Finding the chase and cutting to it

I had an apprenticeship as a young adult, that allowed me to live 250 miles from home. I had to buy a fridge for my insulin, and as an 18 year old, I did that on a credit card and paid off the total of the fridge with my first three pay checks after rent, food, extra.

By the time I was in my third year, the thing I bought as an essential treat was my first microwave. I wanted it for proper cooking for as well as the traditional reheating. I bought a fish steamer for the microwave and, when I was on my own, that was my meal of choice. A steam trout cooked in minutes in the microwave.

By the time I was living on my own at University, my Sunday lunch was typically a tin of Jersey potatoes, a whole trout, peas and any veg I had left over. A meal for kings for less than £3 and cooked in 5 minutes! That was between 1994 and 1997.

Jump to 2026, I’m a busy professional. It’s my turn to shop this week and I tend to do that before shutting myself in my office. I happen to know I’m on my own this Friday for tea. So, how to give myself something tasty, easy, and sustainable to cook?

Image my surprised when in Waitrose of all places, I saw a fresh rainbow trout on the fish counter for £13.90 per kilo. As a myWaitrose member, I get a 20% on a Friday for fish from the fish counter. Now, a small whole trout is 164g or thereabouts. Which makes it £2.27, minus 20%, is 0.8*2.27=£1.82.

Yesterday, for my tea, I cooked it with fresh broccoli left over from last week’s shop, 160g of Maris piper potatoes, boiled, and some baby corn left over from last week’s shop.

Essentially, these were vegetables at risk of being chucked out. But if I’d bought them on the day, about £1.50 of vegetables. In 2026, this meal cost me £1.82+1.50=£3.32. Not bad, nutritious with tons of trace vitamins and minerals from the vegetables too. I have it with a little horseradish sauce, making a meal I cook for myself in less than 15 minutes (as my Maris Pipers are not precooked).

Cooking it in the microwave allows that speed and locking in the flavours and goodness. It also means it costs nothing to cook.

My 164g piece whole fish cooked in 2 minutes 30 seconds on medium. That’s 600Wh*2.5/60=25Wh. That’s 0.025 kWh, less than 1p of electricity.

I cook all the vegetables in one pot, so pop the quartered potatoes into cold water and bring the boil. I leave the skins on. Programme the microwave with a delay of 11 minutes, for 2minutes 30 seconds, and a 2 minute standing time. As soon as the potatoes are boiling, start the microwave’s programme. When there is 7 minutes to go, put in the baby corn, and at the 5 minutes to go, pop in the broccoli.

Now, I set the table and get a glass of something I fancy with the meal.

My hob is an induction one. I put around 500ml of water for the potatoes, broccoli, and corn. Takes around 15 minutes in total, about 0.15 kWh, or £0.15*.27 =£0.04.

These choices meant I had a sustainable meal for one for less than £0.05 to cook and £3.32 to buy.

The induction pan could go in the dishwasher, as could the fish kettle and all the utensils. Now, I had a nearly full dishwasher (3 days worth of cups, plates, cutlery) so I happen to know the dishwasher cycle was around 200W. Washing up was £0.2*0.27=£0.05.

I could give you the cost of the electricity I used to drive to and from the supermarket, but a fancy meal at home including the washing up for less than £5 I think is amazing in 2026.

Especially as it was ready in under 17 minutes from fridge to table.

(I am not going to talk about making a fish stock in 2 minutes 30 secs in the microwave as I packed the dishwasher and got it going, which will allow me to make this next time I’m cooking on my own, Quick noodle soup. Have to say, I’m looking forward to trying that!)

(I’m also not going to mention that the fish steamer is useful for asparagus steaming in 20 seconds from table to dish).