take advantage ofspecial offers or reduced items

• Ask around the rest of your group assomeone else may need somechicken or half a pepper

• Remember you only have an hour, acasserole which needs to cook for twohours is no good!

Try using the attached sheet toplan your ‘Shop & Cook‘ activity.

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‘Shop & Cook’Planner

Dish 1:

Grocery

Dairy

Fruit and Vegetables

Bakery

Misc

Notes:

Dish 2:

Grocery

Dairy

Fruit and Vegetables

Bakery

Misc

Notes:

22

Store cupboard items already provided:Stock cubes, oil, herbs, flour, spices, sugar, pepper and Worcestershire sauce

23

USING FRUITIN COOKINGTo maintain optimum health it isrecommended we eat at least five,80g portions of fruit and vegetablesper day. To achieve maximum benefitfrom this we need to eat a goodvariety of mixed fruit and vegetables.Using fruit in puddings is an idealway of encouraging fruitconsumption especially in children.

Some of the ideas for using fruit arevery quick and easy whereas otherstake a bit longer in the oven. Thingslike crumbles are ideal if you havesome fruit that is starting to go soft -it doesn’t all need to be of the samevariety, try variations such as appleand strawberry or raspberry, nectarineand apple, plum and pear and thenfor a really quick option try usingtinned fruit. Using oats in the toppingnot only adds flavour and crunch butincreases the fibre content.

Fruit smoothies are also an ideal wayof increasing children’s fruitconsumption as well as increasing theircalcium intake through milk or yogurt.

Apart from the fruit actually in apudding, it is a good habit to includefruit with any pudding. So if you arehaving ice cream have some fruit(fresh or tinned in juice) with it, ifyour kids are having a yogurt orfromage frais add some fruit, applepie add some extra fruit etc.

Why not try some of thefollowing recipes

• Pear crumble

• Fruit trifle

• Rhubarb Toad in the Hole

• Scones

• Banana Bread

• Tangy Bread and Butter Pudding

PEARCRUMBLEIngredients

50g (2oz) Co-op wholemeal flour50g (2oz) Co-op sunflower spread25g (1oz) Co-op porridge oats25g (1oz) sugar4 medium pears, peeled, cored and

choppedOven Temperature:

Mark 6 – 400˚F/200˚C

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven.

2. Rub together the flour and sunflowerspread in a mixing bowl until themixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in the porridge oats and sugar.Place the prepared pears in the baseof a lightly greased 560ml (1 pint)heatproof bowl.

4. Sprinkle over the crumble topping andlevel the surface.

5. Place in a pre-heated oven for 30minutes, or until the topping is golden.

6. Serve hot or warm with natural yogurt,or custard made with skimmed milk.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

Use wholemeal flour to make pastryor biscuits with extra fibre. For achange use peeled and choppeddessert apples. If fresh fruit is difficultto obtain use canned fruit in juice,drained. For extra flavour and texturesprinkle 1 teaspoon (5ml) of groundcinnamon and 50g (2oz) Co-opCalifornian seedless raisins over thepears before covering with thecrumble topping. Freeze the PearCrumble on the day of making anduse within one month.

24

NUTRITION




Protein 3 g 12 g LOW





Fibre 5 g 19 g HIGH


FRUIT TRIFLEIngredients

4 trifle sponges411g can Co-op fruit cocktail in grape

juice 2 x 45g low fat ready to serve custardTo decorate: Aerosol creamDecoration: Few grapes and flaked

almonds, optional

Method

1. Place the sponges in bottom of dish.

2. Place fruit on top.

3. Spoon over the custard and chill for15 minutes.

4. Just before serving decorate withcream, grapes and almonds.

Serves 4

25

NUTRITION







Fat 2 g 8 g LOW

(of which Saturates 0.8 g 3 g) MEDIUM

Fibre 0.9 g 4 g MEDIUM

Sodium TRACE g TRACE g LOW

RHUBARBTOAD IN THE HOLE Ingredients

Co-op sunflower spread, for greasing539g can Co-op rhubarb, drained75g (3 oz) Co-op plain flour1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) ground ginger2 tablespoons (15ml) sugar2 medium sized eggs280ml (1/2 pint) skimmed milk1 teaspoon icing sugar, optional

Oven temperature: Mark 7 - 425˚F/220˚C

Method


2. Lightly grease a shallow heatproof dishor tin with the sunflower spread andarrange the rhubarb over the base.

3. Sieve the flour and ginger into amixing bowl. Add the sugar, eggs andhalf the milk and beat with a whisk,fork or wooden spoon until smooth.

4. Beat in the remaining milk untilbubbles appear on the surface.Carefully pour the batter over the fruit.

5. Place the pudding in a pre-heatedoven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until wellrisen and golden brown.

6. Serve immediately, sprinkled with theicing sugar and accompanied withspoonfuls of natural yogurt.

Serves 4

Handy Hint

If you do not like rhubarb, simply add thesame quantity of a soft fruit you do like.

Healthy Eating Tip

This recipe uses a good quantity offruit, which is good for us. We shouldtry to eat five portions of fruit andvegetables each day.

26

NUTRITION







Fat 3 g 14 g LOW



Sodium Trace g 0.3 g LOW

SCONESIngredients

225g (8oz) plain white flour4 teaspoons (20ml) baking powder40g (11/2oz) soft vegetable margarine150ml (1/4 pint) semi-skimmed milk


Method


2. Sieve the flour in to a bowl and rub inthe margarine.

3. Add sufficient of the milk to make asoft, but not sticky dough.

4. Transfer to a lightly floured surfaceand roll out to a thickness of 5cm (2 inches) using either a rolling pin orclean jam jar.

5. Cut into rounds using a 5cm (2 inch)round scone cutter or clean glass.

6. Transfer to a baking tray.

7. Using a pastry brush, brush theremaining milk over the surface ofeach scone.

8. Cook for 10 minutes or until well risenand lightly golden.

Makes 8

Handy Hints

Optional Variations (add before stirringin the milk): Sultana Scones- add ahandful. Cheese Scones- add 40g(11/2oz) grated cheese. CoconutScones - add 25g (1oz) coconut.

27

NUTRITION




Protein 0.4 g 29 g LOW


(of which Sugars 1 g 11 g) LOW

Fat 5 g 38 g LOW


Fibre 0.9 g 7 g LOW


BANANABREADIngredients

100g (4oz) margarine 175g (6oz) sugar 2 eggs, beaten 2 well ripened bananas, mashed

(200g)250g (9oz) plain flour 1 teaspoon (5ml) sodium bicarbonate 2 teaspoons (10ml) baking powder

Oven Temperature: Mark 4 – 350˚F/180˚C

Method


2. Cream together margarine and sugaruntil light and creamy.

3. Beat in eggs and stir in banana.

4. In separate bowl mix together thesodium bicarbonate and bakingpowder.

5. Mix into the margarine mixture.

6. DO NOT OVER MIX, it should be quitelumpy.

7. Place in loaf tin and cook for 45 mins.

8. Allow to cool in the tin slightly beforeremoving and leave until cold beforeslicing.

Makes 1 loaf (6 – 8 slices)

28

NUTRITION







Fat 13 g 102 g LOW


Fibre 1 g 10 g LOW

Sodium 0.5 g 3.6 g HIGH

TANGY BREADAND BUTTERPUDDINGIngredients

1 tablespoon (15ml) Co-op butter,softened

3 tablespoons (45ml) Co-opmarmalade

8 slices Co-op thick white sliced loaf3 medium sized eggs280ml (1/2 pint) Co-op sterilised

skimmed milk1 tablespoon (15ml) sugar

Oven Temperature: Mark 5 - 374˚F/190˚C

Method


2. Spread each slice of bread with thebutter and marmalade. Cut each sliceinto two triangles and arrange inshallow heatproof dish.

3. Beat the egg into the milk with afork. Stir in the sugar and pour overthe bread.

4. Cook in a pre-heated oven forapproximately 30 minutes, or until theegg mixture has set and the bread iscrisp and golden brown.

5. Serve with Co-op creme fraîche light,in place of cream or custard.

Serves 6

Handy Hints

Use wholemeal or any variety of slicedbread in place of the white. If you havenot got orange marmalade in thecupboard, use lime or lemonmarmalade instead. If you do not haveany marmalade use jam, but you willnot have a tangy flavoured pudding.For a traditional bread and butterpudding, omit the marmalade. Sprinkle50g (2oz) of sultanas over the breadbefore pouring over the eggs and milk.

Think Health

This pudding is based on bread whichis filling but not fattening. We shouldall try to eat plenty of bread, potatoes,pasta and rice in place of fatty andsugary foods.

29

NUTRITION







Fat 9 g 35 g MEDIUM




FISHMany myths and queries surround fishand as a result many people avoideating or cooking it. People think itgoes off quickly, you can overcook itand generally are unsure what to dowith it. Fish is also often perceived to beexpensive however, over the last fewyears fish has become comparable withbeef and chicken and in some casessalmon can be cheaper than mince.

Fish is very important in our diet for avariety of reasons

• Good source of protein

• Oily fish contains fatty acids whichmay actually help prevent heartdisease

• White fish is low in fat and calories

Nutritional Content of Fish

Per 100g Haddock Herring

Protein(g) 19 18

Fat(g) 0.6 13

Carbohydrate(g) 0 0

Energy (kcal) 80 190

Choosing and buying fish

Where you choose to buy your fishdepends on what you are looking forand where you shop. There are notmany fishmongers around now,although in some areas fish vans stillcome round once a week. Your localsupermarket or shop should stock somefrozen fish or have a fresh fish counter.

What to look for

• Fish should smell sea fresh

• Eyes should not be shrunken but clearand bright

• Flesh should be fairly firm to touch

• Whole fish should be moist, with ashiny skin and bright natural colouring

• Frozen fish should be frozen hard withno signs of thawing.

Storing fish

• Fresh fish should be rinsed, patted dry,covered with cling film and stored at thebottom of the fridge for up to two days

• Ready to eat fish such as mackerel,prawns etc. should be stored aboveraw foods in the fridge

• Frozen fish should be stored at -18°Cor less and then defrosted in a coolroom or a fridge.

In this section we want to show thatfish is versatile, easy to work with andcost effective. The object of thissection is to let you try as manydifferent types of fish as possible,some are more expensive than others,but it is good to be able to takeadvantage of any special offers if you know how to cook it.

Recipes

To experiment with fish we are goingto try some of the following recipes:

• Mackerel and Pasta Supper

• Fisherman’s Pie

• Tikka Cod

30

MACKERELAND PASTASUPPERIngredients

1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil1 medium sized onion, peeled and

finely chopped300g can Co-op chopped mushrooms,

drained397g can Co-op chopped tomatoes2 x 125g cans Co-op mackerel fillets in

tomato sauce225g (8oz) Co-op pasta spirals or

bows, cooked as directed on thepacket

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add theonion and fry for approximately 3minutes, or until tender.

2. Stir in the mushrooms and tomatoes.Bring to the boil, reduce the heat andsimmer for approximately 10 minutes.

3. Add the mackerel, stir and simmer foranother 5 minutes. Pour the sauceover the pasta and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

For a change, replace the cannedmackerel with Co-op canned sardinesin tomato sauce. Use the same quantityof any type of dried pasta available.

31

NUTRITION









Fibre 4 g 17 g HIGH


FISHERMAN’SPIEIngredients

2 medium/large sized potatoes, peeledand chopped

1 small swede, peeled and choppedPepper, to season

1 tablespoon (15 ml ) vegetable oil1 medium sized onion, peeled and

roughly chopped75g (3oz) mushrooms, wiped and

sliced1 tablespoon (15 ml) Co-op festival

plain flour425 ml (3/4 pint) skimmed milk225g (8oz) Co-op fresh cod fillets,

cut into chunks25g (1oz) half fat hard cheese, grated

Method

1. Cook the potato and swede in asaucepan of boiling water for 15minutes, or until tender, drain, mashwith a fork or potato masher andseason with a little pepper. Keep hot.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan, add theonion and mushrooms and fry for 5minutes or until tender.

3. Add the flour and stir until the onionand mushrooms are evenly coated.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heatand gradually add the milk. Return thesaucepan to the heat. Bring to theboil, stirring continuously until smooth.

5. Stir in the fish, grated cheese and pepperto taste. Reduce the heat, cover andsimmer for approximately 10 minutes.

6. Pour the mixture into a 1.1 litre (2 pint) heatproof casserole dish. Top with the mashed potato and servewith boiled carrots and peas.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

Place the pie under a hot grill for 3 – 4minutes, or until golden brown. If fresh fish is difficult to obtain, usecanned fish such as tuna or mackerel,drained and simply heat through, donot simmer for 10 minutes. For addedconvenience, use Co-op instant mashedpotato to top the pie. Follow quantitiesand make up instructions to serve 3 – 4.

32

NUTRITION







Fat 5 g 19 g LOW


Fibre 5 g 19 g HIGH


TIKKA CODIngredients

450g (1lb) Co-op fresh cod steaks orchunky cod fillets

2 tablespoons (30ml) Indian tikka mix 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice1 tablespoon (15ml) cooking oil5 tablespoons (75ml) Co-op natural

yogurt300g (11oz) Co-op brown rice,

cooked as directed

Method

1. Wash the cod under cold water, drythoroughly and place into a largeshallow dish.

2. Combine the tikka spice with thelemon juice, cooking oil and naturalyogurt in a bowl until smooth.

3. Spoon an even layer of the tikkamixture over one side of each piece ofcod. Turn the cod over and repeat,using all the tikka mixture.

4. Cover tightly with cling film oraluminium foil and refrigerate for

approximately 30 minutes.

5. Transfer the cod to a lightly greasedrack in a grill pan, skin side up. Cookunder a moderate grill for 3 – 4minutes, before turning the fish overand cooking for a further 4 – 5minutes, or until the fish is cookedand the surface is darkened in places.

