How we developed our new £1 meals
If you're struggling to keep on top of your shopping bill, you're not alone. Keeping to a budget is harder than ever now that food, energy and fuel prices are rapidly increasing. We already had lots of budget recipes to help, but we've just added even more from recipe writers that specialise in affordable, everyday cooking, like Miguel Barclay, Jack Monroe, Chetna Makan and Lorna Cooper. These new £1 meals have been carefully designed to avoid unnecessary ingredients and priced at four supermarkets to help you manage your budget (each recipe has the average price listed in the recipe tips section). Most of them are also very simple to cook and we've tried to reduce energy costs by using the hob instead of the oven where possible. If you have a slow cooker or air fryer, there are recipes for those, too. It can be difficult to calculate how much a recipe will cost to make. Prices constantly change and where you shop makes a difference. Recipe writers use various methods to cost recipes, the most common is to calculate a price using only the quantity of each ingredient used in the recipe (so a tablespoon of soy sauce, rather than a whole bottle). This works well if you already have the ingredients in your cupboard or the recipe uses whole packs, but it can be misleading as you might have to buy jars of spices and sauces which can soon add up. For our £1 recipes we've taken a different approach. We've put together a store cupboard of basic items that keep well and can be used in a huge array of different recipes. Ingredients from this store cupboard are costed on the amount used – all other ingredients are costed on the minimum pack size available. We believe this is a more realistic approach as many people have some basic items in, but are unlikely to have an extensive choice of spices and sauces. Once you have a few more spices in your store cupboard from these recipes, some of them will cost even less than the stated price. A very few recipes have come out at just over £1, but only by a few pence. Prices are still going up as of March 2023, so more recipes may nudge over the £1 mark as time goes on. Your budget store cupboard Here are the basic ingredients to keep in stock. The total cost is just over £25 on average when comparing prices at five different supermarkets. (This list was originally costed at under £20, but price increases have since pushed it up.) Salt: we've used table salt which is the cheapest, but any salt will do. Ground black pepper: priced on the ready ground variety, but again any ground pepper is fine and the freshly ground pepper is nicer, if you are lucky enough to have a pepper mill. Olive oil: used only when the flavour will add to the finished dish. Standard olive oil is fine, though extra virgin is lovely if you can afford the extra cost. Vegetable oil: any variety, though in the UK this is usually rapeseed oil. You can use sunflower oil instead if preferred (though prices of sunflower oil have risen as it is produced in Ukraine in large quantities). Plain flour: you can often use any fine flour (atta/chapati flour can be cheap in bulk if that's an option), just be aware that different flours absorb different amounts of water so you might need to adjust the quantity a little. As a general rule, wholemeal and strong flours used in bread-making absorb more liquid. Tinned chopped tomatoes: chopped tomatoes are often the most convenient option but occasionally whole tinned tomatoes are cheaper (you can use scissors to chop them in the tin and many people prefer the taste). Crushed chillies: also known as flaked chillies or chilli flakes. We have priced these at the standard pot size available from supermarkets, but if you use a lot, the larger packets from the international aisle or Asian supermarkets are better value, even if the initial cost is slightly more. They lose heat over time but do not spoil, so if yours are old just add a little extra. Dried mixed herbs: again the bigger packs are usually better value, but they lose flavour over time so it’s really only beneficial to bulk buy if you use them often. Paprika: check the international aisle as you can sometimes get large packets for less than the cost of a standard supermarket pot. Ground cumin: large packs in the international aisle can be cheaper than the standard pots. If you have a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder, buy whole cumin seeds and grind them when required as they keep fresh for longer. Curry powder: this comes in many types from mild to hot, plus some specific spice blends (tikka, madras etc). All will work in our recipes so use whatever you prefer. White wine vinegar: any mild vinegar will do, such as cider vinegar, but white wine vinegar tends to be the cheapest. Stock cubes: the price is the same for all flavours so pick your favourite. Chicken and vegetable stock cubes are the most versatile. Tomato ketchup: own brand varieties are cheap and useful for adding flavour to sauces. Plus, a dollop on the side can perk up many a dinner. Soy sauce: dark soy sauce gives the most bang for your buck, but any type will do. Whole milk: we have specified full-fat dairy milk, but it’s fine to use whatever milk you have available, including dairy-free options. Cheddar: keep in mind that cheese can be frozen to reduce waste. Butter: salted and unsalted are the same price, but unsalted is probably the most useful for cooking as you can add salt separately if needed. It freezes well, too. Garlic: whole bulbs are the cheapest, and you can peel, chop and freeze them to prevent waste. Potatoes: although they're probably the most perishable item in the store cupboard, they will keep for months (yes, really!) if you can store them in ideal conditions (completely dark and cool, but not fridge cold). Loose potatoes can sometimes be found at the same price as the big budget bags, this isn't consistent throughout the year. They can be substituted for tinned potatoes, which we've included in some recipes as they often come in food bank packages. Onions: you can often buy these singly at excellent prices, but as this isn't always the case we've added them to the store cupboard to take advantage of bulk offers. Dried pasta: penne tends to be the cheapest, but any shape is fine. Rice: we chose long grain rice for its versatility and cheap price, but any type is fine. Brown sliced bread: any bread works so use what you have in, though seeded breads aren’t great for making breadcrumbs. This is another ingredient to freeze if you have room. Peas (frozen): if you don’t have a freezer, tinned peas can be substituted although they do cost more. Sweetcorn (frozen): cheaper than tinned and you can use exactly the amount you need, reducing waste. For vegan recipes, we have swapped the milk for a non-dairy substitute (soy milk is the cheapest), cheese for nutritional yeast and butter for yeast extract. As well as considering cost, we've made sure there's a varied mix of recipes, with plenty of veggie and vegan options, family-friendly dinners and meals for two. Many of the recipes also include long-shelf life ingredients you might receive in food bank parcels, such as tinned food and dried goods like rice and pasta. We have tried very hard to make these recipes helpful for people struggling with their food budget, but we are aware of the limitations of cheap recipes and the fact that, for some people, money just won't stretch far enough. If you or someone you know is in this situation, here is information on how to get advice and support.