15 delicious ways to cut down on your food bills

Cheap cut one-pot

Forget sirloin and sausages; slash your shopping bill with cheap meat cuts and make a delicious stew. 'Sear scrag end of lamb in a really hot pan with a little oil. Add onions, carrots and celery and once browned, place in a deep casserole. Add a glug of wine, some fresh herbs and a little boiling water, and cover. Cook at 80C for six to ten hours,' says chef Jim Fisher, who runs 'Cook In France' cookery holidays.'What cheap cuts lack in tenderness, they compensate for with extra flavour!'

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Saucy little number

DIY meals not only taste better; they also save pounds. Make tomato sauce using three crushed garlic cloves, three tins of tomatoes, a handful of parsley and 100ml (4fl oz) red wine and use it on pasta and pizza.

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Cupboard curry

'Make Chana Masala by sautéing 1 onion, 1 clove garlic and ½ inch finely chopped ginger,' says head chef Martin Ng, from Thistle Hotel’s ‘Know How Squad’. 'Add 1 tin tomatoes, 1 tbsp ground coriander, ½ tbsp ground cumin, and ½ tsp each garam masala and chilli powder. Cook until it forms a sticky mass and add 1 tin chickpeas, a glug of water and a pinch of sugar. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes, then season and serve with rice.'

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Three ways with chicken

Flex your frugal muscles and make multiple meals with one ingredient. Take a small whole chicken (around £3.50) and serve as a Sunday roast; use the carcass for soups and stocks; and shred leftovers into a stir-fry with onions, garlic, chilli and finely chopped veg with a drizzle of sesame oil, soy sauce, and a little stock.

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The ever-versatile egg

Eggs are cheap and versatile. Take a leaf out of TV chef Gizzi Erskine's cookbook and make Indian Scrambled Eggs by whisking eggs with milk and adding toasted cumin seeds and sautéed red chilli, spring onions and red pepper.

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Money-saving soup

'Soups can feed a whole family on a budget,' says celebrity chef Shaun Rankin, who is showing off his skills at the Southampton Boat Show this September. 'Try soaking ham hock (which can be bought for as little as £2 from good butchers) in cold water for an hour.

'Pop it in a pan and cover with more cold water and add chopped carrot, onion, garlic, a bay leaf and thyme. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours, remove the veg and add some pearl barley and yellow split peas and cook for around 50 minutes more, then add some red lentils and cook for a further 10 minutes or so.

'Once the meat is tender, remove and tear into chunks and return to the pan to warm through.'

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Double dinner

When making chilli, make half as much again and use it later to fill two homemade pancakes (per person),' says Gina Steer, author of Feed Your Family for Under a £5. 'Roll up and place on top of freshly cooked rice in a gratin dish. Cover with a can of chopped tomatoes and a little grated cheese and heat in the oven until piping hot.'

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Cut-price cakes

Put old bananas to good use by mashing three of them with 150g sugar, 1 whisked egg and 75g softened butter. Sift together 200g flour, ½ tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt and fold into the mashed banana until smooth and dollop into a lined muffin tray. Bake for 25-30 minutes in a moderate oven.

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Peel meal

'Don’t throw away potato peelings. Toss them in olive oil and roast in the oven for delicious crisps that are perfect for dipping!' says Jean Christophe Novelli.

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Eat one, save one

'Make one for the oven and one instant ready meal for the freezer!' says nutritionist Sarah Flower, author of Eat Well, Spend Less. 'Make bolognaise by frying onions, peppers and mince. Add wine, mushrooms and a tin of chopped tomatoes and season. Freeze for lasagne, add cinnamon for moussaka or chilli for chilli con carne.'

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Frugal fishcakes

Poach haddock in milk for a few minutes and flake into a bowl with sautéed onions, crushed potatoes and fresh parsley. Season and mould into rounds and dip in flour and beaten egg before rolling in breadcrumbs and frying until golden.

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Cheesy choice

Don’t relegate cheeseboard odds and ends to the waste bin, says TV chef Sophie Wright. 'Mash leftover French goat’s cheese with a fork and add to pine nuts with 1tsp fresh pesto and spread on soft tortilla.'

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Deeply dippy

Homemade houmous  – made by pulsing 1 tin chickpeas, 2 garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper in a blender – can be used for more than just dips. Use it to thicken soups, as a sandwich spread with cold roasted veg, or swirled into vegetables stews and pasta.

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Thrifty tart

'Make small tartlets with homemade pastry (cheaper than bought) and fill with canned tuna stirred into a white sauce,' says food writer Gina Steer. 'Top with sliced hard-boiled egg and serve warm or cold.'

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