As the cost of living remains at a startling high, and following the reports this week that due to heatwaves causing issues to production across Europe, the team at NerdWallet has looked into some supermarket swaps Britons can make in order to create some of their favourite recipes for less
Personal finance expert Brean Horne has outlined some of the simple trades UK shoppers can make the next time they go grocery shopping or make an online order to make some classic dishes on a reduced budget.
Brean said: “UK households face a shock at the supermarket checkout with the average food bill expected to rise by more than £450 a year. As the financial pressure of grocery shopping increases, many households will be eager to find better value at the supermarket.
"Despite prices creeping up, there cost-effective ways to keep mealtime favourites on the table. The suggestions here offer budget-friendly classic recipes that everyone can enjoy throughout the week. ”
Spaghetti Bolognese
A true British teatime staple, no two households will make this Italian-inspired dinner in precisely the same way and that’s exactly why it makes for such a versatile and cost-effective dish. The main ingredient within the Bolognese sauce is beef mince, which rose in price by 16% between April 2021 and April 2022.
Those looking to cut down on this expense can experiment with Quorn, soya or other vegetarian mince options alongside their original recipe. Another popular and cost-effective mince substitute is to use either cooked or dried lentils within the Bolognese sauce to replicate the mince’s texture.
Arguably the most important element to the dish, spaghetti, has also spiked in price during the past year. Dried pasta increased by 16.1% from May 2021 to May 2022, so switching from a premium brand to your supermarket’s own offering is another way to cut down on the cost of your Bolognese meal.
Pizza
The ultimate weekend treat it might be, but with the cost of ordering a takeaway setting you back around £10 per person, a supermarket version is certainly the more budget-friendly option. For those that want to cut back on their costs even further, the cheapest option is to go truly authentic and make your very own pizza dough.
Chances are, you already have the majority of the ingredients in your kitchen cupboards to whip up your very own Italian feast. All you need is flour, yeast, sugar, salt and water to make your base, some tomato puree or pizza sauce and grated cheese and then whatever you fancy as your additional topping.
Chicken tikka masala
Considered one of England’s national dishes, there is nothing quite like a delicious chicken tikka masala after a long day, but with the cost of both rice and meat on the rise in the past 12 months, how can a homemade version be produced for as little as possible? First of all, consider swapping your fresh chicken for the frozen version. Not only is it significantly cheaper, but also many supermarket brands can be cooked directly from the freezer, saving both time and wastage.
If you are looking for a way to cook with less rice, which has increased in cost by 4.4% in the past year, those also looking to eat a little more healthily could reduce the amount they are cooking and substitute half with grated cauliflower to make ‘cauli-rice’. Another option to add a new - and cost-effective - twist to your tikka masala is to scrap your rice altogether and have a go at making your very own two-ingredient flatbreads using nothing but self-raising flour and Greek yoghurt.
Saving on snacks
As well as finding ways to reduce the amount you’re spending on meals, it’s also worth taking into consideration the costs of your favourite sweet and salty treats and looking at how you can stretch your budgets further by making some supermarket swaps. Not only have the cost of crisps increased by as much as 17% between April 2021 and April 2022, the cost of chocolate has also soared, and is up 3.9% from May 2021 to May 2022.
Below are some tips on cutting down how much of your grocery allowance is being spent on your pricey afternoon snacks and midnight treats:
As an alternative to crisps, try draining a can of chickpeas, laying them out on a baking tray or in an air fryer and baking them in your very favourite herbs and spices. Not only do they make a delicious crunchy snack, they are also much healthier and cheaper than their potato based counterparts.
Additionally, as an alternative to crisps, try roasting some crispy kale. Take a bag of curly kale, add some low-calorie cooking spray and your favourite herbs and spices, and bake in the oven until crispy. Fans of crispy seaweed from the local Chinese takeaway are sure to love this as a treat.
Chocoholics looking for a cheaper - and healthier - way to satisfy their cravings can try dates dipped in a small amount of melted dark chocolate. A little of this rich snack will go a long way.
Alternatively, there are many recipes on Google for a simple, cheap and easy way to make a chocolate mug cake in the microwave. Most of them will only require a handful of ingredients, many that will already be stored in our kitchen cupboards, with the option to add anything else as a topping that takes your fancy.
