WITH taxes, energy bills and food costs soaring to record highs, households are feeling the pinch – and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better any time soon.
While you might not be able to do much about rising costs, there are ways to save cash in the kitchen.
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Miguel Barclay, 35, is the author of One Pound Meals: Delicious Food For Less.
And his latest book, Green One Pound Meals, has more than 80 recipes for thrifty chefs to try.
The YouTube star says he is more of an “anti-chef” than a traditional cook, taking away ingredients and finding shortcuts to make tasty food that costs just £1 a head.
Miguel says: “Times are certainly tougher. With the food and energy price rises, household budgets are being squeezed.
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“So now more than ever we need to not only concentrate on cooking from scratch but also cooking clever.
“If you’re switching on the oven to cook a lasagne, why not chuck in that quiche you were planning for tomorrow alongside those pasties you were going to make for a packed lunch?
“Also, think about incorporating those carbs in a one-pot meal.
“Instead of boiling potatoes separately, chuck them into a stew and let it all cook at once. There are many tactics that can save money, from batch-cooking to planning ahead and falling back in love with your slow cooker. So stay organised and plan your week’s meals, keeping one eye on food costs and the other on energy costs.”
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‘Tasty inspiration’
The only real rule with Miguel’s One Pound Meals is that all the ingredients required to make each dish add up to £1 or less, not including the salt, pepper and oil.
Most ingredients are sold in packets that are much larger than you’ll need for one portion. So the recipes are costed based on the amount actually used in the recipe. But, by focusing on important core ingredients, you will not be left with something you’ll use only once.
Instead, you’ll be able to add the remaining ingredients to different recipes.
Miguel is also urging us to make better use of the food we often waste. He says: “Even things you might assume can’t be used – like veg peelings or banana skins – can be turned into delicious meals.
“I hope I can help you become more conscious of food you might be throwing away, with some brilliant ideas and tasty inspiration, including a banana-peel pulled-pork substitute . . . yes, really!”
Here, in a special Sun on Sunday supplement, we bring you our pick of Miguel’s great suggestions.
- See Miguel on Twitter: @miguelbarclay
BREAKFAST
Pesto brunch eggs
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ADDING the pesto before you fry your eggs means it incorporates into them as they set, giving you a delicious pesto-infused flavour – perfect served for brunch with some potatoes and spinach.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- 1 potato, chopped into 2cm cubes (no need to peel)
- 1 tbsp shop-bought pesto
- 2 eggs
- A few cherry tomatoes, quartered
- Handful of spinach
- Handful of grated Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
METHOD: Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Spread out the diced potato on a baking tray.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the pesto and a glug of olive oil. Break in the eggs and add the tomatoes, keeping the tomatoes on one side of the pan, away from the eggs.
Once the eggs are cooked, remove the pan from the heat. Add the spinach and potatoes to the pan and mix everything together.
Once the spinach has wilted, season then serve topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
Tomatoes on Hummus
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ROASTED cherry tomatoes make anything better! They have just the right balance of sweetness and tartness to elevate even the simplest snack to the next level.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- Handful of cherry tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of dried oregano
- 2 slices of sourdough bread
- 2 tbsp hummus
METHOD: Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Throw the tomatoes into an ovenproof dish.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and the oregano.
Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until soft and gooey.
Drizzle the sourdough with a little olive oil, add a small pinch of salt then place in the oven, straight on the wire shelf, for the final five minutes of the tomatoes’ cooking time.
You want the bread to be toasted and nicely brown.
Spread the hummus on the sourdough toast, top with the tomatoes, then drizzle over any juices from the dish in which you cooked the tomatoes.
Serve straight away.
Banana Pancakes
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THIS is a great way to use up over-ripe bananas. They create an extra-thick and luxurious pancake batter that will give you gorgeous fluffy pancakes.