6. Serve immediately with the freshlycooked rice, a crisp salad and anyremaining natural yogurt.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

If you cannot buy a ready prepared tikkaspice mix, make your own. Simplycombine 1 teaspoon (5ml) of groundpaprika and ground cumin and 1/2teaspoon (2.5ml) of ground ginger,ground coriander and chilli powder. Stirinto the yogurt with 1 small clove garlic,peeled and crushed (optional), thelemon juice and oil. Use as above. If youcannot buy fresh cod, use other fresh orfrozen white fish and defrost before use.

33

NUTRITION







Fat 6 g 24 g LOW




CHICKEN AND TURKEYChicken has, over the last few years,become the most popular meatconsumed in this country. This is idealfrom a health point of view dependingon how we cook it. Chicken and turkeyare naturally low in fat and high inprotein as well as providing a range ofminerals. Turkey has become popularother than just at Christmas and is oftencheaper than chicken with very littledifference in taste. Remember, much ofthe fat in chicken and turkey is in theskin. To reduce the fat and caloriecontent remove the skin before eating.

Nutritional content of chicken and turkey (Trimmed of all visible fat and skin)

Per 100g Chicken/Turkey(skinless light meat)

Protein (g) 24

Fat (g) 1

Carbohydrate (g) 0

Energy (kcal) 105

Buying and storing chicken and turkey

Chicken and turkey come in manyforms and can be bought frozen orfresh. Frozen chicken is often cheaperbut you have to ensure you take ithome and place it in a freezerimmediately. Often buying bigger packsworks out cheaper than buying smalleralthough if you don’t have freezerspace this is of little value. Sometimesit’s worth thinking about going

shopping with a friend or relative andsharing packs of meat or chicken.

• Chicken legs are ideal forbarbecues, grilling or lunch boxes

• Quarter portions are ideal forcasseroles or cooked and used incurry or stir fry

• Breast or breast fillets are ideal forcurry, stir fry, risotto

• Minced turkey is ideal for lasagne,chilli, shepherds pie

• Whole chicken / turkey is useful fora roast dinner or to use in a curryor soup.

Extreme care must be taken whenstoring chicken and turkey. Chickenin particular is associated withoutbreaks of Salmonella foodpoisoning every year.

Points to remember

• Store at the bottom of the fridge

• Defrost thoroughly before use

• Cook thoroughly

• Chill quickly if not eating straight away

• If you have any left over roast chicken,remove the meat from the bone, coolquickly, wrap in aluminium foil or afreezer bag and freeze for up to onemonth

• Wash hands regularly when handlingchicken and before starting to prepareany other foods.

Recipes

• Turkey Stir Fry

• Chicken Curry

• Spicy Turkey Risotto

• Quick Chicken Casserole

• Turkey Biriani.

34

TURKEY STIRFRYIngredients 1 dessertspoon (10ml) vegetable oil225g pack Co-op fresh turkey stir fry

strips175g (6oz) fresh cabbage, shredded100g (4oz) mushrooms, wiped and

sliced1 medium sized carrot, peeled and cut

into thin sticks1 small onion, peeled and sliced1 small clove garlic, peeled and

crushed, optional2 tablespoons (30ml) Co-op brown

sauce225g (8oz) Co-op dried linguine

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan or fryingpan. Add the turkey and fry over amoderate heat for 5 minutes, stirringcontinuously.

2. Stir in the prepared vegetables andcook for 4 – 5 minutes, stirringcontinuously.

3. Combine the brown sauce with 4tablespoons (60ml) of water andcarefully pour over the turkey and vegetables. Heat for 2 – 3minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, cook the linguine asdirected on the packaging, drainthoroughly. If desired, stir the linguine into the turkey stir fry, heatthrough and serve immediately as a‘chow mein style meal.

5. Alternatively, divide the hot linguinebetween four serving plates andspoon over the turkey stir fry.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

Use any type of pasta. Cook asdirected on the packet. For more fibre,try using wholemeal pasta. If turkey isnot to your taste, use pork, chicken,beef, or quorn, cut into thin slices. Foran even quicker meal, use left overcooked meat. Simply add to the panwith the vegetables.

35

NUTRITION







Fat 4 g 16 g LOW


Fibre 5 g 18 g HIGH


CHICKENCURRYIngredients

1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable or oliveoil

2 chicken breasts or equivalent, cutinto small cubes (250g)

1 onion, peeled and chopped (90g) 1 green apple, peeled, cored and

chopped (100g) 1 tablespoon (15ml) Worcestershire

sauce 1-2 teaspoons (5 – 10ml) curry

powder (depending on currypowder strength)

2 tablespoons (30ml) tomato purée 560ml (1 pint) chicken stock Pepper, to taste 50g (2 oz) sultanas175g (6oz) long grain rice

Method

1. Heat the oil, in a frying pan. Add thechicken and stir fry for 4-5 minutes.

2. Add onion and apple and cook for 5mins.

3. Add Worcestershire sauce, currypowder and tomato purée and cookfor approximately 1 minute.

4. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil,then reduce the heat and simmer for20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir in the sultanas.

6. Bring approximately 500ml (18 fluidoz) water to the boil. Add the rice, stironce as it is coming to the boil.Reduce the heat and simmer for 12 – 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with boiling water.

7. Transfer the rice to serving plates andtop with the chicken curry.

Serves 2

Handy Hints

Turmeric can be added to rice to giveit a nice yellow colour. To serve one,make up the curry part of the recipeas above and freeze half. Freeze onthe day of making and use within onemonth. Defrost thoroughly, heat andserve with freshly cooked rice.

36

NUTRITION







Fat 8 g 17 g LOW




SPICY TURKEYRISOTTOIngredients

2 tablespoons (30ml) cooking oil350g pack Co-op skinless diced turkey

thigh1 medium sized green pepper, seeds

removed and finely chopped1 medium sized carrot, peeled and

finely chopped1 medium sized onion, peeled and

finely chopped1 – 11/2 x 5ml teaspoon chilli powder,

or to taste275g (10oz) Co-op easy cook long

grain rice840ml (11/2 pints) chicken stock220g can Co-op chopped tomatoes

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the diced turkey and fry over amoderate heat for 4 – 5 minutes, oruntil browned, stirring continuously.

2. Add the vegetables and chilli powderand cook for 3 – 4 minutes, or untilthe vegetables are tender, stirringoccasionally.

3. Stir in the rice and heat for 1 – 2minutes.

4. Pour in the stock along with thetomatoes. Stir once, bring to the boil,then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or untilthe turkey and rice is cooked and allthe liquid has been absorbed.

5. Serve immediately with a crisp saladand plenty of crusty bread.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

For a change, replace the turkey withchicken or a smoked fish such ashaddock or mackerel. A risotto is alsoideal for using up any cooked meats,simply cut into cubes and add to thesaucepan with the vegetables. Thisrisotto may be frozen on the day ofmaking and used within one month.

Healthy Eating Tip

This risotto recipe uses lots of rice, whichis high in starchy carbohydrate and fillsus up for much fewer calories than fat.

