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Pork chops can be a real pain in the backside to get right. We have all been there haven't we. You fry off some pork chops in a pan, only for them to turn out dry, chewy and not very appealing. The problem is, we try to treat pork chops like a steak by cooking them hard and fast in a hot pan, and unfortunately that just isn't going to work. Pork chops need a bit more care and attention, and by doing it this way you'll get juicy tender pork chops every single time. Enjoy!

What you'll need:

• 2 x 1.5 inch pork chops or loin steaks

• Butter

• Sunflower or veg oil

• Salt & pepper

• Water

• 1/2 tsp of freshly chopped sage (optional)

The double cheese burger is iconic with those big yellow arches. It's simple, but it does taste good. I very rarely eat Mcdonald's though, as for some reason, it plays havoc with my gut. I normally feel sick, and just generally not very good at all after having one. So I've come to the conclusion, that the only way to remedy this problem is to make my own. Now when it comes to a good cheeseburger, I am very much a purist. I've seen far too many gourmet type burgers, with all sorts of things piled on them, like onion rings, blue cheese, even foie gras....FOIE GRAS! I'm of the opinion that simplicity works best with a cheeseburger, and the question I would ask myself when thinking about adding loads of extras is...will it make it better, and if the answer is 'I'm not sure', then it probably won't. American processed cheese is the cheese of choice for any self respecting cheeseburger, as it just works, plain and simple. Yes you could add all sorts of different cheeses, but it just isn't the same. Yep, I know it's not real cheese, but it is good.

To make my Mcdonalds copycat double cheeseburger you will need:

• 450g (1lb) of really high grade steak mince (ground beef)

• 1/2 a small white onion

• 1-2 Gherkins (pickles)

• 4 slices of processed cheese

• 2 soft white burger buns

• Ketchup

• American mustard

• Salt & pepper

So recently my girlfriend broke her wrist falling down some steps, and whilst she is making progress and recovering well, she has lost some mobility in her wrist. This means cooking is a bit of a challenge for her as she can't just chop and dice away like she normally would. So I've come up with this baked cod with orzo recipe that is not only done in one pan, it's cheap, healthy and tasty. It also only needs very minimal chopping, so if you are having some mobility issues, or just feeling plain lazy, then this recipe is for you.

To make my one pan baked cod with orzo you will need:

• 2 large cod fillets (about 260g worth)

• 120g of frozen pre diced onion (or about half a med onion)

• 1 tsp of garlic puree or 3 small whole cloves minced

• 250g of whole cherry tomatoes

• 200g of orzo pasta

• About 2 tsp of dried tarragon

• About the equivalent of 1 red pepper's worth of jarred roasted peppers

• About 700ml of chicken stock

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon (add more to taste)

• Olive oil

• Salt & pepper to taste

I do love a one pot wonder on this channel. They are super easy to throw together, they taste great and it saves on washing up (which I loooooathe doing). My one pot chicken and rice makes a great mid week dinner for when you are in a rush or just can't be arsed. You can also mix up the herbs you use, but just be mindful of what you choose as some herbs can be stronger and more over powering than others.

To make my one pot chicken and rice you will need:

For the marinade

• 4 chicken legs

• 1 tsp hot paprika

• 1 tsp sweet paprika

• 1 tsp of garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion granules

• A little olive oil

• Salt & pepper

For the green herb sauce

• A good handful of fresh parsley

• A small bunch of fresh chives

• 2 small sprigs of fresh rosemary

• 2 sprigs of fresh oregano

• About 8 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 3-4 big sage leaves

• 3 big garlic cloves

• Juice of half a lemon

• About 4 tbsp of olive oil (add more if needed)

For the rice

• 350g of basmati rice

• 2 shallots

• 750ml of chicken stock

• The juice from the other half of the lemon

• 2-3 tsp of the green sauce, plus 2 tsp towards the end of cooking

• Salt & pepper if needed

Toad in the hole is a classic British staple. It's warming, comforting, stodgy and all things savoury! But what makes a toad in the hole great? Well for starters you need good sausages. You can't use crap cheap bangers for this because they are the star of the show! And not forgetting the Yorkshire pudding batter. No need to measure out and weigh the ingredients, I'll show you how to get the best Yorkshire pudding batter every time with my simple method.

To make my toad in the hole you will need:

• 6-8 good sized butchers sausages

• Half a sliced onion

• Plain flour

• Eggs

• Milk

• Fresh thyme

• Salt & pepper

• Veg or sunflower oil

Everyone loves a good traybake for the simple reason that they are easy to make as everything can be slung into one tray and whacked in the oven. This tarragon chicken traybake is so easy to put together even a toddler could do it. You just throw everything on a tray pretty much and pop it in the oven. It's also cheap as chips, just a few chicken legs, some stock, potatoes, tomatoes and a few other bits and you'll have a cracking dinner. Serve up with some steamed veg on the side, or just like I did with some bread and butter.

To make my tarragon chicken traybake you will need:

• 3 large chicken legs

• 450g of new potatoes

• 400g of small cherry tomatoes

• 300-400ml of chicken stock

• 1 mini bottle of white wine (About 187ml)

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 + 1/2 tsp of dried tarragon or fresh equivalent

• A little olive oil

• Salt & pepper

So I had this glut of tomatoes that I had to force ripen thanks to the absolute shambles of a summer we have had in the UK. They aren't much good for salad, so I though I would rustle up a batch of tomato soup.

Now this isn't really a recipe, more of a way of showing you how easy a basic soup is to make. Soup is a fantastic way to use up leftover veg, or veg that is on the turn, because really you can't really mess up soup! It really is about just whacking a load of stuff in a pot with some stock and boiling it until tasty. So there is no ingredients list for this tomato soup because the whole thing is freestyle, but I will list what I used so it gives you a starting point. But really, chuck in whatever you have! It will be good.

What I put in my freestyle tomato soup:

• Tomatoes

• Veg stock

• Onion

• Garlic

• Basil

• I had some parmesan that was on the turn and needed using

• Peppers

• Oregano (you could add thyme, sage, coriander if you like)

• Celery just because I can

• Cream

• Oil, salt, pepper you know the drill

Looking for an easy beef and broccoli stir fry recipe? Look no further! This recipe is simple, delicious, and perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Beef and broccoli stir fry can be a pain to make at home if you want it just like the takeaway, but in this video I will show you how to get your beef super tender and succulent, so your beef and broccoli stir fry isn't tough or dry.

To make my beef and broccoli stir fry you will need:

For the beef:

• 220g rump steak

• 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

• 1/2 tsp MSG

• 3 tsp cornflour

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• About 2 tsp of dark soy sauce

• About 1 tbsp of water

For the stir fry:

• 1/2 large white onion

• Handful of sugar snap peas (mangetout)

• Half a head of broccoli florets

• 3 tbsp of hoisin sauce

• 2 garlic cloves diced

• A small thumb sized piece of ginger finely diced (about a tsp)

• 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce

• 1 tbsp of rice wine

• 1 tbsp of honey

• 3 tbsp of sunflower or vegetable oil

• A little water to loosen

Egg fried rice is one of if not the most ordered item on a chinese takeaway menu. But if you've ever tried to make it at home and wondered why it just wasn't the same, there's a few reasons as to why. I am going to show you how to make egg fried rice just like the takeaway, but for a fraction of the cost.

To make egg fried rice you will need:

• 350g of cold pre cooked rice (either basmati or long grain)

• 2 medium sized eggs

• 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce

• 1 tbsp of light soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp of MSG

• A small pinch of salt

• 2 tbsp of veg oil

Canned sardines are such a cheap versatile source of food. Usually though -if you are me at least - they are eaten straight out of the can like a heathen in the middle of the night when the hunger kicks in. This time though, I wanted to create a little recipe that utilises the humble canned sardine in a way that is quick, yet tasty, and yet also...easy.

