With the cold weather drawing in, one mum was keen to find a delicious budget recipe to keep her family fed and warm for less. Luckily, she found just the thing in her dad's beef stew, a hand-me-down family recipe that's gone down a treat with her husband and children.
Ashlie-Lousie Pearson, 34, says the stew costs just 53p per head and is so beloved by her husband Sam, 37, and their two sons, Jack, 11, and Henry, six, that she now makes it at least once a fortnight. Although she's been making it for 20 years, it's only been in the past year or so that she's been able to get it to taste just as good as her dad's.
Thrifty foodie Ashlie-Lousie, from Scarborough, said: "It's a quick and easy recipe that's full of goodness and veggies, filling and warming for a winter's day and low cost! Best of all, I can throw it all in my slow cooker and leave it chugging away whilst I'm at work.
"I come home to a house smelling deliciously of one of my favourite dinners, ready to eat right away."
You'll need just seven ingredients to make this stew: potatoes, an onion, carrots, one swede, a parsnip, frozen casserole beef, and gravy granules. The beef should be defrosted the night before, while the veg should be peeled and chopped.
Ashlie-Lousie explained: "Peel and slice onion, peel potatoes and chop into three-inch-ish chunks. Throw into a slow cooker or lidded casserole dish with enough water to cover ingredients and then stir in gravy the granules.
"Cook in a slow cooker on low for at least eight hours or in a 170-fan oven for two hours (until the potatoes are fork tender). Can add dumplings according to packet instructions or serve with bread to bulk out a little if needed. Freeze leftovers for another day – defrost overnight then reheat in the microwave, on the hob, or in the slow cooker."
Like many people, the ongoing cost of living crisis prompted Ashlie-Lousie to reconsider how she shops and cooks. She makes sure to batch-cook as much as she can and she also plans out her meals for the week before doing her grocery shopping.
She continued: "I look in my cupboards and freezer to see what 'half bags' I have of things, so I only need to add one or two bits to make it up to a meal. I prep what I can over the weekend so that during the week I don't have to spend ages at the stove after a long day at work, and clean-up is minimal too.
"I just defrost something I've made in advance ready for reheating the next day. I find we have less food waste with bulk cooking too, so I'm getting the most for my money."
Beef stew:
All Rounder Potatoes (2.5kg £1.09 used half bag so 55p)
One brown onion (12p)
Carrots (two from 1kg back @ 45p so 15p ish)
One swede (80p)
One perfectly imperfect parsnip (45p the bag so 20p)
Frozen casserole beef (500g, £4.25)
Own Brand Gravy Granules (80p for 200g, used half so 40p)
£6.47 for all ingredients
12 portions = 53.91p
Do you have a thrifty recipe to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