37

NUTRITION







Fat 9 g 34 g MEDIUM

(of which Saturates 2 g 6.2 g) LOW



38

QUICKCHICKENCASSEROLEIngredients

2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil4 chicken quarters or breasts, skin

removed (454g)1 red onion, peeled and chopped

(90g)1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed1 red pepper, deseeded and thickly

sliced (160g)2 teaspoons (10ml) ground paprika280 ml (1/2 pint) chicken stock3 tablespoons (45ml) tomato puréePepper, to taste

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon (15ml) of the oil ina large frying pan and fry chicken onall sides for 5 – 6 minutes or untilgolden brown (quarters will takelonger than breasts). Lift out anddiscard oil.

2. Heat the remaining oil and fry theonions, garlic and pepper for 3 – 4minutes.

3. Return the chicken to the pan.Sprinkle over the paprika and pour instock.

4. Add the tomato purée and seasoningand bring to boil.

5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 –20 minutes, or until chicken is cookedthrough.

6. Serve with freshly cooked rice orpotatoes and green vegetables suchas broccoli or green beans.

Serves 4

NUTRITION





Carbohydrate 15 g 58 g LOW






TURKEYBIRIANI Ingredients

1 dessertspoon (10 ml) vegetable oil225g (8 oz) Co-op diced turkey breast 1 medium onion, peeled and finely

chopped1 medium red pepper, deseeded and

diced100g (4 oz) Co-op easy cook long

grain rice1 dessertspoon (10ml) medium curry

powder75g (3oz) Co-op Californian seedless

raisins

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan andfry the turkey for 5 minutes untilbrowned.

2. Add the onion and pepper, fry untilsoft.

3. Stir in the rice and curry powder andfry for a further 2 minutes.

4. Pour in 280ml (1/2 pint) of water andthe raisins.

5. Bring to boil and simmer for 20minutes, or until rice is cooked, stirringoccasionally.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

This recipe is ideal for using up anycooked meat left over from a roastchicken, turkey or joint. For more fibre,try using Co-op brown rice.

If you have to buy a 450g pack ofdiced turkey breast, use any remainingturkey to make a soup. Fry the turkeyin a little oil until browned, stir in amixture of peeled and chopped carrots,potato, and shredded cabbage. Pour insufficient chicken stock to cover. Bringto the boil, reduce the heat andsimmer for 20 – 25 minutes, stirringoccasionally. Freeze the Biriani styleturkey on the day of making and usewithin one month.

39

NUTRITION




Protein 2 g 9 g LOW



Fat 3 g 11 g MEDIUM


Fibre 2 g 9 g HIGH

Sodium Trace g 0.1 g LOW

COOKING WITHCONVENIENCEConvenience products are often seenas being ‘bad’ for you. In many casesthey are often not the most healthy ofchoices but some are better thanothers. This course does not advocateeating no convenience foods at all butlearning to use those that are ahealthier option.

The key to using convenience foodsuccessfully is in reading the labels.Convenience foods are notorious forbeing high in fat, sugar and salt as wellas being packed with additives,preservatives and flavourings. Thesethings, when eaten infrequently, arenot a big problem but a diet made upsolely of convenience products withtheir associated problems can have adetrimental affect directly and indirectly.

In general, convenience foods toavoid

• Ready made meals can be expensiveand may not contain the best qualitymeats and vegetables (if anyvegetables at all)

• Processed meat products (e.g. pies,pastries, chicken nuggets, burgers)where the meat quantity may be lowor poor quality

• Tinned soup may be very high in salt,look for ones which are lower or makeyour own

• Some popular quick pasta and noodlepots may be very high in salt.

Convenience food you can makework for you

• Tinned and frozen vegetables andfruit, choose fruit in fruit juice andvegetables in unsalted water

• Pizza bases, add your own topping,especially vegetables

• Jars of pasta sauces/ready madesauces such as tomato based, sweetand sour etc. Just watch the fat andsalt content.

Try some of the following recipesand see how you can makeconvenience work for you

• Quick Vegetable Pizza

• Breaded Peach Custard Dessert

40

QUICKVEGETABLEPIZZAIngredients

40g (11/2oz) Co-op sunflower spread175g (6oz) Co-op strong brown flour11/2 teaspoons (7.5ml) Co-op baking

powder2 medium tomatoes, sliced75g (3oz) mushrooms, wiped and

sliced1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced

or chopped220g can Co-op vegetarian cheese,

grated


Method


2. Rub the sunflower spread into theflour in a mixing bowl, until themixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in 5 – 6 tablespoons (75 – 90ml)of cold water until a soft, but notsticky dough forms.

4. Transfer to a lightly floured surfaceand roll out into a roundapproximately the size of a largedinner plate (20cm/8inches) using arolling pin, or clean milk bottle.

5. Place onto a lightly greased bakingtray. Arrange one of the slicedtomatoes over the surface of the pizzabase and top with the mushrooms,onion, pineapple, cheese andremaining sliced tomato.

6. Place in a pre-heated oven for 20 -25minutes, or until well risen and goldenbrown.

7. Serve immediately with a green salador reduced calorie coleslaw.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

For a change, try adding a pack ofQuorn sausages, cooked as directed,sliced and arranged over the pizza,before topping with the cheese andsliced tomato. If sliced onion is not toyour taste, replace with a greenpepper, de-seeded and sliced intorings. Freeze the pizza on the day ofmaking and use within one month.

41

NUTRITION









Fibre 4 g 15 g HIGH


BREADEDPEACH CUSTARDDESSERTIngredients

2 tablespoons (30ml) Co-op apple andstrawberry jam

4 slices Co-op brown sliced bread425g carton ready to serve low fat

custard213g can Co-op peach slices in juice,

drainedOven Temperature: Mark 6 –

400˚F/200˚C

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to the abovetemperature.

2. Spread the jam evenly over the slicesof bread. Cut each slice in half to formtwo triangles. Arrange in the base of alightly greased 1.1 litre (2 pint)heatproof dish.

3. Pour the custard over the bread,ensuring it is completely covered.

4. Arrange the peach slices in adecorative pattern over the custard.Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 – 6

Handy Hints

For a change, try spreading orangemarmalade over the bread in place ofjam. Use any variety of canned orfresh fruit to top this dessert.

42

NUTRITION







Fat 2 g 9 g LOW

(of which Saturates 0.8 g 4 g) MEDIUM



VEGETABLEMAIN MEALSWhether you are vegetarian or not,vegetable main meals add variety to thediet. They are often lower in fat thanmeat based dishes as long as you don’tstart adding lots of additional fats.

Many people perceive vegetables asbeing only accompaniments to mealsrather than forming the main part.Many vegetables can be made into arange of exciting dishes similar tomeat based as well as forming theirown range of unique recipes.

Buying vegetables

• Buy vegetables regularly in smallamounts to maintain their vitamincontent

• The lowest cost vegetables are usuallycabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, mixedvegetables (frozen) and frozen peas

• Use tinned and frozen, (the nutritionalcontent of frozen is as good as fresh)

• Buy tinned vegetables in water withno added salt or sugar

• Tinned tomatoes are a cheap source ofvegetables as well as providing bulk todishes such as vegetable lasagne or chilli

• Choose vegetables which are notdamaged or bruised

• Loose vegetables are cheaper thanpre-packaged

• Shop with a friend / relative /neighbour so you can take advantageof any special offers, by buying in bulk

• Try and choose a selection of differentcoloured vegetables as it not onlybrightens up your plate but ensures youget a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Storing vegetables

• Store root vegetables in a cool dark place

• Store salad vegetables in the fridgealong with broccoli, peppers,cauliflower

• Remove packaging from vegetables toallow to breathe.

