Day 29 - A new beginning

Nae porridge today!!!!!! Nae porridge today!!!!!! Nae porridge today!!!!!! Nae porridge today!!!!!! We will be back on it tomorrow though.

We were worried when we went to bed last night that the weather was going to be miserable this morning and scupper our plans for a walk on Portie Beach but we were blessed with a beautiful morning. Both of us had a skip in our step when we got up and a massive sense of relief as well. The limits we had placed on ourselves had left us feeling very constricted obviously with what we could eat but also in what we could do so it felt good to be free from it all.

So we got our bacon butty and cup of coffee. Both tasted amazing and we took or time and savoured every last drop and didn't just wolf them down. A kind jogger took this shot for us. She must have been a tad confused that we wanted a photo outside the coffee stand with our bacon rolls and coffee. Bails didn't quite make it in the shot as he was enjoying some liver cake.

Bacon rolls + coffees for two £8.70

Today was also pay day so we took a trip to Just Dogs to get Bailey his food and give him another walk at Inverleith park. While we were there we also visited the farmers market at Stockbridge and bought some sausages and butter.

We won't be eating these today but we'll get a couple of meals out them later in the week.

Sausages + butter - £7.28

Lunch was a far healthier option today and our first salad in over a month. The mix of flavours and textures even in something as simple as a salad was mouth watering.

2 Salads - £10

Mary also picked up some Apple + Rhubarb juice, 2 apples and some cheese. We had a glass of juice but didn't try the cheese or apple as we were full after the salad and thought we might have the apples later.

2 apples, juice + cheese - £7.01

Later in the afternoon our lovely neighbour Kerry brought us in 6 mini cheese cakes she had made as a well done gift. They were amazing and what a generous thought!!!

Tonight we went out for dinner to VDeep the new curry and craft beer bar in Leith. I had received an email last night from the owners offering us dinner on them and telling us to go to town.... they're words. It would have been rude not to grasp an offer like that with both hands. Once we arrived Hardeep said he would take care of all the ordering and there would be a flow of drinks and food. We were quickly presented with this line of beauties. A few beer chasers to get us started with our food.

We were treated like royalty for the whole evening. The food was exceptional!!! The best Indian food I've ever had and I've tasted a few in my time. Pig's cheek vindaloo was awesome and Mary would never normally go near a vindaloo but she loved it. Easy on the heat but maxed out on the flavour.

Massive thank you to the whole VDeep team for a special night.

Rolled home totally full but feeling very lucky to have so many great people in our life and also very luck to be able to have enough food to eat every day. Still very aware of the less fortunate in the world.


Total for the day £32.99 for 2 people!!!!!

Although we didn't eat everything we bought today it's still crazy to think that amount would have fed the two of us for 2 weeks last month and we were lucky to get gifted the cheesecakes and our dinner. Madness!!!!!

Total raised so far £1650. We're feeling very humble at the moment.

You can still donate to Fairshare via this link Just Giving Page.

Thanks again to everyone for the donations and your encourage words. Thanks for reading. For us it doesn't end here so please watch this space.

Paul and Mary

Day 28 - The Last Waltz

R-O-I-D-G-R-E-P

Well we got there. The last day of our £1 a day challenge and breakfast wouldn't be breakfast without a bowl of porridge.

Porridge + cuppa -11p

I had work to finish off before we headed through to see Mary's gran so I headed off to the studio for a few hours after breakfast.

We had our favourite (substitute *standard*) lunch of Tomato, lentil and spaghetti soup before we headed off.

Tomato, lentil and spaghetti soup - 11p

We were pretty hungry when we got back from Mary's gran's and I had a few more hours to do at the studio so we had a couple of slices of toast. Mary had the last of the butter and I had some groundnut oil, salt & pepper then I dried it with a splash of vinegar. Bizarrely it tasted ok!!!

Toast + cuppa - 6p

A few more hours of work then on to our final £1 a day dinner. Chilli and rice!! We kept one of the better meals from the freezer for our last night.

Chilli + rice - 45p

After dinner we made our donation using the money we didn't spend on food this month. We also pulled everything together that we hadn't used to see what was left. This is a photo of what we didn't use this month.

