Becky Excell has created a menu of nutritious and healthy dishes - they include smoky tomato rice, sticky sausage stew and turkey and cranberry pie. The influencer and best-selling author has created these meals to help inspire those looking to make more affordable choices during the cost-of-living crisis.
Other dishes include sweet potato and chickpea curry and an Italian-inspired gnocchi bake. The recipes come after research of 2,000 adults, commissioned by Aldi, found the average household spends nearly £230 on food each month – with Brits estimating the average single serving for dinner costs £7.40.
More than two thirds (64 per cent) are keen to keep their food bills down and 41 per cent have already changed their habits when it comes to shopping and cooking. As many as three in 10 are buying more frozen food while 57 per cent are opting for cheaper alternatives when doing their usual shop.
Becky, who has teamed up with the supermarket brand to create the budget-friendly meals, said: “Making recipes like this and combining high quality with low prices is possible if you know where to shop. This means there is no need to sacrifice taste, excitement or nutritional value when cooking budget-friendly food."
The study also found 64 per cent now often look for items which have been reduced in price – with 53 per cent citing this as the main priority when it comes to their weekly shop. While 43 per cent have tried to simplify their cooking to cut back on costs, and 34 per cent have set themselves stricter budgets for food shops.
Despite this, 41 per cent find it difficult cooking on a budget, as three in 10 believe meals aren’t as exciting when a limit has been set.
A further 28 per cent reckon they aren’t as nutritious and 27 per cent said when they spend less on ingredients it results in the finished dish not being as tasty, according to the OnePoll study.
When asked about what they’ve had to cut back on in general, 27 per cent said food shops – but everyday purchases, eating out and takeaways were among the more common things Brits have reduced spending on. Julie Ashfield, from Aldi UK, said: “We are committed to providing the best possible quality and value to all our customers – and these £1 meal ideas do exactly that.
“We know how hard it is for so many people at the moment which is why we are more focused than ever on delivering our longstanding price promise by offering the lowest possible prices in Britain, every single day. These recipes all include ingredients that are easily accessible and we hope they offer families up and down the country some ideas and inspiration for more affordable meal choices this winter.”
