Stupid as it might seem, when the budget is tight, one of the first things I cut back on is my food shopping. Obviously nights nursing a bottle of house red could be sacrificed, but that organic sustainable salmon won’t half taste bitter when you know your mates are down the boozer having fun without you.
Just because you are cutting back though, doesn’t mean you have to start eating two for one ready meals or contend with a snooty check out assistant eyeing your lonely looking baking potato and can of baked beans as if to say ‘you tight bitch’.
In this new weekly feature, I will be showing you a selection of recipes for 4 people that you can cook for less than £5/$7.50 per meal. You might not think it, but there are masses of delicious dinners you can make for very little money such as pasta sauces, home-made curry and even hearty classics like a baked sausage casserole.
In order to make the most of this kind of budget dining, it is a good idea to start by stocking up on a few store cupboard essentials. It might seem like a big cost initially, but bulk buying basics such as stock cubes, oil, pasta, rice and herbs will save you a lot of money in the long run as well as reducing what you will need to pick up on a weekly basis.
The following should always be in your cupboard, and would not be included in the £5/$7.50 ‘Tight Bitch’ budget:
Cooking oil - I would always use olive oil as while it is more expensive than other oils, it is much better for you, and if you only use a little bit, it will last ages. If you don’t get olive, go for ground nut oil which is lower in saturated fat than olive oil.
Stock cubes – while this powdered version is no match for a home-made stock, they will still provide a brilliant base to budget sauces, risottos and rice dishes. Chicken or vegetable are the most universal, so if I’m just getting one kind, I’ll go for vegetable so I don’t have to buy more if I’m cooking for a vegetarian.
Garlic cloves – They’re pretty cheap, last for ages, and add bags of flavour to any dish, and personally I think it would be rude to cook a pasta dish without them.
Ground cumin and coriander – these two spices are a store cupboard must as they can add aromatic warmth to a huge variety of dishes. Both together in a bit of leftover Bolognese and you have yourself a chilli; while individually they will work magic in a number of dishes.
The following are things that will be included in the recipe budget, but that I like to buy up in bulk to save even more money:
Canned chopped tomatoes – bake them with meat, use them for pasta sauces, make soup with them, or use them to form the base of curries or casseroles. These bad boys, which usually cost mere pennies, are indispensable.
Pasta – In most good supermarkets you can buy a 3-5kg bag of pasta for a relatively little cost and if you measure out your portions, a 5kg bag will give you a whopping sixty-six 75g servings per bag. Just think how long that will last!
Rice – as with pasta, this is far better bought in bulk. Allow 50g per person for the perfect portion. I always go for basmati, because even though it costs a little more, it is totally worth it.
Sweet chilli sauce – great as a dipping sauce or a glaze for meat, and a dash will take the humble tomato well on its way to a pikey version of sweet and sour.
Onions – yep, you can buy them in bulk too, and an onion is the beginning of many a delicious dinner.
Curry paste – keeps for ages so worth having in the fridge at all times. Mix a tablespoon with a bit of chicken and good old canned tomatoes and you have you a delicious curry on your hands.
So get yourself stocked, and keep your eyes peeled for some super budget recipes, you tight bitch!