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The rising cost of fuel and groceries is putting extra pressure on Maitland families who were already doing it tough after two years in a pandemic.
The financial strain is expected to see a rise in the number of people reaching out to charities and places like Maitland Neighbourhood Centre for help to pay their bills and put food on the table.
Centre manager Sarah Adams said people were already asking for help to pay for fuel and cover their electricity bill, and she expected the demand to rise in the next few months.
She said the cost of fuel was particularly biting commuters who had to get to work to make a living. The cost of E10 fuel in East Maitland and Metford on Thursday was 203.9 cents per litre while in Beresfield it was 210.9.
"A lot of people live in Maitland because it's more affordable and they work in Newcastle, and now it's costing them a lot more to commute," Ms Adams said.
"If people can save some money on food they can put that saving into helping to pay for fuel."
The Slow Food Earth Market Maitland has stepped up to show families how to save on their food bill, while eating nutritious - and delicious - meals.
Earth Market Maitland chairwoman Amorelle Dempster and The Mercury are releasing a series of recipes designed to help feed a family of four for less.
Each recipe uses fresh produce available at the earth market and complements it with staple ingredients.
"Who can afford $9 for a cauliflower at the supermarket?," Ms Dempster said.
The prices people are seeing are ridiculous. The food in the supermarket has a lot of food miles attached to it because it has had to travel so far to get there - and with the high cost of fuel that extra cost is being passed onto the shopper. People just can't afford that extra cost.
"We don't have that problem at the earth market because all of the farmers are local and they don't travel very far to come to the market - and that means they can keep their prices fair."
The first recipe is creamy mushroom with French tarragon and flat leaf parsley and it costs just over $17 to make and feed a family of four.
"People can make the meal go even further if they chop up some left over chicken and add that in. It's a meatless meal but it has mushrooms in it so it is still a good source of protein.
"They can also serve it as leftovers with rice for lunch and add a side salad - or they can toss it over pasta and create a whole new meal.
"If they can't get a spring onion they can use one whole onion instead."
Ms Adams said the centre could help families who were struggling to pay their power bills, and it had a range of food assistance available.
"If people haven't accessed our service before we can help them with their electricity bill when it is overdue," she said.
"We also have food assistance available - we have Oz Harvest Monday and Friday and frozen meals via a donation, and we have emergency food packs people can access once every few months."
THE RECIPE:
4 - 6 servings
500g Margins mushrooms cut into chunky bits ( stems too)
3 tablespoons Hunter Valley olive oil
1 bunch of spring onions - white and green parts sliced
1 bunch of French tarragon
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cream
1/4 cup hot water
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley
METHOD:
Sauté onions in olive oil on medium heat until just transparent, then add the whole bunch of French tarragon, garlic and add the chopped mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes.
Now add the cream, the grainy mustard and the lemon and cook for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped parsley. Give it a stir and take it off the stove.
Serve on toasted sourdough for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
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