£7.00 per week - menu ideas

flowers2veg

JackieO wrote: »

I noticed that Aldi's super six has risen to 89p this week.Not a great bargain if they want to snaffle customers from the other supermarkets.I lknow they can only price what they can, but I bought a lovely large savoy cabbage in my local independant greengrocers this morning for 50p.I am lucky that I have one close by, as the Tesco's one was far smaller and dearer (I nipped in to check their price).I managed to buy the cabbage ,a cucumber, some radishes, three leeks,two parsnips 2 sweet potato's and a head of brocolli for £3.70.so I saved quite a bit on the supermarket price and I am helping to support a local business.As I live alone I only need smaller amounts anyway,but the cabbage will last me for at least a week making different stuff with it or as an accompaniment to other things
Supermarkets have hogged the market far too long and I do my best to shop around as much as possible.Sainsbobs basic veg or chicken stock cubes are still not too expensive .I may have a bit of a stockpile of those for the coming months as I love HM soups.

I too spend a lot of time shopping around and find that the market is a good place to start with regard to veg and like you HM soup is a biggie for me

Butterfly_Brain

I am using the supermarkets less and less and am using the butcher for cheap cuts of meat, he even gives me bones with enough meat on them to make a meaty soup. I am using the market more and get some good deals especially if I go down just before they are closing last week I got four huge caulis for 30p each so they are happily sitting in my freezer ready to make some cauliflower cheese or to use as a veggie side. This week he bunged in some extra potatoes, carrots and brussels every little helps as the saying goes. I need to go tomorrow for some more veg as I seem to be using more and more to eke out the smaller amounts of meat that I buy.
Aldis, like all of the supermarkets prices are rising but not quite as fast. Things are getting really scary now especially with winter coming and ever extortionate energy bills thrown in to the mix.

tessie_bear

flowers2veg wrote: »

I think you are all doing wonderful jobs feeding yourselves for such low amounts but I do wonder what next, with prices rising so fast and many of the value products disappearing is anyone else worried what they will be eating in a years time. Just wondering because I am not sure that I can cut back any more.

i really get that and feel the same.....this forum is a comfort as are some of the frugal blogs..but it makes me wonder where it is all going and how peeps will manage

Lesley_Gaye

craigywv wrote: »

my pound shop sells litre of oil for a quid hth:)

wouldn't have thought of looking there for oil! I live in a small market town, no pound shops. The market isn't very cheap for fruit and veg, but we do have a greengrocer who has a cheapy box and I have had many a bargain from there

Lesley_Gaye

JackieO wrote: »

I bought a lovely large savoy cabbage in my local independant greengrocers this morning for 50p.As I live alone I only need smaller amounts anyway,but the cabbage will last me for at least a week making different stuff with it or as an accompaniment to other things
.

Maybe you could try this with some of your cabbage. I got the recipe from the Abel & Cole site. There are lots of lovely veggie recipes there, including loads for cabbage

• 100g red lentils, 20p - 500g/£1
• 1 stock cube 6.5p - 78p/12 Asda
• 1 onion, chopped, 5p - 2kg/98p
• bit of garlic, a clove, a squeeze or a tsp of paste 3p - 1 clove from a bulb/25p tube/59p
• 250g cabbage, 25p - 1 large cabbage 800g?/£1
• 2 tsps mustard seeds 12p - 70g/86p Asda
• 1 tsp ground coriander 10p - 71p/34g Asda
• 1 tsp turmeric 3p - TRS 62p/100g
• pinch cayenne/chilli 1p?
• 1 tin tomatoes, 29p - any own brand
• 2 tblsps veg oil 4p - £1.35/1 litre

for the Nan

• 125g self raising flour, 4p - 1.5kg/45p
• pinch salt

1. First of all, make the nan. These really need to rest for at least an hour to get that doughy nan texture. If you make and eat them straight away, they will still taste good, but they will be more cakey.
2. Stir the flour and salt with enough water to make a soft dough and give it all a good knead if you like, you don't really need to, I don't usually bother. Place in an oiled bowl and leave to prove for an hour. Punch down and divide into 2. Roll out into nan shapes.
3. When you are ready to eat, pre-heat grill to high and place each nan on the grill pan and grill until it puffs and there are some brown spots. No need to turn over. Brush with a bit of spread or butter if yiu have it and serve straight away.
4. I make these nan with milk in the Chole recipe, but have found that water is just fine

1. Simmer the lentils with the stock cube in about 400ml water.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the veg. Strip the cabbage leaves from their tough stalks and very finely chop the stalks. I had almost nothing to put in the compost pot.
3. Saute the onion, garlic and cabbage in the oil until the onion is transparent, add the spices and saute for several minutes until the tiny bits of stalk are softened.
4. Add the tin of tomatoes, breaking them up if they are whole ones and tip in the cooked lentils. Simmer until the veg are cooked and soft, keep the lid off if you need to reduce the liquid a bit. Add salt and pepper if you need them
5. Serve with the Nan

Makes 2 extremely generous servings. If you don't want that much, will keep well for the next day when you could have it with cous cous, rice or perhaps some potato
Per serving
Calories 587, Fat 23, Protein 16.2, Carbohydrate 88, Cost 51p per serving

Soworried

That looks lovely, I am going to make that. Thankyou:)

