family meals on a budget

How hard has this lockdown been amigos? We are all in the same boat and as a father of a

2-year-old and a 7-year-old, I can tell you that managing to get home schooling done,

keeping a toddler entertained, cooking for the family, as well as achieving things for work…

it’s a miracle! A bonus if we get the house cleaned and manage to fit in a Joe Wicks training.

We have never been under so much pressure as a family but just like me, many others are in

the same situation.

But in the middle of all of this, it’s easy to forget the extreme difficulties many families are

facing; so many have lost their jobs and more than ever, every penny counts. Which means

cooking a nutritious and tasty meal for our families can be a daunting task.

In recent weeks there has been lots of controversy around the government’s aid of school

meals, offering either weekly food hampers or vouchers for the value of £15. £15 a week

may not sound like a lot but if you break it down by day it is a decent budget for a meal and

a snack. Many look at it in isolation and obviously making a meal for £3 is pretty tough, but

meals at home are always done for the family unit, in some cases it will be a minimum of 2

and in others up to 10 like my neighbours. The bigger the family unit the easier it is to cook

affordably.

It is for this reason I’ve decided to launch a new series on my YouTube with the aim to

inspire families to cook nutritious, wholesome and affordable everyday meals for just £1!

Each of my recipes will be designed to feed a family of 4, if there’s 6 of you just make one

and a half times the quantity, if there’s 2 of you, freeze half of your batch for next week or

keep it for dinner a couple of days later, it will save you the time of cooking again.

I have dedicated my entire life to food, and I believe in the importance of sitting down for a

meal at the dining table, as it has the power to bring us together for a moment of joy. With

many now working from home this doesn’t mean we’re now spending quality time with our

loved ones because we’re all doing different things, phones are constantly distracting us,

and we are all rushing through the day and stressing about what’s next. In the middle of this

chaos, enjoying a nice meal as a family is the moment for real connection, a moment to talk

about anything and just being present.

All of my dishes will be costed pro-rata and you can find a written recipe on my website, as

well as in the description box in each YouTube video. I will be using everyday ingredients

that are easy to find in your local supermarket. It’s important to note the cost of each recipe

has been calculated by buying ingredients from the three most affordable supermarkets in

the UK, (you know which ones I am talking about and bravo to them for making some of

their ranges affordable to all).

It goes without saying that if you can afford higher quality ingredients you should always

look at buying produce with better welfare for the animals, better economy for the farmers,

more sustainable and in season, with less carbon miles and with the provenance you can

trust. But I am not worrying about those ingredients in here, I am doing this to encourage

families who are on tight budget and give them the confidence to cook delicious meals that

will not break your bank balance. Also, if you want to add extra herbs, spices or other

ingredients you may have to hand, just go ahead and do it, so it has your family’s touch.

For many of the recipes you will most probably have the store cupboard ingredients already,

like oil, salt, pepper etc but every single ingredient has been accounted for on a per gram or

millilitre basis, just as we would do it in the restaurant. If you’re looking to cook on a

budget, these are recipes you can trust, not just for their flavour but also from a financial

perspective.

I hope you enjoy my new series… together we can get through this!