A mother-of-three has shared five recipes she uses to feed her family-of-five for just over £15 per week.
Charlotte Maltby, 27, a content creator from West Yorkshire, lives at home with her partner and three boys, two aged seven, and one aged two.
The mum was brought up in a single parent household when she was younger and struggled financially, so has made adaptations to a lot of her mother’s meals.
“It is necessary for my family to make cut-backs wherever I can, so that we are still able to pay our bills and afford things like days out,” Charlotte, who regularly shares budget recipes on Instagram, told NeedToKnow.online.
“Food was one place I knew I had the skills to be able to cut back.
“The cost of living crisis has hit everybody in some way or another, I have noticed that even with shopping at Aldi, I’m spending £20-40 more per week than what I was just a year or two ago.
“I’m also aware that others are suffering so much more, and they have been forced to choose between food and heating at times, which is absolutely heart-breaking.
“I wanted to share my recipes in the hopes that they help these families to still enjoy some good food, and the feedback I’ve received has been so positive and lovely.”
Charlotte has put together five recipes that feed her family, costing just over £15 in total (not including cupboard stables including herbs and spices).
The recipes (below) include a spicy pasta dish, lentil dahl, sausage traybake, pie and mash, and pork chops – with five portions of each (25 plates total) costing approximately £15.39 in total.
While they are budget-friendly, she insists that doesn’t mean sacrificing on taste – with her kids more than happy with the tasty, nutritious meals.
Charlotte said: “My kids are great eaters and love the vast majority of the meals I make.
“Any criticism from them has only ever been down to their own likes and dislikes, they haven’t ever noticed if I’ve used a higher fat or different mince or sausages that come from the budget range.
“They enjoy mummy’s cooking and they’re very complimentary. It’s also forced me to try or create new recipes, so we’ve all found new favourites along the way.”
She began sharing her bargain recipes on social media due to the cost of living crisis and realising how much it could help people on a budget.
She said: “I love home cooking and I feel strongly about good, home cooked meals being accessible to everyone.
“I thoroughly enjoy both meal planning and budgeting, and wanted to show people that good food is possible on a very small budget, with the right amount of planning.”
SPICY SAUSAGE PASTA AND GARLIC BREAD – £2.21 for five plates.
Ingredients: One pack of sausages, one tablespoon tomato puree, pasta, garlic bread, chopped tomatoes, two teaspoons chipotle paste, 200ml chicken stock, two garlic cloves, one teaspoon oregano, one onion.
Method: Finely dice onion, finely chop or crush garlic, chop sausages into small chunks.
Sautee onion in oil on a med-low heat until soft, add sausages and brown, then put your pasta on to boil.
Add garlic to pan of onion and sausage and cook for a minute.
Then add chipotle paste, tomato purée and oregano and cook for a few seconds.
Also pop in the chopped tomatoes and stock, simmer for around 10 mins until sauce has thickened.
Combine cooked pasta and sauce, serve with garlic bread.
RED LENTIL DAHL AND RICE – £2.12 for five portions.
Ingredients: 300g lentils, two onions, one tin of chopped tomatoes, one tin of coconut milk, four garlic cloves, rice, pittas, 750ml veg stock.
Spices: One teaspoon of turmeric, cumin, garam masala, and two teaspoons of paprika
Salt and pepper to season
Method: Sautee the chopped onions in coconut oil, vegetable oil is fine if you don’t have coconut, until soft, add garlic and cook for one minute.
Add all the spices and cook for a few seconds until fragrant.
Rinse lentils in a sieve and add to the pan.
Then add vegetable stock, stir and bring to a simmer.
Cover with lid and simmer for 8-10 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Add coconut milk and tomatoes and simmer for five more mins.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, serve with rice and pitta.
SAUSAGE TRAYBAKE – £2.67 for five portions.
Ingredients: One pack of sausages, pitta breads, one bell pepper, one red onion
Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic granules and paprika
Method: Chop onion, pepper and sausages into chunks and put them in an oven proof dish.
Drizzle with oil and add seasonings, as much as you like, start with one teaspoon of each if you’re unsure.
Stir to combine and bake at 180° for 20-25 mins.
Serve with some salad and warm pitta bread.
PIE, MASH AND VEGETABLES – £2.84 for five portions.
Ingredients: Asda frozen mince pies, one bag of potatoes, frozen corn cobs, frozen green beans.
Method: Cook pies as per instructions, serve with mashed potatoes, cobs, and frozen veg.
PORK CHOPS WITH WEDGES AND SWEETCORN – £5.55 for five portions.
Ingredients: Asda pork chops, one bag of potatoes, frozen corn on the cob
Method: Cook and season pork chops to your liking, serve with homemade wedges and corn on the cob.
ALTOGETHER: £15.39 for 25 plates of food, with all products from Asda.
For anyone with the space, the mother-of-three advises bulk buying as a brilliant money saver.
She added: “Most things are cheaper when bought in larger volumes, however we have limited space so this method of shopping just isn’t available to us
“Also you should always plan your meals, write your shopping list and check the online prices to see if all the recipes fall into your budget.
“I would never walk into a supermarket without a list because you’ll end up wasting money on things you don’t need, and may not have everything required for a recipe.
“I would also say keep a good stock of long-dated cupboard staples such as herbs, spices, pasta, chopped tomatoes, stock cubes and rice.
“If you have these things, you can create a quick and easy meal out of very little.”
