There was in interesting
programme on the BBC a couple of weeks ago called
The Great British BudgetMenu. The programme explored food
poverty by showing how 3 different households experienced it. One man was retired and lived on his state
pension in sheltered accommodation, another household was a working single mum
on minimum wage and her pre-teenage daughter and the final household was a family
of two parents both had jobs but high fixed expenses and little left to spend
on food once bills had been paid. All of
them were feeding themselves and their children for approximately £2 each a day
or less in the case of the retired gentleman.
A celebrity chef lived with each
household for three days to see how they live/eat and then attempted to shop as
the household would using their budget.
None of the chefs were able to stick to the budget of the household they
lived in. None of them!
It was clear that the supermarket
was not a usual haunt for any of the chefs, neither was comparing prices or
shopping with such a small budget. Watching
James Martin struggling to find the clearance section in the supermarket was hilarious and entertaining viewing, as was watching Angela Hartnett calculating the price
of chickens and exclaiming the last time she had to do that much maths was during
her A levels. Richard Corrigan was
gobsmacked that if customers don’t have enough money they have to put food back
when shopping at the supermarket. The
challenges that all three chefs were shocked and frustrated by are experienced
by many people every time they shop for food.
It is much easier to shop on a strict budget for a family than it is for
one or two people. If you have £15 to
last the week buying small portions can be more expensive than larger ones
where bulk offers may apply.
A £50 weekly food budget equates
to £1.79 per person, per day for a 4 person household. This amount is less than is allocated to those
housed in Her Majesty's Prisons and only slightly more than what is spent on
the daily meals for the majority of NHS patients. Eating well whilst restricted to this amount
is possible. I’ve compiled Meal Plans
for my family of 5 that total £50. What
we struggled with was strict portion control and my children found it difficult
not being able to have fruit and snacks whenever they felt like some. Our usual Meal Plan total of between £60 -
£65 works out at about £1.80 per person per day, for our 5 person household, if
I spend £63. We eat well and are not
deprived of nutritious food, I shop at a supermarket taking advantage of
special offers, and I know how to create and cook tasty meals.
That is the issue, lack of
cooking skills and the ability to create inexpensive and healthy meals. I was taught how to budget by my Mum, and I
have taught my 3 children. I taught
myself to cook healthily on a tight budget when I left home at 17 and had to
manage on a student budget, it was a good life lesson which is helping us now
we have 3 children and an equally tight budget.
It is difficult for households on
low incomes, our household is one of them, the constant penny pinching is
frustrating and exhausting at times. I
can totally understand why a meal of chicken nuggets and chips is more
appealing than slaving over a hob for half an hour. You can purchase 42 chicken nuggets and 1.5kg
of budget oven chips for £4, enough to feed a family of 4 dinner twice. It is low faff food, only £2 per meal, but it
is also low on nutrients. That should be
a sometimes meal not a standard daily diet.
It would be difficult to compete with the price and convenience of that
meal, however it is possible to create a low faff healthier option for around
the same price.
There needs to be much more
education and resources available to families who are struggling with the cost
of food and how to prepare healthy low cost meals. Having more offers on fresh and frozen fruits
and vegetables in supermarkets would help as would cookery classes in schools
and communities. Food Banks do a
fabulous job but are becoming a necessity for some families instead of an emergency
option. Part of the problem is that
working households can find themselves in poverty due to low wages. Not all employers pay a “Living Wage” and
high rents consume a significant portion of income. Regardless of the circumstances that lead to
food poverty, households in that position need help to feed themselves decent
meals.
Lemony Courgette Spaghetti
500g spaghetti
1 tsp olive oil
3 courgettes, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
zest and juice of 1 lemon
Cook the pasta in boiling, salted
water according to the instructions on the packet. Heat a little oil in a pan, add the grated
courgette and garlic, cook whilst stirring for for 3 minutes until the
courgette and garlic soften. Add the
lemon zest, lemon juice and ricotta.
