ACCORDING to news and TV programmes, many people are trying to cut their power bills and at same time they are turning to cheaper cuts of meat for food. So here is a tip: have a look in the back of your cupboard, or your mother s, or more likely your gran

ACCORDING to news and TV programmes, many people are trying to cut their power bills and at same time they are turning to cheaper cuts of meat for food.

So here is a tip: have a look in the back of your cupboard, or your mother's, or more likely your grandmother's, and see if you can find a pressure cooker.

A pressure cooker will produce a beef stew in 12 minutes, against at least two hours in the oven. A 3lb bacon joint will take only 30 minutes, produce a superb hot meal and the leftovers can be sliced for sandwiches. At £1.70 per lb that is one-third of the price of sliced ham in the supermarket.

The pressure inside the cooker increases the cooking temperature and so softens the toughest piece of meat in no time and requires a fraction of the electricity or gas.

BOB BARNES

Chestnut Grove

Eynesbury