Preparing and cooking vegetables

• Prepare vegetables as close to time ofcooking as possible to maintainnutritional content

• If possible leave skins on and washwell as many of the nutrients arefound right under the skin

• Try and keep vegetables as chunky aspossible as this reduces the surfacearea for nutrient loss

• Do not leave vegetables lying in water,the vitamins drain out

• Try and use quick cooking methods toretain nutrient content

• Microwaving retains more of thenutrients especially vitamin C as thevegetables are cooked in less water

• Use the water from cooking vegetablesto make gravy or stock for soup.

• Vegetable curries, or pasta based dishesare often a good way of encouragingchildren to eat more vegetables as theycan often be made in a similar way totheir favourite takeaway.

Try making some of the suggesteddishes below and find out just howflexible vegetables can be, as well asmaking a tasty alternative to meat.

• Mushroom and Pepper Stroganoff

• Multi Coloured Stir Fry

• Cheese and Vegetable Filled Pittas

• Vegetable Balti

• Vegetable Lasagne

• Vegetable Pancake Pizza

43

MUSHROOMAND PEPPERSTROGANOFF Ingredients

1 tablespoon (15ml) Co-op sunflowerspread

1 medium sized onion, peeled andsliced

1 medium sized green pepper, de-seeded and sliced

1 medium sized red pepper, de-seededand sliced

450g (1lb) mushrooms, wiped and cutinto quarters

2 tablespoons (30ml) Co-op plain flour 280ml (1/2 pint) vegetable stock or

water325g (12oz) Co-op white or brown

long grain rice, or pasta150g carton Co-op natural yogurtPepper, to taste1 dessertspoon (10ml) Co-op dried

parsley, optional

Method

1. Heat the spread in a saucepan untilmelted. Add the onion and peppersand cook over a medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes, or until they havebegun to soften.

2. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the flourand stir until the vegetables areevenly coated.

3. Remove the saucepan from the heatand gradually stir in the stock or water.Return the saucepan to the heat andbring to the boil, stirring continuouslyuntil the sauce has thickened.

4. Reduce the heat, cover the saucepanand simmer for 10 – 15 minutes, oruntil the vegetables are tender, stirringoccasionally.

5. Meanwhile, cook and drain the rice orpasta as directed on the packet.

6. Remove the stroganoff from the heatand allow to stand for 1 – 2 minutesbefore stirring in the yogurt, seasonto taste.

7. Divide the cooked rice or pasta betweenfour warmed serving plates and topwith the mushroom stroganoff.

8. Serve immediately, garnished with theparsley, if using and accompanied witha crisp green salad.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

For those who like to eat meat, simplystir in a little cooked meat or poultry,cut into cubes and heat throughthoroughly before stirring in thenatural yogurt.

Healthy Eating Tips

This recipe uses lots of rice or pasta,which is high in starchy carbohydrateand fills us up for much fewer caloriesthan fat. Making a meal such as this,with just vegetables is good for us. Weshould try to eat five portions of fruitand vegetables each day. Using naturalyogurt in place of the traditionalcream or soured cream substantiallyreduces the saturated fat content ofthis recipe.

44

45

NUTRITION




Protein 14 g 58 MEDIUM



Fat 5 g 21 g LOW




MULTICOLOURED STIR FRYIngredients

275g (10oz) Co-op quick cookspaghetti

220g can Co-op pineapple cubes injuice

1 tablespoon (15ml) Co-op cornflour1 teaspoon (5ml) ground ginger,

optional2 tablespoons (30ml) Co-op reduced

sugar and salt tomato ketchup1 tablespoon (15ml) malt vinegar1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil2 medium sized carrots, peeled and

cut into small sticks1 medium sized red pepper, seeds

removed and thinly sliced4 spring onions, washed and sliced175g (6oz) broccoli, cut into small

florets

Method

1. Cook the spaghetti as directed on thepackaging. Drain and rinse under coldwater, drain again thoroughly and setaside.

2. Pour off the juice from the pineapplecubes and make up to 225 ml (8 fluidoz) with cold water.

3. Place the cornflour into a small bowl,add a little of the pineapple liquid andmix until smooth. Stir in the remainingliquid, along with the ginger, ketchupand vinegar, mix well and set aside.

4. Heat the oil in a wok or large fryingpan. Carefully add the vegetables andfry for 3 – 4 minutes, or until thevegetables are cooked but not soft.

5. Carefully pour in the sauce ingredientsand stir until the mixture has thickened.Add the pineapple cubes and spaghettiand heat through. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

As a stir fry should be cooked quickly,make sure you have all the ingredientsready before you heat the oil. If you donot like the mixture of vegetables usedin this recipe, simply add the samequantity of the vegetables that you dolike. You could also add cooked meat,chicken or fish to this stir fry when youadd the pineapple cubes and spaghetti,and heat through thoroughly.

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NUTRITION







Fat 4 g 16 g LOW


Fibre 7 g 26 g HIGH


CHEESE ANDVEGETABLE FILLED PITTASIngredients

1 tablespoon (15ml) Co-op vegetableoil

75g (3oz) mushrooms, wiped andsliced

2 medium sticks celery, washed andsliced

325g can Co-op naturally sweetsweetcorn, drained

125g tub Co-op light soft cheese withgarlic and parsley

4 Co-op wholemeal pitta breads

Method

1. Heat the oil in a medium sizedsaucepan. Add the mushrooms andcelery and fry for 2 – 3 minutes, untiltender.

2. Stir in the soft cheese and thesweetcorn and heat gently over a lowheat, stirring continuously until thecheese has melted.

3. Heat the pitta breads as directed onthe packaging.

4. Slice each pitta bread open to form a‘pocket’ and fill with the vegetable andcheese mixture. Serve immediately,with a salad accompaniment.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

Use any variety of fresh or cannedvegetables, drained. If a garlic flavouris not to your liking, simply use 125g(5oz) of Co-op extra light soft cheese.For extra crunch, stir in 15g (1/2oz) ofroughly chopped nuts, variety asdesired. This filling will refrigerate in acovered container for at least one day.

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NUTRITION











VEGETABLEBALTIIngredients

3 tablespoons (45ml) Co-op vegetablecooking oil

15g (1/2oz) Co-op butter2 tablespoons (30ml) Co-op medium

curry powder2 tablespoons (30ml) ground garam

masala1 large onion peeled and chopped2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed2 large carrots, peeled and diced450g (1lb) potatoes, peeled and cut

into large cubes1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into

florets4 medium sized tomatoes, finely

chopped2 tablespoons (30ml) Co-op tomato

purée340ml (12 fluid oz) vegetable stock175g (6oz) Co-op frozen spinach50g (2oz) Co-op unsalted cashew

nuts, toasted until goldenGarnish: fresh coriander leaves,

optional

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Addthe curry powder and garam masalaand fry for approximately 5 minutes,stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in the onion and garlic and cookfor approximately 5 minutes or untilsoftened, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, exceptthe spinach, stir. Bring to the boil, thenreduce the heat, cover and simmer for20 – 25 minutes or until the vegetablesare tender, stirring occasionally toprevent the balti from sticking.