Stir to combine. Drain the pasta
then stir through the creamy courgette mixture.
Serve immediately.
Total Cost: £3.52
1x ASDA Ricotta (250g) £1.00
1x ASDA Lemons Loose 27p
1x ASDA Garlic Loose 25p
1x ASDA Courgettes (3) £1.00
1x Cook Italian Wholewheat Spaghetti (500g) £1.00
If you used budget spaghetti costing 19p instead of wholewheat spaghetti
the meal costs £2.96
Quesadillas
10 tortillas, plain or wholemeal
1 tin chilli beans
4 spring onion, thinly sliced
150g cheddar cheese, grated
Cooked mixed vegetables, to serve
Lay a tortilla on a board, spread
with some chilli beans then sprinkle over some sliced spring onion and grated
cheese. Put another tortilla over the
top, like a sandwich. Heat up a frying
pan over a medium heat, transfer the prepared tortilla sandwich to the frying
pan and cook for a couple of minutes, carefully flip it over and cook for a
further couple of minutes on the other side.
Repeat until all the tortillas and filling have been used and
cooked. Serve with cooked mixed
vegetables.
Total Cost: £3.73
1x ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg) 75p
1x ASDA Chosen by You Chilli Beans (290g) 48p
1x ASDA Mexican Plain Flour Tortillas (10) £1.00
1x ASDA Spring Onions 50p
1x Ilchester Applewood Cheddar(162g) £1.00
Salmon Fishcakes
750g
potatoes, cut into chunks
418g tin
wild salmon, drained
2 spring
onions, finely sliced
1 medium
free range egg, beaten
1 Tblsp plain flour
Boil the
potatoes for 10-12 mins or until tender, drain then mash well. Stir in the drained tin of salmon, spring
onions, and enough of the egg to bring the mixture together but not be too
runny. Divide into 10 – 12 portions then
shape into rounds. Dust with some flour
then shallow-fry in batches for a couple of minutes on each side. The fishcakes should be golden. Serve with cooked
mixed vegetables.
Total Cost: £3.98
1x ASDA Wild Pacific Pink Salmon (418g) £2.17
1x ASDA Baking Potatoes (4) £1.15
1x ASDA Spring Onions 50p
1x Free Range Medium British Egg 16p or £1.00 for 6
Vegetable Fritters
2 free
range eggs
125ml
milk
150g
self raising flour
400g tin
chickpeas, drained and rinsed
326g tin
sweetcorn, drained
2 carrots,
grated
4 spring
onions, finely chopped
Handful of
chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or chives, alternatively 2 tsp dried mixed
herbs
Put the eggs
and milk into a large mixing bowl and whisk until completely combined. Sift the flour into egg mixture, whisking to form
a smooth mixture without lumps. Add the chickpeas,
grated carrot and herbs. Mix well.
Put a
large frying pan over a medium heat and grease with a little oil or
butter. Put spoonfuls of batter into the
frying pan, enough to make 3 or 4 fritters each batch, however many will fit
easily into your frying pan. Cook for 3 -
4 minutes on each side until golden. Repeat until all the batter has been used.
Serve the fritters warm.
Total Cost: £3.87
1x ASDA Spring Onions 50p
2x Free Range Medium British Eggs 32p or £1.00 for 6
1x ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn (326g) 32p
1x ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g) 62p
1x ASDA Milk Skimmed 1 Pint (568ml) 49p
1x ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) 45p
2x ASDA Carrots 17p
1x ASDA Whole Cucumber 50p
1x ASDA British Iceberg Lettuce Loose 50p
Spaghetti Bolognese
500g
beef mince
2
onions, finely diced
2 cloves
garlic, crushed
2
carrots, finely diced or grated
3 sticks
celery, finely sliced/diced
2 tins
chopped tomatoes
2 tsp
dried mixed herbs (optional)
Heat a
small glug of oil in a frying-pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic until soft and
transparent. Turn up the heat a bit then
add the beef mince, breaking it up as it cooks.
