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Delia's Frugal Food
At a time when money worries are front-page news, Britain's most trusted cook, Delia Smith, is once again on hand with a wide range of tasty recipes that are cheap and easy to prepare. Being frugal can be fun once you've learned a few simple tricks, among buying fresh produce when it's in season replacing more expensive ingredients with humbler alternatives experimenting with different cuts of meat being creative with leftovers. Thirty years on, the message of Delia's Frugal Food has never seemed more relevant. With some 170 recipes, from luxury soups to paupers' puddings, this new illustrated edition shows you how to eat well without having to spend a fortune.
Chapters The Cheap Charter Luxury Soups Eggs and Us Frugal Fish Chicken's Lib Forequarter Front Offal - But I Like You Bangers Are Beautiful Cook for Victory Go with the Grain Who Needs Meat? Quickening Pulses Back to Baking Pauper's Puddings
Chapters The Cheap Charter Luxury Soups Eggs and Us Frugal Fish Chicken's Lib Forequarter Front Offal - But I Like You Bangers Are Beautiful Cook for Victory Go with the Grain Who Needs Meat? Quickening Pulses Back to Baking Pauper's Puddings
246 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Delia Smith
122 books35 followersDelia Smith CBE is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills in a no-nonsense style. She is the UK's best-selling cookery author, with more than 21 million copies sold.
Smith is also famous for her role as joint majority shareholder at Norwich City F.C. Her partner in the shareholding is her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones. Her role at the club has attracted varying media attention, from positive when she "saved" the club from bankruptcy, to negative, when making a controversial on-pitch announcement in 2005.
Already an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Smith was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours, "in recognition of ... [her] contribution to television cookery and recipe writing".
Smith is also famous for her role as joint majority shareholder at Norwich City F.C. Her partner in the shareholding is her husband, Michael Wynn-Jones. Her role at the club has attracted varying media attention, from positive when she "saved" the club from bankruptcy, to negative, when making a controversial on-pitch announcement in 2005.
Already an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Smith was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours, "in recognition of ... [her] contribution to television cookery and recipe writing".
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 30, 2020
This book is very dated, most recipes unappealing and not particularly frugal.
But I like the cover. Got it for £1 in a charity sale, they'll be having it back.
That there's a section called 'who needs meat' that starts 'I do' which isn't encouraging, and that the recipes that follow include Anchovies and Salami isn't inspiring.
But I like the cover. Got it for £1 in a charity sale, they'll be having it back.
That there's a section called 'who needs meat' that starts 'I do' which isn't encouraging, and that the recipes that follow include Anchovies and Salami isn't inspiring.
December 8, 2011
This book is literally full of frugal food - recipes which are cheap to make. I have made the deviled chicken drumsticks, which were yum and easy, and the quick wholemeal bread, which was a massive disaster. The bread tastes nice but it stuck to my loaf tin like glue (which was well greased, as advised!) and I'm not sure the loaf tin can be saved. There are no photos of dishes in the book and some of the recipe titles are in French, which required a bit of research to translate on my part.
This book is interesting because it is an almost exact reprint of the original 1970s text, with a few notes from Delia to point out changes in modern thinking. Some of the recipes just seem bizarre by today's standards, for example the egg and bacon pie (Boil three eggs. Cook bacon. Make pastry. Line pie dish with half of the pastry. Chop up eggs and bacon, scatter over pie crust. Beat one egg and pour over hardboiled eggs and bacon. Cover with other half of pastry, cook.) Today you'd make a quiche or tart and serve with a green salad and there'd probably be fresh herbs, baby spinach or rocket somewhere. It clearly illustrates how tastes and expectations of food have changed in three decades.
I was disappointed that there weren't instructions on how to save money through cooking practices. Delia mentions in passing that it's wasteful to put on the oven only to make a quiche, but then almost all of the recipes require cooking in an oven. It would have been better if perhaps she'd paired dishes - like 'Bake chicken casserole. At the same time, roast chicken to be served cold tomorrow night with salad, thus avoiding the need to use the oven two nights in a row'. After reading this cookbook I've got a few new recipes but no real insight into how to save money in the kitchen.
PS. There's a whole chapter on offal, because it's cheap. If that floats your boat, this cookbook is for you.
This book is interesting because it is an almost exact reprint of the original 1970s text, with a few notes from Delia to point out changes in modern thinking. Some of the recipes just seem bizarre by today's standards, for example the egg and bacon pie (Boil three eggs. Cook bacon. Make pastry. Line pie dish with half of the pastry. Chop up eggs and bacon, scatter over pie crust. Beat one egg and pour over hardboiled eggs and bacon. Cover with other half of pastry, cook.) Today you'd make a quiche or tart and serve with a green salad and there'd probably be fresh herbs, baby spinach or rocket somewhere. It clearly illustrates how tastes and expectations of food have changed in three decades.
I was disappointed that there weren't instructions on how to save money through cooking practices. Delia mentions in passing that it's wasteful to put on the oven only to make a quiche, but then almost all of the recipes require cooking in an oven. It would have been better if perhaps she'd paired dishes - like 'Bake chicken casserole. At the same time, roast chicken to be served cold tomorrow night with salad, thus avoiding the need to use the oven two nights in a row'. After reading this cookbook I've got a few new recipes but no real insight into how to save money in the kitchen.
PS. There's a whole chapter on offal, because it's cheap. If that floats your boat, this cookbook is for you.
April 5, 2020
“Of it’s time”
Which seems to be one summer in 1974.
