Sunday 19 June 2022 02:31 AM Fight the £500 food hike AND eat like a king...with top tricks from our CANNY ... trends now
You magazine food editor Eleanor Maidment (pictured) has come up with creative and cost-cutting tricks to make putting food on the table that bit easier
Rising food prices – along with all our other bills – have been difficult to digest. Experts warned last week that the cost of putting meals on the table is set to rise by more than £500 a year for the typical household.
However, with clever product swaps and creative cooking, you can still cut costs and eat well. You just need to know where to start. And once you’ve adapted to new cooking methods and shopping habits, you’ll see that a lot of them are long-term, positive changes.
Here, You magazine food editor Eleanor Maidment, whose weekly column The Canny Cook is packed with brilliant money-saving ideas, lists her favourite tips to help you slash your bills.
1. EAT MEAT, BUT LESS OF IT
Fresh poultry and meat can push up supermarket bills, but rather than buying lower-quality options or cutting it completely, try consuming a little less.
When making burgers or meatballs, halve the quantity of minced meat and add an equal amount of cooked quinoa. Or add lentils to a bolognese – the result is a little lighter, yet equally delicious.
Alternatively, try serving one chicken thigh per person and bulking out the dish with white beans or wholegrains, or choose one good-quality 250g steak to share between two people and make sure to serve plenty of roasted vegetables.
With cured, strongly flavoured meats such as chorizo or pancetta, use just a small amount to season dishes. Many supermarkets sell little packs of finely diced chorizo, always handy to have in the fridge.
2. BE LESS BRAND-LOYAL
Apparently big brands pay extra for eye-level positioning on shelves, so it’s better to be shrewd and weigh up all the options.
In almost all cases, supermarket own brands come in at much lower prices, and in many taste tests, consumers can’t tell the difference.
I have frequently been told on good authority that items including soy sauce, yogurt and biscuits are often manufactured by the same big brands for supermarkets, so the products are very similar.
Current swaps I am very impressed with are Lidl baked beans, Sainsbury’s tomato ketchup and Aldi washing-up liquid.
When making burgers or meatballs, halve the quantity of minced meat and add an equal amount of cooked quinoa. Or add lentils to a bolognese – the result is a little lighter, yet equally delicious
3. HEAD TO FrEEZER AISLE
Frozen fruit and veg is usually much cheaper than fresh, and can even contain more nutrients. It is often picked at its peak and quick-frozen,
