Cheap Wholesome Meal!

saintpeter48 | 18:24 Thu 30th Oct 2014 | Food & Drink

107 Answers

It really annoys me when I hear or read about people saying that they cannot afford to eat, yet they order take-aways or take their kids to McDonalds!
Yesterday I bought 3 chicken breasts, 2 carrots, one leek, one onion, one parsnip, half a swede, a punnet of brown mushrooms(on offer for 50p), a couple of potataoes, altogether it cost about £7. I diced the chicken and coated the pieces in flour and fried in a large saucepan until a light brown, removed the chicken and added a little more oil and sweated down the leek, onion and mushroom(all sliced) for a few minutes then added all the remaining veg, all of which I had finely diced after a few minutes I covered it all with hot water, added S&P, spoon of mustard, stock cube (I use Bouillon powder), chicken gravy thickening, squeeze of tomato sauce, dollop of vegemite and added the diced chicken and let it all simmer gently for about 20 to 30 minutes, it was really lovely, I had it again tonight and there is plenty for another meal tomorrow! I live on my own and love cooking, that is a great value meal that would feed a family of 4 easily, all for about £7 and will satisfy you a lot better than McDonalds!!

M&s Food

White Malt Vinegar

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janbee

Best Answer

Make a big pot of soup with fresh ingredients. It lasts 2-3 days and with crusty bread, it's a yummy wholesome meal

08:12 Fri 31st Oct 2014

Go To Best Answer

Mamyalynne

Super!

B00

That's fine, but what happens if you don't know how to prepare and cook all of the above?

Mosaic

But if nobody that you like (eg your mum) has shown you how to do this, and raised you in a home where meals were cooked, you are left clueless. And at least the kids will eat McDo's, whereas all kids will say 'yuk' to something imposed on them.

LyndaB

I couldn't agree more - it really irritates me when people moan about the price of fresh fruit and veg but think nothing of paying for all kinds of rubbishy ready made meals. We too are having a scrimpy meal tonight - I bought 3/4lbs shin beef and casseroled it with lots of carrots, onions, leeks and a bit of garlic, topped the whole thing with a tin of tomatoes and a bit of stock. It was cooked for about 4 hours while I did other things and smells absolutely divine. There is easily enough for four hungry people and probably cost a lot less than a fiver. Proper food expensive? My posterior!

in a mo

I am on my way around Tea ,Supper no problem.

saintpeter48

Question Author

BOO, surely everyone knows how to peel and chop veg .... or do they?

Sycamore3House

I agree people complain but don't help themselves. If you don't know how to cook a packet of couscous & a tin of tuna from Lidl's is 35p & 69p respectively add any veg you want. All you have to do is boil a kettle to make the couscous. It will easily make enough for 2

B00

I'm sorry LyndaB, but to do that for quite a few mums/families is akin to rocket science.

The skill, thanks to lack of parental teaching (their parents) or the ridiculous lessons laughingly termed as cookery classes in school it's simply beyond them to cobble something together with a list of ingredients.

B00

Yes St peter, they should, but not everyone does.

LyndaB

I wasn't born able to do it - in fact I hadn't a clue about cooking when I got married even though my mum is an excellent cook. I had no idea about roasting meat, and having it all ready at the same time was a complete mystery to me. But I learned how to do it and no - it ISNT rocket science!

B00

Well alrighty then.....lol

sherrardk

I usually feed my family on way less than a fiver for an evening meal so I think some of the suggestions on here are ridiculously expensive, it's all a question of perspective. Some people really cannot put a meal together (for whatever reason). My eldest son did some home economics and the majority of stuff he was 'taught' to cook was sweet stuff or expensive, tasteless rubbish.

Mosaic

I agree with Boo here - you need time, the luxury of failure and the growth of confidence to make 'proper home shopping and cooking' work. And in the absence of that, a guarnateed £1.99 to feed a kid seems sensible.

pastafreak

Its all very well and good any one of us bragging about the wonderful cheap meals we can put together with a hunk of meat and two different root veg...but we do it because we have experiance...and quite possibly a love of food and eating. Those for whom meals are rarely a family occaision,or are something to get through with as little fuss as possible,will never develope the skills needed...and probably have little desire or inclination to do so.

pastafreak

Typos!!!!^^^^

DTCwordfan

Agree with pasta here, there has to be an inherent interest to cook and pursue technique too, if one really wants to tackle good, imaginative low cost meals....otherwise the diet is going to be pretty expensive and also usually high in fat and salt.

Here, a discounted chicken, the breast into baps for lunch, a smidge of left over mash as accompaniment and a few roasted off cherry toms, dinner will be a chicken korma over rice from the rest of the 'boird', green side salad with it..... It can be done but it's taken quite a bit of practice to get there.