To make my spaghetti and sardines you will need:

• About 80g of spaghetti (or as much as you want really)

• 1 x 125g can of sardines in oil

• 1/2 a diced red chilli

• Juice of 1/2 lemon + rind of whole lemon

• 1/4 of a small red onion

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 small handful of fresh parsley or basil

• Salt & pepper

• A small knob of butter

A proper sausage casserole is solid hearty comfort food, perfect for rainy days, sad days or just filling your face days. Obviously it stands to reason that great sausages make a great sausage casserole, but you can use whatever sausages you like! There is a trick though that will elevate your sausage casserole above all others, and I'll show you how.

To make my sausage casserole you will need:

Serves 4

• 8 thick pork sausages

• 4 med sized potatoes

• 1 med sized onion

• 3 med sized carrots slices thinly or 1 small tin of carrots

• 2 bay leaves

• 3 small cloves of garlic or 2 large

• 1x400g can of plum tomatoes

• 500ml of chicken or vegetable stock

• Splash of red wine or water for deglazing

• Salt & pepper

• A little oil or fat for cooking

Serve on it's own or with a side of veg such as green beans or broccoli

Cauliflower cheese can often be a bit boring and bland. It's more often than not, and after-thought, a mere side dish to compliment your roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. But I'm here to tell you that this dish belongs to be front and centre at the dinner table, and celebrated for the delicious thing it is (or can be). Make this, and those boring insipid cauliflower cheese's will be a thing of the past.

What you'll need to make my ultimate cauliflower cheese: Serves 4

• 1kg head of cauliflower including leaves

• 1 Spicy chorizo (about 230g)

• 3 small shallots or 1 med red onion

• 3 small garlic cloves

• 600ml of milk

• 2 tbsp of plain flour

• 2 tbsp of butter

• 1 tsp of English mustard

• 250g of mature cheddar + about 100g for topping

• Salt & white pepper to taste

• A large bag of salt and vinegar crisps (optional)

Serve as a main with some green veggies on the side like green beans or steamed kale, and of course crusty bread for dunking.

Eggs in purgatory is a classic Italian breakfast dish that is said to have originated in the south of Italy. It's really simple dish to make, but really sorts you out when you're hanging the morning after a few bevvies!

To make my eggs in purgatory you will need:

Serves 2 adults

• 4 medium sized eggs

• 2 x 400g tins of whole plum tomatoes

• 1/2 a medium white onion

• 3 small cloves of garlic

• About 4 large basil leaves

• Grated parmesan (optional)

• Salt & pepper

• About 2 tbsp of olive oil

Serve with bread or in my case garlic toasts

If you love bangers and mash, then you are going to love this! It's getting a bit cooler now, so the warming comfort foods we all love are back on the menu. This recipe turns your traditional bangers and mash on it's head by turning it into a pie. Top tip, get good sausages!

To make my bangers and mash pie you will need:

• 8 good quality pork sausages

• About 700ml of beef stock

• 2 medium onions

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tsp of thyme

• 1 tsp of rosemary

• 2 tsp of worcester sauce

• 1+1/2 tbsp plain flour

• 1+1/2 tbsp of butter

• Salt and pepper

• A little oil

For the mash

• 1.2kg of maris piper potatoes

• 125g of unsalted butter

• About 50ml of milk

• Salt & white pepper

• Grated cheddar (optional)

A good stir fry is an absolute gem of a recipe to have in your kitchen. They are versatile, easy and also cheap. So I came up with this simple pork belly stir fry that you can easily make at home for the family, and the best bit is it doesn't contain 100 ingredients! It comes together really quick, and the pork belly gives the stir fry a satisfying chew. If you are not into pork, you can use chicken or beef.

To make my no fuss crispy pork belly stir fry you will need:

• 450g of thinly sliced pork belly

• 1 small red pepper

• 1 small green pepper

• 1 medium onion

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 large thumb sized piece of ginger

• 1 tsp of white pepper

• 1/4 tsp of MSG (optional)

• 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce

• A little water (about 50m)

• Salt if needed

• A little oil if the pork isn't fatty enough

• 2 spring onions

• Toasted sesame seeds for the topping (optional)

Spam is one of my now favourite store cupboard ingredients. A once reviled canned pork product that I only used for fishing, has become a kitchen staple for me. So I am going back into the store cupboard again this week, and making a simple delicious spam hash. The beauty of this spam hash, is you can switch it up however you like. Swap out the spices? Add different veggies? The choice is yours.