YOU NEED (for four pancakes):
- 1 ripe banana, peeled
- 60g self-raising flour
- 100ml almond milk
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- Drizzle of golden syrup
METHOD: Cut a few slices of the banana and set them aside for a garnish, then mash the rest of the banana in a bowl using the back of a fork. Add the self-raising flour, milk and sugar and whisk with a fork to mix.
Pour a quarter of the batter into the centre of a preheated non-stick pan and cook over a medium heat for about two minutes until bubbles start to form on the top and the bottom is golden-brown, then flip and cook the other side for about two minutes.
Remove from the pan and repeat with the rest of the batter to create four pancakes in total. Serve the pancakes in a stack, topped with sliced banana and a drizzle of golden syrup.
Breakfast Rosti Stack
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THIS rosti stack is a great way to start the morning, with nice vibrant colours on a plate – a satisfying meal to set you up for the day ahead.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- Handful of grated or julienned sweet potato
- Handful of spinach
- ½ avocado
- Pinch of dried chilli flakes (or dried chillies)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
METHOD: Preheat your oven to 190C/gas mark 5.
Toss the grated or julienned sweet potato in a splash of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Assemble a rough pile of the sweet potato in the middle of a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the sweet potato is cooked and starting to turn golden-brown around the edges.
Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a hot pan (no oil needed) for a minute or so, and mash the avocado. Season the avocado with salt and pepper.
To assemble the dish, pile the spinach on a plate, put the sweet potato on top, using your hands to shape it into a neat circle, then top with the mashed avocado. Sprinkle with the chilli flakes and serve.
French Toast
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ONE of my favourite brunches ever! Dipping bread into egg is such a simple concept, but the result is amazing. With a few berries and plenty of maple syrup, this makes a special weekend treat.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- 2 eggs
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 2 slices of white bread
- Small knob of butter (or splash of olive oil)
- Sprinkle of icing sugar
- A generous drizzle of maple syrup
- A few blueberries
METHOD: Crack the eggs into a dish big enough to lay a slice of bread into. Beat the eggs and add a pinch of cinnamon. Lay the bread in the dish to absorb the egg mixture for about ten seconds on both sides, then repeat with the second slice.
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and pan-fry the bread in some butter or olive oil for a few minutes on each side until the French toast is golden brown.
Transfer to a plate, lightly dust with icing sugar, drizzle with maple syrup and garnish with a few blueberries.
Lunch
Banana Peel Pulled Pork Bun
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I SAW people cooking with banana peel on the internet and I was intrigued. Turns out it’s actually quite delicious if you prepare it in the right way. Banana peel is definitely something I would usually throw away, so technically this is free food!
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- 1 banana peel
- Splash olive oil
- Salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp demerara sugar (or other brown sugar)
- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 soft bread roll
- 1 tbsp coleslaw
METHOD: Shred the banana peel using a fork, then pan-fry in the olive oil over a medium heat for about five minutes.
Add a pinch of salt, along with the cumin, smoked paprika and sugar.
After 30 seconds, add the ketchup and simmer for a couple more minutes until the mixture is the consistency and dark brown colour of pulled pork.
Serve in a soft roll, topped with the coleslaw.
Burrata Pomodoro
BURRATA is expensive so if you can’t find it for a decent price, this recipe works just as well with normal mozzarella. Half a ball of this mild and creamy cheese will elevate a very simple tomato pasta into something far more extravagant and impressive (when really all you have done is put some cheese on it).
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- 125g spaghetti
- A few cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
- Olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 200g chopped tomatoes (from a 400g tin)
- Pinch of dried oregano
- Fresh basil leaves, to serve (optional)
- ½ ball burrata or mozzarella cheese
- Salt and pepper
METHOD: Cook the spaghetti in a pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain and save a little of the pasta water.
Pan-fry the cherry tomatoes, if using, in a generous glug of olive oil over a medium-high heat for a few minutes, then add the garlic and continue to fry for a few more minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, then season with salt, pepper and oregano and cook for about five minutes more.
Mix the cooked spaghetti into the sauce, along with a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of pasta water.
