Ever had the feeling when out shopping for food that you are buying the same old stuff each week, cooking the same old meals and wishing that you could think of something different to buy and cook?

Ever thought that it is not so much the physical act of the weekly food shop that is a chore but the effort of trying to think of what to buy and cook.

I have and that is why I have setup Eat Midlothian.

Here I aim to provide suggestions on what alternative meals to cook. I am not not talking about fancy recipes that take hours to cook (though some are) but just things that with a reasonable amount of ingredients, at a reasonable price and taking a reasonable amount of time to cook, you can give yourself an alternative. Some of the suggestions use packet mixes – it is not about the recipe but the idea of what to cook.

Some are obvious favourites that you may not have cooked in a while, for example Chilli Con Carne, some maybe new to you, like the BC Chicken dish, and some maybe just be downright fantastic, like Big Gran’s Curry.

The best thing about the recipes here are that they have all been provided by people in or connected to Midlothian, so you know they are great and down to earth just like the people of Midlothian.

And if you’ve got a suggestion for a recipe then please email it to me, phil@pigeonpenguin.com and I’ll look to add it.

Happy shopping, cooking and eating.

Phil Bowen
editor, Midlothian View