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How to Feed Your Family for £5 a Day

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How to Feed Your Family for £5 a Day

To me mam, Agnes, whose Apple and Cheddar Cheese Pie will always be an inspiration to me.

CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

DEDICATION

INTRODUCTION

MEASURING GUIDE

STORE CUPBOARD

TINNED FOOD

DRY FOOD

SPICES / CONDIMENTS

JARS / BOTTLES

FRIDGE

HINTS, TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

ON BUYING VEGETABLES

ON COOKING VEGETABLES

ON FAN OVENS

A NOTE ABOUT SHOPPING

TIPS FOR BUYING FOR ONE OR TWO

A TYPICAL WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST

BREAKFASTS

PERFECT CREAMY PORRIDGE

TOASTED OATS WITH RAISINS, BANANAS AND STRAWBERRIES

GOLDEN APRICOT GRANOLA

PEANUT BUTTER AND DATE GRANOLA

POPCORN FOR BREAKFAST

FRUIT AND NUT BREAKFAST TRAIL MIX

HONEY POLENTA

BREAKFAST CORNCAKE STACK

GRILLED BANANA SPLIT

GOLDEN BANANA FRITTERS

HEALTHY HONEY-YOGHURT SUNDAE

FRUITY PANCAKES

LIGHT MEALS AND SNACKS

WARMING CHEESY RICE BAKE

CRISPY POTATO FRITTERS

SLICED POTATOES AND CRISPY BACON IN RICH WHITE SAUCE

STUFFED POTATOES

CORN ON THE COB

SPICY WINTER BEAN STEW

FILLED OMELETTES

FARMHOUSE CHEESE AND POTATO CAKES

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH SMOKED SALMON

SAVOURY BREAD AND CHEESE PUDDING

SAVOURY PANCAKES

BAKED CHICKEN OR FLAKED FISH AND MUSHROOM PANCAKE CANNELLONI

SAUTÉED MUSHROOM, ONION AND BEANSPROUT PANCAKES

SWEETCORN AND CUP MUSHROOM PANCAKES

CREAM CHEESE AND WILTED SPINACH PANCAKES

TOAST AND SANDWICHES

WELSH RAREBIT

GOURMET SARDINES ON TOAST

SANDWICH SUGGESTIONS

SOUPS AND STOCK

STOCK

CHICKEN STOCK

HAM STOCK

TOMATO BOUILLON

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP

MINESTRONE

HEARTY LEEK AND RED SPLIT LENTIL SOUP

SPRING VEGETABLE SOUP

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

MACKEREL AND MUSHROOM CHOWDER

ROAST CHICKEN AND CHUNKY VEGETABLE SOUP

MAIN MEALS

VEGETARIAN

CHEESY SWEET POTATO AND BEAN BAKE

LAYERED RED SPLIT LENTIL, SPINACH AND POTATO CASSEROLE

HEALTHY BLACK-EYED BEANBURGERS

AUTUMNAL BLACK-EYED BEAN STEW WITH DUMPLINGS

CHEDDAR AND SAUTÉED ONION QUICHE

ONE-POT PEA AND POTATO CURRY

WHOLEMEAL CREAM CHEESE AND VINE TOMATO PIZZA

SPAGHETTI NEAPOLITAN

ROOT VEGETABLE PIE

WILTED SPINACH, POTATO AND SWEETCORN PIE

POTATO, CHEDDAR AND ONION TART WITH SPRING GREENS

SAUTÉED ONION, TOMATO AND RED SPLIT LENTIL TART

RUSTIC KIDNEY BEAN, GREEN PEPPER AND MUSHROOM GOULASH

RED SPLIT LENTIL AND CHEESE LOAF

SPINACH PASTIES WITH CREAM CHEESE AND MASH

RED PEPPER RISOTTO

TOFU STIR-FRY WITH BROCCOLI, CARROT AND GINGER

SAUTÉED VEGETABLES

FISH AND SEAFOOD

MACKEREL IN ZESTY LEMON SAUCE

CRISPY FISH FILLETS

LAYERED FISH BAKE WITH A CRUNCHY PARMESAN TOPPING

TRADITIONAL FISH AND SWEETCORN PIE

MUSHROOM-STUFFED MACKEREL

CRUNCHY OAT-COATED HERRING

FRAGRANT COCONUT FISH

HOMEMADE FISHCAKES

SPICY BATTERED MACKEREL

SWEET POTATO, CORIANDER AND CHILLI FISHCAKES

BAKED MACKEREL WITH LEMON AND MUSTARD

SPICY PRAWN RICE WITH FRIED TOMATOES

CHILLI PRAWNS IN COCONUT CREAM

FISH AND VEGETABLE STIR-FRY WITH DRY CIDER