To make my spam hash you will need:

Feeds 2 hungry adults

• 1x340g can of spam

• 500g of cooked new potatoes

• 1 red bell pepper

• 1 medium red onion

• About 70g of canned sweetcorn

• 1 tsp of garlic granules (or 1 large fresh minced)

• 2 tsp of paprika smoked or unsmoked

• 1 tsp of chilli flakes

• Salt & pepper to taste

• A little oil if needed

Serve with a runny fried egg

If you love garlic like me, then you are going to really enjoy this one. It's my adaptation of Olia Hercules garlic rabbit. I used chicken thighs instead of rabbit because firstly they are cheaper, but also much more accessible for you guys. Be warned though, this is for serious garlic lovers only!

To make this creamy garlic chicken you will need:

Feeds 4 with a side

• 1 kg skinless chicken thighs

• 300ml chicken stock

• 250ml sour cream

• 10 garlic cloves

• Salt & pepper

• About 2 tbsp of oil for cooking

Serve with rice or pasta and I bet this would be ace on top of a jacket spud!

I absolutely love Indian food. It's comforting, cheap and really tasty. Bombay potatoes are no exception and are really easy to make, and only uses a few spices. I wanted to do a stripped down cheaper version of my already uploaded bombay potatoes recipe, and I am also using canned potatoes which hopefully works!

To make my bombay potatoes you will need:

• 540g can of potatoes

• 1/2 a large red onion or 1 small

• 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste

• 1 green chilli

• 1 tsp of ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric

• 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

• 1 tsp of garam masala

• 1 tsp of black mustard seeds

• A small bunch of fresh coriander

• Salt & oil for cooking

Butter beans are pretty flavourless on their own but they do offer amazing versatility, and can be used as replacement carb in your meals. Plus they keep for ages in the cupboard and are cheap as chips. So you can keep them on hand for when money is tight and make something tasty with them. You get a 2 for 1 recipe here too, because I also made some quick and easy marinated chicken thighs to go with it. Enjoy!

To make my butter bean stew with crispy chicken thighs you will need:

Feeds 3 adults

For the marinated chicken thighs

• 6 big chicken thighs with the skin on

• 1 tsp of black pepper

• 3 tsp paprika (smoked or unsmoked)

• 2 tsp garlic granules

• 2 tsp onion salt (if using just onion granules add 1/2 tsp of salt)

• 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes

• 1/2 tsp of MSG (optional)

• About 4 tbsp of oil (olive, rapeseed or just plain veg oil will do)

For the butter bean stew

• 2 x 400g cans of butter beans in water

• 2 chicken stock cubes

• 2 cloves of garlic

• About 1 tbsp of chopped tarragon

• 1 small onion

• 150-200ml of double cream

• Juice of 1 lemon (Add the zest as well if you want a more lemony flavour)

• Salt and pepper to taste

• A little oil for cooking

Panackelty is a very simple and adaptable dish from the northeast of England around Sunderland and County Durham. It's easy, delicious and very cost effective. You can chuck in leftover meat or sausages and different veg, but less is more with this one.

To make my panackelty you will need:

Feeds 5 hungry adults

• 1kg of potatoes (maris piper)

• 1 large onion

• 400g of corned beef

• 5 rashers of bacon

• 2 large carrots

• 900ml of beef stock

• Salt & pepper

• 2 tbsp of beef dripping

I think you'd be hard pushed to find an easier dinner than a good old tray bake. Short of getting a takeaway, this has to be one of the easiest meals you can make for your family. With my lemon chicken tray bake you just chuck all the ingredients onto an oven tray, mix it all up and bang it in the oven. less washing up, no stress and it tastes super!

