A savvy mum claims she can feed a family with healthy homemade recipes for just £10 a week.
Grace Mortimer is sharing her cost busting recipes online which can feed up to four people for as little as 22p per person.
The 29-year-old cooked up the idea after worrying about the cost of living crisis this winter and how those struggling on a shoestring will feed their children.
"I’m very worried about the cost of living crisis for my own family. It's terrifying," she told Essex Live.
"Thankfully we can heat our home and eat but I know many people are having to make a choice between the two. That's just awful.
"It's very depressing and isn't getting any better as it gets colder. I just want to help people who are on a really tight budget."
Grace's favourite recipes include sausage soup, costing £1.83, and veggie pie costing £1.75 – both 22p a portion.
The cook and author consulted with specialists and food banks to make her meals easy and nutritional, as well as to ensure she was using ingredients readily available in peoples' homes.
Her prices are all based on Aldi because other supermarket basic ranges are all price-matched with the store.
She said: "£10 is the lowest limit I think or you start having to cut out important food groups like protein or eating less - neither of which is a good idea."
Grace, from Gloucester, shared her first post featuring £10 tips on September 27 via her Instagram @_MyFirstMeals.
"I love cooking so it felt like a good way to help. People just can't believe how much food you can make for just £10," she added.
The mum and sales manager partner Tom, 40, used to budget £50 a week to feed themselves and their six-year-old son.
But she has since realised she can make her household breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week for just £20.
Grace was deeply moved by the 30,000 Instagram replies she got back last month when she asked people if her idea to post her £10 meal plan would be useful.
The mum said teachers spoke of children who were surviving on just one school meal a day, and a police officer told her how she fainted at work.
While another woman described how she and her husband sleep with their eight-month-old baby because they can't afford to put the heating on, and he still wakes with blue hands.
"The stories are heartbreaking. People are really struggling already," Grace said.
"It was the most responded to question I’ve ever put out on Insta, and made me realise how big this crisis is. It's absolutely devastating."
Grace started to share meal ideas for babies and toddlers on Instagram in April 2020 when she realised parents would be missing out on opportunities to meet and share information because of Covid lockdown.
She later published her cook book 'My First Meals' in August.
Grace's meals contain no more than five ingredients and are simple to cook - needing no fancy or expensive kitchen equipment.
She posts five meals a week which feed a family of four, with leftovers for lunch to get them through the working/school week.
"I just wanted to encourage people on the lowest budgets," she said.
"And it's simple, not too wordy and few steps, so people can do it and don't worry about making mistakes and wasting ingredients.
"Visual appeal is important, especially for kids, but cost has to be the priority now. I haven't extended it to the weekends yet: this just felt like the best I can do right now.
"I would love to get these recipes on school newsletters, and I wish the government would promote things like this through public messaging."
Grace's Top Recipes
Veggie pie:
- One bag of frozen veg mixed with a tin of beans and some cheese
- Mash on top with more cheese
- Place it in the oven at 200C
Sausage soup
- Tinned tomatoes, one swede
- Half a kilo of carrots, water and an optional stock cube
- Blend it up
- Fry sausages to pop on top
