WORDS:
KATY
SALTER.
ILLUSRATIONS:
ISTOCK
carrots, pullet eggs (smaller eggs
from young chickens) or grade-2
fruit, which are all sold at lower
prices,” says Mark Handley of
London Farmers’ Markets. “Follow
your local market on social media
for details of special offers,” says
Claire Thwaites of Deddington
Farmers Market in Oxfordshire.
Shop in the last hour and you may
find stalls reduce prices.15
BREAK UP WITH BRANDS
Do you always buy the
same brand of ketchup
or mayo? “There’s a sliding price
scale of supermarket products.
Luxury supermarket lines are the
priciest, closely followed by branded
items, mid-range own brand, then
the budget ranges,” says Amy
Sheppard. Drop down a level for a
few brands. “The taste or quality
difference will be minimal, but the
price difference over the whole shop
can be significant,” says Sheppard.16
SIDELINE THE MEAT
You may not want to cut
out expensive meat, but
try using it as a flavouring or accent
rather than the main ingredient.
Add a little of something special
and flavour-packed to make the
meat go further: lardons in a
sauce, nuggets of chorizo in
a bean stew, or shredded roast
ham in a hash or soup.17
STEAL A VEGANHACK
Think about alternative,
less costly ways to addflavour.
One popular vegan trick:a
teaspoon of smoked paprikatastes
like chorizo in a veg souporstew.
Sprinkle it over aubergineslices
or coconut chips (if youhave
some in your cupboard)tomake
vegan ‘bacon’ too.18
TURN THROWAWAYS
INTO TAKEAWAYS
Download theTooGoodto
Go app and you’ll beabletopickup
unsold food at knock-downprices
from restaurants andshopsnear
you. Saving cash andfightingthe
war on food waste too.Win-win.19
GET THE HEADS-UP
ON BARGAINS
Both Aldi and Lidl previewtheir
weekly fruit, veg andmeatdeals
on their websites, soyoucanplan
meals and build yourshopping
list around them.20
KEEP BERRIES ONTAP
Don’t put smoothiesand
fruity porridge toppingsonhold
until summer. Bags offrozen
berries, peaches andnectarines
from the freezer aislearegood
value comparedwithfresh.Or
snap up fresh onesonoffer
(or PYO in season)whenever
you can, then freeze.*Pricebased
onTescoDried
Wholefood
Chickpeas/500g
bagwhichyields
12 servingsvs
TescoChickpeas
inWater/400gtin
whichyields2.
**Pricebasedon
1.5kgfree-range
chickenfrom
Sainsbury’s,plus
310gpacketof
free-range
chickenbreasts
and590gpacket
offree-range
thighsand
drumsticks.
Pricescorrect
asofNov2020.thighs and drumsticks from a
leading supermarket comes to
around £9.01**. A 1.5kg chicken
from the same store costs £8.25,
and that doesn’t factor in the
wings and stock. Another easy
win from Miguel Barclay: “Cut the
legs off to create a crown and save
the legs (uncooked) for another
day. A beautiful chicken-leg
supreme doesn’t feel like leftovers.”
Learn how to joint a chicken at
deliciousmagazine.co.uk.11
GET THE KNIVES OUT
What’s true for chicken is true
for any ready-prepped food: when
supermarkets do the work for you,
you pay more. Think chopped veg,
grated cheese, diced meat. Wouldn’t
you rather spend 5 minutes on prep
and keep the money?12
CREATE A HERB GARDEN
ON YOUR SILL
Grabbing a plastic packet
of herbs may seem more convenient
than growing your own, but
supermarkets sell potted herbs for
around the same price – and you
won’t have to stock up as often. “To
make them last, divide the plant at
the roots into a few sections, then
re-pot in slightly larger planters with
some extra soil. Keep them on your
windowsill, water regularly and
they’ll last for ages,” says food writer
Amy Sheppard. Woody herbs like
rosemary, thyme and bay leaves all
dry well too and taste close to fresh.13
GET DELI DEALS ONLINE
A scout around online will
uncover some surprising gourmet
bargains. Thea, our digital producer,
is a fan of marcoalimentari.com,
where you can bulk-buy pantry
items such as Maldon Sea Salt
(£11.95/1.4kg), Greek olive oil
(£17.95/5 litres), pine nuts and spices.14
SHOP SMART AT THE
FARMERS’ MARKET
The best thing about farmers’
markets is the mix of premium,
quality goods and genuine
bargains. “Look out for wonkymake life better.