[Sca-cooks] 100 tips for Frugal Feasts

[Elaine Koogler]

Our biggest saving came from locating a supplier who sells to restaurants,
etc.  In our case, it's Restaurant Depot <http://www.restaurantdepot.com>...and
they have stores in many locations throughout the country.  It is a place
where, because they sell in quantity, the prices are very reasonable.  For
my feast I just finished, I got deals like boneless,skinless chicken breasts
for $1.27/lb and boneless leg of lamb, a great deal as I didn't have to deal
with bone or silver skin, for several dollars per pound cheaper than bone-in
was in a regular grocery store.

We have also stopped buying all of the herbs and spices we need for an
event.  Instead what I do is to use my own, especially for those dishes that
require small quantities.  If the dish requires a large quantity, I will use
my own stock, replacing it by purchasing the like amount from the feast
budget.  What this does is to make sure that there are no spices or herbs
that are kept by the Barony from year to year, becoming less and less potent
until we have to throw them out and buy new ones.

Also, I am being more careful about calculating how much of each dish to
make.  I'm cutting back on quantities, especially those things that I think
might not be as popular as others.

Hope this helps!

Kiri

On Sun, Apr 27, 2008 at 12:44 PM, Sharon Gordon <gordonse at one.net> wrote:

> With the rising  costs of foods, it will be more helpful than ever to
> strettttttttch the feast dollar/euro.  What are your favorite tips for
> getting the most out of your feast allotment?
>
> Here's a few to start:
>
> 1) Make your own broth from suitable feast ingredients-appropriate
> bone/skin/fat/peels.
> 2) Cut up meat rather than serving whole pieces on the bone--eg pasties vs
> baked chicken breasts.
> 3) Use seasonal ingredients.  Or buy ingredients in season and freeze
> until
> feast time.
> 4) Ask multiple barony members to garden for feast.  Even small herb
> gardens
> can save a significant amount.
> 5) Develop local skills so that more food can be made from scratch such as
> bread.
>
> Sharon
> gordonse at one.net
>
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