Stacey Morton has set herself a gourmet 'mystery box challenge' by using products from her local Food Bank with tips for budget-conscious cooks.
QCOSS says food is a significant pressure on household budgets with inflation hitting the basicsChef Stacey Morton says seasoning is the key to cooking on a budget
"There's so many different sauces and pastes that will last you for a very long time, so very economical and flavourful." Manager Mal Holmes began running the program when he retired and was looking for something to occupy his time."It's a full-time, seven days a week thing. I work harder here than I used to when I used to work. But it's a lot more fun."Mr Holmes said it was a misconception people must be struggling to access the service, because the more people who attended, the more children it could support.
For what she describes as a "mystery box challenge", Ms Morton made a pork sausage French cassoulet and a beef Thai noodle dish.She said the Food Bank offered a variety of products such as cannellini beans from Italy and fresh, high quality fruit and vegetables."You're on a budget, you want to get all the flavour out of your veggies. So any sort of dish that you do you need to caramelise your vegetables," Ms Morton said.