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Old 22-02-2012, 11:11
muteprint
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Hi.

It is my turn to cook dinner for myself, my dad and my brother, who both have big appitites and love meat.

Trouble is, I only have around £5 to buy all the ingredients to make the dinner. Anybody have any suggestions on any cheap, hearty recipies?

Thanks
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Old 22-02-2012, 11:13
c4rv
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spag bol ?
Shepherds pie ?
Chilli ?


basically mince beef is going to be the cheapest meat you can get. Bulk out with veggies and starch like potatoes, pasta, rice.
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Old 22-02-2012, 11:16
burton07
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I'd go for Cottage Pie (that's with beef, Shepherds pie is with lamb). Put diced carrots in and peas and you won't need to serve with any other veg.
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Old 22-02-2012, 11:23
Thrasymachus
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Beans on Toast
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Old 22-02-2012, 11:27
mirabella
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Lamb's liver will cost you about £1 for three of you. It's delicious with lashings of onion gravy, mash and veg. Or, if you don't like liver sausage casserole with dumplings is cheap and filling. You can put plenty of veg in with your sausages to make the helpings bigger, and most people like dumplings.
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Old 22-02-2012, 11:40
MICH78
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I'd go for one of the mince meals already mentioned, but you could probably buy a pie or sausages with mash and peas or beans.
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Old 22-02-2012, 12:03
stud u like
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You could make a chicken and veg pie.
Fish and cauliflower puree with some potatoes.
Snert with some Sainsburys pork Hock and several tins of pease pudding and a tin of french onion soup.
Spiced tomatoes, rice and 4 eggs. All cooked in one pan.
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Old 22-02-2012, 12:13
podgicus
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I'd go for cottage pie too - bulking it out with diced carrot, peas, mushrooms. Only need a few potatoes for a thin topping. I can usually make 500g mince stretch over 4 sizeable portions.
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Old 22-02-2012, 12:20
SHAFT
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Spaghetti and homemade meatballs.
Corned beef cottage pie
Toad in the hole
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Old 22-02-2012, 13:19
ChoccyCarole
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A fabulous big pot of slow cooked meat stew / with stacks of potatoes/carrots celery and onion


or a big sausage veggy casserole with tinned tomatoes

or chicken stew ~with plenty of pasta or rice

a huge salad with tinned salmon/tuna
with salad cream abd lots of minty / boiled buttery potatoes

a shop bought family sized pre made lasagne
with side salad
and warmed crusty french bread sticks

Or make a big warmed baguette each ,
with egg and bacon filling
or another yummy meaty filling
and side serving of cherry tomatoes houmous and coleslaw
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Old 22-02-2012, 14:18
PhoenixRises
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I think most of these suggestions would go over the £5 mark. You have to consider the OP has to buy all the ingredients, and it is for three people (with healthy appetites) I would say it would be hard pushed to do most of these recipes.
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Old 22-02-2012, 14:22
bowland37
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Asda/Tesco Hot chilli cooking sauce
1 Lb frozen Beef/steak mince
Basmati Rice

Well under a fiver
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Old 22-02-2012, 14:34
podgicus
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I think most of these suggestions would go over the £5 mark. You have to consider the OP has to buy all the ingredients, and it is for three people (with healthy appetites) I would say it would be hard pushed to do most of these recipes.
Quick check on Asda website:

Cottage pie;

450g minced beef - £1.14
200g Carrots - 16p
300g tinned peas - 36p
250g mushrooms - 80p
2.5kg potatoes (more than enough) - £1.35
3 onions - 82p

total - £4.63

Of course, this assumes some basics are already in store cupboard - oil, flour, beef stock, butter. You'd be hard pressed to buy ALL the ingredients for any meal for less than a fiver to be fair.


Good luck OP - let us know how it goes
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Old 22-02-2012, 14:45
PhoenixRises
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Quick check on Asda website:

Cottage pie;

450g minced beef - £1.14
200g Carrots - 16p
300g tinned peas - 36p
250g mushrooms - 80p
2.5kg potatoes (more than enough) - £1.35
3 onions - 82p

total - £4.63

Of course, this assumes some basics are already in store cupboard - oil, flour, beef stock, butter. You'd be hard pressed to buy ALL the ingredients for any meal for less than a fiver to be fair.


Good luck OP - let us know how it goes
That is great but I am unsure 450g of mince would do it for three big eaters though, but apart from that, I also would have used fresh rather than tinned carrots as tinned leaves a funny taste in my mouth, but that would work for others.

