In the new spirit of austerity have decided to shop at Somerfield. Much as I hate to admit it have become over-dependent on Waitrose because they do nice things, never seem to move anything around and I’ve yet to see anyone slap their child in the check-out queue.
But, alas, there’s no question that Waitrose is expensive. I had a moment of epiphany just before Christmas when standing in a long, but very civilised queue, where we were given free mini-Mars Bars by the manager for not rioting. On one side I noticed hideously priced cashmere socks, on the other enough different cat foods to suggest that their cats had even more dietary needs than their lifestyle-fixated owners. I thought then that enough was enough and wondered if we rather let Waitrose, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer off the corporate hook because the people in them are usually pleasant like us and the staff don’t spend their time sighing or examining their hang nails.
But Somerfield isn’t really so bad and I can buy nearly everything I used to, except it’s cheaper. A 500g bag of spinach, for example is ? at Somerfield but ? at Waitrose and it looks and tastes exactly the same.
I found a wonderful recipe for spinach soup in the now invaluable Cranks Bible by Nadine Abensur (only £3.99 from Soho’s Original Bookshop, Charing Cross Road, London; it has a mysterious lower-depths sex department that kind of glows red although that might just be my imagination. I don’t know if the lower-depths books are cheaper or not.).
Here’s the fab recipe:
Serves 2 – 4
1 litre/ 2 pints light vegetable stock or water and Marigold bouillon powder
2tbsp light olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely slivered
1 bag, usually 225g/8oz ready-washed spinach
A pinch of grated nutmeg
Salt, or Herbamare (herb sale) and freshly ground black pepper
Set your stock to boil, even if it’s only composed of water and bouillon powder, so that you can add it to the spinach already boiling hot. You want the green chlorophyll trapped in by the searing heat, not allowed to leach out slowly while the soup comes to the boil.
Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the chopped onion and garlic until transparent. Add the spinach and stir quickly to wilt in the heat.
Add a ladleful of the boiling stock and blend. This is a soup that can take quite a bit of rough with the smooth so don’t get too carried away. Add the rest of the boiling liquid, adjust the seasoning with salt or Herbamare, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer for a few minutes to concentrate the flavours and serve.