4. Stir in the cashew nuts and spinachand heat for 4 – 5 minutes.

5. Garnish with the coriander leaves, ifusing and serve with traditional Indianaccompaniments.

Serves 4

Handy Hint

For Vegans, replace the butter with anadditional tablespoon of vegetablecooking oil.

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NUTRITION








(of which Saturates 5 g 18 g MEDIUM

Fibre 11 g 45 g HIGH


VEGETABLELASAGNEIngredients

Vegetable sauce:2 x 15ml tablespoons vegetable oil2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed1 small onion, peeled and finely

chopped2 yellow peppers, deseeded and

chopped into 1cm (1/2 inch) pieces1 medium aubergine, stalk removed

and chopped into 1cm (1/2 inch)cubes

225g (8oz) button mushrooms, wipedand sliced

397g can Co-op chopped tomatoes2 x 15ml tablespoons tomato purée3 x 5ml teaspoon Co-op dried mixed

herbs

Cheese sauce:50g (2oz) plain flour50g (2oz) butter or sunflower spread 560ml (1 pint) milk125g (5oz) Cheddar cheese, grated9 sheets Co-op lasagne verdi

Oven Temperature: Mark 5 – 375˚F/190˚C

Method


2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Addthe garlic and onion and fry untilsoftened. Add the peppers andaubergine and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the mushrooms, choppedtomatoes, tomato purée, herbs and150ml (1/4 pint) water. Bring to theboil, reduce the heat, cover andsimmer for 20 minutes, stirringfrequently.

4. Meanwhile make up the cheese sauceby placing the flour, spread and milk ina saucepan. Bring to the boil, whiskingcontinuously until thickened andsmooth.

5. Add 100g (4oz) of the cheese and stiruntil melted.

6. Place alternate layers of the vegetablesauce, lasagne sheets and cheesesauce into a 27.5 x 20 x 5 cm (11x 8 x2 inch) shallow oven proof dish,finishing with a layer of cheese sauce.

7. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over thecheese sauce.

8. Place into a pre-heated oven for 30minutes, or until the cheese isbubbling and golden.

9. Serve immediately with a green saladand garlic bread.

Serves 4


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50

VEGETABLEPANCAKEPIZZA Ingredients

Pancake:100g (4oz) Co-op plain flour 1 medium sized egg280ml (1/2 pint) skimmed milk2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable

cooking oil

Filling:4 spring onions, washed and sliced397g can Co-op chopped tomatoes226g can Co-op chopped tomatoes100g (4oz) mushrooms, wiped and

sliced1-2 teaspoons (5-10ml) dried mixed

herbs25g (1oz) Co-op mature Cheddar

cheese, grated

Method

1. Make up the pancakes by placing theflour in a mixing bowl, add the egg andgradually beat in the milk with a fork orwhisk until the batter is smooth.

2. Heat a little of the oil in a mediumsized frying pan until beginning tosmoke. Pour in sufficient batter tothinly cover the base of the pan. Cookuntil the surface has set and theunderneath browned. Flip the pancakeover and cook until golden. Slide ontoa warmed plate and keep warm.

3. Make a further 7 pancakes using theremaining oil and batter. Cover andkeep warm.

4. To make the filling, place the cannedtomatoes and 1 teaspoon dried mixedherbs in a saucepan. Bring to the boil,then reduce the heat and simmer for6 – 8 minutes.

5. Stir in the spring onions andmushrooms and simmer for 5 – 6minutes, or until the mixture hasthickened, stirring occasionally.

6. To assemble the pizza, place onepancake on a heatproof serving plate,and spread over a little of the hot tomato mixture. Repeat until all thepancakes and tomato mixture havebeen used, ending with a tomato layer.

7. Sprinkle the grated cheese over thesurface. Place under a pre-heatedmoderate grill until the cheese hasmelted and is golden.

8. Serve immediately, cut into fourwedges with a green salad, made usingthe remaining spring onions washedand chopped, iceberg lettuce, washedand shredded and cucumber chopped.

Serves 4

Handy Hints

For added convenience, make thepancakes using a packet Co-opbatter mix, made up as directed.Replace the mushrooms and onionwith a similar quantity of yourfavourite vegetables, fresh, frozen orcanned in water, drained.


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NUTRITION - Vegetable Lasagne








(of which Saturates 13 g 51 g) HIGH

Fibre 6 g 25 g HIGH


NUTRITION - Vegetable Pancake Pizza











COOKING FOR ONEAt various times in our life we canfind ourselves only cooking for one,maybe an elderly person, a singleparent whose child has just left homeor indeed a young person setting upon their own for the first time.Whatever the circumstances, it’s quitea daunting prospect.

For some it may be about learning tocook and shop, whilst for others itmay be about changing the way andamount you cook. The mainadvantage of shopping and cookingfor one is you can buy and cook whatyou like, you don’t have to consideranyone else’s likes and dislikes! Whatever the circumstances, here are sometips and ideas to get you used to theidea of shopping and cooking for one.

Shopping

• Use a store to your advantage. Justbecause you are buying fruit andvegetables for one does not mean youcan not have variety. Buy things loose,if you only want one pear, or oneparsnip, only buy one!

• Use the delicatessen to your advantage.If you only want a small amount ofpotato salad to go with your lunch, buyit loose rather than buying a largerportion from the chiller cabinet.

• The delicatessen is also useful for coldmeat. If you don’t want to cook apiece of roast beef or roast pork, buythe number of slices you want andmake the gravy when you get home.

• The delicatessen is useful for things likesausages or bacon. Making a pasta

dish and want a couple of slices ofbacon, well just buy a couple.

• If your supermarket has a butcher orfishmonger, feel free to buy theamount you need and want.

• Tinned fruit, vegetables and fish aregood standby ingredients. Try and keepa few small tins in your cupboard.

• Pasta and rice tend to come in a varietyof sizes, so buy as big a size as youhave room to store and you can afford.They both keep for a long time and areuseful when you are cooking for one.

• Buy a pack of chicken breasts, divideup individually and freeze, or buyloose from the butchers.

Cooking

• Many recipes and dishes you normallymake can be adapted for one

• Soups are useful. Make enough fortoday, tomorrow and a dish for thefreezer. If you have freezer space, afew freezer proof dishes are veryuseful not only for soup, butmince/chicken dishes.

• Mince dishes are handy. Either buy justenough loose mince for one portionor buy a bigger pack and make a basicsavoury mince recipe. Have it todaywith spaghetti and tomorrow in anindividual dish of lasagne. Again if youhave freezer space, freeze anotherportion to make chilli another day.

• Stir frys are ideal for one as you cancook a chicken breast with lots ofvegetables add some sauce and servewith rice, pasta or noodles.

