Updated March 2024
We have all found that food prices have rocketed over the past couple of years along with fuel prices and utility bills. People on low incomes have been affected the most but we have all been affected negatively by these price increases.
The world appears to be controlled by a small minority of greedy and corrupt individuals who blame the Ukraine war and Covid etc but the reality is pure greed. Food distributors control the flow of food and create artificial shortages to allow them to bump up the prices and profits. Coupled with this is farmers are now fighting against the situation where “supermarkets” dictate the price that farmers sell their produce.
Dairy and Eggs are the most affected and we are seeing shortages on the supermarket shelves. Our farmers need to be suitably rewarded for their hard work, they can’t afford to absorb the high costs of utility bills and transport costs so consumers will have to pay more for produce. In an ideal world we would cut out the middle men and buy direct from farmers but that isn’t usually an option.
There isn’t much we can do about the fuel prices and utility bills other than use less but we can do a lot to make sure we all have nutritious meals that fill the belly. When I was born, food rationing had just come to the end (in the UK) so I wasn’t really aware of it. As a youngster, I had 6 siblings so mum (and dad) had to feed 9 of of us. I don’t remember ever going hungry but do remember having plenty of spuds (potatoes) and bread and stews which were more vegetable than meat. With regards to “meat”, we had plenty of offal (liver, udder, tripe etc), pigs trotters, hock and shoulder of pork. We had mutton (not lamb) neck and shoulder. With beef we had oxtail, shin, ladder staves and brisket. We also had wood pigeon and rabbit when available. Chicken and poultry wasn’t low cost back then so it wasn’t something we had on a regular basis.
With regards to vegetables, spuds were always aplenty along with carrots, turnip, suede and onions. Peas, cabbage and sprouts along with marrow were usually on the menu.
Mum, bless her, was always cooking or cleaning. She might not have been the best cook in the world but we never went hungry. Homemade bread, rice puddings, bread and butter pudding, I miss mum and her awesome apple pies and cakes.
Back in those days our only offerings for a “takeaway” was the local “Chippy” (Fish and Chip Shop) and it offered a low cost alternative to cooking at home and was seen by a lot of people as having a good nutrious meal that filled the belly. Battered fish (Cod or Haddock) along with Chips (deep fried potato battens) along with “mushy peas” or a “fish slice” (potato slices with a sandwich of fish and battered) along with mushy peas. The fat used for the frying was beef dripping and the taste was awesome, plenty of salt and vinegar along with a bottle of ginger beer. It was a feast that was nourishing and filled the belly but these days it isn’t a low cost option 🙁
Enough with the nostalgia 🙂
The point I’m trying to make is that cooking low cost meals that are nutritious and fill the belly is not difficult. In these times of high food prices, we need to get back to those days of “hardship / austerity” and re-learn how to use the simplest and cheapest of ingredients and make them taste great. In principle we need to learn how to cook again instead of buying “fast food” or “microwave dinners”. Cooking from scratch using simple fresh food is not difficult.
The Italians have a phrase Cucina Povera which translates to “kitchen of the poor”. The meals produced use simple ingredients that are nutritious and are full of flavour. You might find reference to Peasant Food in places like France.
The Asian cuisines have similar kitchen of the poor food, a good example is Biryani which can be all vegetables or can include meat along with rice. Basically you use whatever veg you have, including bendy carrots! If you have any meat, you can throw that in too. It is a one pot meal that includes quite a few herbs and spices to boost the flavours. You can make it almost bland or very spicy or anything in between.
The Chinese have several options Traditional Chinese Food. Most nations have low cost meals.
Generally low cost meals that include cheap meat and vegetables tend to be the “One Pan” options. Think Stews, Hotpots and Casseroles. These can be all vegetables or can include meat. Your main aim is to make meals that are nutrious, tasty and that will fill the belly. Have a look at this 15 foods that are incredibly filling. This is just an example, trawl the Web to find more. In some cases you migtht need to “unlearn and rethink”.
