Most people are feeling the pinch in the current climate, with many families struggling to make ends meet. So imagine what it's like when there are two dozen mouths to feed.
Britain’s largest family, the Radfords, have been sharing where they go to find some of their cheapest buys and what meals they make to help keep costs down.
Noel and Sue Radford live in Lancashire and have 22 children, as well as grandchildren, so when they sit down to eat, it's certainly a big family affair.
The pair recently took a trip to The Food Warehouse to show their thousands of social media followers how they manage to keep their weekly shop bill down with deals on big value pack items, something recently highlighted by the MEN.
In the video, they share what they are planning to have for dinner - a chicken and broccoli creamy pesto pasta dish, which came in at £1.69 per person.
To make the dish, baker Noel picked up a 4.5kg pack of chicken breasts for £25, working out at 42p per 75g portion and a huge 5kg bag of Corticella pasta for £6, equating to 8p a portion. Based on a recommended 75g portion, you can get 80 portions from the pack.
He also bought broccoli florets, for 20p a portion, pesto for 50p a portion, Knorr chicken stock pots at 41p a pot and a whopping 4.75kg block of cheddar cheese for £20 to top off the dish, working out at 12p a portion.
In the video, Noel details how his one big pack of chicken will be used for two meals, the pasta dish and a chicken casserole, however a smaller family could enjoy three to four meals out of this pack and mix up ingredients for a variety of dishes and to make meals stretch further.
They also bought some big pack lean beef steak mince meat, at £5.50 for 650g, which Noel said would make another two dinners during the week – a spaghetti bolognese and some wraps.
Other deals they were impressed with at the supermarket, owned by the same company as Iceland, included a 4 for £30 offer on 24-pack cans of pop, three for £10 on big brand cereals and a 30-pack of eggs for £2.79.
The Radfords' top three tips to keep your shopping bill down
- Buy one bigger pack staple item such as chicken or mince and enjoy it multiple ways throughout the week, it’s cost effective and saves you buying multiple ingredient.
- Make a list in advance and plan meals for the weeks ahead so it’s easy to know which items to buy big on – it can help save money in the long run if buying bigger packs is a preference.
- Batch cook meals to help combat food waste – cook meals and then store some in the fridge for lunch the next day or freeze portions for a later date. All the hard work is done, and it results in a quick mid-week meal without any fuss.
Do you have any tips for keeping food bills down? Do you stick with the one supermarket or shop around? Let us know in the comments here.
To keep on top of the news and events for families in Manchester, sign up to the Manchester Family newsletter here.