MEAT AND POULTRY

HONEY-ROAST CHICKEN

CARIBBEAN SPICED LAMB SHANKS

SLOW-ROAST SHOULDER OF PORK WITH APPLE

GRAVY

SLOW BEEF AND ONION STEW

KIDNEY AND BACON PILAFF

MAMA’S PAN CHICKEN

LEMON HONEY LAMB SHOULDER WITH POTATOES AND FRESH THYME

STICKY SPARE RIB CHOPS

CREOLE CORN-CRUST CHICKEN

CHICKEN MACARONI

PORK AND BEANS

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM CASSEROLE

HAM AND MUSHROOM WHOLEWHEAT SPAGHETTI IN TOMATO SAUCE

CHICKEN-FRIED RICE

RICH CHICKEN AND MIXED VEGETABLE CURRY

SLOW LAMB HOT POT

CHICKEN AND SWEETCORN PIE

LAMB BOLOGNESE

LIVER AND BACON CASSEROLE

STREAKY BACON AND POTATO PIE

SALADS

CRISP GREEN SALAD

DECADENT WINTER SLAW

VIBRANT CARROT, RAISIN AND RICE SALAD

THE ORIGINAL POTATO SALAD

SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH A LEMON HONEY DRESSING

CRUNCHY RED BEAN AND GREEN PEPPER SALAD

CURRIED RICE SALAD

MARINATED MACKEREL WITH FRESH GREENS AND A ZINGY MUSTARD DRESSING

CHICKEN AND SPRING ONION SALAD WITH A YOGHURT AND LIME DRESSING

DESSERTS

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

HONEY RICE PUDDING

APPLE AND RHUBARB CRUMBLE

APPLE AND BLACKBERRY PIE

BAKED APPLES

EVE’S PUDDING

TREACLE TART

WHOLEFRUIT CAKE

BLACK TREACLE FLAPJACKS

WHOLEMEAL SULTANA SCONES

PEANUT BUTTER, OAT AND RAISIN COOKIES

MAMA’S SWEET POTATO PIE

POTATO CHEESECAKE

BASIC ESSENTIALS

BARGAIN BREAD

HONEY-MILK TOAST

HEIDI BREAKFAST

RAISIN BREAD

BERNIE’S EASY BREAD

PASTRY

WHOLEMEAL PASTRY

WHOLEMEAL FLAN PASTRY

CRUMBLY PASTRY (FOR PIES AND PASTIES)

PIE CASE AND LID

PASTIES

SWEET WHOLEMEAL SHORTCRUST PASTRY

BUTTER DUMPLINGS

CHAPATIS OR FLATBREAD

POLENTA PASTRY

JACKET POTATOES

ROAST POTATOES

NEW POTATOES WITH DILL

BUTTERY MASH

CHUNKY OVEN CHIPS

BROWN RICE

PERFECT BROWN RICE

RED KIDNEY BEANS

BLACK-EYED BEANS

RED SPLIT LENTILS

BATTERS FOR PUDDINGS AND PANCAKES

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

PANCAKES

COATING BATTER

APPLE FRITTERS

SAUCES

BASIC BÉCHAMEL SOUP BASE

BASIC BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

CHEESE SAUCE

PARSLEY SAUCE

CREOLE BROWN SAUCE

TOMATO SAUCE

MINT SAUCE

APPLE SAUCE

EGG PREPARATIONS

OMELETTE

HOMEMADE YOGHURT

CAST-IRON FRYING PAN WITH LID

BERNIE’S GOOD BUDGET GUIDE

BERNIE’S TOP SHOPPING TIPS

A SEASON FOR EVERYTHING

SEASONAL FOOD CALENDAR

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

USES FOR LEFTOVER INGREDIENTS

HEALTHY EATING GUIDE

MORE TOP TIPS

WEEKLY MEAL PLANNER

WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO

WEEK THREE

WEEK FOUR

FOOTNOTES

LIST OF RECIPES

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

INTRODUCTION

‘Ten years ago I had to dismiss my chauffeur and sell my Bentley after a failed business venture. Often it is the loss of a status symbol which causes shame and a feeling of worthlessness. But it can mean the start of a new venture in life, the beginning of self-discovery where you find you have to get your priorities sorted out and when hidden strengths and talents start to emerge out of necessity. Necessity is the mother of invention. Business failure can sometimes be a blessing in disguise.

