• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Press
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Cost of living crisis: three gourmet dinner party recipes that serve 4, for around £2.50

May 6, 2022 7 Comments Filed Under: Budget recipes, Food, Pasta, Pescetarian, Politics, Recipes, Shopping

gourmet budget meals pic Kerstin RodgersI’ve been poor. I was a single mum on benefits for a decade. I’m now an older single woman with a low income and still many years to wait until the basic state pension of £9k a year. Heating or eating? Since January this year I haven’t had the heating on as I simply cannot afford it.

This isn’t healthy; I found I become listless, inactive and unproductive. Eventually the cold gets into your bones and it’s harder to warm up. This winter I went to bed early every night, at 6pm to save on heating. Heating was a treat when visitors came on a Sunday.

Anybody on fixed or low incomes will suffer, especially from this autumn when energy prices will go up even further: that’s when the pain starts. Being single is a tax in itself: gas and electricity bills aren’t lower if you live alone. That’s why the government used to give Lone Parent benefit, in recognition of the particular costs of living alone with no extra income, until Tony Blair stopped it within three months of being elected. I was very involved with the fight against this injustice: ferrying lone parents to parliament and select committees, protesting outside, even taking my two-year old toddler (now political lobby journalist Sienna Rodgers) who sat quietly in the strangers’ gallery watching the debate.

“Shame on you” I called to so-called left-wing MPs who voted for this. I visited the surgery of Glenda Jackson, then MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, as part of a group of single parents. I argued with her that helping single parents was not encouraging it, using statistics to show that only 6% of single parents were teenagers and most were divorcees.  Jackson was furious: she wasn’t expecting articulate, educated, single parents with facts at their fingertips. She bellowed at me in her full Shakespearean theatrical voice which almost blew me across the office such was the intensity (and I’d been a fan of hers). She complained to the community centre which hosted the surgery and the single parent group that it was harbouring political activists.

I’m angry once again. One of the reasons I became a chef was because the only thing I could afford to do as a single parent was cook from scratch. I couldn’t go out, go on holiday, buy new clothes, go to the hairdresser but I could make nice food.

Now cooking has become more complicated: it’s not just the price of the ingredients but we must contend with but also the expense of heating them up. To cook on a gas oven for an hour (2 kWh) costs 34p while an electric oven costs .65p an hour, both including the daily standing charge. Poorer people are less likely to have energy efficient ovens and fridges. The cheapest way to cook is in a microwave or on a hob. To run your fridge costs between £5 and £10 a month and this will rise.

Is the government saying: not only can you not afford to have the heating on but you must eat cold food?

This murderous policy will lead to deaths. Energy companies should not be profiting from this. Certain industries should not be private.

I went to Lidl to do my shopping for this piece which like Aldi, is one of the cheaper supermarkets. Being poor is hard work, you have to shop carefully and creatively, do your research and stay alert for bargains. It’s not just a matter of grabbing a trolley, driving to one of the big five supermarkets and tossing in whatever you feel like eating. Throughout my career as a food writer I’ve recommended cooking from scratch: choosing, for instance, dried, soaked beans which taste better than tinned beans. But when it takes several hours to cook even soaked beans, tinned is a better choice energy and cost-wise.

These recipes assume a few basics: that you have salt and some spices. (It’s cheapest to buy spices from Asian stores.) The cheapest fat is lard, butter is now very expensive and margarine is not good for your health. The cheapest oil is vegetable oil although you can buy a litre of extra virgin olive oil for £1.99 at Lidl. (The English version of olive oil is rapeseed oil, grown in the UK. ) But it’s virtually impossible to eat really good quality fresh food on a fixed income such as the basic pension or on benefits.

You can buy a massive jar of spaghetti hoops for a quid which is fine for the odd quick meal but not enough nourishment for a child’s diet on a permanent basis.

Speaking to my upstairs neighbour, a single parent on benefits, when she’s really broke she buys a £1 frozen lasagne from Iceland. She feels she cannot afford to cook from scratch.

Protein is the most expensive food: the cheapest is beans or eggs. You save money by going vegetarian. It’s better to eat good quality meat or fish rarely.

