With food prices remaining elevated, keeping to a budget needn't result in dull meals. I adhered to a tight £20 spending limit during a recent visit to Lidl, aiming to purchase ingredients for five dinners for four people.
Planning and Shopping at Lidl
Occasionally, all that's required is a bit of forward planning to discover that preparing food from scratch often works out cheaper, particularly if you've already got seasonings in your cupboard. When it comes to making your food budget go further, Lidl and Aldi are the ideal places to begin. The majority of their prices are reliably lower than those at many major supermarkets, yet the quality remains excellent.
Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs
Rather than purchasing ready-made meatballs, I created my own using minced meat, breadcrumbs and a few basic seasonings. I even produced my own breadcrumbs from leftover white bread rather than buying them. If you don't have breadcrumbs or stale bread, you can always use an egg to bind the meatballs. Alternatively, you could use some cheese.
It's all about making do with what you have. Paired with spaghetti and some homemade tomato sauce, which was simply a tin of chopped tomatoes and a few seasonings, this proved to be a comforting family favourite that costs considerably less than purchasing everything pre-made.
The spaghetti was approximately 80p, the mince was roughly £3, and the chopped tomatoes were about 50p. I already had seasonings at home, plus a garlic bread in the freezer, though this could easily be omitted from the meal. Cost: £4.
Caesar Pasta Salad
This is a speedy, fresh dish that's ideal for hectic evenings and warmer spells. Simply cook macaroni and toss it with lettuce, Caesar dressing and a generous grating of cheese. A couple of rashers of bacon left over from a previous pasta dish work brilliantly here, too. If your budget stretches a little further, throwing in some cooked chicken makes it considerably more substantial.
Homemade croutons from a stale loaf are also a great finishing touch. It's a fuss-free meal that comes together in no time, and any leftovers make a fantastic packed lunch the following day. Feel free to chuck in whatever you have lurking in the fridge that needs using up — this isn't a strict Caesar salad by any means; sweetcorn, cucumber and pepper all make wonderful additions.
The whole meal comes in at around £3, with most of the budget going on the Caesar sauce. You could always substitute it with a homemade dressing if you have the right ingredients to hand. Parmesan is ideal if your budget allows, but finely grated cheddar or whatever cheese you have available works perfectly well. Cost: £3.
Jacket Potato with Cheese and Beans
Sometimes the simplest meals are the most satisfying, and baked potatoes are absolutely brilliant when cooked in the air fryer if you'd rather not have the oven running for hours. Jacket potatoes loaded with baked beans and cheese make for a hearty, filling dinner that won't break the bank. A side of salad or coleslaw makes a lovely accompaniment if you already have some at home.
For this recipe, I needed two full-size tins of baked beans, four large baking potatoes, and a bag of cheese, which stretched across several other dinners throughout the week. Picking up cheese from budget supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl works out considerably cheaper than opting for bigger supermarkets and branded alternatives. Cost: £3.
Sticky Chicken, Rice and Cucumber
Opting for frozen chicken is a brilliant way to cut costs without sacrificing on flavour. I coated the chicken in a sticky sauce, then served it alongside fluffy rice and fresh cucumber for a well-balanced, tasty meal. If cucumber isn't to your liking, broccoli makes a great substitute. Buying frozen means it lasts longer and is far more budget-friendly.
Long-grain rice is also remarkably good value when purchased in a large bag, coming in significantly cheaper than pre-cooked varieties. It can take a little practice to get right, but once you've mastered it, it's straightforward. There's plenty of flexibility when it comes to the sauce ingredients, though I kept it simple with soy sauce, ketchup and honey, all of which I already had in the cupboard. Should you need to purchase these, they would still sit comfortably within the budget.
The biggest outlay for this dish was the chicken — I used battered chicken dippers, with over 15 remaining in the bag for future meals. Cost: £4.
Cheesy Bacon Pasta
This indulgent pasta dish is one of my personal favourites. Crispy bacon is folded through cooked pasta with a rich cheesy sauce made from just cheese, black pepper and pasta water. Simply boil the pasta in water, fry the chopped bacon until crispy, then use the remaining bacon fat to make the sauce. Add a ladle of pasta water, combine it with the cheese, and season generously with black pepper before tossing it with the pasta.
The primary cost in this dish is the bacon, and smoked rashers were used to enhance the flavour. The pack came to around £2.50, with most of it used for this meal and two rashers set aside for the Caesar salad. Cost: £4.
Across the five dinners, the total spend came to £18, leaving £2 spare for a couple of seasonings should you need them.
