what are your best bargain food buys/ cheap meals?

[lindyloo]

i, like many others, am desperately trying to keep my food bill as low as possible. i am trying, and have been suceeding, in feeding my grown son and myself, a proper evening meal for about ££2-3 per evening, but it has to come lower, as the prices are going up. i would rather buy reduced, good quality bread, which i freeze, rather than a value loaf. i buy meat when reduced, and freeze it, and i try to buy bulk offers and stock up. i dont buy canned soups, ready meals, or pastes and sauces, and am sticking to basic food. but it is getting so much harder!!! not only to find things i can afford, but to make it a bit more interesting to eat. i am thinking of giving up meat too, so would like to know your fav. ideas to make a tasty filling meal without meat- maybe using mushrooms or nuts instead. please share your tips and ideas.

[taff]

have a look on 4od for river cottage veryday. There was one on vegetables a couple of weeks ago, I watched it last night, it was good. Gave me some ideas too.

[binley100]

I think our cheapest meal must be pasta with a tomato , onion and streaky bacon (optional) sauce.

[northepaul]

Do you like pulses and dried beans?
They often are used to 'pad' out a meal in our house. I can also recommend River Cottage recipe for split pea and ham soup - its very economical and lasts a good few meals, added bonus its ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

[rustylady]

Home-made soup, served with bread. I made leek and potato today. Also, specially for winter time you can make a huge pot of stew (pad out with plenty of veg, pearl barley and/or dried beans). Any leftovers can be frozen for later. Baked bean lasagne is tasty and filling.

[binley100]

When my mum was young , her mum used to start a stewpot off at the beginning of the week with the sunday joint remains and keep it going most of the week by adding veg to it. It used to sit on the side of the range and everyone got fed from it even the cats.....These days there would probably be some elfin safety issues....... .

[rustylady]

These days there would probably be some elfin safety issues....... .

But they survived and thrived, didn't they?

[zazen999]

I think our cheapest meal must be pasta with a tomato , onion and streaky bacon (optional) sauce.

Mine is:

2 pks of 10 p noodles.

1 onion and 1 tomato

fry onion, add a tomato when the onion is well cooked, add the noodles [after soaking in boiling water for 3 mins], add a splash of soy sauce and some mayo - a meal for about 25p.

Had it for lunch earlier.

[binley100]

Mine is:

2 pks of 10 p noodles.

1 onion and 1 tomato

fry onion, add a tomato when the onion is well cooked, add the noodles [after soaking in boiling water for 3 mins], add a splash of soy sauce and some mayo - a meal for about 25p.

Had it for lunch earlier.

LOl forget the onion, tomato, soy and mayo and just add some brown sauce and you've got youngest's lunch .

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheesy spuds with an egg in

[lindyloo]

this is all my type of food! i do a lot of this for myself, probably not as much as i used to do, but that has GOT to change. my son is a great meat eater, and so i have got into the habit of doing meat or chicken, with veg and potato,and gravy , to please him. he is somewhat limited in what he is willing to eat, and i tend to go along with it for an easy life; ( also, he pays for his keep, so he is entitled to have a say) i can and do eat stews and soups, but then i have to provide an extra meal for him. so, for instance, i could love cheesy spud with an egg- never tried that before, but he will only eat potato which is roasted or a chip, or fried in olive oil. until recently, when he suddenly widened his horizons to- wait for it- mash!!! he will eat dried pasta by the bag full, but cant eat cooked pasta, especially if it has a sauce on it, wont eat eggs or tomatoes, or peas. wont eat casserole, soup or stew, dumplings, garlic or onion. it just goes on! i could be happy eating a slice of bread with gravy on top, and some veg.

i always watch hfw, and will look on the website for recipes. that ham and pea soup sounds just up my street. ( maybe i should have titled to thread' how to widen my sons food horizons'!!) p.s. more recipe ideas please

[buzzingtalk]

I'm a vegan and as bizarre as it sounds, its one of the most expensive diets you could probably go on. I wreckon veggie is the cheapest - but only marginally. I don't know much about meat prices but it seems fairly expensive compared to ingredients you;d use for a meat aternative. I can't afford to eat a really nice meal every day, neither do i have the time to cook from scratch all the time, but i cant buy pizza/ready meal type stuff, so heres what i do and i think it works a treat:

curry - really bloody cheap to cook, if you get into it. i have got a very valuable spice cupboard but curry is my main food i eat so it makes sense. once youve got some spices though, you can make massive dishes, either meaty or veg, for relativley nothing. use frozen veg which is cheaper, and buy some veg fresh from local shops or reduced bins at supermarkets. good thing about something with ltos of spices, like a curry, is that you stick most veg and it will taste great - so perfect for getting rid of leftovers/reduced food. make a big one, and put it in boxes in the freezer for later

stews and soups - same goes as the curry really, stick a load of stuff in, slow cook it and theres a lovely autumnal meal on the cheap.

I also make my own veggie burgers, which work out very cheap if you like to eat burgers. takes about 20 mins but i make around 40 which last me for aggeeessss. and cost about 12p or thereabouts if you find the right stuff on the cheap.

baked potatos are a cheap meal, use the leftovers in the fridge and anything goes with a nice, hot spud

pasta - nice and filling, can make your own pasta sauce on the cheap and add grated and chopped veg.

Its quite rare I go out these days and buy bits here and there, ill go out and buy £40 worth of produce in bulk (massive packets, 2kg etc of everything, BOGOF) and have a day at home cooking massive stews/curries or even just a vegetable base that you can freeze and spice up later.

[buzzingtalk]

also one of my favourite cheap meals is MEGABEANS

which is:

1 tin of baked beans
4 sausages (meat or non meat - my mum uses frankfurters)
the green bits chopped off some spring onions (or a chopped onion to save more money, but put less in as its not meant to be overpowering)
and some encona hot sauce - add to taste
when cooking add some water, to make it a bit thicker. put the sausages in after being cooked, while heating up the beans. if adding onion, fry first. if spring onion, add raw afterwards.

I find a tin of beans will do 2 people, and i always buy them when they are on offer - like 8 for £3. as i eat lots of beans i usually half fill a trolley haha. I sometimes put more beans in but i find for 2 of us that 2 tins is too much sometimes. serve with bread, or even eat on its own

[Madasafish]

Stir fried anything with rice or pasta.

Add lots of veggies to bulk it out. One Mattesons sausage £1 then feeds four.

Rolled neck of lamb? Unwanted but cheap and nice
Lambs liver: even more unwanted and cheaper and nicer.
Farmfoods bacon £1.50 for 0.9 kgs. (end of cuts). Excellent

Home made soup with added veg to make a broth.

Soup and rolls filled with boiled egg, salad and mayonaise... cheap and filling for midday meal


Meatballs and pasta, meatballs and gravy and rice.
Curried potatoes with fried onion, beans and peas mixed up and served with bread and chutney..

Only buy meat when reduced annd then £20 at a time...

Eat meat only every three meals... pasta and rice and potaoes are healthy/lots of sauces.

Home made fruit pies and custard made with milk and custard pwoder are cheap and filling and with portion control non fattening!


Ready made meals and pies are expensive and genrally poor in terms of contents (sugar salt etc)

[lindyloo]

buzzingtalk; how do you make your own veggie burgers please? i have to say i do lean to being a vegan ie i feel i should be, and that i am letting my beliefs in animal welfare down, because i am not following through, but you are right- it seems a very expensive option to me to be vegan, when i see the prices of the products or alternatives such as nuts and mushrooms