The frozen fish is still there, some frozen veg, a portion of porridge, 4 stock cubes, 2 portions of lentil soup made from the chicken stock cubes, a roll, a few slices of bread, some herbs, some teabags and about 2 teaspoons of sugar. Think we done quite well to use almost everything up apart from the fish. The final amount we spent was £55.90 which is 10p under the £56 we had set ourself for the month.

As our treat tonight we had left ourselves a small tin of mandarins to share with our cuppa.

1/2 tin mandarins + cuppa + peanuts - 21p

Total for the day 94p each.

Please use this link if you'd like to donate to Fairshare Just Giving Page.

Total raised so far £1406. 

This has surpassed all our expectations. We thought the £1000 target was a bit ambitious but everyone's generosity has blown us away.  Everyone has been so supportive during the month which has helped to keep us motivated.

A few people want to know what we'll be eating tomorrow so we'll do a final post tomorrow to capture that and give an update on the total raised.

Thanks again for taking the time to read the blog and for supporting us. We're very aware that we are lucky and can return to eating a more normal diet while there are still people less fortunate that won't have that luxury. Our thoughts are with those less fortunate than us.

Paul & Mary

Day 27 - Chocolate Box and Doughnut Smiles

P-o-r-r-i-d-g-e ......

Porridge + cuppa - 11p

This morning I had a shoot at Cafe St Honore with Neil Forbes. I'm normally fortunate and get to sample some of the dishes we shoot but not today. Sadly they all looked delicious as ever.  It was a bad idea as well to go to the kitchen as I could smell everything that was being made and could see the guys prepping for lunch.

I forgot to get a shot for the blog while I was there so went for a selfie back at the studio while I was processing the shots.

3 guesses what soup we had today. Nope, nope..... yip Lentil, tomato and spaghetti with a wee chaser of peanuts with tea!!!

Lentil, tomato and spaghetti soup + peanuts + cuppa - 16p

Mary was being teased at work today with a gift from a work colleague for us to have on Sunday night. A bottle of Chocolate Box wine which is a favourite of ours for special occasions. Thanks Alistair!!

Dinner was another mix of things tonight we had left over from the last few weeks. Few strips of bacon, kidney beans, tomato sauce, rice and baguette. Felt like an episode of Ready Steady Cook!!!

Bacony, beany, ricey thing with baguette - 41p

After dinner we went for our nightly walk with Bails to work off dinner. When we got back we halved our last doughnut with a cuppa.

1/2 Doughnut + cuppa - 3p

Total for the day 71p each.

Please use this link if you'd like to donate to Fairshare Just Giving Page.

Total raised so far £1162.18. Thanks again for all the support.

Paul & Mary

Day 26 - Off the Eaten Track with Lea Harris

Back to the porridge again today. Just another couple of portions left. This bag has served us well.

Porridge + cuppa - 11p

Lunch was a return to the lentil, tomato and spaghetti soup after the pea over load from yesterday.

Lentil, tomato and spaghetti soup + peanuts + cuppa - 16p

Tonight's dinner was again a mix of things we had left .... sausage, veg and rice with a splash of vinegar and a dusting of chilli powder.

Sausage, Veg and Rice + diluting juice - 26p

This evening I had the pleasure of appearing on Castle FM talking to Lea Harris on her show "Off the Eaten Track". As with so many people we've met over the month the first thing Lea did was offer to buy me a tea or coffee which I had to politely decline. It was good fun and hopefully I didn't sound too much of an arse!! Mary said Bailey was confused hearing me on the radio and kept running to the front door and bedroom looking for me.

Back home and tonight's treat. A slice of toast and 1/2 a banana.

Toast and banana + cuppa - 10p

Total for the day 63p each.

Please use this link if you'd like to donate to Fairshare Just Giving Page.

Total raised so far £1114.18. Thanks again for all the support.

Paul & Mary

Day 25 - Breaking our target

We had a break away (not the biscuit) from porridge this morning and had a couple of slices of toast. The better bread is a big improvement on the skinny stuff. The scrapping sound the knife makes as you spread butter on toast is a wonderful thing!!!

2 slices of toast + butter - 7p

We both had our rations of peanuts mid morning.

Peanuts - 4p

Lunch was a less successful affair. It was the pea and ham soup. Mary was all pea-d out after last night's omelette which was a bit pea heavy. She didn't manage to eat it all. I on the other hand was happy to eat mine but my flask stopped working today and it was cold when I opened it. It is one of the metal ones and I was kind of half expecting it to be cold as the outside of the flask was warm to touch.

