Tinned and frozen produce can be cheaper and healthier than fresh fruit and veg (Image: Getty)
With and both and rents set to rise this year Brits are being reminded of simple food swaps that can £200 a month or over £1,200 a year.
Amy Knight, personal finance expert at NerdWallet UK, food expert Nick Drewer and money saving expert Andrew Gosselin have shared their 10 simple food swaps with Daily Express readers. These tips could bring down the average food bill by over £1,000 a year.
1. Choose mixed-weight eggs – save £96 a year
Knight said choose a box of mixed-weight eggs rather than a dozen ‘medium’ or ‘large’ to benefit from savings. Asda’s 15 pack of mixed-weight eggs work out at 18 pence each, whereas 12 medium cost 22 pence each and 12 large cost 26 pence each. This can save the average household £96 a year, or more if you do a lot of baking.
2. Grate your own cheese – save £40 a year
Grated cheese is a ‘guilty pleasure’ explained Knight but it comes with a high price tag. Knight said many Brits choose it to top meals like pasta bakes and jacket potatoes. She pointed out a packet of grated Cheddar cheese by popular brand Cathedral City costs as much as £1.39 per 100g. “In comparison, a 350 gram block costs as little as 71 pence per 100g, close to half the price of the pre-grated product.”
Food expert Nick Drewe claims swapping grated for block cheese could save the average household £40 a year.
Knight added: “Investing in a sturdy grater will make the task more fun and less monotonous and is a great kitchen chore to give to kids. For people with reduced mobility or dexterity, for example, due to arthritis, tools that have been specifically adapted can make grating easier, delaying the need to purchase pre-grated cheese.”
3. Mix some lentils or beans into your mince – save £105 a year
Knight said beans or lentils were a great way to bulk out a traditional meaty meal for less. “For example, a 1kg pack of minced beef currently costs £7.56 at Asda. Swap this for a 500g pack for £3.86 and use dried brown lentils (£1.50 for a 500g bag) to make up the difference.”
“If you don’t have time to soak and cook the lentils, a couple of tins – priced between 49p and 75p – will speed up your meal, which will be lower in fat as a result of using less meat.” You could also use beans or other legumes like chick peas.
4. Buy whole cuts of ham – save £50
“Slices of ham are handy for sandwiches, but remember you’re packing for the packaging as well as the product. “Tesco’s 750g unsmoked gammon joint costs £4.75, compared with a 120g pack of lean ham containing just 4 slices for £2. You can cook a gammon joint in an air fryer in under an hour, serving four to six people with leftovers for lunches.
When it comes to meat, a strategic approach is to buy cheaper cuts or explore more plant-based meals. Replacing two meat-heavy dinners a week with vegetarian alternatives such as lentil curries or bean burritos can save between £2 and £5 each time, adding up to well over £200 a year.
5. Swap chicken breasts for thighs
Chicken breasts are a Brit food staple, but other cuts of chicken can be much more cost-effective. Two 400g packs of diced chicken breast at Aldi will cost you £5.98, working out at 75 pence per 100g, buying a 900g pack of thighs for £4.99 instead means you’ll save a pound and have more than double the meat, working out at 55 pence per 100g.”
6. Make your own porridge – £300 saving if you eat porridge most days
Knight said: “Porridge is a comforting breakfast when it’s cold, and individual pots are handy if you eat breakfast at your desk.”
However, they don’t represent good value compared with measuring out a portion of oats and making it yourself. At Tesco, a 45g pot of Quaker’s original Oat So Simple costs £1.30 each, or slightly less if you take up a multibuy Clubcard offer, but a kilogram bag of oats from Tesco or Aldi works out at 9 pence per 100g, just 4p for a 45g portion.” This could save you £300 a year if you eat porridge at work every weekday.
Don’t miss… [REPORT] [ADVICE]
7. Fill up your freezer – save £75 a year
Making a point of buying frozen vegetables instead of fresh that often goes off can drastically cut down waste and cost, with family packs of frozen mixed veggies sometimes costing as little as £1 for a large bag; swapping two or three fresh veg purchases a week could mean a saving of at least £75 a year, depending on how often fresh produce ends up in the bin.
Knight said: “Making the most of your freezer can help to reduce the chance that your food (and money) will go to waste. Just remember to defrost the appliance when needed to keep it working optimally and audit the contents regularly to ensure you’re not wasting electricity keeping food frozen that you’re never going to use.”
Sheeran added: “Some people steer clear of tinned and frozen produce because they believe it is processed and unhealthy, but this isn’t the case. Certain vegetables and fruits, like peas, onions, spinach, and herbs, retain more nutrients if they’re frozen. Likewise, so does food in cans. Some studies suggest frozen and tinned food is as much as 30% cheaper, so switching can also help keep bills down.
8. Switch your bread – save £78 a year
Money saving expert Andrew Gosselin said one of the easiest food swaps was switching from a premium branded loaf of bread, priced around £1.60, to a store’s own brand at about 80p. He said :”Buying two loaves a week means a weekly saving of £1.60, adding up to £83.20 a year. Another simple change is opting for own-brand cereal instead of the big-name variety. The typical cost can go down from £2.50 a box to about £1, meaning if a household goes through one box a week, that is £78 saved annually.”
9. Tap water instead of bottled – save £300 a year
Gosselin said investing in a reusable water bottle and switching from bottled water to tap water can easily save £1 or £2 a day if you tend to buy it on the go, leading to annual savings that could exceed £300.
10. Go own brand – £40 a year
Choosing supermarket own-brand versions of dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt can lead to another £50 or more in annual savings, claime Gosselin. “Replacing brand-name sauces and condiments with budget-friendly equivalents can shave off another £1 or so each shopping trip, easily adding up to about £40 or more by the end of the year. Frozen fish fillets can be significantly cheaper than fresh fish, saving around £2 per pack; that can accumulate to over £100 a year if fish is part of a typical weekly menu.”
If you are still struggling to bring the cost of your food shop down and time is not on your side Knight also ecommends using websites like ooder.co.uk and trolley.co.uk to check the price of groceries before you head to the supermarket.
Do you have any clever food swaps or money-saving tips get in touch at [email protected]