So here are three ‘gourmet’ recipes, that you could serve at a dinner party for approximately £2.50 for four people. Because one of the worst things about being poor is the shame. It’s a basic human need to entertain, to be hospitable, to be able to share.

mussels with linguine budget recipe Pic: Kerstin Rodgers

Print

Garlicky mussels with pasta

Use a large pan for this so you can cook the pasta and the mussels at the same time. Top tip for energy saving: keep lids on your pans.
Course Main Course
Cuisine French, Italian
Keyword Gourmet budget recipes, Moules Marinieres linguine, Pescetarian breakfast, Recipes for under £2.50p
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • Packet moules marinères mussels from Lidl (1.59)
  • 500 g bronze- die linguine pasta from Lidl (55p)
  • 3 tbsp olive oil (9p)
  • 1 tbsp salt

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
  • Cook the pasta in the pot along with the bag of mussels for ten minutes.
  • Remove the bag, drain the pasta, and mix the two together.
  • Dress with olive oil and serve hot.

shakshouka budget recipe pic:Kerstin Rodgers

Print

Shakshouka

Course Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Arabic, Israeli, Middle Eastern
Keyword Breakfast recipes, Gourmet budget recipes, Shakshouka

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil (9p)
  • 1 brown onion, chopped (21p)
  • 1 red pepper, chopped (31p)
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped (5p)
  • 1 x 400 g tin of tomatoes, chopped (28p)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • a pinch of cumin (5p)
  • a pinch of sweet smoked paprika (5p)
  • 4 eggs (56p)
  • 1 tiger loaf (75p), cut into thick slices

Instructions

  • Heat up the oil, then soften the onions until golden, adding the red pepper at the same time.
  • Add the garlic, tomatoes, salt, cumin and paprika. Half-fill the tomato tin with water and add. Simmer for around 20 minutes.
  • Crack the eggs into the sauce, put the lid on and poach for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Eat hot with the crusty bread.
gourmet budget-basa filet with rocket pesto and pommes à la vapeur with mint pic- Kerstin Rodgers-msmarmitelover - 3
gourmet budget-basa filet with rocket pesto and pommes à la vapeur with mint pic- Kerstin Rodgers-msmarmitelover - 6
Print

Barr filets with rocket pesto and pommes à la vapeur

This is probably the cheapest fish around right now.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine French
Keyword Gourmet budget recipes
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 500 g white potatoes, cut in quarters, microwaved or steamed (16p)
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 3 tbsp Olive oil (9p)
  • sprigs mint, from a garden (free)
  • packet rocket (Lidl 35p)
  • 1 clove garlic (3p)
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (2p) for frying.
  • packet 2 frozen salt and pepper Basa filets, cut in 4 lengthways, (Lidl 1.99)

Instructions

  • Microwave/steam or boil the potatoes with the salt until tender. Drain then toss with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and the fresh mint.
  • Pound or blend the rocket with the garlic, 2 tbsps olive oil and salt.
  • Using a frying pan, add the vegetable oil and gently fry the fillets until golden.
  • Garnish the potatoes with more fresh mint. Drizzle the fish fillets with the 'pesto'. Serve hot.

Recent posts

Dr Saira Hameed pic:Kerstin Rodgers

The Full Diet: interview with obesity expert Dr Saira Hameed

July 5, 2022

Hostile environment training. Me in front with our kidnappers.

Hostile Environment Training

July 1, 2022

Air Fryer recipe: aubergine sticks with yoghurt, tahini sauce

June 20, 2022

Previous Post: « Dry stone walling in the Cotswolds at Easter
Next Post: Two delicious budget recipes for the cost of living crisis »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. James

    May 6, 2022 at 10:40 pm

    I’m a fan of Asda between 5 & 7:30p.m. when the reduced section gets reduced to rock bottom – veg for 10p. Picked up 4 massive blocks of paneer yesterday – 20p each. Slow cooker is much more efficient than the hob – similar or less than the old fashioned light bulb.

    Reply
    • James

      May 6, 2022 at 10:43 pm

      Or Morrison’s at 3pm on a Sunday when they reduce everything to rock bottom before closing at 4.

      Reply
      • msmarmitelover

        May 7, 2022 at 2:36 pm

        I’ve seen the crowds waiting at Tesco for the mark down trolley to come out at about 6pm. I feel it’s rather shameful for us as one of the richest countries in the world that we have mums waiting with their kids doing a supermarket trolley dash and fighting off others to get cheap food.

        Reply
    • msmarmitelover

      May 7, 2022 at 2:35 pm

      You do have to be a hunter forager when it comes to shopping and be flexible but this requires knowledge of cooking, energy and time!

      Great tip about the slow cooker.

      Reply
  2. Joan Yeadon

    May 9, 2022 at 9:29 am

    We met at a wild food ID walk at Paddington Cemetery in April 2017. There are a lot of fresh saladings and vegetables to be harvested from the hedgerows at this time of year.

