You may not be serving your family delicious meals worthy of a Michelin star, but, as Kerridge says, there’s nothing wrong with any good old food. Here are Kerridge’s tips to remember before you hit the supermarket.
Save money when cooking by trying different cuts of your favorite proteins
Consider trying different cuts of your favorite protein. You may find that you actually prefer them! For example, chicken thighs are cheaper than breasts and have a more intense and rich flavor.
Make broccoli florets in homemade pesto
Kerridge suggests you cut down on waste by keeping track of your broccoli and making homemade pesto. Broccoli stems are often thrown away because people don’t realize they are edible. But why remove it? Just chop and mix the stems with nuts or seeds, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon and you’re good to go. Check out Kerridge’s recipe for homemade pesto here.
You decide when the food goes off – not the packaging
Kerridge says: “Always use by date, don’t throw away best-before date products – you can judge whether your food is OK to eat.”
Waitrose has actually better removed more than 500 fresh food products before dates to encourage customers to judge when their food is gone rather than the packaging.
Marija Rompani, director of sustainability at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We want our customers to use our judgment to decide whether a product is good to eat or not, which, in turn, will increase his chances of being eaten and not going to waste.”
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Get supermarket discounts early in the evening
Supermarkets often reduce items in the early evening or late afternoon to displace food that is set to expire that day or the next day. The products will usually be marked with yellow stickers and you can get good food for a much cheaper price.
Each supermarket will vary in when they start discounting food, but once you have a rough idea of when your supermarket does, you can plan your shop around that. Some supermarkets will have an aisle specifically for reduced food – so check your local.
We know it’s a delay and seems like it’s taking a lot more time than it’s worth, but Kerridge says it’s important to write a shopping list. This will stop you looking at all the other aisles in the supermarket and you’ll be less likely to be tempted to spend money on things you don’t really need.
Don’t over season your meals for freezing batches
Kerridge says: “If you’re freezing your meals in batches, make sure you don’t overdo it with salt and pepper, as these spices get stronger over time.”
So save the spices and salt for now – you can add them later when the meal is ready on your plate!
Save money when you cook by buying frozen fish
Fresh fish is about 35 percent more expensive than frozen, according to Kerridge, but has no added nutritional value. Go to the freezer aisle to get your fish and you’ll save money.
Make a list of any lost food
“It’s helpful to make a list each week of the best before dates of your perishables to avoid waste,” says Kerridge, “then make another list of your perishable foods at the end of the week so that to be able to reduce unnecessary quantities in the future.”
Check how much the product costs by weight
When buying any type of food, the secret to saving is to check how much the product costs by weight. In general, large single items will usually be better value than multipacks – but check before you buy. The weight price is usually printed on the product ticket below the product on the shelf.
Here’s our Summer Survival Guide, which we’ll be updating regularly with new articles and tips to make sure your kids have a fun summer without breaking the bank
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