Used Omlet outdoor rabbit run Width 2.2m Height 2.05m Length 3.1m vgc.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I buy lentils in big bags from the Asian section in the supermarket - MUCH cheaper than the small packets in the wholefood section!

 

Yes I do this too. Being vegetarian I use quite a lot of lentils so this is by far the best way to but them. Same with spices like turmeric, cumin, paprika etc - buy the large packets from the Asian aisle and not the teeny little glass pots in the herbs and spices aisle.

[Space Chick]

Yep, I always buy the huge spices from the Asian aisles too..... Far better value

[CatieB]

Ummm just asked DH as I'm not sure we have an Asian aisle is our supermarket....his response was no I don't think so but we have a polish one. True, don't think they have lentils

[SylvisMum]

Another quick, cheap meal we have is cauliflower cheese on a baked potato with peas. I think baked potatoes are best done in the oven, but to fit in with the 30 minute rule they could be done in the microwave, then zapped in the hot oven for 15-20 mins to crisp up skins. Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower in large-ish florets, lightly, and add to a cheese sauce which you have made while you are steaming the cauli. You could also zap the cauliflower and cheese sauce in the oven, with extra cheese and breadcrumbs sprinkled over it, in the oven beside the potatoes. Meanwhile steam the peas which add a bit of sweetness on the side to the rest of the dish.

 

Butter not necessary on the potatoes as you can mash in some of the lovely cheesy sauce. Very yummy. I am sure you could do that for £3 for 4.

[Looney]

Cheap and quick pudding (and great for getting a bit of extra fruit in my kids) : Plain yoghurt, sliced banana and a teaspoon of honey drizzled on top. Yum!

 

I love beans on toast! I am also quite partial to tinned tomatoes and fried mushrooms on toast too. And pancakes (although not sure these can be classed as healthy )

[superkitty]

Cheese omelette and salad for dinner yesterday - definitely meets the time limit (5 minutes!) and would be cheaper if all of my girls weren't freeloaders for five months of the year Even with bought eggs though, it's super-cheap and super-quick.

 

(And I'm going to try the hummus and poached egg on toast...sounds NOM, as well as some of the other recipes! Thanks for starting this thread...looking forward to seeing and trying more recipes )

[CatieB]

We sometimes use pancakes as a wrap stuffed with a cheese sauce and filling, typically spinach, broccoli, mushroom chicken or any combination of them. Gruyere cheese is particularly nice. And if leftovers would that be cheap enough?

 

And pancakes (although not sure these can be classed as healthy )

[Lavenders_Blue]

Lunch today for hubby and I was a baked camembert with homemade bread and a side salad. The camembert was found in the supermarket condemned food counter and cost 75p (including the pot to bake it in!), the bread was only a few pence, ditto the side salad.

So, the point of this post is to remind people to keep an eye on the condemned food counter/yellow sticker aisle (whatever you want to call it) to source cheap but perfectly edible ingredients. I'm sure you all do this already, but no harm in reminding folks.

[Space Chick]

I made a pastry less quiche today using cheese that had past it's best before date.... Perfectly fine it was too.

[The Dogmother]

Does anyone else remember their mother cutting the mould off cheese before using it?

[clucker1]

That's me DM!

[Lavenders_Blue]

My Dad cuts the mould off cheese... and eats it! Cast iron stomach

[Egluntyne]

I can remember my dad saying that when he was a child, the furry mould that grew on jam was used to treat cut knees. An early penicillin I suppose.

[Purplemaniacs]

Does anyone else remember their mother cutting the mould off cheese before using it?

My Dad was the main cheese eater and I remember him cutting the mould off and saying that the cheese was fine to eat. It didn't seem to do him any harm.

 

Chrissie

[majorbloodnock]

I made a pastry less quiche today using cheese that had past it's best before date.... Perfectly fine it was too.

You just reminded me of another cheap family-feeder; a tortilla. I make no apologies for pointing you straight at Delia's recipe, 'cos they're all pretty similar, and hers is as good as any. Serve with a spot of green salad, and it's another really nutritious and really cheap meal.

 

Thanks to all who've posted suggestions so far. This thread is definitely vindication of the idea that one can eat well really cheaply or really quickly, and in plenty of cases both. Keep the recommendations coming.

