How-to Guides » OLD GUIDE Cut your food bills

Frugal cooking

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1) Invest in a slow cooker

A slow cooker will allow you to buy cheaper cuts of meat and turn them into delicious stews and casseroles.

Check out these delicious slow cooker recipes.

2) Start batch cooking

Cooking large amounts of food all at once should save you time and money because you're using less energy in the preparation. Once it’s cooked, divide it into meal-sized portions and pop them in the freezer.

Check out the Beyond Baked Beans website for lots of manageable and healthy recipes for those on a tight budget.

3) Learn to preserve food

Buying in bulk is all well and good if you're going to use it all. But if half of it ends up in the bin, it's not worth it. Learn to preserve food by freezing or canning.

4) Don't waste anything

According to the government's Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), UK households throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food every year. This waste costs the average home over £420 a year, rising to £610 for a family with children.

WRAP's website - LoveFoodHateWaste - contains lots of handy tips for reducing food wastage. Check out the official guidance on the difference between 'use by' dates and ‘best before' dates, for example.