To make my oven baked lemon chicken tray bake you will need:

Feeds 4-5 with sides

• 800g of new potatoes

• 5 chicken legs

• 2 lemons

• 1 large brown onion

• 6-8 garlic cloves

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp of tarragon

• 2 tbsp of dijon mustard

• 3-4 tbsp of olive oil

• Salt & pepper

Serve with some extra veg or a simple dressed salad

Spam, a product from world war 2 designed to feed hungry U.S soldiers, has now become an iconic and much loved store cupboard staple across the world. It's cheap, store cupboard stable and it tastes so good! So I thought I would continue from my last spam video where I made kebab meat, and create a simple delicious little spam fried rice.

The great thing about this too is you can play around with the ingredients. If you want some different veggies in there, go ahead! I will also give you a couple of tips to get a better fried rice that's not mushy, and will keep Uncle Roger off your back!

To make my spam fried rice you will need:

Feeds 2-3 people

• 200g can of spam

• 450g of cold leftover basmati rice

• 2 spring onions

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 eggs

• 70g of frozen peas

• 70g of sweetcorn

• 1-2 tbsp of dark soy to taste

• Sesame oil to garnish (optional)

• 1/2 tsp of MSG

• Salt to taste

• A little vegetable oil

A simple roast chicken is something I think every cook should learn how to do properly. If you can rustle up a winning chicken dinner, then you'll get brownie points from whoever you are serving it to, I promise you that. So in this episode of 'no one has any money because we are being shafted from all angles by profiteering nob head ball bags' I am going to show how to turn a cheap old bird into something pretty special!

To make my simple roast chicken you will need:

• 1 small or medium whole chicken

• 1 large brown onion

• 2 large sticks of celery

• About 4 large carrots

• 2 bay leaves

• A small bouquet of herbs (I used thyme, rosemary and sage)

• 1 lemon

• 1 bulb of garlic

• Olive oil

• Salt & pepper

If making the gravy

• About 2tbsp of plain flour

• About 750ml of chicken stock

• 1 tbsp of oil or butter

Chicken wings are the best bit of the chicken in my opinion. In fact it's pretty selfish of chickens to have such small wings when they taste so delicious! Today I am showing you how to turn those little flighty poultry flappers into some amazing soy, garlic and honey chicken wings. They are super savoury, sticky and just bloody lovely innit.

Best of all, they are cheap as chips. you can get a 1kg pack of chicken wings for around £2.20-£2.60 depending where you shop. And with the quantities used for this recipe, these wings will come in at around £3 all in, So a great cheap number for a weekend BBQ.

To make my soy garlic honey chicken wings you will need:

• 1kg of chicken wings

• 2 tbsp of smoked paprika

• 2 tsp of ground black pepper

• 2 tsp of salt

• 1/2 tsp of MSG (optional)

• 1-2 tbsp of hot sauce (TASTE IT FIRST!)

• A small dash of a neutral oil

For the soy, garlic & honey sauce

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 3 tbsp of honey

• 3 tbsp of dark soy sauce

• About 2 tsp of vinegar, any sort will do (lemon juice will work too)

• 1/2 tbsp of a neutral oil like sunflower or vegetable

• garnish with toasted sesame seeds and diced spring onions (optional)

If you have never tried Egg Bhurji before, then you have to give it a go. It's incredibly easy, but will turn plain ordinary scrambled eggs into something a bit special. Serve the Bhurji with Roti, bread or even just on it's own! What I also love about dishes like this is they are very cost effective.

Eggs are still pretty cheap (how long for I don't know!) And the other ingredients are reasonably cheap too. Egg Bhurji is usually a breakfast dish, but you can have it any time of day really.

To make my Egg Bhurji you will need:

Serves 2 with bread

• 4 medium sized eggs

• 3 medium sized tomatoes

• 1 medium sized red onion

• 1 green chilli (or to taste)

• 1-2 tsp of ginger garlic paste

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric

• 1/2 tsp of chilli powder

• 1 tsp of garam masala

• A small handful of chopped coriander, stalks as well

• 2 tbsp of cooking oil

• 1 tsp of salt

Serve with bread rolls, roti or on it's own

There are two things in life that you can guarantee will make you happy. Getting laid, and eating a fat juicy burger. Now whilst I can't guarantee the first of the two things, I can guarantee the second. Today I took the concept of a burger, and combined it with the garlicky deliciousness of the chicken kyiv to create the well, chicken kyiv burger!

To make my chicken kyiv burgers you will need:

• 4 small-medium chicken breasts (or thighs)

• 250g unsalted butter or butter spread

• 2-3 garlic cloves

• A good handful of chopped parsley

• 4 seeded burger buns

• 2 eggs

• About 4 tbsp of plain flour

• About 8 tbsp of breadcrumbs

• 1 lime (juice only)

• Salt & pepper

• Oil for frying

Toppings (you can add whatever you like, but this is what I added

• Sliced red onion

• Pickled jalapenos

• A little mayo

• Little gem lettuce

Chicken And Broccoli are a not only a delicious match, but also relatively cheap ingredients as well. And, in this episode I'll show you how to combine the two to make a delicious, quick and cheap Chicken and broccoli stir fry. You can serve it over rice, noodles, chips or whatever you like really, it's your dinner!

To make my chicken and broccoli stir fry you will need:

Serves 4 with a side

• 1 whole head of broccoli

• 4 large skinless chicken thighs

• 2 large garlic cloves

• 1 medium sized brown onion

• 1 whole red chilli (or more for extra spice)

• About 10g of finely sliced ginger

• 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce

• 1-2 tbsp of honey (depending on taste)

• A small pinch of MSG (optional)

• A little salt

Serve the chicken and broccoli stir fry over rice, and top with dry roasted peanuts or sesame seeds if you have them

Spam is arguably one the most recognised products on the planet. With it's unique shaped can and iconic yellow font containing a slab of pink wobbly porky stuff. Love it or hate it, it's a store cupboard staple for many, and still relatively cheap. So following on from the tinned potatoes video, I am going to see if I can turn this lump of porcine goodness into something exciting!

To make my spam kebabs/wraps you will need:

Makes 3 as a tortilla wrap

• 2 x 200g cans of spam

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp of ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp of ground cumin

• 1 tsp of smoked paprika

• 2 garlic cloves

• A little oil to bind

You can add whatever salad/veg to your wraps but this is what I had

• 3 tortilla wraps

• 1 large diced tomato

• Sliced cucumber (3 good slices per wrap)

• 1 small red onion sliced

• Shredded iceberg lettuce

• Pickled Jalepenos

• Sour cream

This past week I have eaten a version of a stir fry every single day! Why? Well that's the level of dedication I have to you bunch of marvelous people. I decided to punish myself by developing 2 different stir fry recipes in the same week, so I am well and truly sick of them at the minute. But, you are not crazy and so you'll only make this once or twice a week! This stir fry uses pork, which is cheap and accessible to most. You could easily make this vegetarian if you wanted to, by swapping out the pork for mushrooms, tofu or extra veggies.

To make my chilli pork stir fry you will need:

Feeds 2 hungry adults

• 4 x pork loin steaks (about 500g)

• 200g of medium egg noodles

• 200g of mangetout or sugarsnap peas

• 1 small onion

• 1 small chilli

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2-3 tbsp of dark soy sauce

• 1/4 tsp of MSG (optional)

• 2 spring onions (optional)

• 1 tbsp of veg or sunflower oil

The canned spud is a store cupboard staple, and for some a necessity. Generally speaking fresh produce is always going to be cheaper per kg than it's processed counterpart. But it's not always an option for people on the bread-line, who might not have access to the money to buy a bag of potatoes outright.

So today I thought i'd explore the canned potato and see if I can make them taste a lot better. At 37p a can, if you only have a few quid to come up with a meal then they are ideal for that. Plus they don't go off which will help reduce waste. Who knew the humble tinned spud could be so tasty! I used them in this really simple little lunch recipe. And top with maybe a fried egg or some buttered bread on the side, and it's going to fill you up for not a lot of money.

You can also swap out so many of the ingredients, so it's brilliant for having a fridge clear out. Kale, mushrooms, cabbage, sausages, leftover roast chicken, spinach, ham. Anything goes with stuff like this.

To make my Chorizo and tinned potato pan fry you will need:

• 1x200g chorizo

• 1x500g can of potatoes

• 1 small pepper (any colour is fine)

• 1 small red onion (or whatever colour you have)

• About 2 handfuls of frozen peas

• 1 tsp of chilli flakes

• Salt & pepper

Tray bakes are one of the easiest things to throw together, especially if you are busy. Lob a load of veggies, sausages and seasonings into a pan, bang it in the oven for half an hour and job done! This sausage tray bake uses one of my favourite types of sausage, the Italian. They are great for a number of reasons, but mainly because they have a lot of flavour in them already, so you don't have to go out and buy a bunch of ingredients separately.

They have a really meaty texture too, which goes well in contrast to the soft sweet roasted veggies. Trust when I say, you will love this!

To make my Italian sausage tray bake you will need:

Feeds at least 4

For the tray bake

• 12 Italian style sausages

• 1 red pepper

• 1 green pepper

• Around 300g of cherry tomatoes

• 2 medium red onions

• 1 large courgette or 2 small

• About 8 leaves of fresh basil

• 1+1/2 tsp of chilli flakes (or to taste)

• Salt & Pepper

• A little oil for cooking

For the garlic bread

• 2 small baguettes

• 250g of soft unsalted butter

• 4 garlic cloves

• A good handful of fresh parsley

• Salt & pepper

The McDonald's sausage and egg McMuffin is an iconic breakfast menu item. It has been feeding people since 1975 and It’s incredibly popular. But...In the UK at least it's currently £3.39 for a double! For ONE single muffin. That can really mount up to quite an expensive breakfast especially if you take the whole family. So I have revived my old recipe, so you can easily make the iconic sausage and egg mcmuffin at home for a fraction of the cost. A tip for you, once the patty mix has been combined, take a pinch off and fry it. Taste it, and if you want more salt, herbs, pepper you can add more before forming into patties.

To make my double sausage and egg mcmuffin you will need: Makes 4 doubles

• 500g pork mince 12% fat

• 4 Cheese slices

• 4 eggs for frying

• 4 breakfast Muffins

• 1/2 tbsp of onion powder

• 1/2 tbsp dried sage

• 1 tsp of fresh or dried thyme

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

Canned chicken in white sauce holds a bittersweet memory for me. I used to rely on the stuff when I was 18 and had just moved into a bedsit. This served with rice was a staple for me, but it's just so bland! So I thought, whilst waiting for my new fridge to arrive, I would transform this crappy can of chicken in white sauce into something tasty and cheap.

To make my it you will need:

• 1 x 400g can of chicken in white sauce

• 1 x med onion

• 1 x small head of broccoli

• 150g garlic cream cheese

• 350g of penne pasta

• A small handful of fresh basil

• Salt & pepper

• A little oil for cooking

Well it's finally happened hasn't it. My loyal fridge freezer has finally gone to fridge heaven, and ruined all the food in it on it's way out and left behind what is essentially an expensive kitchen cabinet. So whilst I wait for my new one, I'm having to live off food that doesn't need to be refrigerated or frozen. I needed to use up a bunch of veg before they spoiled, so I rustled up this spicy corned beef hash. Corned beef is a really versatile ingredient, and at the moment at least it's still fairly cheap. You can always swap out some of the ingredients, but I've listed what I used below should you want to make this exact version.

To make my broken fridge corned beef hash you will need: Feeds 2 hungry adults

• 1 can of corned beef, diced

• 1 large red pepper

• 1 green chilli finely chopped

• A couple of small handfuls of green beans

• 1 large brown onion

• 4 medium sized potatoes

• 2 tsp of garlic powder

• 1 tsp of dried sage

• 1 tbsp of Worcester sauce

• Salt & pepper

• A little oil for cooking

Serve with a couple of fried eggs and dive in!

Chicken fajitas are a crowd pleaser. Kids love them, adults love them, nan loves them and even the pet hamster loves to scran a chicken fajita! My budget friendly recipe means you don't have to waste money on those pointless stupid kits, and you'll get a far tastier and fresher product in the end.

I've opted to keep mine simple by just serving mine with some lettuce and sour cream. You can switch up your chicken fajitas by adding extras like cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms, avocado etc.

