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Chapter 1: What does a Michelin-trained chef buy at the supermarket?
What does a Michelin-trained chef actually buy at the supermarket? Not what you'd expect. And that's kind of the point, because Del Holland has spent 20 years in some of the top kitchens. Michelin-star restaurants, private chef to wealthy clients, traveling the world. She's cooked food most of us will never taste, the type of people most of us will never meet.
And then she walked away because she realized it was way more interesting to bring that level of food fun back to the real world where we kind of have to worry about real things like How much it all costs.
I was working in this incredible chalet with these horrible guests and it was seeing all this waste that got to the point I couldn't even give it away. And I thought it'd be much nicer to be able to help people than serve people who don't care.
Because here's what nobody tells you about the cost of living squeeze. It's not just that food is expensive. It's that most of us are told over and over that we have to choose between making food that tastes good and food we can afford. Whereas a few tricks can mean you get the good life for less.
Del's trademark trick is spending 50 bucks at a supermarket and turning it into three dinners plus leftovers and still making sure it's the kind of food a professional chef is actually proud of.
People really thinking that it is unrealistic that you can make that much food for $50. People were astounded by the fact that we had so many different flavors, but it was all made from the exact, almost the exact same ingredients, just done in a different way.
So welcome to Making Sense. It's the podcast for people who want financial freedom without giving up their coffee. I'm Frances Cook, financial journalist and fellow financial freedom seeker who makes money simple for you. Today, a Michelin-trained chef's insider secrets to saving money on your food.
This episode of Making Sense is supported by Odoo, the affordable way to get your business working smarter. Go to odoo.com, that's O-D-O-O dot com for more. That makes a difference for your life. Okay, back to it. Del, welcome. So glad to have you in. I mean, you've spent 20 years in some fairly fancy environments. You're a Michelin-trained chef.
You worked as private chef in some very fancy locations. Now you're here with us regular people.
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Chapter 2: What motivated Del to shift from luxury cooking to budget meals?
I appreciate that. From this very glam life to now, you know, really focus on sort of budget cooking and helping everyone reimagine their food, I think, for real life. What made you walk away from the glam side of things?
There was one moment and I was working in this incredible chalet with these horrible guests and they absolutely insisted that every single dinner... The table was full to the brim, you know, with all different varieties of things, whether it was lunch, dinner, breakfast, everything had to be different all the time. And for the most part, they wouldn't even eat in the chalet.
They would end up going out for lunch or dinner. And it was seeing all this waste that got to the point I couldn't even breathe. give it away, you know, because there was so much of it. And every single person that worked for the company that had a fridge full of foods and really seeing that waste and opulent way of living where you just kind of didn't really care about anything.
It kind of started to change my perspective on things.
When you have ringside seats to rich people, it is a totally different way of living. Although that last situation you had almost sounds like they had a insecurity around food or something that they were trying to work on. But it is a totally different way of living, right? When you first got into it, before it sort of wore you down, you know, you were a chef, you knew good food.
How do you even get into these very rarefied circles with these very rich people?
Well, I worked in London for a really long time. So I had been in London for nearly nine years and had kind of gone through everything there. Had started off in a Michelin kitchen with Angela Hartnett and she was absolutely amazing. But that was part of the Gordon Ramsay empire at the time. And so it was, you know, learning them skills at Michelin level was amazing.
And then I went on to places like the Ivy where it's fast paced, huge covers, celeb vibes. Everyone who's anyone was there at that point because this is kind of 2000s and it was the place to be seen. After doing all those sorts of things in London after a little while, I bumped into an old work colleague and I was like, mate, what are you up to? And he said, Arv.
I started working in the Alps in private homes and chalets. You want a job? Oh, yeah, sure. Why not? He's like, I'll get you in. So I said, okay. And then that was it. I left. I kind of left London.
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Chapter 3: How can you meal plan for the week on a $50 budget?
I then had ended up in this whole new world of cooking. And then within that town, there was kind of the big hitters. Next thing, I'm in $30 million bill chalets cooking for the elite.
