Day 12: Live below the poverty line – £1 a day

• Breakfast: porridge + value strawberry yoghurt 
  
• Lunch: fish finger butty + green salad 
• Dinner: casserole with meatballs + tiger bread

In a bid to liven up the porridge I mix in some value yoghurt this morning. 

Perfecto!

Following last night’s interview on BBC South, one of the comments on Facebook which Sally mentioned was from a viewer in Swanage who suggested I ask my butcher for some spare bones to make a soup out of.

Intrigued by the idea of turning boiled carcasses into a meal I set up my Saturday to do just that…

Down to Uptons of Bassett, my local butchers. The guys in there are absolute legends and hooked me up with a carrier bag full of spare chicken bones. The owner, Simon Broadribb, was kind enough to pose for a quick selfie (not happy at being shorter!) and wish me good luck before I skidaddled.

Off for a mosey along Shirley high street in a quest to get some veg for this boney broth!

The local greengrocers are doing £1 for a bowl but I need a mixture of bits so I scoot inside to see what I can buy. I feel like a kid in a sweet shop staring at a veritable pick and mix of vegetables. After some deliberation, I opt for £1 of carrots and potatoes.

Back to the ranch to make this mighty brew!

I still have some onions left over from last week, they’re four days past the date on the packet and some of them look a bit beyond hope… 

However I resolve not to judge an onion by its colour and peel off a few layers…

Even some of the more minging looking ones had some healthy flesh below the outer few layers so I use what I can of my ugly duckling onions.

I bring the chicken bones to the boil, adding enough water to cover them with just a few centimetres grace above. I add a splash of vinegar (apparently apple cider is best and you can also use lemon juice), I’ve gone for Sarsons this time as it’s what my housemate Lou had in the cupboard! The acid helps to loosen the meat off the bones apparently. The plan is to let the chicken cook on a low heat for six hours.

Meanwhile I peel and chop those vegetables into shape.

I dump the peelings into the melting pot, put the chopped veg in a tub in the fridge and chill out as the skeleton soup bubbles away…

My house smells (surprisingly nicely) of chicken and I leave the pot bubbling as I scoot to my friend Claire’s house for a girls’ evening, bearing tiger bread and the remainder of last night’s casserole in a lunchbox!

I’ll update you tomorrow on how this little carcass creation pans out!