I was born, raised and still live in the UK. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding along with roast roots and greens was always king, if you could afford the beef! Over the years I have become fond of 36 day matured Aberdeen Angus Rump or Sirloin steak but do enjoy a nice bit of roast Silverside , Topside or Sirloin, when the purse allows which is not very often 🙁 The current rise in prices mean that I have to have more minced beef than rump steak 🙁
A couple of my favourite meals these days are “Iraqi Dolma” and “Moroccan Lamb Tagine“. Both are examples of simple ingredients that are nutritious and filling. A good English stew is also a good nutritious and filling meal that doesn’t tend to be spicy but you can add Garlic, Chilli and other spicy stuff to give it a bit of a kick.
Caribbean cuisine is worth having a play with, Rice & Peas (beans), Jerk (Chicken, Lamb or other meat). If you can find Goat meat, Goat curry is lovely but Goat meat doesn’t tend to be low cost in the UK.
Many of the low cost meat / offal offerings are finding their way onto the menus of “Gastro Pubs”. Back in the day, lamb shanks, pork shoulder, liver, tripe etc were almost given away by butchers but the Gastro Pubs have made them become a no longer low cost option so you might need to shop smarter. Frozen meat / fish is usually a much lower cost than fresh. I tend to look at the price per Kg and Chicken seems to offer the best VFM.
Vegetables can vary in price, look out for bargains that are close to their sell by dates. Generally frozen veg tends to be more nutritious because it is frozen within a few hours of harvesting and it is usually much cheaper than fresh.
The starches. Pasta, Potatoes, Rice and Noodles are basically belly fillers but don’t have much in the way of nutrition. Sweet potatoes (Yam) are an exception but the sweetness is not to everyones taste. Potatoes (a complex Carb) are very versatile and can be boiled, roast, fried or baked. A jacket spud can be a vehicle to add many other ingredients like cheese, beans and even Ragu (bolognese) along with a side salad and garlic bread! Have a look at Loaded skins to give you an idea of how versatile the simple spud can be. If you use sweet potatoes, it will apparently be healthier!
Overall, low cost nutritious meals are not difficult to prepare or cook. Every cuisine around the world has a variety of recipes that can be considered as “Kitchen of the poor” or “Peasant Food” and all are easy to prepare and cook. Some are belly fillers, some are very nutritious and some are filling and nutritious.
For those that want to really go low cost, foraging is a good option but you need to learn how to recognise what you are picking. Mushrooms are an obvious choice but there are many “wild” plants that are edible and nutritious. Many common garden plants are edible. see edible plants, quite a few to have a try.
If you live near the coast, edible seafood is extensive but might not be low cost like it used to be.
Edible Seaweed is an awesome food full of nutrients but might not be a belly filler.
Just for devilment, have a look at Vietnamese cuisine. I think I would have to be starving to try rat.
Lets not forget edible insects, not for me but don’t knock it until you have tried it 🙂
low cost nutritious meals are within reach of everyone but you might need to put in a bit of effort.
We are all different and with regards to taste and flavours, it is a minefield. Some like a more bland taste, some like a hot fiery taste, some appear to like the burnt taste of char grilled along with the smell of the smoke ( I can’t think of anything worse ), Some like a nice gentle tangy flavour. You can guarantee if you are cooking for others to eat, you will never please everyone. I cook food the way I like it, if others don’t like what I cook I point them to the kitchen and suggest they make themselves an Omelette or munch on a carrot 🙂
Food Critics are basically people trying to tell you how food should be cooked because it is how they like it. They seem to forget that we are all individuals. The food you eat should be cooked how YOU like it but keep an open mind, you might agree with the critics 🙂
One of my pet hates is Char Grilled, basically burnt food. Burnt food does not have any nutritional value! IMO brown is done, black is ruined but hey ho. You might like the taste of burnt food or you might have been convinced that burnt food is nice. Another pet hate is crunchy cooked vegetables but the “food critics” say this is how they should be cooked. IMO, if they are still crunchy they need cooking properly! If I want crunchy veg, I eat them raw without pretending to cook them 🙂
I had in mind to put a few recipes on here but I would only be duplicating what you can find by trawling the Web and there are literally hundreds of recipes for low cost nutritious meals on the interweb a.k.a the WWW (World Wide Web).