Also I can't seem to find the mince for that price? Is it frozen? The cheapest I found for the 500g mark was £1.50 for the smart price ones, and I have tried that and it wasn't that tasty if I was honest.
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Old 22-02-2012, 15:03
mirabella
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We have 200g of mince between two for shepherds pie and it's plenty, with lots of veg as well. We buy cheap mince, and if you flash fry it first then use plenty of seasoning it's well tasty.
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Old 22-02-2012, 15:03
podgicus
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That is great but I am unsure 450g of mince would do it for three big eaters though, but apart from that, I also would have used fresh rather than tinned carrots as tinned leaves a funny taste in my mouth, but that would work for others.

Also I can't seem to find the mince for that price? Is it frozen? The cheapest I found for the 500g mark was £1.50 for the smart price ones, and I have tried that and it wasn't that tasty if I was honest.
450g makes enough for me and my OH for 2 meals (so 4 portions in all) and we are fairly big eaters. Admittedly it's frozen mince, but if you're on a tight budget it's better than nowt, and there's not always much difference. Fresh carrots (I agree, tinned carrots are a bit icky), mushrooms and tinned peas bulk out the mince.

At the end of the day, if all you've got is a fiver, then you're not going to get luxury organic free range fresh food. You'll have to make do with frozen smartprice mince, tinned peas etc. Just the way it is.
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Old 22-02-2012, 15:24
PhoenixRises
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450g makes enough for me and my OH for 2 meals (so 4 portions in all) and we are fairly big eaters. Admittedly it's frozen mince, but if you're on a tight budget it's better than nowt, and there's not always much difference. Fresh carrots (I agree, tinned carrots are a bit icky), mushrooms and tinned peas bulk out the mince.

At the end of the day, if all you've got is a fiver, then you're not going to get luxury organic free range fresh food. You'll have to make do with frozen smartprice mince, tinned peas etc. Just the way it is.
I know I need to get my head into budget gear. I would say my mum makes cottage pie for my Dad and I, she uses 500g between the two of us, and it does a nice amount. So it all depends what you say by big eater I guess And before you say it no I am not fat in fact I am a normal weight according to the doc

Well I am off to find a website for Budget dining I really don't like frozen mince, but for fear of being called a food snob I am refraining from saying what I think. I think my last post skirted to close to being food snob territory

First Google - i don't know if the price is valid because costs rise all the time and these are not quite recent.
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Old 22-02-2012, 15:48
gemma-the-husky
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toad in the hole

sausages, pancake batter, potatoes, veg.
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Old 22-02-2012, 16:17
podgicus
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I know I need to get my head into budget gear. I would say my mum makes cottage pie for my Dad and I, she uses 500g between the two of us, and it does a nice amount. So it all depends what you say by big eater I guess And before you say it no I am not fat in fact I am a normal weight according to the doc
I suppose it does, however I've always found that by bulking out the mince it goes a lot further. Also included in that fiver was more potato than I'd use, so you could always have a really thick layer of potato to bulk up the portions too.

Well I am off to find a website for Budget dining I really don't like frozen mince, but for fear of being called a food snob I am refraining from saying what I think. I think my last post skirted to close to being food snob territory

First Google - i don't know if the price is valid because costs rise all the time and these are not quite recent.
Sainsbury's do a good range of recipe cards for meals under a fiver, although again a lot of it is basics range staples (pasta, veg etc).

Or, for longer-term budgeting, making up a large quantity of meals and freezing individual portions work well too
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Old 22-02-2012, 16:32
callmediva
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Spaghetti and homemade meatballs.
Corned beef cottage pie
Toad in the hole
yup, that'd be my suggestion.

Meatballs, slam them in the oven to cook, then in a pan do a chopped onion, pepper, tin of tomatoes, beef stock and mushrooms, just to fill it out a bit. A pan of pasta, and you're done. It'll cost you way less than a fiver
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Old 22-02-2012, 16:43
rgflynn
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Egg Sausage & Peas Pudding. pure flatulence fodder.
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Old 22-02-2012, 16:47
burton07
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Today Tesco had 500 grms mince for £2.40 and they had a price list on the shelf to make chilli for under £5.00
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Old 22-02-2012, 16:55
PhoenixRises
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Today Tesco had 500 grms mince for £2.40 and they had a price list on the shelf to make chilli for under £5.00
Was this with a jar of chilli sauce? I am just curious as it would mean £2.60 to get all the other ingredients and it would be nice to see what they suggest
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Old 22-02-2012, 17:00
Hobbit Feet
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M&S

Steak or chicken pie
Veg
Mash

£5 for all 3
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Old 22-02-2012, 17:02
bowland37
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Was this with a jar of chilli sauce? I am just curious as it would mean £2.60 to get all the other ingredients and it would be nice to see what they suggest
The jars normally have everything in them including the beans. You just add mince, although I normally add a tin of chilli beans and a heaped teaspoon of chilli powder. the Tesco hot chilli jar is about £1.20 and with 1lb of mince should make about 6 good portions. I normally have it with a small cup of Basmati rice per person.
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