Transfer to a bowl and serve topped with burrata/mozzarella and some freshly ground black pepper, plus a couple of fresh basil leaves if you fancy.
Spring Onion Noodles
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SPRING onions are the most important part of any noodle dish – they provide that all-important depth of flavour. So how about a noodle dish with triple the spring onions? This is a great dish to whip up for a quick meal, and most of the ingredients will already be in your store cupboard.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- 6 spring onions
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 red chilli, sliced (or a pinch of chilli flakes)
- Sesame oil
- 1 nest of your favourite kind of noodles
- Sprinkle of gravy granules (or an eighth of a stock cube, crumbled)
- Splash of soy sauce
- Salt
METHOD: Chop your spring onions randomly so the pieces are different sizes.
Season with salt and pepper, then pan-fry, along with the garlic and chilli, in a splash of sesame oil over a medium heat for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions.
Once cooked, use tongs to transfer the noodles to the frying pan containing the spring onions, garlic and chilli (you want the noodles to still be a bit wet).
Sprinkle over the gravy granules and a splash of soy sauce, then mix well and serve.
TIP: This is the perfect dish for using up any veggie scraps you have kicking around in the fridge – just fry them up with the spring onions and enjoy.
Tomato Poke Bowl
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THIS is a great way to use up old tomatoes. Just chop them into cubes and pretend they are sushi-grade tuna. Although it doesn’t taste like tuna, this poke recipe works great with most things. The sauce and rice can elevate anything, transforming it into a beautiful lunchtime treat.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- ¼ mug rice
- ½ mug water
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated
- 1 big tomato
- ½ carrot, cut into strips using a potato peeler
- Small handful of shredded red cabbage
- Small handful of edamame beans
- Pinch of sesame seeds
- Salt
METHOD: Put the rice and the water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt.
Cover with a lid and place over a medium heat for about seven minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Fluff with a fork to separate the grains.
Meanwhile, mix together the sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic and ginger in a bowl, then add the chopped tomato.
Assemble the poke bowl by first adding the rice, followed by the carrot, cabbage, tomato and edamame beans.
Pour the remaining marinade over the top and garnish with a pinch of sesame seeds.
Rocket and Parmesan Soup
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AN easy-peasy soup that has a nice peppery taste thanks to the rocket, and a savoury edge from the cheese. This is great for using up wilted rocket and those leftover ends of Parmesan.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- 1 slice of stale bread
- Olive oil
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 mugs of water
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- Handful of rocket
- Handful of grated Parmesan, plus a few shavings to garnish
- Salt and pepper
METHOD: Drizzle the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then toast under a hot grill or in a griddle pan over a medium heat. Chop into squares and set aside.
Meanwhile, fry the onion in a splash of olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat for about five minutes until it just starts to colour.
Chuck in the water, along with the stock cube, rocket and grated Parmesan. Bring to a simmer and let it bubble away for a couple of minutes. Transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth, then season to taste.
Serve in a bowl with a garnish of shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil, with the croutons scattered over the top.
DINNER
Green Mac and Cheese
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GO green with your mac and cheese and sneak those veggies in! Here’s an easy way to do it using frozen spinach.
There’s no extra cooking required – it just defrosts in the pan straight from the freezer. I’ve even added some green to the crispy breadcrumb topping.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- Handful of macaroni
- Olive oil
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tsp plain flour
- 200ml milk
- 3 discs of frozen spinach
- Handful of grated Cheddar cheese
- Handful of breadcrumbs (see tip)
- Handful of finely chopped parsley
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Salt and pepper
METHOD: Cook the macaroni in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions.
Once cooked, drain, then drizzle with olive oil and set aside until needed.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes, then add the milk, a little at a time, stirring continuously. Once the mixture has formed a sauce, add the frozen spinach and stir until defrosted.
Remove from the heat and add the cheese, stirring until it melts into the sauce. Now stir in the drained pasta, then season to taste and transfer to an ovenproof dish (you can stir in an extra splash of milk if it needs loosening).