Oh, completely mental. That's insane. It's interesting that it came from just a chat with someone that you already kind of knew. I feel like so many job opportunities come from that. Does it happen particularly in the chefing world?
Is it very much network? Very much. And the thing is, I think, especially when you work, I mean, you know, when I was working in London, Even though there are a million restaurants, kind of everyone knows everyone. Because at some point you've worked with someone who's moved to another place. It doesn't really ever branch out.
You know, everyone just kind of stays in this little, in this little like chef bubble, but everyone kind of knows everyone.
Chapter 4: What pantry staples are essential for budget cooking?
So it really is. It's just a complete network.
It's always been nice to your co-workers because you never know when they'll hook you up with a billionaire.
Exactly, exactly. And, you know, even the same has then transpired to like working here.
We'll get into some of your like amazing cooking tips now for us normies, but I just want to like stay on this for a while because frankly, I'm nosy. This just sounds fun. When you were around all of this opulence and living in Switzerland and ringside seats on billionaire lifestyles, Was there any sort of experience that you had there that still sticks with you?
Some sort of like high-end lifestyle where you're like, wow, people live like this?
Probably when I got flown in a private jet. from the UK. This is regular life for people and here I am in this private jet with these people just being flown to cook. What's a private jet like? Yeah, noisy, actually. Quite noisy. It was, you know, you think, oh, they're like, everyone's on there with their noise cancelling headphones because actually it's really loud.
Pretty nice, you know, everyone's got a nice plush seat and you've got a good view out the window and there's no one else there, just you lot.
So good. So good.
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Chapter 5: How can you reduce food waste with simple chef tricks?
What about while you were in that sort of circle? Was there any sort of weird or interesting foods that you cooked that still stick with you that's just not the sort of stuff that normal people cook?
I mean, I had one family that... absolutely loved buckwheat and they wanted it as like porridge in the morning. They always wanted a buckwheat salad at lunch. I mean, you know, you just think, God, you guys can have absolutely anything and all you want is like a buckwheat salad. Sure, I can do that for you. And we can make it sweet for morning porridge if that's what you want.
And then the next person comes along and they've actually got a kilo of caviar in there, you know, in their bags. And you're like, okay, you know, and they want that with every single meal. You're not sure. I can imagine actually you have to be very adaptable. Yes.
You get very extensive background sheets, much like on, you know, like below deck where it's like this person and this person that's broken down, you know, what people do and don't like. I mean, they're dealing with their personal stuff all the time, the back and forth of like the exact things they do and don't want.
So you do have quite a precise list, but also to the point of, I mean, you can read something, but it doesn't always correlate to what you make.
Yeah. Yeah, I've got to say, I do love Below Deck. Below Deck Mediterranean is my personal favourite. And we're always, myself and my husband, we'll be watching it and we're watching it mostly for the food. Yeah. The food is great. There's like, you've got to love all the interpersonal conflict too. Sure, it's reality TV, but I'm watching it for the food. Oh my God, it's absolute chaos.
I don't know if I could work on a boat because I just... Those tiny kitchens look really hard to work in.
And you have to be extremely productive with your space. I mean, we always would have tiny spaces working in kitchens in London. You know, you don't have much room.
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Chapter 6: What strategies can help stretch expensive proteins further?
You know, doing your provision shop for a boat, very difficult because you don't have a lot of space and you have to have a hell of a lot more on hand.
It does sound very stressful. Okay, so you hit this moment where you have this last sort of client that you're just like, the level of waste here, the level of opulence here, I just actually can't do this anymore. And then, of course, you would have to figure out what's next, right? What you went to next is helping real people figure out food and figure out the totally other end of things.
What drew you to that total shift?
When I started thinking about food, you know, I thought, God, all this waste. We can still make absolutely delicious things with leftovers, you know, ends of food. leaks that people would chuck in the bin and blah, blah, blah. But then the cost element of it really came from seeing groceries go through the roof here.
