Please see my post here for some 50p meals:
http://www.theanswerb...5.html#answer-6285284
My Pilchard Bake costs a little more, but it's really tasty:
http://www.theanswerb...k/Question655723.html
Slow-cooking (as suggested above) is a good idea. You don't necessarily need to buy a slow cooker; a casserole dish in the oven at gas mark 1 (140 degrees C) will do the same job. Just throw some ingredients into the casserole dish and put it in the oven for several hours. (It makes no difference whether that's 4 hours or 10 hours in the oven; the result is much the same, so it's hard to go wrong). For example, get some cheap(-ish) chicken pieces, such as legs or thighs, and put them in a suitable liquid in the casserole dish. (Use 'cup soups', from pound shops, or something similar; they're far cheaper than proper 'cook in' sauces, but just as good). Add some sliced carrots, or other root veg, and perhaps some mushrooms. Place in the oven, wait a few hours and enjoy.
While there are plenty of recipes on the web, it's much more fun just to experiment. For example, the other day I was trying to think what I might do with one of the small cans of pilchards (other than my recipe above). I put the pilchards (in tomato sauce) in a frying pan, with some olive oil. I heated it up, then added a third of a jar of pasta sauce. When that was heated through, I put a splash of boiling water in and added a vegetable stock cube, with some freshly-ground black pepper. I then continued simmering the mixture until it was reduced to a decent consistency. I served that lot with a buttered jacket potato. It was just an experiment but I ended up with a really tasty meal for around 70p. Don't be afraid to experiment!
Chris