Add the
tins of chopped tomatoes, and finely diced and sliced vegetables. Give everything a good stir and then let the
sauce simmer for at least 20 - 30 minutes.
Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
While
the sauce is simmering, you can cook some pasta to accompany it in a large pan
of salted boiling water, according to instructions on the pasta packaging.
Serve
the Bolognese sauce over the drained cooked pasta with some cooked mixed
vegetables if you have any. If you want to
freeze any leftover Bolognese sauce for later, make sure that you only freeze
the sauce and not the pasta. You can
defrost the sauce overnight in the fridge and reheat it thoroughly whilst
cooking the pasta, or defrost the sauce in the microwave.
Total Cost: £3.96
1x Butcher's Selection British Beef Mince
(500g) £2.00
2x Carrots (Approx 110g) 17p
2x Red Onions (Approx 130g) 23p
1x Celery 50p
1x ASDA Garlic Loose 25p
1x Smartprice Spaghetti (500g) 19p
2x Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g) 62p
Vegetable and Lentil Curry with Rice
1 red
onion, finely diced
2 cloves
garlic, crushed
2 Tblsp Balti
curry paste
400g can
chopped tomatoes
410g can
green lentils, drained
500g frozen
mixed vegetables
400g cooked
rice, to serve with the curry
Heat a
little oil in a deep sided frying pan or large saucepan. Fry the onion until soft, add the garlic and
fry for another minute. Stir in curry
paste and gently fry for 1 minute, stirring all the time so it doesn’t burn. Add the chopped tinned tomatoes, half a
tomato can of water, lentils and mixed vegetables, bring to the boil and reduce
to a simmer for 10 mins. Serve with cooked rice.
Total Cost: £3.47
1x ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg) 75p
1x ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg) 40p
1x ASDA Green Lentils in Water (400g) 64p
1x Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g) 31p
1x Sharwood's Balti Paste (290g) £1.00
1x ASDA Red Onions (Approx 130g) 11p
1x ASDA Garlic Loose 25p
Butternut Squash Risotto
1
butternut squash, about 1kg , deseeded and peeled then cut into chunks
3 Tblsp oil
1 medium
onion, peeled and chopped
250g risotto
rice
Approximately
1 litre of vegetable stock
Preheat
your oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6.
Put the chunks
of butternut squash on a lined baking tray and and rub with 2 Tblsp of oil. Bake
for 20-30 minutes until the squash starts to turn light-golden at the edges.
Whilst
the butternut squash is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a deep frying pan
and add the onion. Cook the onion over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until
it softens. Add the rice and mix it in with the onion and cook for a couple of
minutes.
Bring
the stock to the boil and then gradually add it to the risotto one coffee mug
at a time. Stir the risotto well each
time you add stock. Wait until one
addition of stock has been absorbed before you add more. Adding the stock slowly and stirring well
will help to make a thick, almost creamy risotto. When the rice is tender the risotto is
done. Stir the cooked butternut squash
into the risotto and season to taste then serve.
Total Cost: £2.97
1x ASDA Arborio Risotto Rice (500g) £1.10
1x ASDA Red Onions (Approx 130g) 11.7p
1x ASDA Butternut Squash (Approx 850g) 72.3p
1x ASDA Garlic Loose 25p
1x ASDA Vegetable Stock Cubes (12x10g) 78p
Now it's your turn!
We tend to buy fresh fruit and frozen vegetables because some fresh vegetables are too expensive for our budget. We grow as much as we can in our small back garden and are fortunate enough to share an allotment and be looking after the school one. I always look in the reduced section of the supermarket for reduced fruit, vegetable and meat bargains - about an hour before closing time is when they reduce the prices the most. How do you feed your family on a strict budget? What are your tips, tricks and hints for making your money go further when feeding your household?