• Risottos are also ideal as you can justmake enough for one.

• Pasta dishes can also be made just forone, but make sure you add lots ofvegetables.

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The secret of cooking for one andenjoying it is to try and have as muchvariety in your diet as possible. Manypeople get the idea that when there isonly one person it’s not worth makingthe effort. You need to turn this roundand make cooking for yourself anenjoyable experience. Remember, youare worth making an effort over,whatever the circumstances.

Ensure that every meal you produce isas well balanced as you can possiblyachieve, providing all the necessarynutrients – protein, fat, carbohydrate,vitamins, minerals and fibre. Here are afew ideas.

Breakfast

• Co-op own brand breakfast cereals,preferably the higher fibre varieties,topped with fresh or canned fruit injuice.

• Co-op traditional porridge oats, madeusing half the quantity suggested inthe make up guidelines. Sweeten withsugar, Co-op clear honey or Co-opdried sultanas.

• Co-op ready to eat dried fruit, such asapricots etc., soaked in Co-op orangejuice and flavoured with driedcinnamon. This will keep, covered, in a refrigerator for 2 – 3 days. Servewell chilled, topped with Co-opnatural low fat yogurt.

• Co-op ready to eat fish, such asmackerel, can be flaked into cookedrice with a boiled egg for a tastykedgeree.

• Fruit smoothies make a quick breakfast,simply whisk or blend fresh soft fruit orCo-op canned fruit in juice with wellchilled milk or fruit juice until smooth.

Lunch

• Co-op chilled soups, such asmushroom, personalised by toppingwith a little grated Cheddar orParmesan cheese, or stir in somenatural yogurt. Serve with fresh Co-op wholemeal or white rolls

• Make your own sandwich fillings bycreaming together a small can of Co-op tuna or salmon, drained andmixed with Co-op mayonnaise or Co-op natural light soft cheese or lightsoft cheese with garlic and parsley.Alternatively, use one of the Co-opchilled sandwich fillings, adding saladleaves, tomatoes and cucumber, sliced.Use to fill Co-op pitta breads,baguettes, or rolls.

• Bake a large potato and fill with oneof the Co-op chilled sandwich fillings,such as chicken tikka, cheese andspring onion.

• For a sandwich with a difference, useone of the range of Co-op continentalmeats, instead of the usual cookedham. Fill with Co-op sweet and babyleaf mix and a dressing of your choice.

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Dinner

• Co-op ready to eat chicken tikka stylebreasts, heated, sliced and served onfreshly cooked rice and a crisp salad

• Pan fry a pork chop, beef steak orfish steak and serve simply with asalad and freshly boiled newpotatoes, or freshly cooked Co-oppasta. Alternatively, add a little red orwhite wine to the chop or meat/ fishsteak in the pan and simmer for 1 – 2minutes, serve as above with the panjuices spooned over.

• Make up a bolognese sauce with Co-op beef, pork, turkey mince orQuorn. Serve as spaghetti bolognesewith freshly cooked Co-op spaghettifor one meal. The remainingbolognese can be made into a chilli,by stirring in a little chilli powder and a small can of Co-op red kidneybeans, drained. Serve with freshlycooked rice, or use to fill taco shells or soft tortillas.

• Co-op canned fish, drained, Co-opready to eat chicken, or dicedseasonal fresh vegetables, roasted, can be added to a small can of Co-opchopped tomatoes, a pinch of driedherbs or chilli powder and a smallclove of garlic, peeled and crushed.Heat through and spoon over freshlycooked Co-op pasta. Or use to fillpancakes or a baked potato.

• If a ready bought pizza is too muchfor one, make your own French breadpizza, by slicing a small baguette,lightly toasting and topping withcooked meat, fish, chicken or roastedvegetables, sliced tomatoes, and asprinkling of herbs and gratedcheese. Grill until the cheese isbubbling.

• For a speedy Chinese meal for one,cook and drain sufficient spaghetti orlinguine, drain. Stir fry spring onions,

and other vegetables of your choice,add fresh chilli, de-seeded and sliced,or powdered chilli and ginger insesame oil. If desired, add a smallpack of Co-op fresh prawns, rinsedand drained. Heat through, then stirin the pasta and heat through.Sprinkle over soy sauce to taste.

Afters

• For afters, lightly brown a banana,sliced, in a little Co-op butter and Co-op light Muscovado sugar, until itbegins to caramelise. Serve hot withthe sauce spooned over and toppedwith Co-op natural low fat yogurt orvanilla ice cream.

• Halve a fresh nectarine or peach andremove the stone. Place in aheatproof dish, sprinkle over a littleCo-op orange juice or white wineand caster sugar to taste. Place undera hot grill until the sugar begins tocaramelise. Serve hot or warm.

• Layer Co-op greek style naturalyogurt, or fromage fraise with freshsoft fruit or Co-op canned fruit injuice, drained, chill. If desired, servesprinkled with a few Co-op flakedalmonds, toasted.

• Fill a meringue nest with fruit andtop with greek style natural orhoney yogurt, or natural creamyfromage frais.

Finally, why not try makingrecipes which state serves 2 andfreeze the remaining portion foranother day, saving both timeand effort.

FOOD ANDNUTRITIONLABELLINGFood labels are intended to give youinformation to help you chooseappropriate foods for you and your family.

Within this session of ‘Get Cooking,Get Shopping’ we want to try andiron out some of the issues and tryand make things a bit clearer.

By law each label must contain thefollowing:

• The name of the food

• List of ingredients

• Durability Indication

• Name and address of eithermanufacturer or seller

• Weight

• Particulars of place of origin (optional)

The name of the food

This is required to let the customerknow what the product actually is. If the name does not fully describe it,a full description must be provided.

List of ingredients

These include foods, additives andadded water (over 5%). They are listedwith the greatest first. For additives itwill give names or E numbers and saywhether it is a preservative, colour,antioxidant or other category ofadditive. The ingredients that arenormally associated with a product or

that are mentioned in the name of theproduct are accompanied by anindication (in percent) of how much ofthe ingredient is in the product. Lookat this example of a “honey coatedcornflakes” cereal label:-

Durability indications

This will indicate how long the productcan be stored. This will be worded as‘Best Before’, ‘Best Before End’ or ‘UseBy’ followed by the date specified. Thisarea of the label will also contain anindication of how the product shouldbe stored (‘Keep in fridge 2 to 5°C’ or‘Store in a cool dry place’). ‘Use by’applies to products that will becomeinedible within a few days and afterthis date present a risk to health (e.g.fresh meat). ‘Best Before’ and ‘BestBefore End’ apply to products that arebest eaten before the date given.However, if eaten after this date therewould be no risk to health, althoughthe product quality may havedecreased.

Name and address ofmanufacturer or seller

This will indicate who is responsible forthe product, usually located on theback of the product and will indicatewhere the consumer should send anyqueries or questions.

Ingredients:Maize (60%), Sugar, Salt, Malt,Niacin, Honey(2%), Vitamin B6,Riboflavin (B2), Thiamine (B1),

Vitamin D3

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Weight

Most products are required to displaythe weight although some areexempt, such as cakes and flans.