Pea and ham soup - 23p

After the soup not quite hitting the mark for lunch we were both keen to have something good for dinner. Tonight we used up 1/2 a curry sauce we had frozen from last week plus 1/2 a tin of kidney beans. It was  a bit of Indian-Mexican fusion!! We also used the last of the flour to make a couple of flatbreads. It was pretty good and better than when we added the frozen veg to the curry sauce. We have 399grams of rice left which is to go between the next 4 meals so we had 99g of that tonight. The scales have been essential this month. We've been weighing everything.

Curry and rice + flatbread - 31p

Mary is out at pilates and I'm just about to take Bails for a little walk. When we get back though we're having a whole doughnut each with custard then a wee cuppa.

Doughnut, custard + cuppa - 10p

Total for the day 75p each.

A little reminder that I'll be on Castle FM 98.8 tomorrow night (Thursday) between 7-8pm talking about our challenge and food photography.

Total raised so far £1038.18. 

What a brilliant day surpassing our target of £1000 and we've still got a few days left to go. The support from everyone has been brilliant and totally helped to drive us on and keep us focused.

Please use this link if you'd like to donate to Fairshare Just Giving Page.

Paul & Mary

Day 24 - As cheap as chips

Purrage again.

Porridge + cuppa - 11p

Mary was working out at the Gyle today so an early start. I dropped her off and took Bails out to see my dad armed with my 2 flasks. One with tea so we could have a cuppa and the other with my tomato, lentil and spaghetti soup. Its a good soup and tastes great but I might not make it for a while after this week.

Tomato, Lentil and Spag Soup - 11p

After a long walk at Calendar park which is one of Bails favourite places I got home and realised I had my day's ration of peanuts waiting for me. 2 at a time. With this small amount you don't what to rush things. I have found that I'm eating slower since we started this. I think you appreciate everything so much more and you want to savour what you are eating.

Peanuts - 4p

This week we are using up what we have left and since we've gone off the fish we're having a few veggie options. Tonight's veggie option is an omelette with chips. The Orangutan killing fries will be gone after tonight never to return. Thinking of proper chips I could murder proper Fish n Chips right now. We both love the chippy in Blair Atholl which is strange considering its probably one of the furthest places from the sea in the whole of Scotland. It is a great chippy and always cooks to order. I'm dreaming of that right now. MMmmmmmmm!!!


Good bye fries.

Would like egg with your peas??

Anyway, here's the omelette and chips.

Pea & Onion Omelette + chips - 28p

After our walk with Bails tonight we will be treating ourselves to a cuppa and half a doughnut. We do look forward to these wee treats at the moment but not sure I want to keep this going once we finish. Too much sugar which is replacing the fruit we are missing.

1/2 Doughnut + cuppa - 3p

Total for the day 57p each (this is the lowest we've spent in a day so far and I can't quite get my head round it myself)

Please use this link if you'd like to donate to Fairshare Just Giving Page.

Total raised so far £915.18. Thanks again for all the support.

Paul & Mary

Day 23 - Finally going bananas ....

Porridge again for breakfast.

Porridge + cuppa - 11p

Mary was working from home so I nipped back for our soup alternative .... boiled egg and toast. The toast was from the bread we got reduced yesterday and was loads better than the 45p skinny slices we'd had for the rest of the month.

Egg and Toast - 8p

We were also able to finish off the pancakes from yesterday with a wee cuppa.

Pancake + cuppa - 3p

Tonight's dinner was the turkey (pork?) and penne pasta.

Turkey and pasta + diluting juice - 47p

After dinner we had our first banana since January. It's amazing the things you take for granted like a banana.  We tend to think nothing about sharing a bunch between 2 people over a week. Tonight we shared one banana and half a packet of custard between us. I cooked it with some butter and butter as it was till a bit hard. Was nice but I can't wait to be able to enjoy a whole banana to myself next week. We've totally missed the fresh fruit. Such a simple thing and something a lot of us take for granted every week.

With the custard.

Banana + custard - 13p

We did feel a bit peckish later and although we probably didn't need it we had the portion of nuts we had allocated ourselves for tonight.

Peanuts - 4p (actually 3.4p)

Total for the day 86p each.

Please use this link if you'd like to donate to Fairshare Just Giving Page.

Total raised so far £915.18. Thanks again for all the support.

Paul & Mary