In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, parsley and crushed garlic, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add a glug of olive oil, then sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the mac and cheese.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are nicely toasted, then serve.
TIP: Making breadcrumbs is a great way to use up stale bread: Simply take a slice or two of stale bread and grate it or whizz it up in a food processor. Any extra can be frozen.
Chicken Shawarma and Butter Rice
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THESE kebabs are better when you make them in larger quantities, so here I’ve written the recipe to make enough for four people. That way, you can get a nice crispy coating, with succulent chicken in the middle.
YOU NEED (for four portions):
- 8 chicken thighs, deboned and with skin removed
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- A couple of red, orange or yellow peppers (I use the sweet pointed ones), sliced lengthways
- 1 mug of rice
- 2 mugs of water
- Knob of butter
- Pinch of almond flakes
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
METHOD: Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with the cumin, paprika and oregano, along with a generous amount of salt, pepper and olive oil, ensuring the meat is evenly coated in the spices.
Thread the chicken on to two skewers as pictured and place on a baking tray. Roast for about 35 minutes until cooked through, adding the peppers to the tray halfway through the cooking time. Meanwhile, make the rice.
Put the rice and water in a saucepan with a lid and place over a medium heat. After about seven minutes, when all the water is absorbed, turn off the heat then add the butter and almond flakes. Set aside.
To serve, slice the meat off the kebab and serve with the rice and peppers.
Peanut Butter Curry
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THAT’S right – peanut butter isn’t just for sandwiches. It’s actually the key ingredient in some curries, too. This recipe is a great way to use up the bits from an old jar.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- ½ mug basmati rice
- 1 mug water
- ½ aubergine, chopped into big chunks
- Splash of sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 200g coconut milk (from a 400g tin)
- A few coriander leaves (optional)
- A few slices of red chilli (optional)
- Salt and pepper
METHOD: Put the rice and the water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt.
Cover with a lid and place over a medium heat for about seven minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
Meanwhile, fry the aubergine in a dry pan over a medium heat for about eight minutes, then add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, curry powder and peanut butter.
Continue to cook for a few minutes more, then add the coconut milk and simmer for about ten minutes until it is nice and thick.
Season to taste, then serve with the rice, garnished with a few coriander leaves and chilli slices.
Chicken Drumstick Cassoulet
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ONE of my favourite complete meals in a pot has to be cassoulet. You get the carb element from the beans, a lovely rich sauce and whatever you choose as the hero ingredient. Here I have gone for chicken drumsticks, which are affordable and delicious.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- 2 chicken drumsticks, with skin left on
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 200g cannellini beans (from a 400g tin), drained
- Pinch of dried oregano
- 200g chopped tomatoes (from a 400g tin)
- ½ vegetable stock cube
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
METHOD: Season the chicken drumsticks with salt and pepper, then pan-fry in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for about ten minutes, turning occasionally to colour all sides.
Add the onion and continue to fry for a further five minutes.
Add the cannellini beans, oregano and chopped tomatoes, then crumble in the stock cube and season. Simmer for about ten minutes, then serve.
SWAP: If you don’t have cannellini beans, swap them for canned chickpeas.
Prawns and Peas in Tarragon Sauce
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THIS is a lovely summery dish with light flavours. Buying produce such as asparagus in season is something I always look forward to. And combining it with frozen peas will help you reduce your overall waste. Simply grab a handful from the bag then stick it back in the freezer.
YOU NEED (for one portion):
- Handful of fresh or frozen peeled prawns
- A few asparagus spears, roughly chopped
- Handful of frozen peas
- Big glug of single cream
- Pinch of dried or fresh tarragon
- Squeeze of lemon
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
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METHOD: Season the prawns with salt and pepper, then pan-fry them with the asparagus and peas in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat.
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After three to four minutes, once the peas have defrosted and the asparagus is cooked, add the cream and tarragon.
Simmer for another couple of minutes, then serve with a squeeze of lemon.