Particulars of place of origin

This will indicate where the producthas been produced. This is onlyrequired where the consumer can bemisled. The Co-op ensures this is on alltheir food products, going beyond theletter of the law.

Guideline daily amounts

Each person has different food needs.Some food labels give you a quickguide:

GUIDELINE DAILY AMOUNTS

Women Men Per Pizza

Calories 2000 2500 710

Fat 70g 95g 23g

Salt 5g 7g 4.3g

These figures are for average adults of normal weight. Your ownrequirements will vary with age, size and activity level.

If you are eating 2000 Calories in aday, then 70 grams of fat and 5 gramsof salt are guidelines for levels of fatand salt you should aim to stay below.The example shows that if you eat thewhole pizza it will give youapproximately 1/3 of your 2000calories, approximately 1/3 of your fat,but nearly all your salt. You need towatch your salt intake from yourremaining foods that day.

Nutrition information

By law, labels do not have to givenutrition information, UNLESS theymake a nutritional claim for the productsuch as LOW FAT. However, manylabels do give nutrition informationanyway, but where they do, they mustby law, do it in one of two ways:

Big 4

Energy (kJ and kcal), protein,carbohydrate and fat

Big 4 and Small 4

Energy (kJ and kcal), protein,carbohydrate, sugars, fat, saturatedfat, fibre and sodium, (like the recipesshown in this pack).

In addition they can give othernutrients such as vitamins and mineralswhen present in significant amounts.

This means that manufacturers cannotdecide to give only the nutritioninformation that suits their product.For example, if a product is high in fatthey cannot just give values for energy,protein and carbohydrate, and exclude fat.

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Nutrition per 100g or per item?

When providing nutrition information,by law nutrition values per 100g ofthe food have to be given. Values perserving can only be given in additionto the per 100g information, notinstead of.

Per 100g information is useful if youare comparing two or more products,e.g. Cheddar cheese and Edamcheese. You can look at the per 100gto see which you prefer.

In this example, the Cheddar has morefat, but has less sodium than the Edam.

NUTRITION – CHEDDAR

TYPICAL VALUES PER 100 g

Energy Value 1700 kJ

(Calories 410 kcal)

Protein 25 g

Carbohydrate 0.1 g

(of which Sugars 0.1 g)

Fat 34 g

(of which Saturates 22 g)

Fibre Nil g

Sodium 0.7 g

NUTRITION – EDAM

TYPICAL VALUES PER 100 g

Energy Value 1370 kJ

(Calories 330 kcal)

Protein 26 g

Carbohydrate Trace g

(of which Sugars Trace g)

Fat 25 g

(of which Saturates 16 g)

Fibre Nil g

Sodium 1.0 g

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Per serving / item is useful if you are trying to count calories or control your fat intake asit tells you the amount you will actually eat in a serving. It is also useful if you aredeciding between products of different sizes, e.g. Strawberry Mousse 62g or Raspberry Trifle 125g.

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NUTRITION – MOUSSE

TYPICAL VALUES PER POT (62g) PER 100 g



Protein 2 g 3 g

Carbohydrate 10 g 17 g

(of which Sugars 10 g 16 g)

Fat 9 g 14 g

(of which Saturates 5 g 9 g)

Fibre Trace g Trace g

Sodium Trace g 0.1 g

NUTRITION- TRIFLE

TYPICAL VALUES PER POT (125g) PER 100 g



Protein 3 g 2 g



Fat 10 g 8 g

(of which Saturates 6 g 5 g)

Fibre 0.4 g 0.3 g

Sodium Trace g Trace g

Although the mousse has more fat per 100g, if you eat either all the mousse or all thetrifle, there is more fat in the serving of trifle than there is in the serving of mousse.

Recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for vitamins and minerals

Extra information is given on products such as breakfast cereals which contain addedvitamins and minerals because it helps us to judge what’s a lot and what’s a little. Itdoes this by giving us the allowance of the vitamin / mineral as a percentage of therecommended daily allowance (RDA).

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TYPICAL VALUES PER 40 g SERVING PER 100 g



Protein 2 g 5 g



Fat 1 g 3 g

(of which Saturates 0.2 g 0.6 g)

Fibre 1 g 3 g

Sodium 0.2 g 0.5 g

Vitamin D (% of the R.D.A.) 2.0 µg (40%) 5.0 µg (100%)

Thiamin (B1) (% of the R.D.A.) 0.6 mg (40%) 1.4 mg (100%)

Riboflavin (B2) (% of the R.D.A.) 0.6 mg (40%) 1.6 mg (100%)

Niacin (% of the R.D.A.) 7.2 mg (40%) 18 mg (100%)

Iron (% of the R.D.A.) 3.1 mg (22%) 7.8 mg (56%)

If we eat a 40 gram serving of this cereal, we will get 40% (nearly 1/2) of our dailyrequirement for vitamin D, B1, B2 and Niacin, and 22% (nearly 1/4) of our requirementfor iron.

Salt

As a rough guide, salt = 2.5 x sodium.

‘THE POWER OFADVERTISING’Advertising plays a large role in what wedecide to eat and has an even biggerinfluence on children. Somemanufacturers go about it quietlywhereas others have it blazonedeverywhere.

A recent survey by the Co-operativeGroup found that:

• 99% of food and drink advertised tochildren during Saturday morningchildrens’ TV and 95% of CITVcontained either high fat, high sugaror high salt

• Cakes, biscuits and confectioneryconstituted 46% of food advertisingon children’s ITV and 53% on The BigBreakfast. But on late evening TV, theircombined proportion was just 13%

In this session we are going to look atthe power of advertising more closely.

Your tutor will set up a series of ‘blindtastings’ involving four products;cornflakes, baked beans, orange juiceand white bread. There will be threedifferent brands of each and we wantyou to carefully look at the appearanceand colour and then eat them andcomment on the taste and texture.

Use the following sheets to recordyour thoughts and scores.

After everyone has finished your tutorwill reveal which one was which,discuss your thoughts on them andreveal prices for each group.

Prepare yourself for some surprises!!!!

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Your tutor will have set out some ‘blind tastings’ for the group. Please try and work asan individual and then the whole group will discuss at the end.

Use the following scale to rate each product as you look at and taste them.

1= don’t like at all 2 = don’t like3= okay4 = quite like5 = really like

Baked Beans

Plate 1 Plate 2 Plate 3

Appearance

Colour

Texture

Taste

Totals

Plate 1=

Plate 2=

Plate 3=

Cornflakes

Bowl 1 Bowl 2 Bowl 3

Appearance

Colour

Texture

Taste

Totals

Bowl 1=

Bowl 2=

Bowl 3=

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Orange Juice

Glass 1 Glass 2 Glass 3

Appearance

Colour

Texture

Taste

Totals

Glass 1 =

Glass 2=

Glass 3=

White Bread

Bread 1 Bread 2 Bread 3

Appearance

Colour

Texture

Taste

Totals

Bread 1 =

Bread 2 =

Bread3 =

get cooking, get shopping · get shopping a resource pack for developing community based cooking...

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