Be a smarter food shopper

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With prices going up all the time and appetites getting bigger, a trip to the supermarket can be an expensive experience.

We have had a look at how you can be a smarter shopper when it comes to buying food and how to ensure it doesn’t go to waste, along with your hard-earned cash.

Make a list
Sounds so simple but how many times have you gone to the shops for a pint of milk and come home with five bags full of food you didn’t know you needed? Special offers and BOGF deals can be tempting but if you don’t actually need what is on the shelves, you aren’t saving anything at all. Make a list either on a piece of paper or your phone, and stick to it.

Take a bag
Yes, we know it is only a few pennies but taking your own bags when you go shopping doesn’t only help your purse but it also protects the environment.

Shop online
With many supermarkets offering free delivery (over a certain spend), shopping online can work out cheaper as you also save on petrol and car parking as well as your time. Do a comparison of who offers what, when the best delivery slots are for you and where there are offers and savings to be had and you might find ordering from your comfort of you own home makes sense on many levels.

Buy in bulk
Whether you are in store or online, buying in bulk is the way to go if you are looking at making savings. Tins, pasta, rice, ketchup, water, cereal and washing powder are all everyday staples and ones that can come with a hefty price tag at the corner shop. Do some research, look for deals and where you can, buy in bulk once a month and not only will soon see savings but you’ll never run out of the basics.

Get your rewards
Most major outlets from supermarkets to chemists and coffee shops offer reward schemes, so sign up for them. As well as getting great deals and offers, you can also get extra discounts, free products and vouchers, so don’t miss out.

Use your freezer
Tonnes of food goes to waste each year, so if you are aren’t going to eat something before the use by date, put in the freezer rather than leaving it until it needs to go in the bin. You can also pick up bargain items at the end of the day and freeze them for later. Batch cook soups, casseroles, stews and bolognaise then freeze them and save yourself time and money and will also have a hot meal ready to go.

Eat before you shop
Sounds daft but if you go shopping when you are hungry, you are more likely to spend more money and eat as you shop. Having lunch before you go out will save you pounds on your bill, and your waistline.

Look for vouchers
We have all been stuck in front of someone at the checkout who has a purse full of vouchers and while it might hold you up, these beauties do save you money. Newspapers, magazines, flyers and websites all carry money off vouchers, so keep them and use them the next time you are shopping to save some pennies.

Got a money-saving idea? Why not share the discount love with us?

Team Pure-Beauty

Chocolate Week Comes to Town

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baking powder, bars, boiling point, boiling water, buttons, cake, caster sugar, chocolate, cinnamon stick, cold, cream, dark, egg, free range eggs, fridge, greate, jam, jar, marshmallows, milk, mug, mugs, organic, pan, recipe, salt, seeds, self-raising flour, semi-skimmed milk, smaller pieces, strawberry jam, sugar, tins, vanilla pod, white

Love chocolate then you will love the fact that this week is Chocolate Week, culminating in The Chocolate Show at Olympia National Hall, London.

Milk, white, dark, organic, buttons, bars, the list goes on so we have looked at the best ways to indulge in this worldwide food phenomena.

Let’s face is, everyone loves chocolate cake, don’t they?

It is easy to make and for one cake you will need:

50g cocoa powder
3 large free range eggs
6 tablespoons of boiling water
4 tablespoons of semi-skimmed milk
175g self-raising flour
1 rounded teaspoon of baking powder
100g of softened butter
300g /caster sugar

For the icing you will need:
150g of broken up, good quality dark
150ml double cream
3 tablespoons of strawberry jam
Icing sugar for dusting

The method for baking this chocolate delight is very simple:

Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4, then grease two 20cm sandwich tins.

Put the cocoa powder and boiling water in a large bowl and mix into a smooth paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until they are all combined well.

Divide the mixture into the two tins then place in the oven. Bake for around 30 minutes, until well risen and slightly coming away from the sides of the tin.

As the cake cooks, start on your icing. Pop the chocolate pieces and cream in a bowl, put the bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted, then leave to cool.

When cool, move the cakes from the tins and spread the bottom of each one with jam . Spread half the icing on the jam, sandwich together and put the rest of the icing on the top. Dust with icing sugar and serve in slices with a mug of hot

When we talk about hot chocolate we don’t mean a packet mix but a delicious, creamy drink that leaves you full and satisfied.

This recipe is perfect for cold winter days and you will need:

1 litre of semi-skimmed milk
150g good quality, plain chocolate, broken into small pieces
Extra chocolate for grating
1 vanilla pod split and seeds scraped out
1 cinnamon stick
A little caster sugar
Mini marshmallows

Making this luxurious drink is super-easy:
Gently heat the vanilla pod and seeds, cinnamon stick and milk in a saucepan until boiling.
With the pan taken away from the heat, add the chocolate pieces and then stir until it melts.
Whisk the liquid until frothy, pour into your favourite mugs. Grate a little chocolate on the top and together with several marshmallows and you are good to go.

Chocolate spread is a kitchen cupboard staple for many but why buy it when you can make your own? For one decent sized jar, you will need:

140g of dark, good quality chocolate, chopped into smaller pieces
160g of double cream
45g of caster sugar
2g of salt

To make the spread put the cream, sugar and salt into a pain and bring to boiling point. Pour the hot mixture over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Use a hand blender to smooth the mix and once cooled, pour into a sterlised jar and put in the fridge.

Happy Chocolate Week.

Team Pure-Beauty