Tenner Week Nov 2012: Day 3

Day three of Tenner Week has gone really well here so far – how are the rest of you getting on? I went to a fish preparation and cookery masterclass this morning at L’Atelier des Chefs, courtesy of the Morrisons M Fish Cafe, and it was beyond fabulous. I brushed up on some of my rustier prep skills, and basically stuffed my little face with a range of chef-tastic dishes.

I also earned Tenner Week bonus points for learning something new – I now know how to prepare whole gurnard, thanks to their award-winning and very friendly fishmongers. Gurnard is a terrifying but very tasty  fish, covered in spines, and the dorsal fin spikes contain a mild poison – so it’s a definite case of handle with extreme care. They even have spikes in their gills, for heaven’s sake. If that’s too scary, a fishmonger will prep it for you for free.

It would have been rude not to stay on and have lunch, so I tried their turbot with prawns and wild mushrooms recipe. The recipes all had suggested wine pairings, in this case Sancerre, but I also had the chance to try some Vermentino – completely new to me, lovely with fish and pasta, and a very reasonable £6.99. I’d also look out for their 2011 Muscadet Sur Lie.

One interesting thing you bargain hunters might like to know: now is a very good time to stock up on French white wines. The grape harvests have been notably reduced by inclement weather during 2012 – so that vintage will be pricier because of the laws of supply and demand. Get some of your favourites in now while they’re still relatively cheap, and eke them out.

It’s bad form to mention the contents of goodie bags, but it was a brilliant one and included a bottle of their super-popular sauvignon blanc, amongst other things. Technically speaking that’s another Tenner Week bonus point, finding a freebie.

I’ve also managed to go shopping without any money today. Another payment has cleared at TopCashback*, and I’ve chosen to take the money as Amazon store credit as you get a 5% bonus for doing this. I now have some new books on their way to me with the added advantage of free super saver delivery. Yay!

*If you haven’t used TopCashback before, they’re my preferred cashback site and essentially they get you some of your money back every time you shop at most online shops, provided you access them via the TCB site. It takes a few days or weeks to clear, and then you can have it paid into your bank or your PayPal account, or converted to Amazon vouchers.

Tonight’s dinner is going to be a marrow from the garden stuffed with savoury mince mixture. For some reason we had a bag of Quorn mince in the freezer which nobody remembers buying. Might as well use it up. Savoury mince is just garlic, onions, herbs, mince and grated cheddar, so it’s quick and easy. I also cut some heads of autumn sprouting broccoli to have on the side. Pineapple (tinned) and toasted coconut for dessert tonight too.

This is my third no spend day in a row. More #10week bonus points there, not bad. I might treat myself to some TV with the ads blipped out if I have time later…

Five a day fruit & veg: 3 days out of 3

Words written: 1,500

Total spend: £0.00

What have you been up to?