1980's recession food

muggins_

hey guys was thinking of hosting a 1980's recession theme night and as i was too young to remember i was wondering if people wouldn't mind posting food that you remember mammy cooking for you in the old hard times.

any other suggestions at what you might think would be fun or good to do for food, drink and entertainment please post.

thanks,
James

Galadriel

We used to get fish fingers and beans, still a favourite of mine today.

John Mason

findus crispy pancakes and angel delight

rubadub

Those cheapo small pizzas, still have them in tesco both frozen & fresh. They are about 6" across and used to be in stacks of 10, cheese & tomato.

smiley girl

Flapjacks. Oh yum, haven't had them in years but I used to love them!

kowloon

Birds custard
TK soft drinks
The pizzas as mentioned above
Angel delight (although that's just horrible)
Golly bars (:eek:) make your own with lolly pop sticks and HB ice cream blocks.
Ice cream floats

xzanti

Instant Whip, it was pretty much the same as Angel Delight.
Those nasty little pizzas
Instant Mash
Rose cream pies
Jelly & ice cream

Ah memories

enfield

Mince in onion gravy, turnips and mash. Beat that!

phoebe!

Mashed potato and scrambled egg...mixed together and sometimes it had tomato added in!!

biblio

Yellowpack !!! Good old Quinnsworths attempt at tesco value back in the day

xzanti

biblio wrote: »

Yellowpack !!! Good old Quinnsworths attempt at tesco value back in the day

Ah Yellapack who did the ones with the plain black and white packaging.. simple times..

rubadub

xzanti wrote: »

who did the ones with the plain black and white packaging.. simple times..

Thrift in superquinn, think it might have been Thrift! horrible looking things.

Then there was KVI too, think it was in crazy prices -"thats crazy prices, at super crazy prices -don't you miss it"

Tabnabs

Fray Bentos type pies, now there's something I haven't had since the 80s.

mike65

Bread pudding for afters.

xzanti

rubadub wrote: »

Thrift in superquinn, think it might have been Thrift! horrible looking things.
"

That's the one, their crisps were mingin'.. greesy, overflavoured and usually burnt..

WindSock

You mean Crisps!

Everything had an ! at the end :pac:

I remember their crisps! they were fairly ming. They had cheese & onion + salt & vinegar.

I used to always get the wee orange juices, sorry Orange Juice! and freeze it into an ice pop.

xzanti

WindSock wrote: »

You mean Crisps!

Everything had an ! at the end :pac:

.

Should have had an * on the end :pac:

Buzz Cagney

What ever you get it should be washed down with a few 3l bottles of country spring lemonade. The bottle was too big for our fridge so not only was it not very nice, it was warm:D

Cream soda ftw

AARRRGH

Haha good thread this!

I remember the biscuits were cheap and simple: digestives, rich tea, custard creams, bourban creams (??), and those pink wafer things.

For dessert I used to have jelly and ice cream or creme caramel.

I remember eating a lot of lamb chops. It must have been cheap back then. And lots of tinned corn and (I didn't eat these) processed peas.

Cereal was either corn flakes, ricke krispies, wheatabix or shredded wheat.

And lots of toast and tea! And kiplings french fancies, bramley apple pies and jam tarts.

xzanti

I remember eating a lot of tinned fruit aswel for snacks and deserts etc.. usually with a scoop of icecream.. Wasn't all that bad back then

Andrew33

irishbird wrote: »

findus crispy pancakes and angel delight

At the same time???:D

I remember eating stew with no meat in it, (looking back, I reckon my siblings ate all the meat before I got to the table!)
Wednesday was always the poorest day in the house, God knows what you'd get for dinner, usually something with no label that had been found at the back of the icebox, didn't have any of them fancy seperate freezers in the 80's

lala stone

Mince meat with that massive red bottle of Candy red sauce!!! Not exactly a proper bolognese!

smiley girl

rubadub wrote: »

Then there was KVI too, think it was in crazy prices -"thats crazy prices, at super crazy prices -don't you miss it"

KVI was in Quinnsworths, Crazy Prices was a separate store. I remember going there and thinking it was so colourful, all blue!! I'm not sure if they only did their own brand or like Quinnsworth, had all the other brands aswell.

rubadub

smiley girl wrote: »

KVI was in Quinnsworths, Crazy Prices was a separate store.

Quinnsworth owned crazy prices and super crazy prices so I think it was in both. I used to get KVI in the supermarket next to me and it was never a quinnsworth shop. They had 2 or 3 "cheapo brands" at the same time, i.e. they might have yellow pack crisps and kvi crisps.

I think KVI was "keen value item" or something.

I think superquinn also had or might still have euroshopper brand which I have seen in supermarkets in the netherlands.

smiley girl

rubadub wrote: »

Quinnsworth owned crazy prices and super crazy prices so I think it was in both. I used to get KVI in the supermarket next to me and it was never a quinnsworth shop. They had 2 or 3 "cheapo brands" at the same time, i.e. they might have yellow pack crisps and kvi crisps.

