Meal for two for 50p. Suggestions?

Heth_2

RainbowsInTheSpray wrote:

Sorry but I just DON'T agree that 'all the rest' adds up to over £50 a week. If people are so daft as to be taken in by supermarket 'offers' on branded products then that's their look-out. Just have slightly larger main meals and do away with all the dubious 'in-beteens' which lead to unhealthy diet.

I'll tell you what leads to over £50/wk for a family of 4: it's all the 'let's just stop off at the chip shop' and 'how about a ready meal in front of the telly'-itis.

Pathetic. People with little willpower, less common sense and total, uncaring gormlessness about what saving £10 a week can add up to. Presumably, these types simply care more about putting their feet up than they do about their children's health or saving to invest in their family's future. I can see no other explanation.

I hate the idea that alot of people on here have, that if you spend £50 on food a week then you are buying ready meals/takeaways/having unhealthy food and generally not cooking from scratch. My husband and I spend alot of money on food (£200 pounds a month usually) but do cook everything ourselves, have healthy, well balanced meals with lots of fresh fruit and veg, make pack lunches, never have takeaways etc... Yes, we do buy expensive ingredients and cook more extravagant food than the cheaper 50p for 2 type meals on here, but if we can afford to do so why not? Spending alot on food doesn't mean being lazy and eating ready meals and takeaways at the expense of ones health!

cordial

Heth wrote:

I hate the idea that alot of people on here have, that if you spend £50 on food a week then you are buying ready meals/takeaways/having unhealthy food and generally not cooking from scratch. My husband and I spend alot of money on food (£200 pounds a month usually) but do cook everything ourselves, have healthy, well balanced meals with lots of fresh fruit and veg, make pack lunches, never have takeaways etc... Yes, we do buy expensive ingredients and cook more extravagant food than the cheaper 50p for 2 type meals on here, but if we can afford to do so why not? Spending alot on food doesn't mean being lazy and eating ready meals and takeaways at the expense of ones health!

Correct, it doesn't. Rainbows was a bit unfair and generalising.

However, I think she has a point - you only have to look at the news today with the business about obesity etc.

You obviously like to spend more money on food and that's fine - but remember these forums ARE supposed to be about saving money!

Penny-Pincher!!

Chilli Con Carne-8 portions
500g Mince Lamb-0.66p
2 x tins kidney beans (Aldi) 0.26p
2 x tins of chopped toms (Aldi) 0.28p
2 x onions 0.10p
Chilli powder
Tin of sweetcorn-0.18p
½ bag of value boiled rice-0.20p

Total £1.68= 0.21p per serving

Toad In Hole, Mash & Onion Gravy-4 large servings
8 decent sausages-£1.00
Onions x 2-0.10p
Plain Flour-0.10p
Milk-0.10p
2 Eggs-0.15p
Spuds to mash-15p
Carrots-0.15p
Cabbage-0.15p
Gravy-0.10p

Total £2.00 = £0.50p per serving

Shepards Pie, Cabbage & Sweetcorn-6 servings
500g minced lamb-0.66p
Onion-0.05p
2 x baked beans-0.26p (Aldi)
Spuds to mash-0.25p
Cabbage-0.15p
Tin of sweetcorn (aldi)-0.18p

Total £1.55 = £0.26p per serving

Roast Chicken, Roasties, Yorkies, Stuffing, carrots, parsnips, cabbage & gravy-5 servings
Large Chicken-£2.00
Spuds to roast-0.35p
Plain Flour, eggs and milk for yorkies-0.30p
Value Stuffing-0.16p
Carrots-0.15p
Cabbage-0.15p
Parsnips-0.20p

Total £3.31 = £0.63p per serving

Lamb stew & dumplings-8 portions
500g diced lamb-£1.69
Spuds-0.25p
Carrots-0.15p
Swede-0.15p
Peas-0.10p frozen
Tin of baked beans x 2-0.26p
Onion x 2-0.10p
Sachet Mix-0.18p
Suet, flour dumpling-0.20p

Total £3.08 = £0.39p per serving

SpagBol-6 servings
500g minced lamb-0.66p
2 x tins of toms-0.26p
Onions x 2-0.10p
Pack of value spaggetti-0.18p

Total £1.20 = £0.20p per serving

Bexstars

Wow these are great recipies!