[Space Chick]

Thanks to all who've posted suggestions so far. This thread is definitely vindication of the idea that one can eat well really cheaply or really quickly, and in plenty of cases both. Keep the recommendations coming.

 

I'll post some more when I get a chance (and think of them )

 

I think cooking from scratch is a state of mind and can be done quickly (although many of my recipes take longer, but many are prepped and then slow cooked). I pride myself on the fact I don't eat processed food

 

My husband and I have been married 9 years this year, and in the whole of our married life, he hasn't had a shop bought ready meal once..... Apart from the odd takeaway and meal out.... Everything at home is cooked from scratch... I don't even use preprepared sauces.

 

What I tend to do where I can is make in bulk and then freeze portions for another day

[Bramble]

Lunch today for hubby and I was a baked camembert with homemade bread and a side salad. The camembert was found in the supermarket condemned food counter and cost 75p (including the pot to bake it in!), the bread was only a few pence, ditto the side salad.

So, the point of this post is to remind people to keep an eye on the condemned food counter/yellow sticker aisle (whatever you want to call it) to source cheap but perfectly edible ingredients. I'm sure you all do this already, but no harm in reminding folks.

 

I'm with you on this one Lavenders Blue! I can't believe what gets "chucked" by supermarkets, fruit and veg especially - odd thing is, if I go shopping on my way to work, I pay full price for salad etc, if I go on the way home from work, the same stuff I would have paid full price for a few hours earlier is reduced to pennies ... all very odd (and absolutely nothing wrong with it!!!!) You just have to time it right ...

[majorbloodnock]

Just a word of caution on bulk buys to save money....

 

I've just finished reading a report from a very well known consumer association that tested just how much one really saves buy multi buy "deals" (such as buy one get one free). It concluded that frequently the same product was available singly under a separate offer, with a net price that was pretty much the same as the multi buy. In numerous cases, there were multi buy offers that were actually more expensive than buying the items separately.

 

The moral, of course, is that just because it says it's a special offer doesn't make it special.

[Bramble]

I'd definitely agree with that, Major. One tends to assume that it's a case of "bigger pack, better value", but that's not always the case, quite often smaller packs work out cheaper even if they're not on special.

[Cinnamon]

I agree,caution is needed & I myself have found deals not to be quite as special as they make out in Tesco sometimes.

 

In Waitrose yesterday I got 3 packs of Lamb mince for £10 (not including my partner discount),when they are normally over £4 each,so I thought that was pretty good.

I now have 5 Shepherds Pies in the freezer for my working late days,& we are having a Greek lamb & macaroni bake for supper tonight too.

I love lamb,but now only ever buy it if its on offer.

[The Dogmother]

I will get round to posting some recipes at some stage.

[Lavenders_Blue]

Another fairly obvious meal that springs to mind (mainly because this is what we are having for tea tonight) is jacket potatoes.

 

1 pack of 4 baking potatoes -£1

Then add toppings/salad as budget allows e.g. baked beans with a sprinkling of cheese and a side salad would come in well under budget.

[Lesley]

I'm sorry but there's no other way to say this ....... we're drowning in eggs! so we're having Egg and Chips.

The chips will be wedges baked in the oven so not much oil.......but then there are those very expensive eggs

It would be under budget if you bought the eggs

OH will have the 2 rashers of bacon we have left and I'll have baked beans with mine.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I looooove egg and chips! Send some eggs my way - I would like to make up a batch of pickled eggs but would have to save the eggs carefully for some time to do this at the moment!

[CatieB]

Another fairly obvious meal that springs to mind (mainly because this is what we are having for tea tonight) is jacket potatoes.

 

1 pack of 4 baking potatoes -£1

Then add toppings/salad as budget allows e.g. baked beans with a sprinkling of cheese and a side salad would come in well under budget.

 

And this would be even cheaper if people bought potatoes properly, ie as they are meant to be, not washed. Potatoes will last a very very long time if they are dirty and kept in the sack in the dark. At the moment a sack of potatoes is about £8, but that is unusually expensive at the moment due to the bad weather making a bad harvest. Even at that price how many meals can you get from that as a basis?

 

As mentioned jacket potatoes, hash, rissoles, cheese potato pie, chips, wedges, mash. Buying supermarket jacket potatoes, for example £1 for 4, is extortionate. Sorry....will get off my soap box now