    Reply
  3. Di Murrell

    May 9, 2022 at 9:44 am

    Well done MarmiteLover for fighting back and doing something practical to help more and more of us about to slide into the poverty trap. Surely there’s a cook book here? Cheap healthy meals that take into account the energy costs too.

    Reply
  4. Karen Duffy

    May 10, 2022 at 8:26 pm

    You are really amazing! Thank you for this. Advice that is not only practical but is about delicious food that does not need to be expensive.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Joan Yeadon Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
On a very steep street in siena, Tuscany. They’v On a very steep street in siena, Tuscany. They’ve had to be creative with the table legs. We went to the Palio horse race in the shell-shaped piazza where the passion & downright enmity of the different contrada or districts, each represented by an animal or mascot, was on display. The riders go bareback. It’s the horse that wins not the jockey. A riderless horse can win. There are many false starts, a massive explosion going boom in the square each time which led kids to cry. We waited for hours in the cheap seats- the burnt ochre brickwork of the centre. While tourists at windows paid 600 euros for the privilege. I loved the singing, like football chants but operatic- lots of finger pointing at each other. After I went to a contrada dinner on the streets of Siena, a rare opportunity. For 35 euros you attend the largest ‘supper club’ ever- 800 people, 4 courses, generous helpings of chianti. The servers are local teenagers. I wore my ‘Oca’ or goose scarf around my shoulders, looking like a girl guide. A bucket list item ticked off. I only wish my daughter @siennamarla was with me. #travel #food #italy #chiantishire #siena #palio #supperclub #oca #contrada
Looking at vegetables in Italy. Photo by @loredana Looking at vegetables in Italy. Photo by @loredanaparisi72
My piece in the @hamandhigh about the 3 day @heat My piece in the @hamandhigh about the  3 day @heathostile training course. Incredibly interesting & challenging. Link: https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/things-to-do/hostile-environment-training-9037980 to read more #hostileenvironmenttraining
Supper club dishes from Saturday: pickled beetroot Supper club dishes from Saturday: pickled beetroot eggs, cheeseboard, stracciatella & cucumber, tomato/strawberry/peashoot salad with real balsamic & spruce oil, home cured dill gravlax, smoked salmon, homemade sourdough crisp bread, potato salad with wild fennel & lots more! #supperclub #midsummer #eattherainbow (miss you @linnsoederstroem)
Last nights supper club. My first supper club in 2 Last nights supper club. My first supper club in 2 years was great fun. I’m pleased with my food, the guests were lovely, it looked magical in the garden. But the weather! I even had to bring my duvets from the bedroom out. They looked like refugees. But this brought even more laughter! Next event September
My first supperclub in two years will take place t My first supperclub in two years will take place this Saturday 18th June starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £50 byo you can book here: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsommar-supper-club there are still a few places left. Pescetarian menu. Scandi and botanical influences. #gettingbackonmyfeet #postpandemic #smallbusinesses #supperclub #london
I recently completed the 3 day @heathostile train I recently completed the 3 day  @heathostile training course. On the last day I was kidnapped by ex-special forces for a few hours & learnt how to deal with compliance training & a hostile environment. It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. 3 intense days of combat first aid, navigation & how to survive in a war zone. I handled short, long guns, mortars, grenades, bullets, and tourniquet & bandaged an amputee. I learnt where to sit in a car, where to hide from a bullet, where to protect myself if in a car. It was brilliant. Highly recommended for any journalists, photographers, cameramen, charity workers, paramedics going into any difficult environment say a disaster or war. The stories from the tutors & the other participants were so interesting. My piece on it out soon. Book a course: https://hostile-environment.co.uk/  They also do jungle & desert training. I’d love to join the Antarctic expedition. Anyway that’s me hooded in the front. #adventures #het #hostileenvironmenttraining #experiences #travel