I think KVI was "keen value item" or something.

I think superquinn also had or might still have euroshopper brand which I have seen in supermarkets in the netherlands.

Oh! I didn't know all that, sorry! I just remember our local quinnsworth and crazy prices and my 7 year olds mind assumed back that back then

AARRRGH

xzanti wrote: »

I remember eating a lot of tinned fruit aswel for snacks and deserts etc.. usually with a scoop of icecream.. Wasn't all that bad back then

Yeah me too!

How spoilt we've become!

kowloon

xzanti wrote: »

Instant Whip, it was pretty much the same as Angel Delight.
Those nasty little pizzas
Instant Mash
Rose cream pies
Jelly & ice cream

Ah memories

Forgot them, every time I buy those the filling has gone rubbery, I remember them being much nicer years ago.

Tiriel

Woppa's and Mr. Freezes for the win.

Angel Delight as mentioned earlier, ice-cream and wafers, egg nogg (don't think you can have this anymore cos of raw egg..), easi-singles, triangles of cheese with bits of yucky ham in them :eek:, pandy (mashed potato put under the grill mmm) and of course a whole lot of home baking - as it was the norm to make all buns/bread etc. as opposed to now when most stuff is bought in!

Hmm.. my memories all seem to revolve around sweets And there are just so so many I won't get into it!!

rubadub

Cork_girl wrote: »

Woppa's and Mr. Freezes for the win.

And the cut up "chelsea smile" lips from the gigantic ones, my favourite flavour was "Blue", they were addictive

For dessert I used to have jelly and ice cream

I used to get jelly make in a horrible orange rabbit shaped mould. Like this

dudara

Angel Delight or Instant Whip

Smash

Ravioli or Spaghetti hoops from the tin

Fruit Salad from a tin

Flapjacks

Spiceburgers!

Chicken Run

Vesta Curry as a special and exotic treat.

gleep

Poundies and scaillions with mince and gravy for dinner- - simple but feckin brilliant!

Rasberry ripple Ice cream wafer for dessert!

We always had dessert, do people still eat a dessert every day? I never do now, is it just me

gleep

[/QUOTE]
I used to get jelly make in a horrible orange rabbit shaped mould. Like this
[/QUOTE]

Mine was a big red spaceship! Had it forever!

Sir Gallagher

Rissoles... Havent had one in years!

TeletextPear

Corned beef sandwiches - with the kind of corned beef that came from a can and you had to slice up yourself, blech!
Or the squeez orange cans of concentrate that you had to mix into a big jug of water, they were considered fancy back in my day
Frosties, chomps and smiley bars were big back then too, or any of the postman pat, fruit salad, blackjack, etc, sweets

kowloon

TeletextPear wrote: »

Or the squeez orange cans of concentrate that you had to mix into a big jug of water, they were considered fancy back in my day

It would make a lot of sense to bring back proper OJ concentrate. I don't mean squash, I mean the stuff they use to make fresh Orange Juice that they sell from the fridge. I'd buy it, a lot less crap to ferry back from the shop.

kerash

rubadub wrote: »

I used to get jelly make in a horrible orange rabbit shaped mould. Like this

We had one like this in red :P

Mimojo

Ah this thread brings back the memories!

Ya we had pound (spuds with scallions) for months when scallions were plentiful. Also potato cakes as it was the only thing my dad could make! I also remember having a lot of packet soup, vegetable I think.

Does anyone remember the waffery things, with marshmallow in the middle with a layer of chocolate on top?

Loved smiley bars too, they dont make them anymore. And penny sweets with fried eggs, jelly babies and the horrible ones with the wrappers! And angel delight - was that actually nice? And strawberries in a can with icecream.

JOJOC123

I remember Gramby burgers (I think thats how its spelt) - my mother to this day says she could never stomach them again, she'd rather starve.

olaola

xzanti wrote: »

I remember eating a lot of tinned fruit aswel for snacks and deserts etc.. usually with a scoop of icecream.. Wasn't all that bad back then

My Dad is still a big man for having some tinned peaches & ice cream for dessert. Always an assortment of 'Lustre' tinned fruit in their cupboards at home. For impromtu dessert!

Cherrycoke

Tinned meat balls in onion gravy... a bit like dog food

and that boil in the bag, Dunnes Stores, chicken curry & rice!!!

lala stone

Cherrycoke wrote: »

and that boil in the bag, Dunnes Stores, chicken curry & rice!!!

ahem.... still eating those

Mimojo

I spotted Angel Delight in Tesco the other day so said Id but a packet for old time sake...it is AWFUL!

foodaholic

meatballs in curry sauce, loved them. cant get them anymore
ohh and the KVI chicken pies

sickle

i remember having egg & chips alot, and chip sambos....mmmm.
gammon steaks too, haven't had one of them in years!

wobblyknees

Sunblest cornflakes.
Orange 'squash'.
Potatoes.
Gammon Steaks.
Eggs.
Peas.
Luncheon meat.
Cheese slices.
Smash.
Bread and jam.