[Deleted User]

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

Maybe you could try this with some of your cabbage. I got the recipe from the Abel & Cole site. There are lots of lovely veggie recipes there, including loads for cabbage

• 100g red lentils, 20p - 500g/£1
• 1 stock cube 6.5p - 78p/12 Asda
• 1 onion, chopped, 5p - 2kg/98p
• bit of garlic, a clove, a squeeze or a tsp of paste 3p - 1 clove from a bulb/25p tube/59p
• 250g cabbage, 25p - 1 large cabbage 800g?/£1
• 2 tsps mustard seeds 12p - 70g/86p Asda
• 1 tsp ground coriander 10p - 71p/34g Asda
• 1 tsp turmeric 3p - TRS 62p/100g
• pinch cayenne/chilli 1p?
• 1 tin tomatoes, 29p - any own brand
• 2 tblsps veg oil 4p - £1.35/1 litre

for the Nan

• 125g self raising flour, 4p - 1.5kg/45p
• pinch salt

1. First of all, make the nan. These really need to rest for at least an hour to get that doughy nan texture. If you make and eat them straight away, they will still taste good, but they will be more cakey.
2. Stir the flour and salt with enough water to make a soft dough and give it all a good knead if you like, you don't really need to, I don't usually bother. Place in an oiled bowl and leave to prove for an hour. Punch down and divide into 2. Roll out into nan shapes.
3. When you are ready to eat, pre-heat grill to high and place each nan on the grill pan and grill until it puffs and there are some brown spots. No need to turn over. Brush with a bit of spread or butter if yiu have it and serve straight away.
4. I make these nan with milk in the Chole recipe, but have found that water is just fine

1. Simmer the lentils with the stock cube in about 400ml water.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the veg. Strip the cabbage leaves from their tough stalks and very finely chop the stalks. I had almost nothing to put in the compost pot.
3. Saute the onion, garlic and cabbage in the oil until the onion is transparent, add the spices and saute for several minutes until the tiny bits of stalk are softened.
4. Add the tin of tomatoes, breaking them up if they are whole ones and tip in the cooked lentils. Simmer until the veg are cooked and soft, keep the lid off if you need to reduce the liquid a bit. Add salt and pepper if you need them
5. Serve with the Nan

Makes 2 extremely generous servings. If you don't want that much, will keep well for the next day when you could have it with cous cous, rice or perhaps some potato
Per serving
Calories 587, Fat 23, Protein 16.2, Carbohydrate 88, Cost 51p per serving

That looks delicious Thank you for another idea for my mighty cabbage :)

ash28

I just thought I'd have a look at the price increases since Butterfly Brain did her shopping list about 15 months ago......the prices in red are the current prices from the same supermarkets........the current bill for the same items would be £8.85 compared to £7.80 in July last year, an increase of 13.5% overall.

With often below inflation pay rises and food and energy inflation way above the CPI rate of inflation it's no wonder a lot people are struggling.

A few years ago I used to be a bit of a brand tart but now I'm just a tart....and although we are in our 50s and early retired and do both have index linked pensions, we are feeling the pinch like everyone else, especially as we have a 12 year old grandson who lives with us and is going through a "bottomless pit" phase.

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

Week 1
Tesco unless specified Aldi or Asda

Porridge 500g 55p...... 1kg £1 (1kg in Asda is 75p) 65p (+18%)
Mixed fruit Jam 29p - 29p (0)
Everyday 12 pk rolls 35p - 45p (+28%)
Everyday ham (10 slices) 61p - 75p (+23%)
sponge sandwich mix 22p - 22p (0)
6 pitta bread 20p - 22p (+10%)
Baked beans 26p Aldi - 25p (-3.8%)
4 baking potatoes 59p Aldi - 99p (+67.7%)
Spaghetti 500g 24p - 20p (-16%)
LG Rice 1 kg 40p - 40p (0)
Bag frozen mixed veg 75p - 75p (0)
Gravy Granules 20p - 20p (0)
Everyday pork sausages 56p - 66p (+17.8%)
Pasta sauce 39p - 39p (0)
Cheese sauce mix 3 for £1 = 33p - 34p (+3%)
Batter Mix 7p - 15p (+114%)
1 onion 10p - 15p (50%)
15 eggs = £1.25 Aldi - £1.35 (+8%)
Mozzarella1 x 44p = 44p - 44p (0)

The total is from the cheapest price on the list £7.80, but you will still have 5 eggs and 2/3 of a bag of rice left for the following week.

Butterfly_Brain

Wow thanks for that ash but the batter mix in Asda is now 19p not 15p and spaghetti is 23p in Aldi

ash28

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

Wow thanks for that ash but the batter mix in Asda is now 19p not 15p and spaghetti is 23p in Aldi

Thanks....my mistake I thought they were from Tesco.......that makes the difference 14.48%.

Quite a hefty increase in the time frame. The price of the potatoes was a bit of a shocker....I know they were expensive last year due to a poor harvest. We buy our potatoes from the farm shop and they are quite a bit cheaper than last year. We pay around 24p a kilo.....the cheapest the supermarkets seem to do is around 47p a kilo for their basics/value brand....potatoes used to an absolute staple when our kids were young and as cheap as - well - chips.