Homemade is cheaper, simpler and healthier?

Hello Dear Reader,

You can buy faggots, they come from a reputable company and they are very popular. I've eaten them and find them soft, bready, you don't have much to chew as it's consistency of mashed potato but certainly not offensive. The ingredients, from their website, seem harmless enough. They are as follows:

Ingredients

West Country Sauce (62%) Contains: Water, Lard, Wheat Flour, Modified Maize Starch, 

Tomato Puree, Salt, Colour (E150c), Yeast Extract, Sugar, Onion Flavour, Spice & Herb
 Extracts (Celery). 

Pork Faggots (38%) Contains: Water, Rusks, Rehydrated Pork Rind, 

Pork Liver (15%), Onion,

Pork (4%), Pork Fat, 

Wheat Flour, Salt, Sage, Spice Extracts.

It's honest! 62% of what you buy is gravy. The faggots are mostly pork rind, pork liver and only

 4%% pork. That means there's a lot of starch in them and not a lot of meat! Currently, they
 are £1.80 for 6, which works out as 30p each for a lot of wheat flour, modified maize and
rehydrated pork rind. Also, that's the end/retail cost - it would have cost them well under 10p
 each to make them for them to sell at 30p. Mine cost 23p each so the sale cost would have to be 70p each, it just goes to show you have to pay for quality, or if you can't then make them yourself.

Make up your own mind, but here's my recipe. I also know where the meat is from.

1 kg of belly pork  - 3.89 - 50%

500g of lamb's liver  - 1.50 - 25%

500g of bacon offcuts - 0.75 - 25%

5 bread crust - homemade - 0.10

10 small onions - 0.59

2 Free range eggs - 0.32

Bag of onions, half finely diced for the faggots and the other half, also finely diced for the gravy. 0.59

Salt, pepper and dried sage.

Total Cost £7.15 and it makes 30 faggots at £0.23 each

For those trying to watch their weight, they 'point' at 4 points each, but they are the size of tennis balls and one is quite adequate for me and Dearly Beloved has two. 

When I cook myself, I am conscious of cost and quality. I cook them with care and buy my meat from the local butchers. Mine are mostly pork, with the addition of liver and bacon, plenty of sage and onion and the gravy is on the side and not the main feature in the dish.

If you have your own food processor or mincer, then these are really easy to make. 

1. Cut the rind off the belly pork, cut into cubes and pulse in the food processor until minced.
2. Add to a large mixing bowl, or clean washing up bowl.
3. Cut bacon into chunks, I use 'bacon off cuts', and again, pulse in the food processor until minced, add to the mix.
4. Skin and roughly chop the onions and then blitz until small chunks. Add half to the mix and half into a sauce pan with some fry light or oil if you are not watching your weight.
5. Place five bread crusts in the processor and blitz, add to the mix.
6. Cut liver into chunks and pulse, be careful not to puree it.
7. Add four heaped tablespoons of dried sage, one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of ground black pepper.
8. Crack two eggs into the mix.
9. Roll up sleeves, get your hands in and mix thoroughly.
10. Form into balls and place into several deep baking dishes and roast in a hot oven for approx. 30 - 40 minutes.
11. Whilst they are cooking, fry the onions, pour gravy granules on top and make a litre and a half of gravy. I use veggie gravy because it has an onion flavour from the dried onion granules which I find better than a meaty gravy.
12. After 30 minutes, add the gravy evenly over the dishes and cook for another 10 minutes.
13. Leave to cool.
14. Bag into portion sizes for your needs - We have three between two of us, with plenty of gravy.

That is such a simple recipe and easy to make - just stir with your hands and form into balls with your hands. If you don't have a food processor, then you could buy minced pork and chop the bacon and liver really finely. 

Some people might still need some convincing because the faggots you can buy are ready to go. I bag them into portions, along with the gravy and freeze them. I have 'instant' dinners for when I want them and each represents dinner for two for 69p before mash and veg, which will bring supper to around £1. 

I know I've given you the recipe before but for those of you who haven't got it, you really need to try these faggots as they are truly delicious.

It's the final week of nominations for the Blog awards and if you feel inclined I would appreciate you nominating me in any of the categories you fancy. I'm also on Radio Cornwall tomorrow and I've included all the links in the drop down menu at the top of the screen and I would love to hear from any of you via email tomorrow, especially if you have any frugal food ideas that can be shared with the listeners.

Until tomorrow,

Love Froogs xxxx