Bundoran beach, Donegal. I spent a week knocking o Bundoran beach, Donegal. I spent a week knocking on doors, going to libraries, searching through graveyards for my Irish forebears. It’s really hard to find information prior to 1850. I found this in last years trip to Arbroath in Scotland. Headstones wear out, records are lost or burnt in a fire, everybody has the same name and are known by nicknames, successive children have the same first name, that usually means they died and the next one is called by the same thing. Women did have children out of wedlock, and people remarried more often than you’d think, plus families fall out & never see each other again. I learnt that my Irish great grandfather michael went to Glasgow & met a woman who came from a similar place: somewhere wild & beautiful by the sea. Then they and their children came to london. Chasing the work & the money always. Politics and economics matter for they push people around from rural to city. And now we rodgers are Londoners. #ireland #scotland #family #travel #roots
How some of us celebrate the Queen’s jubilee! My How some of us celebrate the Queen’s jubilee! My sister & a random Irishman come for the Rory Gallagher festival in ballyshannon. Sis has pulled already!  #getyourcoat #sexpistols #ballyshannon #rorygallagherfestival #ireland
Tullaghan, county Leitrim, Donegal, where my grea Tullaghan, county Leitrim, Donegal,  where my great great grandfather john Rodgers was a postman, then a tailor, then a pawnbroker. #irishheritage #donegal #myancestry #irish #rodgers #travel
I’ve taken down the previous post as it’s poor I’ve taken down the previous post as it’s poor timing considering what’s happened over the last 24 hours. Being British I’ve not grown up around guns. It’s interesting to be on this course and find out more about the reality of them, although my focus is learning the ‘golden triangle’ of first aid, communications and navigation. But at the same time It’s depressing how in America nothing will ever change regarding gun law. RIP.
Me as a punk. #pinkhair @caplanmelissa Me as a punk. #pinkhair @caplanmelissa
Sniffin’ glue: Me n @Jaybladesmbe at the Loctite Sniffin’ glue: Me n @Jaybladesmbe at the Loctite pop up yesterday. I’m all about repairing and upcycling my brocante finds: this time a beautiful pale wood lamp shade stand which had broken off at the bottom. I’m going to rewire it with 2 core sky blue twisted fabric wire, pop on my hand sewn pleated lampshade I learnt to do @workshopminerva and it shall be beautiful. Don’t chuck out your chintz: repair it! #therepairshop #selfie #interiors #popup
in June I’m having my first supper club in two y in June I’m having my first supper club in two years: here is the link to book: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsommar-supper-club £50 18th June  Saturday night. Byo.
#chelseaflower coming up. Last year I bought these succulents and planted them in a vintage zinc garden sieve. Now they are flowering. My balcony is like a little greenhouse: I can grow aubergines & other plants that usually need to be under glass. #londongarden #may #plants #succulents in the garden
Lemon drizzle cake. The trick is not to stint on t Lemon drizzle cake. The trick is not to stint on the citrus. I used 7: 2 Italian lemons (from Lidl):some ordinary lemons and some limes (18p) at Lidl. Don’t be afraid to mix and match your citrus. I also used buttermilk from @fenfarmdairy in Suffolk from their honesty shop. Last night we ate it still warm from the oven. #cake #lemondrizzle #homebaking #citrus #buttermilk
A Simple tomato, goats cheese and basil salad, spa A Simple tomato, goats cheese and basil salad, spanking fresh asparagus / fried in olive oil, season, then add a little boiling water, not too much, put on the lid, dressed with lemon zest & Parmesan, @fenfarmdairy baron bigod cheese, good bread. This is how I like to eat. Claire’s plates found at the beccles brocante. #suffolk #suffolkfood #supper #dinnerwithfriends  #vintageplates
Can’t wait to see what they will be like when th Can’t wait to see what they will be like when they are fired. All my favourite themes: gingham and scallops. Thanks to @clairebelljar for a wonderful weekend and pottery workshop. Such fun! #workingwithyourhands #playtime #creativity #ceramics #pottery #suffolk
Making plates with talented potter & old South Ham Making plates with talented potter & old South Hampstead girl @clairebelljar in Suffolk. She has the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen. Such a joy to be reunited with her. #friendsreunited #makers #potters #scalloped #wildflowers #cowparsley #pottery
Another budget gourmet recipe, the Sicilian capona Another budget gourmet recipe, the Sicilian caponata, which is like a more interesting ratatouille, in which you add capers, olives & vinegar. £2.50p. I was asked to develop a series of recipes which were delicious enough to serve at a dinner party but also cheap. I shopped at Lidl. #costoflivingcrisis #budgetgourmet #recipe #vegetarian #vegan #lidluk
Mackerel pâté, a recipe that cost under £2.50. Mackerel pâté, a recipe that cost under £2.50. Lemon & herb smoked mackerel fillets from @lidl (take off skin)3 big scoops creme fraiche from Lidl and juice of half a lemon. Blend. Plenty of black pepper. Serve with bread. #budgetgourmet #costoflivingcrisis #eatorheat
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2022 msmarmitelover