Unpackaged: continued

With a summer's afternoon comes a new resilience, so My Eco Self sets off shopping again and manages to buy a robust sourdough loaf from the organic deli. However, due to a limited selection of loose ingredients available in the local shops, and slightly put off by the Tupperware experience, I can’t buy the usual staples of my frugal existence; milky mozzarella, palate-cooling bio-yogurt or smoked mackerel pate with bittersweet gooseberries. I’m stuck with the contents of that week’s vegetable box and my well-stocked store cupboards. For the next three days all evening meals are baked sweet potatoes accompanied by an ingeniously crafted side dish of courgettes tossed with a long-forgotten Thai green curry paste and wheat-free corn pasta. My wallet benefits too, despite a lingering odour of spring lamb a la Orla Kiely, both this season’s. Ditching pre-packaged lunchtime sandwiches and a morning bagel served on waxed paper has saved pounds, replaced by an early morning breakfast at home and homemade sandwiches, albeit made with peanut butter with a distinct musty out-of-date aftertaste.