When Mitch Lane downloaded TikTok in 2020 and started posting £5 meals on his account MealsByMitch, he never could have guessed that he’d have over a million followers just two years later. “I noticed everything shooting up in price. You've got people choosing whether to stick a tenner's worth of electric on the meter or a tenner of petrol in the car. I thought, you know what, let’s try and save some money on the food side of things.”
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Ideas for everyday living
How I saved money making meals for a fiver
Pick meals that overlap
Think of meals where you’ve got loads of crossover staple ingredients, like with a chicken curry and a chilli con carne – both use onions, garlic and similar seasonings. Or a veggie lasagne and a meat-free shepherd’s pie – you can pick up lentils, courgettes and peppers to use in both. For vegans, tofu and nuts are a great combo – a packet of each will see you through stir-fries, salads and more.
Be smart with how you cook
Slow cookers, microwaves and air fryers are more power-efficient than ovens and hobs. You could stick a large pork shoulder in the slow cooker and end up with enough pulled pork for 20 people, so you’re onto a winner.
Your shopping list
You’ll have enough rice, stock and peas left over to make another batch!
- 300g rice
- 1 pack of frozen peas
- 1 pack of chorizo slices
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 red onion
- 1 garlic bulb
- 30g packet of paella seasoning mix
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 lemon (optional)
Average cost: £5–£7
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Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.
Step 2
Chop up the chorizo slices, add to a medium pan on a medium heat and stir for two minutes.
Step 3
Add the chopped red onion and pepper and fry for two more minutes.
Step 4
Add six diced cloves of garlic, the rice and the packet of paella seasoning mix and stir for one minute.
Step 5
Make up 630ml of chicken stock, add to the pan and pop on the lid to simmer on a very low heat for 10 minutes.
Step 6
Add a couple of large handfuls of the frozen peas. Turn the heat off, cover the pan with tin foil and put the lid on top to let the paella steam for 15 minutes.
Step 7
Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste and serve up!
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Sources: Kantar MealsByMitch
Photo credit: Marni V Photography
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This content is for information purposes only and shouldn’t be regarded as financial advice. While we’ve taken every effort to make sure this information is as accurate as possible, it has not been independently verified.