Food budget plan

Of course you know your family best, but my advice is to get the kids on side. When I was young, we had a few difficult times (Not, I am glad to say, serious) but knowing that things needed stretching helped us to be helpful, and the lessons have stood me in good stead through bringing up my own family.

Involve all in meal plans - what would you like? Talk about how much different things cost, and accommodate everyone as much as you can.

You have some nice and healthy things by you, so you have a good start.

I'd do a sort of Jansson's Temptation or fish pie with the mackerel, but you know if your family would prefer it made into a sauce with pasta.
I'd take the beans and the lamb sausages and make up a sort of chilli - and I'd make up the polenta with cheese to serve with it and stretch it. I'd also think about chilli-ing or currying the lentils, as I find spicing things up makes them go further, but not all kids agree!

I'd also make a 'treat dinner' of pork chops with rub and some of those nice veges you've listed.

1-2 chicken breasts with a rub, dice very small, mix with salad and mayo and stuff into pittas - serve with chips.

1-2 lamb shanks cooked up with lentils, dried peas or similar can then be cut up and stretched.

Dried fruit will be good for the kids, but for the next 3 weeks, I wouldn't get too upset about '5 a day' - it's good general advice, not something to beat yourself up about.

I'm sure you'll find something here to suit you, and hope you stretch to a nice drink when the next payday comes

Hello there I have just sent you a PM

JackieO x

Sausages can be sliced up and added to veg for stew or soup, if you add beans you can make a few sausages go a long way. Sliced sausage that has been cooked can also be put on a pizza or make mini toad in the holes using a muffin tin. Again a little will go a long way. The chicken could be chopped up in a curry or cut into small strips or nuggets and dip in a thick batter, fry them and serve with chips and veg.

Another tip, buy a block of cheddar (I buy Aldi strong cheddar at about £3.50) and grate it all, then pop it into freezer bags and freeze it. Keep one bag in the fridge at any time.

My hubby and sons would 'snack' on cheese cutting huge lumps off of it, grated it can be used for sarnies, cheese on toast, sprinkled over most dishes to 'perk' up flavour and lasts very much longer.

For teen, ask them to make toast or a sarnie to snack on rather than 10 packs of crisps buy a cheap sliced loaf for that purpose.

Tell the kids that are old enough that a multi pack of 6 bags of crisps each is their weeks allocation and when they are gone, that's it.

Bulk out meals with grated veg etc, things like spag Bol, Cottage pie, chilli etc are easy to 'pad' out with extra veg without kids noticing.

If you are not confident with baking, don't risk wasting butter, flour eggs etc at this time (but do practise when things are a little easier) buy basic biscuits but ration them.