Which seems to be one summer in 1974.
November 21, 2014
I've enjoyed reading through this cook book to get Delia's take on frugal eating as well and it being a re-print from 1976. (I also managed a frugal purchase of the book ad it cost me just £1 in a local Havens charity shop).
Most of the recipies are common sense recipies rather that frugal in the sense that I've become accustomed, the extravagance seems to have been cut but some of the basic ingredience used are far from frugal - i.e. Beef, tuna and the tonnes of creme that is used throughout the book. Although some of the recipies are cheap to make and sound fantastic soup au chou - bacon and cabbage soup - although old fashioned would go down fantastic in our house, as would deviled drumsticks and kidney stroganoff. I am Aldo desperate to try the sugarless orange and sultana cake although I would omit the egg as I feel it would be to rich with all that condenced milk.
This book is relevant to today's frugal eating chefs but I feel it needs many more vegetarian recipies as meat costs a lot of money.
So a three star review for this interesting but not that frugal recipie book.
Most of the recipies are common sense recipies rather that frugal in the sense that I've become accustomed, the extravagance seems to have been cut but some of the basic ingredience used are far from frugal - i.e. Beef, tuna and the tonnes of creme that is used throughout the book. Although some of the recipies are cheap to make and sound fantastic soup au chou - bacon and cabbage soup - although old fashioned would go down fantastic in our house, as would deviled drumsticks and kidney stroganoff. I am Aldo desperate to try the sugarless orange and sultana cake although I would omit the egg as I feel it would be to rich with all that condenced milk.
This book is relevant to today's frugal eating chefs but I feel it needs many more vegetarian recipies as meat costs a lot of money.
So a three star review for this interesting but not that frugal recipie book.
September 16, 2014
I recently got this old stand-by out to look for ideas to use up our windfall apples. It truly took me back in time to more frugal days when I certainly needed this book to make nourishing meals within a tight budget.
Liberal use of good techniques (tarts, cakes, curries, stews) are always a great way of making the most of eggs, cheese, cheap cuts of meat, sausages, and so on. Having made the Apple Shortcake with our own apples and lots of hand-picked blackberries from the village hedges, I can say its a wonderful recipe, though I did use half wholemeal and half plain flour and added a liberal pinch of salt to get that sweet-savoury digestive biscuit flavour. The same day I made Delia's sausages and lentils in the slow cooker, which was more than adequate for four people and wonderfully thick, tasty and nutritious.
I agree with other reviewers that this needs updating as the relative cost of items has changed so much, and that photos would be helpful. But for anyone with a small budget and a need to make filling, nutritious meals, I would recommend this as a useful guide.
Liberal use of good techniques (tarts, cakes, curries, stews) are always a great way of making the most of eggs, cheese, cheap cuts of meat, sausages, and so on. Having made the Apple Shortcake with our own apples and lots of hand-picked blackberries from the village hedges, I can say its a wonderful recipe, though I did use half wholemeal and half plain flour and added a liberal pinch of salt to get that sweet-savoury digestive biscuit flavour. The same day I made Delia's sausages and lentils in the slow cooker, which was more than adequate for four people and wonderfully thick, tasty and nutritious.
I agree with other reviewers that this needs updating as the relative cost of items has changed so much, and that photos would be helpful. But for anyone with a small budget and a need to make filling, nutritious meals, I would recommend this as a useful guide.
March 7, 2010
I've added this edition manually as it is the 2008 version. I believe it is much the same as the original with just a few changes to reflect modern tastes. Unfortunately I don't know if it's possible to upload a cover picture.
The recipes are common sense recipes and I've probably got most of them in one form or another but it's nice to have a book of simple recipes that use easy to find ingredients. I believe that the recipe for sausages braised in cider has been one of the most popular since the original publication on the 70's.
ADDITIONAL - Ah, someone has added a cover picture, good.
I bought another copy of this as a present for my Brother-in-law who is a keen but "plain" cook.
The recipes are common sense recipes and I've probably got most of them in one form or another but it's nice to have a book of simple recipes that use easy to find ingredients. I believe that the recipe for sausages braised in cider has been one of the most popular since the original publication on the 70's.
ADDITIONAL - Ah, someone has added a cover picture, good.
I bought another copy of this as a present for my Brother-in-law who is a keen but "plain" cook.
January 7, 2023
I don't think any of the recipes are useful.
August 15, 2012
Useful basic recipes that are generally quite cheap to put together. As another reader has commented, the recipes' energy use has not been updated to reflect 21st-century frugality. I can buy exotic ingredients quite cheaply, but heating eight litres of water to blanch a cabbage for two minutes is actually quite expensive. However I just plan around the silliest of these instructions - for instance using said hot water to boil some pasta - and add twice as much garlic and pepper as needed, making it a useful reference book.
August 11, 2015
I'm not a great fan of Our Lady Delia but as I collect cookery books and this was in mint condition at 30p as withdrawn from my local library, I bought it.
As many cookbooks are today, a large format, thick tome in heavyweight paper.
Why ?
As many cookbooks are today, a large format, thick tome in heavyweight paper.
Why ?
January 12, 2012
I was disappointed that she hadn't really updated the recipes. So it's going back to the library and I haven't tried any recipes.
July 8, 2016
On my 3rd copy now, first copy was around 30 years ago and disintegrated. Lentil chilladas are great.
January 10, 2009
As ever delia's a stable book,nice items on the menu
April 5, 2017
It's funny how books like this have come back in fashion due to recession. An interesting read
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews