A savvy father has revealed how he creates gourmet meals for just £1 per head with discounted and own-brand supermarket products – saving himself £346 a month. Param.
Craig, 34, from Dundee, Scotland, is a former chef, utilising his culinary skills and clever shopping habits to create delectable dishes for himself and his partner at a fraction of the cost.
‘Even though I left the industry and now have a corporate position in a different field, my passion for cooking has remained,’ he explained. ‘Now that I have a family, I am very keen to produce wholesome, fresh and nutritious food within the home and challenge the existing household budget.
‘I decided to draw on my experience as a chef and dusted off my personal notebook.’
One of his best items to date include an £11 leg of lamb reduced to 53p, which he paired with roasted parsnips (12p) and broccoli (38p).
Craig, 34, from Dundee, Scotland, has revealed how he creates gourmet meals for just £1 per head. Pictured, leg of lamb with broccoli and potatoes
The former chef utilises his culinary skills and clever shopping habits to create delectable dishes for himself and his partner at a fraction of the cost. Pictured, a dish made with reduced salmon
Some of Craig’s other top bargains include scallop and chorizo skewers (15p), a pork shoulder joint (41p) and smoked haddock (20p), as well as a whole chicken for 89p.
The picture of Craig’s mouthwatering leg of lamb dish has racked up many appreciative comments from foodies online.
‘Amazing. I got a reduced chicken for 15p once – that’s my record,’ wrote one person, sharing their own bargain meal.
‘Wow,’ wrote another, while a further fan simply added ‘amazing’.
CRAIG’S FRIED CALAMARI RECIPE AND GUIDE
Calamari (3 portions):
500g squid (37p)
400g Plain flour (21p)
200ml milk (8p)
20g Kerala Chinese salt and chilli pepper seasoning (0.08p) – fantastic Home Bargains discovery that tastes just as good as any other for a fraction of the cost)
Total cost (four portions): 75p
Total cost per portion: 25p
Remove the head from the body by pulling and slightly twisting the top of the body tube and the head until the head (including the innards) come out from the body tube.
Remove the tentacles from the head (ensuring all bony pieces and cartilage have been removed), cut the tentacles into desired size (I opted to split in half to ensure they were evenly sized with the body tube rings to ensure they cooked at the same rate) and discard the head piece and bone/cartilage (found in the centre of the tentacles).
For the body tube, firstly remove the clear quill by gently twisting and pulling and discard once free. Remove any remaining pieces of skin by peeling from the tube and separate the wings from the tube. Note, I opted not to use the wings for this recipe but kept them for another dish. Under cold water, wash any remaining innards from the tube and cut into rings once cleaned.
Craig uses discounted and own-brand supermarket products – saving himself £346 a month. Pictured, dish made with reduced squid
Chef tip, to tenderise the squid and prevent chewiness, marinade in either lemon juice for half an hour before cooking or leave soaking in milk overnight.
Heat vegetable oil in a wok, enough that the calamari will be immersed when dropped in the oil.
Mix the flour and seasoning into a bowl and then divide the mixture into two smaller bowls and place the milk into a third bowl. For the coating, dip the squid into the flour mix, milk and then into the other flour mix to ensure the meat is thoroughly coated and place onto a plate until the remaining pieces have been coated.
Chef tip, similar to the pane process (coating food in breadcrumbs) try to keep your hands dedicated to a particular element of the process as this will reduce the likelihood of mess. For example, keep one hand for the wet steps (picking up and removing the squid from the milk) and the other for the dry stages (dredging the calamari in the flour mix by tipping the bowl until pieces are coated). Note, ensure any excess is removed from each stage and if you want an even crispier coating, repeat the milk to flour mix step.
Once the calamari is coated and the oil is at the correct temperature (see the vegetable pakora recipe for additional temperature guidance), place 6-8 pieces in the oil at a time and cook for 2-3 minutes (rotating at the halfway point if required) or until golden.
Carefully remove the squid from the oil with a slotted spoon and place onto kitchen paper to drain the excess oil and repeat the process for the remaining pieces.
Season with additional Kerala seasoning or salt as desired and serve with your favourite chilli tomato sauce or garlic mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Craig does his main food shop at Morrisons and uses store Home Bargains to nab cheaper branded goods. Pictured, beetroot pasta
Craig rustled up this mouth-watering lemon cheesecake which he made with wonky lemons (pictured)
One of Craig’s gourmet dishes – bangers and mash made using wonky potatoes, onions and carrots
Craig combines his money-friendly ingredients with his cooking expertise to produce his fantastic meals. Pictured, a dish made with reduced haddock
Another person commented: ‘If only more people understood how well they could eat for less at home.’
As for where he finds the best bargains, Craig does his main food shop at Morrisons and uses store Home Bargains to nab cheaper branded goods.
‘I look for reduced items, particularly those that can be frozen or those that are still good past the sell-by date,’ he said.
‘My family and I also use Morrisons own products in favour of branded goods, and heavily utilise their Wonky Fruit and Veg range, as we find this saves money but does not in any way compromise on quality.
Craig looks for reduced items, particularly those that can be frozen or those that are still good past the sell-by date. Pictured, left ham hoc and right, leg of lamb
Craig says he heavily utilises the Wonky Fruit and Veg range in Morrisons (pictured)
Shopping in the wonky fruit and vegetable range saves Craig money without compromising on quality (pictured)
Panacotta made with wonky rhubarb – one of Craig’s top hacks for cutting back on shppping costs
Some of Craig’s top bargains include scallop and chorizo skewers (15p), a pork shoulder joint (41p) and smoked haddock (20p). Pictured, the reduced pork
Craig aims to keep his average weekly household budget for a family-of-three at around £60. Pictured, a dish made with reduced tuna
Among Craig’s bargains include a chicken joint which was reduced from £3.50 to 18p (pictured)
‘I have found that other than ensuring you have the basics and getting a good range of food groups, it’s important to shop without any preconceived menu ideas – as this way you are open to any bargains on offer and will create your meals around them.’
Craig combines his money-friendly ingredients with his cooking expertise to produce his fantastic meals – and regularly shares photos of on his Instagram page (@enchantedlarder)
‘I have been delighted to make all of my recipes for under £1 per head,’ he said. ‘I aim to keep our average weekly household budget for a family of three at around £60; this includes food and all household items such as toiletries, cleaning products, etc.
‘Prior to our focus on shopping in an economic way, we were spending around £100 a week for two adults, as well as eating out on top of that at an additional £30-£40 per week. So the savings are significant.’
The total savings over a year amounts to approximately £346 a month.
With their current monthly savings, Craig and his partner are looking forward to putting their money to good use.
‘Like many people in the current difficult times, we are living in due to Covid, we are looking to our home and the improvements we would like to make,’ he explained.
‘We also have a new baby due to arrive in the summer so the additional savings will be well used in the preparation, particularly decorating the nursery.’
Craig also developed his own website during the first national lockdown, as a way of passing on his valuable knowledge to others.
Craig has bought haddock reduced from £4.00 to 20p (left) and £3.00 lemon and herb salmon which for 15p
Craig combines his money-friendly ingredients with his cooking expertise to produce his fantastic meal. Pictured, a dish made with reduced-priced scallops
Craig also made his website for those who were missing the social interactions such as restaurants. Pictured, a dish made with bargain chicken
Pictured, one of the former chef’s impressive cut price meals: A jaw-dropping pasta dish
‘I started the website shortly after the first national lockdown when my focus was very much on my family and I wanted to share my knowledge to help other people who may have started to experience money worries,’ he said.
‘Also, for those who were missing the social interactions such as restaurant dining – many of our dishes replicate fine dining in the home, as well as sweet treats and desserts to lift the spirit in challenging times.
‘It also became very relevant when panic-buying was an issue, where we were seeing images of empty shelves versus all the food that was subsequently wasted.’
For those keen to cut their food bill down, Craig recommends not being afraid to try something new.
‘In our supermarket trips, we have identified that fish is the item most commonly found to be reduced and with the wide range available haddock, tuna, shellfish, salmon and many different dishes can be created,’ he explained.
‘Even without yellow sticker items, however, our hope is that if people follow the food cost and waste reduction tips on the website (i.e. utilising less popular cuts of meat, effective inventory controls), they are able to reduce their shopping bills.’
£1.41 tuna loin and £1.95 king scallops are among the bargains Craig has found in his local supermarket
Craig has bought a £3.55 whole chicken for the reduced price of 89p after searching for the yellow sticky labels