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The best books for cooking on a budget

by Lottie Huckle

published on 3 January 2024

Want to streamline your weekly food shop spend? We’ve rounded up our favourite budget cookbooks to help you mastermind your midweek meals on a budget, straighten up your freezer, and eat well every day without breaking the bank.

Bored of Lunch

by Nathan Anthony

Slow cooking is a brilliant method for keeping costs low. Not only will it tenderise cheaper cuts of meat, it also uses significantly less energy than oven cooking. In this best-selling cookbook from TikTok and Instagram sensation Bored of Lunch, you’ll find dozens of delicious ideas for what to make in a slow cooker, complete with calorie counts on every recipe and slow cooking tips.

Eat Well for Less: Quick & Easy Meals

by Jo Scarratt-Jones, Gregg Wallace, Chris Bavin

What’s better than budget-friendly recipes? Budget-friendly recipes that are also quick and easy to throw together, even when you’re feeding a hungry crowd.  With all of the recipes from the hit BBC series, this is the cookbook to transform the way you cook, saving you money in the supermarket and time in the kitchen.

5 Ingredients Quick & Easy Food

Fewer ingredients means shorter shopping lists and less money to part with at the till, so Jamie Oliver’s latest cookbook, with over 130 recipes each using only 5 ingredients is a total game changer. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by what can be made out of just a handful of hard-working ingredients, and your bank account will be pretty happy about it too.

Student Eats

by Rachel Phipps

Written by a student, for students, Rachel Phipps’ Student Eats has all of the budgeting tips and thrifty hacks you’d expect. Store cupboard suppers, freezer-friendly favourites and reinvented leftovers make this an excellent resource for student cooks and anyone sticking to a food shopping budget alike.

The Savvy Shopper’s Cookbook

by Amy Sheppard

Armed with The Savvy Shopper’s Cookbook you’ll be able to navigate your supermarket with ease and transform budget ingredients into hearty family meals. 

A Year in 120 Recipes

A Year in 120 Recipes

by Jack Monroe

Featuring 120 thrify recipes, anti-poverty campaigner and writer Jack Monroe’s second cookbook shares resourceful and creative budget ideas for every month of the year. From low-cost Christmas recipes to fresh ideas for summer, the emphasis is on accessible ingredients and easy-to-follow guidance.

The Cornershop Cookbook

by Caroline Craig & Sophie Missing

Full of ideas for what to make with the ingredients you’ll find in your local cornershop, this cookbook is a thrify cook’s dream. Added bonus: no travel costs to factor into your budget.

Good Food: Budget Dishes: Triple-tested Recipes

Good Food: Budget Dishes: Triple-tested Recipes

by Jane Hornby

With recipes that have been tried and tested by the Good Food team, each simple recipe comes with a nutritional breakdown, full colour photo and step-by-step instructions.

Economy Gastronomy

Economy Gastronomy

by Allegra McEvedy, Paul Merrett

Cook smarter with creative ideas and tips from the Economy Gastronomy cookbook. Created to help you save money whilst cooking flavourful, comforting meals, Economy Gastronomy will influence the way you spend, cook and eat, for the better.

Eat Well for Less: Happy & Healthy

by Jo Scarratt-Jones

Crammed full of practical tips and comforting recipes, Eat Well for Less: Happy & Healthy will have you creating low-cost, satisfying meals in no time. You’ll find meal planners and money saving tips as well as 80 unique recipes that the whole family will love.

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