I was used to spending £150 a week on food, drawing up outside restaurants, buying lots of take-aways and my bread from specialist food shops. After my income dropped dramatically I had to learn very quickly how to manage on a pittance. I was fearful of the future and dreaded those quarterly bills. I just did not see how I could possibly manage, and at first couldn’t — I was sinking quickly into debt and even running out of food at the end of the week.

In order to manage I allowed myself just £4 a day to feed my family and buy household goods. I started cooking and experimenting with ingredients, trying to reproduce many of the meals I had enjoyed in vegetarian restaurants, and found I could produce delicious meals which were nutritionally excellent and cost very little. So we were eating a superior diet at minimum cost, and as the number of my recipes grew we found we were actually eating better than before …’

Strange to think I wrote that back in 1991, and even stranger to go back all those years when I bought my first car – a 1950s Bentley MK VI, the most voluptuous car I’d ever seen.

So much has changed since then – the children have grown up, as children always do all too quickly before your eyes, and I am now a grandmother!

Mind you, I don’t feel it and am grateful to be fit enough to run around and play boisterous games with my grandchildren, which I put down to my good diet and genes. I’ve always been fascinated by the nutrients nature has provided to help us stay healthy and youthful and which you can easily find at your local greengrocer.

There’s a Victorian saying, ‘The healthiest feast costs the least!’, and it still rings true today. In order to stay within budget, it’s necessary to eat less red meat and more beans and pulses, which turns out to be healthier anyway. I know it’s incredible but after all these years, it’s still possible to feed a family of four a healthy diet for just £5 a day. This is because, fortunately, the cost of its staple ingredients – wholegrains, beans, pulses and chicken – has not risen sharply, and let’s pray it continues to stay that way in the face of rising food prices and increasing global food insecurity.

One key approach that can help you stay within budget is to plan meals as a weekly whole, rather than on a daily basis, so a week’s worth of meals can be made from one main ingredient. For example, a pot roast can become sandwiches, pies, stews, stir-fries and soups. Another, of course, is eating seasonal produce, which tends to be cheaper and fresher than produce bought out of season.

In order to keep within budget, I try not to waste food or throw it away, and turn leftover ingredients into meals. ‘Wilful waste makes woeful want’ after all, and food waste is a major global issue.

This updated edition of How to Feed Your Family for £5 a Day is even better than before, and not just because of the new, mouthwatering and simple-to-follow recipes. More than that, these recipes are based on a diet which is sustainable – better for the planet, better for the body and better for the purse, and they all use ingredients that are a cinch to get hold of.

Also included to help you avoid overspending is my Good Budget Guide, which includes Top Shopping Tips, a Seasonal Food Calendar, Uses for Leftover Ingredients and tried-and-tested advice to show you how to eat better and save money.

MEASURING GUIDE

The most accurate way of measuring with a spoon is to use level measures; that is, level off the top of the spoon with a knife. (A heaped spoon can contain anything from two to four times as much as a level spoon.)

Spoon Measurements

1 teaspoon = 5ml

2 teaspoons = 10ml/1 dessertspoon

3 teaspoons = 15ml/1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon = 15ml

1 level tablespoon sugar = 28g

1 heaped tablespoon flour = 28g

With a well-stocked store cupboard you can knock up a quick meal at any time with just leftover ingredients. It’s like having a meal for nothing!

Tinned Food

Fish

Tuna, sardines, salmon and mackerel are all rich in Omega 3 and 6. Great for tuna pasta, sardines on toast, fish cakes and salmon salad.

Beans

As well as baked beans, try red kidney beans for quick chilli con carne, butter beans in casseroles and chickpeas in curries and fresh houmous.

Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes, chopped and unchopped, are perfect for tomato-based sauces, pizza toppings, salsa, bolognese sauce and Neapolitan sauce.

Tomato purée

This is wonderful used in pizza toppings, tomato sauces, soups and casseroles.

Sweetcorn

Natural sweetcorn with only water added is perfect in pasta, salads or soups, or with tuna and mayonnaise in sandwiches or jacket potatoes.

Dry Food

Flour

Plain wholemeal flour is great for bread, pastry, crumble toppings and pancakes. Plain white flour can be used for sauces, cakes and for mixing with wholemeal flour.

Beans

Red kidney beans work well in chillies and salads. Black-eyed beans complement rice and peas. Butter beans are delicious in curries and stews. Mung beans are perfect in soups and for making home-sprouted beans.

Pulses

Green lentils/brown lentils taste great in pies, stews, curries, loaves and burgers. Red split lentils are so versatile and can be used in flans, pies, soups, stews, curries, loaves and burgers.

Sugar

Soft light brown sugar is best for cakes and crumble toppings.

Rice

Brown rice is packed with B vitamins and fibre.

