Show Jamie How To Cook On A Budget Champagne Contest

Gauntlet thrown down indeed.

1 loaf sliced white bread - 37p (tesco value will work but any bread to make into breadcrumbs)
3 big carrots - 20p
6 courgettes - £1.90
knob of butter - so about 5p?
1 medium onion - 15p
Cheddar cheese - decent sized portion but not loads - about 40p worth
1 egg - 20p
salt/pepper - not necessary but can use - 10p
oil - for fryign so a tiny drizzle about 20p

£3.57
plus
£0.41 - oven chips - tesco value but if you have spare spuds left over from previous meal use them.
£0.60 for portion of peas each

£4.58 in total

- make bread into bread crumbs by blitzing in a food processor. Cut courgettes and carrots into thin stirps and squeeze out excess water by wringing out in an old tea towel.
- Heat the butter in a pan, and fry the onion until soft. Add the grated carrot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the courgette amd cook for 3 minutes until softened. Mix with the grated cheese, half the breadcrumbs, the egg yolk and seasoning.
- shape into 8 sausages about 10cm long using floured hands. Dip into the lightly beaten egg white, and roll in the remaining bredcrumbs. Heat some oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the sausages until lightly golden.
- make poatoes into potatoe wedges and cook in the oven.
- serve with wedges and a portion of peas.

Yummy. Thats if we are doing one nutricious meal only.

I think they’re having a laugh?

I went for leek and potato soup, a mixed bean stew and a treacle pudding. A very heavy menu, I wouldn’t serve them together normally. The soup for a lunch maybe? Was just to show how far the Fiver can go:

(NB, based on Sainsbury's online prices - Tesco would be cheaper)

Leek and Potato Soup:

Onions (said a 1/10th of a 2kg bag) £0.08
500g Leeks £0.99
1kg Potatoes £0.35 (1/5th of a 5kg bag)
2 Stock cubes £0.04
½ pint of semi-skimmed £0.17 (based on a 4 pinter)
1tablespoon Olive oil £0.10 (25ml from a 250ml bottle)

Cost: £1.72 Serves 6 generously

Roughly chop the onions, sweat in a little olive oil. Chop the leeks into coins, add to the sweating onions. Peel the potatoes and cut into inch cubes. Add the potatoes to the other vegetables, Make up a pint of stock with the two cubes. Pour over the stock. Add more boiling water from the kettle until it just cover the veg. Put the lid on and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and then blend with a stock blender, adding the milk until it’s the right consistency.

“Tuscan” bean stew

1 tin kidney beans, drained £0.21
1 tin canellini or borlotti beans (both taste different to me, so it makes a nice change) drained £0.40
1 tin most value baked beans, rinsed of sauce £0.20
1 tin tomatoes £0.20
Onion chopped £0.08 (based on a 1/10th of a 2kg bag)
2/3 garlic cloves crushed £0.15 (based on half a bulb from a 3 pack)
Oregano £0.05 (couldn’t find this, so price based on mixed med herbs)
2 stock cubes £0.04
2 tablespoons of tom puree £0.06
500g potatoes peeled and cut into 2" chunks £0.18 (1/10th of a 5kg bag)
2 tablespoons Olive oil £0.20 (50ml from a 250ml bottle)

Cost: £1.78 Serves 6 with seconds

Heat some olive oil in a casserole, sweat the onion and garlic until softened. Drain and rinse all the beans and then chuck the contents in the pan. Add the potatoes. Add enough stock to just cover everything. Add two good tablespoons of tomato puree, a good few pinches of herbs, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the potatoes are done and the sauce is thick.


Microwave Treacle Sponge

50g of Sainsbury’s Golden syrup £0.05
100g Sugar £0.08
100g Self raising flour £0.04
2 Eggs (Free Range) £0.42
A few tablespoons Semi-skimmed milk £0.05
100g Butter £0.34
150ml Single cream (to serve) £0.40

Cost: 1.38 Serves 4 hungry, greedy people

Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and the flour. Slowly add sufficient milk to make a batter consistency (like thick glass paint!). Pour two good glugs of golden syrup into a buttered microwave-able bowl. Pour the batter on top and cover with cling film, leaving small gap for steam to escape, and zap in the microwave for 3-4 minutes on HIGH... leave to stand for a couple of minutes before trying to remove the cling film. Wear oven gloves to protect your wrist from the steam.



