Feed your family for £5 a day
Thrifty mum of three Danielle Ross from Colchester has clocked up up over 22,000 followers online for her family-friendly money-saving tips after sharing her secrets to feeding the whole family (including the dog) for just £38 a week.
Not being one to shy away from a bit of a competition, we sent Phil Vickery on a secret mission to the supermarket to beat the self-proclaimed budget queen’s weekly shop. Never one to disappoint he’s bought it in under budget and he’s here with two delicious thrifty recipes.
Phil's seven-day meal plan
MONDAY
Breakfast: Porridge or toast with butter (2 slices)
Lunch: Ham and potato rosti / cheese sandwiches & Apple
Dinner: Turkey Stir fry
TUESDAY
Breakfast: Porridge or toast with butter (2 slices)
Lunch: Cheese and tomato sandwiches & Apple
Dinner: Vegetable Egg fried rice
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast: Porridge or toast with butter (2 slices)
Lunch: Pasta, tomato & Egg salad
Dinner: Pork Mince, potatoes and onions
THURSDAY
Breakfast: Porridge or toast with butter (2 slices)
Lunch: Pea, butternut & potato soup
Dinner: Sausage Casserole
FRIDAY
Breakfast: Porridge or toast with butter (2 slices)
Lunch: Tortilla
Dinner: Baked white fish with Mac n Cheese Pasta.
SATURDAY
Breakfast: Scrambled egg on toast
Lunch: Tomato soup / slice bread & butter
Dinner: Veggie 3 bean Chilli & Rice
SUNDAY
Breakfast: Grilled tomatoes on toast
Lunch: Beans on toast
Dinner: Roast Gammon, roast potatoes savoy cabbage & carrots
Phil's shopping list
1 medium white loaf bread 42p x 2 Aldi
1kg Porridge oats 50g per person 75p Aldi
Semi skimmed milk 2 litres 99p Aldi
Eggs x 30 £1.25 x 2 Aldi
Irish Cumberland Sausages x 8 85p Aldi
Woodfarm onions 1kg 55p Aldi
Butternut Squash 82p Lidl
Frozen Garden Peas 900g 95p Aldi
Large gammon joint 1kg £4.25 1.3kg Aldi
Golden Delicious Apples x 7 £2.70 (£1.35 x 2) Aldi
Mayonnaise 475g 75p Aldi
Glen Lochy Extra Mature or Medium Cheddar 350g £1.49 Aldi
Salted butter 250g 95p Aldi
Tomatoes x 6 Super 6 offer (usually 55p pack) 35p x 2 Lidl
Birchwood Farm Turkey breast steaks 375g £2.59 Lidl
Asia specialities medium Chinese egg noodles 250g 55p x 2 packs Aldi
Red pepper 47p Aldi
Speciality Scottish Pork Mince 5% fat 500g £1.89 Aldi
Sweet harvest butter beans Tinned 33p Aldi
Everyday essentials baked beans 23p x 3 cans Aldi
Soupreme Cream tomato soup 35p x 3 cans Aldi
Iceberg lettuce 48p Aldi
Microwaveable rice 59p x 2 packs Tesco
Everyday value Penne Pasta 500g 30p Tesco
White Potatoes 2.5kg £1.29 Tesco
Redmere Farm Mushrooms 380g 86p Tesco
Savoy cabbage 69p Tesco
Redmere farm Carrots 1kg 45p Tesco
Everyday Value Tinned tomatoes 31p x 2 Tesco
1 head garlic (loose) 30p Tesco
East End Chickpeas 39p Tesco
Kidney Beans Tinned 30p Tesco
Frozen Basa Fish Fillets 500g £3 Tesco
Everyday value long grain rice 1 kg 45p Tesco
TOTAL COST £37.52A DAY £5.36
Store cupboard ingredients such as oil, salt and pepper and stock cubes have not been included
Dinner recipes
Turkey stir-fry
Serves: 5
Ingredients:
375g turkey breast steaks500g noodles2 tbsp oil½ butternut squash (approx. 400g), peeled and very finely chopped2 cloves garlic, finely chopped2-3 onions, finely sliced1 red pepper, finely sliced500g carrots, peeled and cut into very fine strips300g frozen peas
Method
Slice the turkey into thin strips
Cook or soak the noodles according to packet instructions.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, add the squash and garlic and cook until softened.
Add the onions, pepper, carrot and turkey strips and cook over a high heat until the turkey turns opaque and is cooked.
Add the cooked and drained noodles and peas, season with salt and pepper and 100 mls water and toss together and serve.
Vegetable egg-fried rice
Serves: 5 Preparation time: 10 minutesCooking time: 8-10 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil380g mushrooms2 cloves garlic, finely chopped4 medium eggs2 packets microwave rice4 tbsp soy sauce200g frozen peaspinch of pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a wok and sauté the mushrooms with the garlic. Remove from the pan and set aside until later.
Place the pan back on the heat and add the beaten eggs and cook over a high heat until the egg is very dry.
Add the rice and break up with the egg.
Add the peas, mushrooms and soy sauce and toss together.
Season with a little pepper and serve.
Pork mince, potatoes and onions
Serves: 5
Ingredients
750g Potatoes500g Pork mince2 Onions, peeled and chopped into large chunks1 stock cube (chicken or vegetable)salt and pepper to season
Method
Wash the potatoes and chop into large chunks – leave the skin on.
