The Food Diaries: how people are navigating the UK’s cost of living crisis

Household budgets for food are being squeezed by the rising cost of living. Illustration: Holly Wales/The Guardian

According to analysis by the Food Foundation, the cost of a basic basket of food for an individual following an adequately nutritious diet has risen 23.9% for a woman and 27.5% for a man since April 2022. As household budgets are squeezed by the rising cost of living, we speak to four people about how they manage their money to feed themselves and their loved ones.

Richard Penny, 58, who lives in Brixton, south London, has been claiming universal credit since his house-painting work dried up. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian