Inflation-busting recipe book launched

Salvation Army chef, and the cookbook’s author, Adam Thomson told the launch that inflation has added more than $50 to an average grocery shop since 2019. 

For low-income Victorians that makes putting healthy and affordable meals on the table all the more difficult. 

At the same time the average Australian household is throwing away one of every five bags of groceries we buy. 

That’s where the Salvation Army’s new cookbook comes in.  

Meals to make ends meet offers both budget focused and healthy recipes, as well as tips for avoiding food waste, helping to make every food purchase go further.

‘I’m not trying to redefine the culinary world,’ chef Adam Thomson said. ‘These are just simple and approachable recipes.’ 

The book includes tips like bulking out mince with a tin of lentils to make it go further, buying seasonal produce, and pairing leftovers with jacket potatoes to make a tasty and filling meal or snack.   

Legislative Council President Shaun Leane established a strong connection between the Salvation Army and the Parliament during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parliament partnered with the Salvation Army and a range of other charities to provide free meals prepared in the Parliament’s own kitchens. 

The meals program, through its charity partners, distributed more than one million meals to people in need. 

Speaker Maree Edwards praised the Salvation Army’s Magpie Nest Café for daily helping so many people to experience the ‘dignity of a healthy and decent meal.’  

Major Brendan Nottle told the audience that the work of the Salvation Army relies on volunteers. 

‘There’s this microcosm of people just beneath the surface, kind and very, very good people who do things, just because they care,’ he said. 

The book is available at Centrelink offices and Salvos Stores.