If you're not in any kind of debt then you're into some kind of witchcraft and need to teach me your spells because I am drowning. Talking about money is typically uncouth for us Brits, it's rude to ask people how much they earn, save and owe etc. and, in general people don't really want to talk about debt because there's a sense of shame about being unable to afford to live but statistically, 34% of UK children are living in poverty. The World Bank and the UN define poverty as "being unable to afford to basic needs of life including food, shelter and clothes etc." but poverty can have several different meanings basing in various factors such as people's standards of living being somewhat subjective as well as income vs material essentials. This makes drawing the poverty line difficult and fitting poor b*stards like me into the right category a tough job.

Cooking for a family of one and half is hard work; It’s hard to make the right sized portions for one adult and a small person who doesn’t really want to eat anything other than mini rolls and cooking and preparing a hearty and decent meal after a hard day’s work to probably end up eating my serving cold and cleaning Fred’s off the floor can often seem like too much effort. However, having a new storm every week and not being able leave the house without the fear of ending up on Oz means that I have the time and patience to prepare some comforting yet healthy meals for me and Fred, all with a little thanks from Schwartz and their recipe mixes. 

My absolute favourite home-cooked meal is a sausage casserole, my Grandma used to make it when I was younger and the smell would fill the house. I always remember feeling warm and full after eating it and it’s the go-to meal to make when Fred and I need a bit of comfort or a decent meal. Thanks to the recipe mixes, pre-packed chopped veg and instant mash, whipping up a good dinner after a full day of work takes no more than an hour and gives me time to sit at the table with Fred before his bed time rather than eat alone once he’s gone to bed. 

Other recipe mixes in the Schwartz collection include, Peppered Beef Casserole, Shepherd’s Pie and Moroccan Lamb Casserole to name a few. Managing portions effectively is something that I’ve been working on over recent months; as I mentioned earlier, making meals for just two of us is hard work and can lead to a lot of food going to waste as well as wasting money. I’ve started batch cooking meals at the weekend and then freezing them to heat up throughout the week.

Not only has this saved time in the evenings, resulting in meals just needing a shove in the oven for an hour but it’s also saved a fortune on the monthly food shop – My mum (who also lives alone) and equally struggles to buy food for one person (and cannot cook to save her life) has been chipping in on our food shop ensuring that none of the meals that I cook are going to waste and that we’re all eating a healthy, hearty and enjoyable diet. 

Financially we’ve been able to both save money as all our meals are planned and prepared meaning that random trips to Tesco for microwave meals and ending up spending more money per day than we would per month on food and groceries no longer happens. We’ve set a budget that we’ve agreed to spend each month and plan meals around it. The best thing about the Shwartz is the variety of mixes that ensure that sticking to planned meals is never boring – not only is there a plethora of mixes available but the their site also includes a range of different recipe ideas that can be used with the mixes making mealtimes exciting and convenient.