Watching my food shop crawl up in price each week has never felt more painful, especially after spending more money on Gari’s Specials than a balanced meal. Instead of my go-to’s of frozen fish and the occasional overpriced pack of supermarket sushi, I returned to the cheap, comforting arms of a plant-based food shop. Armed with chickpeas, halloumi, and Quorn meat-free alternatives, I had already noticed my receipt read a lower number of £22, rather than the usual £30. With a pack of mince reaching £5.50 compared to the humble block of tofu only being £2, the savings are already clear.
With these new ingredients, my meals of the week had taken on more of a creative turn, whilst also being plant-based adaptations of my usual staples. My usual salmon rice bowls became halloumi bowls, and my chickpeas replaced meat in homemade gyros, emulating the post-club meal we all treasure. The change in textures and flavours not only prevented these staples from becoming repetitive, but also encouraged me to see how else these ingredients could be used as the focal point of a dish, rather than being seen as a replacement. Turning to everyone’s favourite search engine, the TikTok search button, the opportunities to make plant-based meals seemed endless. In particular, @emsbalance’s recipe of “halloumi in hoodies” served as a standout dish for me, having the familiarity of pigs in blankets, but the fresh and spicy flavours of halloumi and chilli jam wrapped in a puff pastry leading the way.
When eating out this week, I encountered little struggle in finding plant-based options — whether I was picking up a meal deal post study session, or after a night out with a violent craving for a burger. Once again, falafel and halloumi reigned supreme in the kebab shops, slapped into a wrap or between burger buns and accompanied with salad and chilli sauce. The bigger win here? They were often the cheapest on the menu, being £2-3 cheaper than my friends’ kebabs. Edinburgh boasts a vast array of plant-based eateries, such as Soul Vegan, and Indian restaurants that have never failed to provide hearty vegetarian meals at fair prices.
Walking away from the week, I am definitely going to be adding more plant-based options to my basket and seeing what else TikTok can offer me for recipes. Not only has it made cooking feel like more of a hobby than a chore, but it has also made my flatmates act far more intrigued and impressed in the meals I have been making in the kitchen — that ego boost is priceless. Though I’m not suggesting to completely wipe out meat and fish from your food shops, instead consider picking up a can of chickpeas to see what you can do with it, and maybe you’ll finally make a meal that won’t make your parents concerned for your nutrition and bank account.
Image by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash
