Shopping

Well, I successfully (on the most part) bought all the food needed for next week's Cooking Like Grandma experiment!  It was a little exhausting (especially with Little Spring not being a happy camper for most of the time, when she normally loves shopping!), but relieved to have it done!  Here is some feedback for you, which might come in handy, if you haven't yet done your shopping (better get on to it though... there's not long to go!):

Cereal - I went with the rolled oats
Fresh Yeast - I couldn't find fresh yeast, so going with the dried yeast instead
Whole wheat flour - that's wholemeal flour in Australia
Dried savory - I couldn't find any so will just leave out as the suggested substitutes are thyme, sage or marjoram, which are already included in the poultry seasoning
Shortening - I decided to go with lard (pig fat - mm, nom, nom, pig fat!) instead of butter
American Cheese - as we don't have that 'variety'/'brand' here in Australia, I went with Cheddar
Fish - I'm cheating a little - instead of buying a whole fish and cutting off the head and tail and having to scale and debone it (as per the recipe), I've bought some fresh fish fillets instead and will prepare them with the same ingredients to get the same results
Tiny pork sausages - as Big Spring doesn't eat pork, I'm substituting these with beef ones
Pimientos - I couldn't find any here (don't think they have them in Australia), so just going with bell peppers as a substitute (they are a variety of bell peppers anyway)
Watercress - although common, I couldn't find any, so will probably leave that out of the recipe
Horseradish - couldn't find this at the greengrocer or supermarket as a 'vegetable' so might have to just buy a jar of it

Aside from those things above, I've been able to get exactly what I needed, which is awesome!  When I got home, I cleared out the fridge to make way for the Experiment (everything else was relegated to the outdoor drinks fridge!):

Except for the chili sauce, cheese and sausages, everything is unprocessed and in it's rawest state

I did the same for the pantry - I dedicated a shelf to the experiment ingredients.  Makes me realise how much 'stuff' I have in the pantry.  I don't know about you, but I clear it out and then it just builds up again!  Now I have one shelf for a whole week's worth of meals...what's with all the other shelves?!

 Almost everything here is in it's most natural state.  I was glad to read only one ingredient listed on most packaging, in other words, no additives, preservatives etc.  Next time, when I have more time, I'll actually cook my own tomatoes instead of buying them in a can, but I was a bit pressed for time and had to be realistic.  At least the other ingredients listed on the can didn't have numbers beside them (i.e. being a chemical), but were more natural ingredients for preservation. 

Good luck with your shopping!