THE RISE IN THE PRICE OF MEAT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12570, 3 August 1901, Page 2

THE RISE IN THE PRICE OF MEAT.

* WHAT TO BUY, A FEW. SUGGESTIONS. INTERVIEW WITH MRS R. GARDNER. Knowing that the nceub rise in the price of meat has materially added to the cost of living, ai representative of ‘this journal waited yesterday on Mrs Gardner, t.m principal of the School of Domestic Instruction, in order to obtain expert information as to the more economical methods of buying butchers’ meat, and some appetising wars of preparing it.for the table. . Mrs Gard’iwr was very -busy, but courteously' said she. had a few minutes to spare before the arrival of a cooking class.

“I am glad that the matter is under discussion in the newspapers,” she said, “because there is such terrible’waste in homes that can ill-affcrd it. This is of two kinds.. There is waste in the cooking, aud waste of the food after it is cooked,, both of which are, of course, repugnant to the skilful cook. There is also an immense amount oi prejudice agifinst the cheaper cuts of meat, and in niatiy arttzans’ houses the staple meats are rump steak and mutton chops--usually fried. Of course, the most economical wav of cooking meat is by stoning dr bulling it.. Roasting, as. usually done, when-a handful of salt is , sprinkled on the joint, -and a little hot water pouml into the pan before, placing it in the. oven, is a very common method of ruining excellent meat. -But even when properly done, roasting causes an amount of shrinkage and loss to the meat that is not the case in boiling or stewing.” “Is there not seme prejudice against

stews ?’’ . " Yes ; probably because'-so -few .people understand how to make a good stew. It is an art in itself. Meat can also be made (to go very far in this dish, because of the. vegetables, which should not bo stinted' in it; and the.result is a. meal in.which the nitrogenous and mineral elements necessary to nutrition are present.” “ And the, parts most suitable for stews are -r— ?”. "In mutton, the neck. and. breast. A shoulder of inntton freed from the fat makes’.’tv' delicious stew,, with the addition iof a 'cupful 'of Vice as sOon as it. comes to a boil, i* beef, there is gravy beef, and the shin or ' leg. The latter is almost neglected for purposes, but is delicious When rightly used. A round of beef makes an extravagant roast, on. account Of the great amount of fat; but a ciit of top-side is economical. It must be put into a hot oven at first, and then allowed to"-bake slowly, with generous basting, or else it will.be tough.,/It is.not generally.'under-' stood,”. Aveii-fc, on Mrs ’Gard’nei - , “that sprinkling, salt , over meat for roasting brings out the gravy—which should be retained—and >,afso hardens the fibres. Soups, again, are a mo A important food; yet, how few people realise this? The cost is so small, too. With threepence worth of bones, and twopence worth of vegetables, you can make six quarts of good stock, which can be either made into soup or used with excellent results in making a vegetable or a meat stew. . The bones of cooked meat, again, should never be thrown away, but put into tho stock-pot till the goodness is extracted. Suet dumplings„are great aids in making meat go further, especially where there is a large family of children. Another excellent, bub little-known dish; is sea-pie. Perhaps you would like the recipe for it?” of children. Another excellent, but littleknown dish,' is sea-pie. Perhaps you would like the recipe for it?” “I should, indeed.”' > • “Well, the ingredients are:—Two pounds of gravy beef, an onion, a carrot, four potatoes, salt and pepper, and half a pound of suet paste. The method is simple enough. The meat is cut into pieces about two inches square, fried in -a little dripping to a nice brown, and then placed in a saucepan. The- vegetables, cut into thin slices, are/put on; the top of the steak, together with tho seasoning and a pint of water. The suet paste, rolled out in a round to fit the inside ;of the saucepan, is put bn the top of the vegetables, and the whole allowed to ’ simmer gently for three hours, when the ‘pie’ is ready for serving. Here you have,” said Mrs Gard’ner, “an appetising dish in which arc combined all the necessary constituents of properly-prepared food. Tripe, sheep’shead and ox-cheek, the two latter making delicious soiip, are; other by.no means costly'meats, which contain , a .very large amount of nutrition. A- curiously despised but really nice dish is liver and bacon. When cooked a la Francaiso it is excellent. It. is quickly prepared,, too. Here is the recipe Some, neatly-cut slices of sheep’s., or lamb’s fry. tyro placed in a greased baking tin with a layer of forcemeat -on each slice, and a slice, of nice bacon on tjie forcemeat. Half a cupful of Water is then poured around them, and the whole is baked for half an hour. The gravy must, of course, be thickened and seasoned before, serving.” “ We have been accused of eating a great deal of meat in the colonies.” “Yes,” answered Mrs Gard’ner. “We do not yet recognise the great Value of vegetables in our diet. Beans, .peas, and lentils, on account of the large amount of nitrogen they contain, are very important, foods. Haricot mutton, pea soup,' peasepudding, and vegetable curries afford great scope- for their: use, and -I. havp noticed that my pupils soon- learn to. appreciate lentils very greatly indeed. Then therev are soups. How I should like to give-a public demonstration in making vegetable, soups alone! But I cannot go into that, just now.” .. U. > ■ , , “You spoke of.the waste of cooked food, Mis Gardner, such as.—?” . , “ Cold meat, .for instance^. .<««• be mane into rissoles, and, with cooked potato, into shepherd’s pie. Cold potato can, of course, be fried, or made into turnovers -or potato puffs, and is a great improvement irt a vegetable curry. In fact, all kinds of leftover vegetables combine excellently m this dish, which will be all the better for the addition of a little stock and a tablespoonful of milk'; Stale bread, 'again, should be’ver be wasted, as it is jusktho thing for breadenim-bs, and makes excellent baked or ’steamed puddings. A great deal «t lav is' wasted also wheii bribing or atew-mg. It should -alwavs be trimmed off the msa •, collected, and placed in a saucepan with a cupful of water to render ,clown. Jhe lid must be left off, «nd-the;.water, after softening and cleaning the fat, will eeapcrate, leaving a beautiful pure dripping, which makes excellent pastry,'and-is much better than that usually bought at fourpence a pound.” . , At this moment the airiyal of a class of girls from one of the suburba schools broke in upon. Mrs, Gard ner s interesting remarks, and the' representative withdrew, alter thanking ' t hat lady for her. courteously-imparted information-