Pasta

Wholewheat pasta is more nutritious than white pasta, and great for a quick meal.

Popcorn

Fast, healthy and delicious, popcorn is a great treat for kids.

Dried fruit

Raisins, currants, sultanas, apricots – add them to muesli, cakes and biscuits.

Spices / Condiments

Dried yeast to make your own bread.

Baking powder for cakes and biscuits.

Curry powder to make your own vegetable, fish, chicken or meat curries. Use in marinades and sauces.

Dried chillies are handy for spicing up meals.

Turmeric gives food a lovely flavour and yellow colour, and complements chicken.

Paprika is great in sauces, stews and marinades, and complements other spices.

Whole black peppercorns for freshly ground black pepper.

Coarse sea salt enhances flavours.

Nutmeg, whole cloves, cinnamon and ginger go well with sweet or savoury food.

Dried herbs such as parsley, sage, mint, basil and dill, for flavouring food with ease.

Jars / Bottles

Honey is great with pancakes, yoghurt, muesli, marinades, cakes and sauces.

Wholefruit jam – try it with pancakes and ice cream.

Peanut butter – try it with banana on toasted wholemeal butties, in satay sauce, stir-fries, smoothies, biscuits and crumble toppings.

Marmite or Vegemite are both great for making stocks, go nicely with tomato purée, work well in soups, casseroles, stews, curries, sauces, marinades and bastes, and (last but not least) are great on toast.

English mustard is delicious in dressings and marinades, and with roast meat and grills.

Olive oil – sauté or roast vegetables in olive oil and then add the oil to salad dressings and marinades.

Sunflower oil is lovely and light, perfect for cooking with, and for using in salad dressings and flan pastry.

Vinegar – malt, cider, wine and balsamic are all good in dressings, sauces and marinades.

Soy sauce is handy for seasoning stir-fries, stews, casseroles, soups and marinades.

Ketchup can be used to make delicious sauces and marinades, and children love it.

Salad cream – children love it on salad, especially with cucumber, or blended with tinned tuna or salmon for sandwich fillings and pasta dishes.

Fridge

Meat

Keep raw meat, poultry or chicken well wrapped and in the bottom part of the fridge where it is coolest.

Milk

Full-fat organic milk is rich in Omega 3. Soy milk is a good alternative.

Margarine

Sunflower margarine is high in polyunsaturates and is good in crumbles.

Cheese

Cheddar is handy for pizzas, quiches, flans, baked potatoes and pasta dishes.

Yoghurt

Natural and Greek yoghurt are both great in dressings, marinades, sauces and muesli.

Eggs

Use free-range whenever possible, especially for quiches, omelettes, stir-fries, cakes and Yorkshire puddings.

Salad

Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions and mushrooms, to garnish.

Vegetables

Carrots, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower and leeks are good for quick meals.

Fruit

Apples, pears, lemons and limes are delicious in fruit salads, dressings and puddings.

HINTS, TIPS & SUGGESTIONS

On buying vegetables

When buying vegetables, see that the green ones are crisp and a fresh green colour, not yellow. Root vegetables should be firm and not coarse. Tomatoes should be firm and red, but if bought a little green can be ripened in a dark drawer. Potatoes should be firm and have no shoots. Lettuce and other salad vegetables should be crisp, not limp.

On cooking vegetables

Most vegetables should be cooked in a small amount of water and covered while cooking. When cooking frozen peas add 1 tablespoon of cold water to 500g peas with a knob of butter and a pinch of salt. Double the amount of water when cooking fresh peas. Cover the peas and cook on a very low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5–10 minutes.

Greens can be shredded and cooked with 4 tablespoons of water for 500g, a knob of butter and a pinch of salt. Cook until just tender but not soggy.

Spinach should not be shredded but covered and cooked with a drop of water and a knob of butter and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. Cook on a low heat for 3–5 minutes.

Once the vegetables are cooked, drain them and save the liquid for stocks and soups.

On fan ovens

If the recipe you are following involves oven cooking and you have a fan oven, reduce the oven temperature by 20°C (68°F).

A NOTE ABOUT SHOPPING

An important tip to remember is to keep a ‘shopping purse’, that is, a purse used strictly for your weekly groceries. Say you want to allow yourself £33 for the week, put that amount in your purse at the beginning of the week. That way you can easily tell if you are keeping within budget.

Should you overshoot your weekly target in the beginning, this need not mean a failure to budget successfully; your weekly budget will gradually balance out.

A good way to keep within budget is to use up any ingredients you may already have in. This method is particularly useful towards the end of the week when you can use up ingredients in soups and stews.

TIPS FOR BUYING FOR