In repsonse to a significant drop in family income several years ago, Sophie Gray was forced to reconsider her grocery budget. She needed to feed two fussy children and satisfy two foodie adults who like to entertain friends. She became aware of the increasing dependence of domestic cooks on pre-prepared ready-made products and realized that basic cooking skills were being forgotten. Sophie became the destitute gourmet. This cookbook echoes current cooking trends and also aims to encourage home cooks to innovate and improvize. What do you really need in your pantry? What can you easily do without? How can you create gourmet meals to impress your family and friends and not have to live on bread and water for a week. This book is for everyone who wants to spend less on groceries and still enjoy tasty, fashionable and healthy food.