Place into a deep saucepan and add the pork mince.
Peel and roughly chop the onion and add to the pan with the stock cube. Pour over the water so it just covers everything. Crumble in the stock and bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are just cooked. It should take about 20-25 minutes cooking gently over a medium heat.
If you want to thicken the liquid slightly, mix a little corn flour or plain flour with water to make a paste and stir through 10 minutes before the end of cooking time.
Tomato and sausage casserole
Serves: 5 personsPreparation time: 10 minutesCooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
8 sausages cut onto 5 pieces making 32 pieces2 onions, very finely chopped1 x 400g can chickpeas2 cans chopped tomatoes200mls water1 x 10g chicken or pork stock cubepinch sugar2 tbsp vinegar200g frozen peassalt and pepper
Method
Heat a thick-bottomed shallow saucepan.
Add the sausages and gently saute for 2-3 minutes to take a bit of colour.
Add the onions, chickpeas, tomatoes, water, stock cube, sugar and vinegar.
Bring to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until reduced slightly.
Add the peas and warm through for 5 minutes.
Finally season with a little salt and pepper and serve.
Baked white fish fillets with mac and cheese pasta
Serves: 5
Ingredients
5 frozen white fish fillets, defrosted fully4 crusts bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs2 tbsp oilsalt and freshly ground black pepper500g cooked penne pasta (a 500g pack of dried pasta will give you 750g cooked)2 pints semi skimmed milk50g butter50g plain flour4 onions, peeled and finely chopped50g grated cheese1 tbsp English mustard (if you have it in your store cupboard)salt and pepper to season
Method
Cover the fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and place in the oven or under the grill.
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain well.
Pour the milk into the saucepan and add the onions. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the softened butter and flour together to form a paste and whisk into the simmering onions and milk.
Remove from the heat, add the mustard if using, grated cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Serve in bowls and top with the cooked basa fillet.
Veggie three-bean chilli and rice
Serves: 5
Ingredients
2 tbsp oil 4 cloves garlic, chopped2 onions3 tins beans, drained (we used Chick peas, butterbeans and red kidney beans)2 vegetable stock cubespinch dried chilli flakesenough water to coversalt and pepper to season.1 kg rice, cooked according to packet instructions.
Method
Heat the oil in a medium frying and add the onions and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the drained beans, stock cubes, chilli flakes and cover with water. Cook for 15 minutes.
Cook the rice according to packet instructions at the same time.
Serve the bean chilli with the rice.
Gammon, roast potatoes, savoy cabbage, carrots
Serves: 5
Ingredients
1.3 kg gammon joint100ml oil1 kilo potatoes, peeled and quarteredPinch salt500g carrots, peeled and choppedsmall knob butter1 savoy cabbage, washed and chopped
Method
Wrap the ham tightly in foil and bake at 180c for 2 hours.
Heat the oil in a tray in the oven.
Boil the potatoes and drain. Fluff the edges by shaking the pan and pour into the tray with hot oil. Season with salt and roast in the oven at 180c for 45-1 hour minutes.
Boil the carrots until tender, drain and add a small knob of butter and season with salt and pepper.
Add the chopped cabbage to a large saucepan and add a knob of butter and 2-300ml water season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on and part steam, then remove the lid and allow it to coat in the butter.
Lunch recipes
Pea, squash and potato soup
Serves: 5
Ingredients
500g frozen peas400g potatoes½ butternut squash1 litre water1 stock cube (vegetable or chicken)
Method
Add the squash, peas, potatoes, onions into a pan and cover with the water and crumble in the stock cube.
Simmer the soup over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender and cooked.
Blitz half the soup mixture and serve with buttered toast.
Tortilla with potatoes, cheese and peas
Serves: 5
Ingredients
10 eggs, whisked100ml semi skimmed milksalt and pepper1 tbsp oil200g cooked potato200g frozen peas50 grated cheese
Method
Whisk the eggs with the milk and season with salt and pepper
Heat a shallow pan with oil. Add the cooked potatoes, frozen peas, and pour in the egg mixture to cover the potato and peas.
Scatter the grated cheese over and place the pan in the oven at 180c for about 10-15 minutes to allow the egg to set and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve.
Pasta salad
Ingredients
300g cooked penne pasta4 tomatoes, chopped6 hard boiled eggs200g mayonnaise1 Whole iceberg lettuce, roughly chopped
Tear up 2 slices of bread and bake in the oven to make crispy croutons.
Method
Mix the cooked pasta, chopped tomato, boiled eggs and mayonnaise together. Serve with the sliced lettuce.
*Serve with toasted bread croutons.
Ham and Potato Rosti
Serves: 2
Ingredients
10g shredded gammon (leftover from Sunday lunch)250g potatoes, washed and grated with skin on2 onions, peeled and finely chopped1 clove garlic, peeled and very finely choppedsalt and freshly ground black pepper2 tbsp oil
Method:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
Mix the gammon, raw potato, onion, garlic and season with salt and pepper.
Form one large rosti in the frying pan and cook until golden underneath, it will stick together so flip the rosti and continue to cook until golden brown.
Cut in half and serve immediately.