Little Alex

Thanks for all the ideas!

I'm currently going through a phase of trying out all that old 80s junk food again.

irishbird wrote: »

findus crispy pancakes and angel delight

I think the Findus factory was destroyed by fire last year and they closed down. Do you remember the French Bread Pizzas they used to make? They weren't bad at all.

rubadub wrote: »

Those cheapo small pizzas, still have them in tesco both frozen & fresh. They are about 6" across and used to be in stacks of 10, cheese & tomato.

They were great. I used to microwave them because oven baking took way too long. :eek: Gonna get some of them soon.

smiley girl wrote: »

Flapjacks. Oh yum, haven't had them in years but I used to love them!

There's a great recipe for them here: Cooking club - Week 1

Dyflin wrote: »

Fray Bentos type pies, now there's something I haven't had since the 80s.

They are really manky!

xzanti wrote: »

I remember eating a lot of tinned fruit aswel for snacks and deserts etc.. usually with a scoop of icecream.. Wasn't all that bad back then

Oh yeah! Knickerbocker Glory.

lala stone wrote: »

Mince meat with that massive red bottle of Candy red sauce!!! Not exactly a proper bolognese!

My Mam still insists on buying it. Must be a nostalgia thing because I think it's originally a 50s/60s sauce.

Chicken Run wrote: »

Vesta Curry as a special and exotic treat.

Still available if you know where to look. Bought some recently in a shop on Moore St.

TeletextPear wrote: »

Corned beef sandwiches - with the kind of corned beef that came from a can and you had to slice up yourself, blech!
Or the squeez orange cans of concentrate that you had to mix into a big jug of water, they were considered fancy back in my day
Frosties, chomps and smiley bars were big back then too, or any of the postman pat, fruit salad, blackjack, etc, sweets

Oh, that Sqeez diluteable wan't the best. I think it can still be found in some shops. Used to love Blackjacks and Fruit Salads... 10p mixes!

JOJOC123 wrote: »

I remember Gramby burgers (I think thats how its spelt) - my mother to this day says she could never stomach them again, she'd rather starve.

Yeah, Granby Burgers. They're still available aswell.

A couple of other things I tried recently were Heinz Toast Toppers (absolutely dreadful), Angel Delight (not too bad), Heinz Potato Salad (in a tin can -awful), Heinz Sandwich Spread (not bad), Knorr Quick Lunch Spaghetti Bolognese (used to absolutely love it, but no longer) and Arctic Roll (delicious).

A few more I'm going to try out are Birds Eye Potato Waffles, one of those Heinz tinned pudding things, Super Mousse and Calvita.

mikemac1

Lets give this a bump

Angel Delight or Jelly and Icecream.
Vienetta was something you saw maybe once a year, that's for rich people

Kandee ketchup, came in a huge bottle. Truely a recession product, if you bought Kandee it's because Heinz was too expensive.
It was an awful product, worst on the market but it was the cheapest

Farleys Rusks, not just for young chidren. Kids of all ages could have them
Beef, turnip, cabbage and potatos ridiculously overcooked and served with hot cup gravy. I got potatoes every single day as a child, mashed, boiled or homemade chips.
Pasta? That's for them eye-talians. It was potatoes in the macs household, nothing adventurous

I was close to school and came home for dinner at middday.
Some call that meal lunch, was always dinner to me. That was the biggest meal of the day

I don't remember Mi-wadi back then, it wasn't the market leader
It was Ki-ora

I grew up on a farm and we got milk straight from the farm, no pasteurization here I tell ya. That's probably illegal nowadays
The milk was still warm by the time I got it home
Warm milk, bluh

Microwaves were new back then, actually this might have been early nineties.
And local centers ran night classes on how to work them, hard to believe.
Some had hundreds of functions but I only knew the basic timer, that's all I needed

Schools served milk from the local creamery. This was very cheap, parents paid a small bit per term, not sure if it was subsidized
If you were first to school on a cold morning you brought in the frozen milk, good times

petethebrick

Would start the day with cereal and get the toy inside if it was a new packet and none of my siblings and already claimed it. Had to put sugar on Corn flakes etc then but don't nowadays as they come with it substantially pre-added

Turkey slice sandwiches or Chicken spread (Yuck!) sandwiches and some sort of bar (Classic, 54321 etc) for my lunchbox. My sandwiches were often thrown in the bin as I rushed off to play football

Crispy pancakes
Breakfast slices (Perfectly rectangular strips of bacon)
Billy meat
Stew
Packet soup
The small pizzas - usually grilled as faster
Cheap frozen burgers in bun with processed cheese - could eat a million of these

I used to go mad for baguettes and other fancy bread when we went camping in France as you couldn't get any of that back in Ireland

petethebrick

PS Did that many of you really have Smash as kids???

My mum would at least not have fed us that evil crap - isn't it more expensive than real potatoes anyway??

Melendez

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