Live Below the Line - Day one (flour, water and yeast can make wonders)

Some days ago I published a post about Live Below the Line and my intention to take on the challenge. 

The campaign is asking the public to cut their spending on food at drink to just £1 per day for 5 days.

The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on the equivalent of £1 here in the UK.

Live Below the Line is a challenge for people to eat and drink on the same amount as those living in extreme poverty.

While taking on this challenge, they will raise money for charities working to end poverty.

You can join the challenge by registering at www.livebelowtheline.com/uk.

Day 1, the challenge begins!

OK, before you read this post and see the pictures, let me tell you that I felt very lucky. Why? First of all because I have a shelter and secondly because I can bake, so with little ingredients and little money (£1!), you can cook something nice and filling.


The day before the challenge (at 1 PM) I started preparing the dough that I used to prepare the pizza for day 1 and 2.


'Almost' no-knead pizza dough (£0.35)


Ingredients

• Sainsbury's strong white bread flour, 400g (£0.272)
• Dried active yeast, 4g (£0.020)
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1tbsp (£0.056)
• Salt, 1.5tsp (£0.01)
• Water (at room temperature), 300g
• Time and patience!

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except the salt and mix for 1-2 minutes. Add the salt and mix for further 2-3 minutes. The mixture is quite fluid and sticky, but don't worry, use one hand for mixing and the other one to hold the bowl. Cover with a plastic bag and leave at room temperature for about an hour. Now transfer to the fridge (in the vegetable drawer) and leave it there until the day after.

The day after, at around 10 AM, remove the dough from the fridge. Brush some water onto the work surface - the water will prevent the dough from sticking to the surface. Turn out the dough onto the work surface and fold it: take the right side, stretch it out and fold it onto the middle of the dough. Repeat for the left side:

Turn out onto work surface

Take the right side and fold to the center

Repeat for the left side

Put back into your bowl, cover with the same plastic bag and leave at room temperature for a couple of hours. After this time the dough is ready to be used, and looks like this:

OK, it's nearly lunch time, I am going to make a simple pizza bianca, with no tomato sauce and mozzarella, as my budget for the day is just £1!

Whoops, forgot to tell you what I had for breakfast (£0.093):

• A cup of black coffee (£0.09)
• Sugar, 3g (£0.003)

LUNCH - Pizza Bianca with Rosemary, £0.37!

First of all, let me tell you that you will not be able to finish this pizza, as it's quite a lot. However you can save a piece for dinner and maybe share some with your family, if you like.

Ingredients

• Half the pizza dough you have prepared (£0.179)
• Extra virgin olive oil, 3tbsp (£0.168)
• A bunch of rosemary from my garden (let's say £0.02)
• Salt (£0.01)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to the maximum (230-250 °C).

Turn out the dough onto your lightly floured work surface. Cut the dough in half. Transfer one half back onto the same bowl, cover with the same plastic bag and transfer to the fridge. You will use this dough tomorrow! Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Pat your dough down onto the floured work surface, paying attention not to press down the air bubbles, which are the result of a long fermentation. Transfer onto the baking tray. Brush with 2tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and rosemary.

Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden.

As mentioned, this meal was quite filling, so far I really cannot complain.

DINNER - Red Kidney Bean Soup, £0.53

Red Kidney Bean Soup, £0.53

Ingredients

• Sainsbury's Basic Red Kidney Beans in water, 180g (drained) (£0.19)
• Half a carrot, 80g (£0.064)
• Extra virgin olive oil, 1tbs (£0.056)
• Pasta, 40g (£0.04)
• A beef stock cube (£0.17)
• Salt and pepper (0.01)
• Water, 650ml

Instructions

Roughly chop half a carrot. In a small pan, bring the water to the boil and add a beef stock cube. In another pan, on a medium heat, heat a tbsp of olive oil. Add the chopped carrot and cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the drained beans (I reserved £50g, and transfered to the fridge as I will need them tomorrow for dinner) and the vegetable stock and cook for about 15 minutes. Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta you are using (check the cooking time on the package). Season with salt and pepper to your taste, and serve.

After dinner thoughts

Today I spent £0.98 and learnt that you can feed yourself with less than £1 a day, without starving. Obviously, I could not eat whatever I like - I.e. I would have normally used different and more ingredients. Also I had to plan my meals very carefully, which I have never done before. I always try to save money when I buy food, without compromising on 

quality. However making a soup with such a low budget was a challenge indeed, but I have to say that I don't feel hungry.  

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Let's try helping beating poverty, either:

• Joining the Live Below the Line campaign,
• or, donate for me! or for anyone else. To donate for me, please follow this link.

You can join the challenge by registering at www.livebelowtheline.com/uk.

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From 7th to 11th May, join Live Below the Line living on £1 a day for 5 days to change the way people in the UK think about extreme poverty - and make a huge difference.

https://www.livebelowtheline.com/uk 

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