I mean, a shop when I first came to New Zealand, there's absolutely no way I could buy that amount of food now for what I paid for it then. And so I thought there's got to be a better way. I can use my skills and kind of sneaky weave in some kind of chefy tips without it sounding chefy or really unobtainable for people who maybe aren't great cooks.
And I thought it'd be much nicer to be able to help people with what I do than serve people who don't care.
Yeah. I do feel like people who, I keep saying real people, but that's not really sort of the way it is, is it? It's people who have to face the reality of, you know, we've got bills to pay and we've got to make this last. I do feel like when you've got a bit more of that necessity underlying it, you actually end up more appreciative as well, I feel. 100%.
You know, keeping that grocery bill smaller. is important because we haven't got tons and tons of income to spend on a million different things. And it totally makes you appreciate food in a different way.
Okay. So your specialty now, you really do help people figure out lower costs, but also more meals at once. So walk me through, what's the basics of your plan? Cooking on a budget for $50. Yeah.
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Chapter 7: Why is planning crucial for saving money on groceries?
Yeah. Because you could probably, you know, you could probably stretch it out to three, but there's always going to be leftovers for your lunch and it's going to make you three dinners for the week. So that's a lot. It seems like a lot of food. It does. And is it possible without it being really sad and boring food? 100%. Go on then. 100%.
I think probably when I first decide on a menu, let's call it my, you know, my three dinner menu, I think, what do I want to eat? It starts with what do I want to eat? Because there's nothing worse than making stuff that you don't want to eat because then it goes in the bin or... You're just like, oh God, what have I made for dinner? You know, this is rubbish.
So it's always got to start with what you want and what you would like. And then, you know, then it's just kind of, you've got your graph and you're, you know, you're working out, okay, what goes into this and what goes into this and what ingredients can overlap and how can I get the most out of this recipe? piece of meat or whatever it might be.
So it does take a little bit of time and it, yes, you have to maybe sit down and think about it a little bit, but it definitely is possible. But when it comes to kind of planning dinners on a budget, you've really got to be eyes open in the supermarket, really looking at them prices because they're not always a special, even though they're telling you, you know, it's a special.
What's in season, you know, is there something that
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Chapter 8: What are some underrated tips for enjoying food while spending less?
I can bulk out and make into more in a relatively cheap way. Having some good pantry staples, they're always a great addition. If you've got them, you can do so many extra things. Online shopping, you've got a good idea of what's going on there. And I actually, after listening to this podcast, came across Price Pulse. Such a good tip, right? Thank you, Chris, for that. Absolutely amazing.
Like, what a great, you know, extension for your computer. It's fantastic. So it really can sort of have a look around. So it does take a little bit of prior preparation. Prevents the old, you know, rubbish dinners.
Yeah. Yeah.
All right. Well, you mentioned pantry staples. I think that's a great one. So if people are trying to make sure their pantry is ready to go, what are some good staples to think about to keep your costs down?
If you can always have a, you know, something like a soy sauce, something that's salty, you know, you can kind of adapt in lots of different ways because you can use that as a seasoning for obviously if you're making something that's like Asian flavoured. but also it's salty, so you can use it as a seasoning for something that needs salt.
Spices are probably going to be your best friend because you can translate them into so many different flavour combinations. And so, yes, sometimes it might seem cheaper to buy a curry mix, you know, a curry blend.
But sometimes if you can get the separate items, cumin, ground coriander, ground ginger, and have a few of these or smoked paprika or turmeric, you know, you can make so many other flavour combinations from around the world with them. And if you can afford it, an olive oil for, you know, finishing off stuff. But
sometimes the price of that is absolutely extortionate so you know if it fits into your budget but definitely spices soy even that you know maybe a sesame oil is a great is a great little thing to have in there and then your flours and your sugars because again you can make so many things with them be it sweet or savory and a garlic you know always have a garlic I love the garlic that's like one of my favorites I mean they go in everything so you know but a great addition yeah
to your pantry. So you're thinking have some good sort of basic flavors that can then zhuzh up some of the other foods that you found on special.
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