Cooking on a hob
A Hull nutrition student has come up with a collection of recipes to feed a family of four for under £5.

This is how to feed your family for under £5

Eating well and saving money are among top new year’s resolutions – and also among the ones most likely to be broken before the decorations are down.

But this year, help is at hand.

Hull nutrition student Holly Stephenson has come up with a collection of recipes which are tasty, packed with veg and can feed four for under £5.

Each has been costed and includes a price list showing the cheapest supermarket for each ingredient.

Holly is on a placement with Hull City Council’s Public Health team and has been working with Hull Food Partnership – which tackles food poverty, improves access to fresh produce and improves cooking skills. She is one of three food experts who have written blogs to help address some of the problems that can stop people eating well.

Holly said: “I’ve gone for recipes that are healthy, easy, cheap and adaptable. Any ingredients people don’t like can be removed or substituted with something similar.

“The total price per meal is worked out by using the cheapest items available across all supermarkets – though you’d only be shopping at a maximum of two different shops. To get around that, I’ve also highlighted which supermarket is cheapest overall to buy all ingredients from.

“It’s important to remember that some ingredients are ‘cupboard’ items like oil, flour, herbs and spices, which can be reused several times and decrease cost of future meals. Additionally, some meal quantities can easily be doubled without doubling the overall cost – so I’ve included how to do that where possible.”

Tasty suggestions in Holly’s blog – all of which are vegetarian – include spicy root veg casserole, deluxe tomato risotto and veg-loaded lasagne. Budget supermarket Lidl comes out cheapest for all recipes.

Jo Arro, nutritionist and Public Health commissioning and service development manager at Hull City Council, said: “We know that cost and lack of information are two of the main problems that prevent people eating well. While the new year is a great time to capitalise on good intentions, these recipes can be added into your regular meals and cooked year-round.

“Holly has put a lot of thought and time into collating meals which are easy to make, affordable and really good for you. They’re also packed with vegetables which brings down the cost and counts towards your five a day”.

Find all recipes and blogs here.

Chiedu Oraka