Total for the three courses: £4.88.

OK, 3 courses - (Tesco prices)

Starter - Mackrell pate

1 smoked mackrell fillet - 85p
1/2 tub ricotta cheese - 36p
salt and pepper to taste.
1 piece of toast per person (crusts cut off, in triangles, 4 slices) 10p (value bread)
Total - £1.31

Flake the mackrell fillet, mix well into the ricotta, season and serve with the toast.

Main course - Choritzo pasta

1 pack of choritzo - 91p
1 pack spaghetti - 23p (value)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar - store cupboard guess 20p all 3
1 tablespoon olive oil
Total - £1.34

Cook the spaghetti. Fry the choritzo in the oil, lemon juice and vinegar. Mix with the spaghetti and serve.


Dessert - Sponge pudding and custard

4 oz S/R flour - 10p (value)
4 oz caster sugar - 20p
4 oz butter/marg - 20p
2 eggs - 40p (free range eggs)
2 tablespoons golden syrup - 20p
Ready made custard - 35p
Total - £1.45

Mix the flour, sugar, marg and eggs. In a bowl pour the golden syrup, then spoon the cake mix on top. Microwave for about 3 - 4 minutes.

3 courses - £4.10, maybe a bit more if you dont use value products, but still under £5!!!!

Added - enough left over to maybe make a salad to go with the pasta!

This thread could be really interesting. £5 can last most Grocery challenging Old stylers a good few days. My best one course meal has to be:

Chicken noodle soup (with home made bread)

1 1/2 Pints chicken stock (made from my rubber chicken, cooked in slow cooker which cost £2.69 current tesco price) approx 10p
1 x Packet value chicken super noodles 10p
1/5th chicken meat from above chicken 54p
1 x tin sweetcorn (200g) 25p
Handful of frozen peas 20p
Mixed herbs 5p
5g frozen garlic 5p
20g butter 20p
Salt and pepper to taste
Home made crusty loaf approx 34p (usual method made in breadmaker or not, using value flour etc)

Total £1.83

Method
Fry off garlic in butter. Whilst doing this cook noodles as per packet instructions in boiling water. Add chicken stock to garlic and bring to boil, add frozen peas and drained sweetcorn. Add Chicken and noodles. If stock is thick add boiling water to thin. Season and add herbs to taste. Simmer for approx 10 mins.
Eat with fresh bread!

This usually does one evening meal for two plus at least 2 portions for lunch. So I suppose a family of 4 for one night. But usually I'll have another portion which goes in the freezer.

By the way sammy_kaye18 I'm in awe of your thread, you are an inspiration!

Right, I know this is slightly over, but I wanted to show you can do a summer friends-for-lunch come dinner party menu for about the same as he can do one family main (though I must admit, at their prices i'm not surprised he's struggling!!)

Here goes:

Bruchetta

Part baked Ciabatta, cooked £0.69
150g cherry tomatoes £0.69
1/2 a head of garlic £0.30
2 tablespoons olive oil £0.20
1/2 bunch of basil £0.35

Put the cherry toms in a roasting tray, drizzle with most of the olive oil. Crush the garlic (unpeeled) and put it crushed but whole in the roasting tin. Add the basil leaves slightly torn. Roast in a hot oven (225oC) for 10 to 15. Slice the ciabatta into inch thick slices. Grill, bake or griddle until toasted both sides, Rub top side of each slice with the cut face of a garlic clove, drizzle a little more olive oil and top with the roasted cherry tomatoes.

Cost: £2.23 Serves 4

Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts £1.97
1 bag salad £0.68
1/2 cucmber £0.17
1 tomato £0.16
½ red onion £0.21
2 tablespoons olive oil £0.20
Juice of 1 lemon £0.15
100g honey £0.18
100g grainy mustard £0.12

Mix the honey with the mustard. Slice the chicken into strips and toss in the mixture. Leave to oneside for a while. Heat a griddle pan (or arrange on a grill rack) and cook until done. Make the salad with the bagged salad, cucumber, thinly sliced red onion and dixed tomato (deseeded). In a small bowl mix 50ml of olive oil with the juice of a lemon (and a touch more mustard if you like). Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Arrange on plates, topped with the chicken. Serve immediately with a well chilled white wine…

Cost: £3.84 Serves 4

Total for 2 courses : £6.07