Im going to make a note of them and get cooking

Thanks everyone

Poppy9

Penny pincher. Where do you get a large chicken from for £2. Even the cheap crap ones in the supermarket are over £3. I don't like to compromise on my meat, we only eat chicken, as I do think you get better quality from the local butchers. His large chickens are over £4 but I think still good value as they provide a roast dinner, sandwiches on Monday and a curry or sweet & sour in the night.

RACHIE77

Sassers, the chapatti recipe sounds lovely - do you know any others like this and is it really easy to make?

I have often made vegetable samosa's by cutting up bits of potatoe, carrot and onion etc and adding some curry powder, then wrapping them in likke triangles of (pre-rolled) pastry! I'm sure these can't cost a lot to make altho its been a while so I can't quite remember how much the pastry costs, but your recipe got me thinking that I could make my own pastry, and even adapt it in to some sort of pie with a filling!?? mmmm

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One recipe that does spring to mind that my nan used to make me (but must admit (once again to not knowing how to make pastry without a big commotion) that I have never made this myself!

I'm guessing that you are looking at about 80p for two pies but not sure on how much the pastry costs to make?? Anyway, this is the jist of it....

• Line a pastry case with shortcrust pastry.
• Pour about half an inch of baked beans on the bottom.
• Whisk up about 4 eggs with a splash of milk, a little bit of chopped onion, a handful if chives (or whatever herb you fancy), a handful of grated cheese (or cottage cheese, or soft cheese) and pour on top of the beans.
• Put in the oven and bake until golden on top (I think!?)

cordial

Poppy9 wrote:

Penny pincher. Where do you get a large chicken from for £2. Even the cheap crap ones in the supermarket are over £3. I don't like to compromise on my meat, we only eat chicken, as I do think you get better quality from the local butchers. His large chickens are over £4 but I think still good value as they provide a roast dinner, sandwiches on Monday and a curry or sweet & sour in the night.

I think Tesco have an offer at the moment of two reasonable sized birds for £5... and I suspect if you look around you can find 'em cheaper still.

RACHIE77

Penny-Pincher!! wrote:

500g Mince Lamb-0.66p

Where can you get 500g minced lamb for 66p?? I usually buy a bag of the frozen stuff, thats a 500g bag and I am sure thats usually about £2 or £3 minimum??

Edinburghlass_2

cordial wrote:

Correct, it doesn't. Rainbows was a bit unfair and generalising.

However, I think she has a point - you only have to look at the news today with the business about obesity etc.

You obviously like to spend more money on food and that's fine - but remember these forums ARE supposed to be about saving money!

Sorry I disagree with the forums being about saving money, the principle is to make the most of whatever money you have be it small or large amounts and as Martin says be a savvy consumer.

Personally I prefer to spend my money on decent meat from the butcher or farm shop same with eggs, someone suggests an omelette using 4 eggs well that for me would be more than £1 with no other ingredients because I like to have a good tasting egg.

I do like a baked potato though with tuna and cheese

cordial

Edinburghlass wrote:

Sorry I disagree with the forums being about saving money, the principle is to make the most of whatever money you have be it small or large amounts and as Martin says be a savvy consumer.

Words like 'splitting' and 'hairs' come to mind!

I'm happy with the title of the site - moneysavingexpert.com - even if you aren't.

To the best of my knowledge, Martin has no plans for its re-naming as 'makethemostofwhatevermoneyyouhavebeitsmallorlargeamountsandbeasavvyconsumer.com'...