The starchy foods fill the belly, vegetables add taste and quite often vitamins and minerals. Meat / Flesh tends to provide a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals but offal can often provide the nutrients at a much lower cost. I do enjoy eating a wide variety of Veg (roots and greens) but an 8oz (227G) rump or sirloin steak is almost a complete meal with regards to nutrition. Unfortunately steak is not a low cost option 🙁
Have a look at mushrooms and things like dandelion leaves and the many edible flowers (nasturtium, pansy and many others). Don’t forget eggs (Chicken, Duck, Turkey or even Ostrich) these provide a nutritious meal.
Have a look at Beans, pulses, Legumes. These are surprisingly nutritious and low cost.
Nutritious meals need to have a good amount of protein, 20 to 30% maybe about 30 % fat and 20 – 30 % carbs. It is always preferable to keep the Carbs as low as possible but generally we are looking for a balanced diet that gives us the daily requirements of nutrients.
High protein foods don’t tend to be low cost but do your homework, you can get a lot of high quality protein from various sources including some Vegetables but a nice slab of rump steak takes a lot of beating 🙂
Some “Health products” suggest whey (a bi product of cheese making) as a good source of protein.
Supermarkets are trying to foist low fat (5% fat) minced / ground beef on us but it doesn’t have any flavour. Meat needs fat of 20 – 25% fat to have any flavour. When you cook fatty meat, you get flavour. You can always spoon off the excess fat after cooking (to make a bit of dripping) and still retain the lovely flavour.
The fat from meats is good fat and makes the meat taste awesome.
Carbs are a bit of a poser! In principle we need carbs to give us energy but are aften used to fill the belly. Unfortnately Carbs are seen as naughty. We can survive on a low carb diet and in some cases would benefit from it but we are all different. Spuds are a “Complex Carb” and get a lot of bad press. Sweet Spuds (Yams) are a better option.
Have a look at “Twice Cooked” carbs, the double cooking apparently makes them “resistant starch” and is good food for your gut.
Hopefully, you will have found that low cost nutritious meals are not difficult to provide and that we need to re-learn how to cook simple food that tastes great and gives us the nutrients that we need.
Without food, we would cease to exist. Food should be a pleasure to eat and should be an enjoyment, it should satisfy our taste buds but it should also keep us healthy and nourished.
Stop buying ready cooked stuff that just needs reheating. Only eat food that is cooked by you from scratch, relearn how to cook from scratch. Make more use of Frozen veg because it will likely be more nutritious. Have a play with frozen meat, it is a lower cost than fresh and can often be just as nice as fresh. In many cases you can cook meat that is still frozen but you just need to cook it longer.
Vegetables, Pulses, Seeds and Grains will always be a low cost option and will provide most of the nutrients we need on a daily basis. Adding fish, poultry and welfare fed meat will always boost the nutrition. A balanced diet is usually the most healthy option. We need protein, fat and carbs to keep us healthy. Carbs are filling but should only be a about 20% of our daily food intake. A high protein diet is often better for most people but we are all different. Some people can eat stuff like doughnuts all day long and still remain slim. Others can put an inch on the waist by just saying doughnuts 🙂
Low cost nutritious meals will in most cases be vegetable and Pulse based but the addition of meat / flesh will almost always boost the protein factor and give additional taste and nutrients that our bodies need.
Hopefully I have given you some ideas to help you prepare low cost nutritious meals. Maybe you wil have the bonus of being healthier and maybe result in a a thinner waist 🙂