To make my chicken fajitas you will need:

Makes 4 large fajitas

• 500g of chicken breast (use thighs to make it even cheaper)

• 4 large tortilla wraps

• 2 limes

• 1 large red onion

• 1 large red pepper

• 1 head of little gem lettuce

• 2 garlic cloves

• 2 tsp of ground coriander

• 1 tsp of ground cumin

• 3 tsp of smoked paprika

• 2 tsp of ancho chilli powder (or just use standard chilli powder)

• 1 red chilli

• Salt & pepper

• Oil for frying

• Sour cream & fresh coriander to serve (both optional)

You could even omit the wraps and serve the chicken fajita mix over rice instead

Baked beans are a British staple, they are sweet, salty, savoury and packed full of good stuff like vitamins n that. Usually we chuck them on some toast with lashings of butter and maybe a bit of cheese. This time though 'm jazzing them up a bit and sticking them in a pie with some other delicious things! I first came across this recipe on tiktok, but I have changed it a little to make it my own.

As a cost saving, I removed the fried onions and used chives instead removing the need to waste energy frying onions. You can of course add whatever spices, herbs, extra veggies you like to make it your own.

Christmas dinner is by far the biggest feast of the year, and also the most costly. So I've come up with this little recipe that not only tastes awesome, it also comes in at under £20 to feed a family of 4! That's a fiver a head! If you have a few more people coming over, you can scale it up a notch by adding an extra chicken and throw in a few extra veggies, and you're sorted.

Also, just because it's cheap, it doesn't mean I’ve been tight with the amount. We've got everything from a butter basted roast chicken, classic pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puds, veggies, gravy, the whole shebang. So you can still enjoy a massive feast, but without the eye watering cost.

To Make my budget beating Christmas dinner you will need: For the chicken

• 1 medium sized chicken

• 125g of unsalted butter

• 1 tsp of dried sage

• 3 tsp of cranberry sauce

• 2 cloves of garlic

• A little oil

• Salt and pepper

• 1 large onion

• 2-3 carrots

• A couple of sprigs of rosemary

For the sides

• 12 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

• 12 pork chipolatas

• 250g of brussels sprouts

• 8 medium sized carrots

• 4 large parsnips

• Frozen peas

• King Edward potatoes

• 1 lemon

• 1 packet of stuffing mix

• 6-8 Frozen Yorkshire puddings

• Chicken gravy granules

Apart from pigs, who doesn't love a good sausage roll? Whether it's a cheapo one from our much beloved bakery chain, a posh one from a pub, or in this case made by yourself. Sausage rolls are really easy to make, and in this festive version I added a bit of apple to the mix and topped with fennel and sesame seeds. The great thing as well is you can play about with the fillings, you don't have to stick to some rigid formula.

Also, in keeping with saving money, these cost very little to make. It's a few sausages, some pastry, apple and a few other bits and bobs. These are a crowd pleaser and can be eaten hot or cold, it's up to you.

To make my festive sausage rolls you will need:

Makes about 12

• 8 pork sausages

• 1 packet of sage & onion stuffing

• 2 x packets of puff pastry

• 1 small crisp sweet apple

• 1 beaten egg

• Salt & pepper

• Fennel seeds & sesame seeds (optional)

Chicken stew and dumplings is one of my favourite winter dishes. it's warming, comforting and tasty. It can quickly become an expensive dish though when you start adding lots of ingredients. So this version is a stripped back chicken stew made with some basic - but tasty - ingredients, so you don't have to sell your kids to afford it. For this recipe, I'm using chicken thighs because they are cheap and flavourful, but you could use chicken breast or even leftover chicken if you have any.

The really important thing about getting this chicken stew right, is building layers of flavour. With so few ingredients you want to make sure you extract the maximum amount of flavour from them. So get the bacon crispy, the chicken browned and soften those veggies to get the sweetness out of them. By doing this, you will get the most out of your chicken stew.

To make my chicken stew and dumplings you will need:

• 4 large skinless chicken thighs diced (6 if small ones)

• 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

• 1 medium sized leek

• 1/2 a large white onion

• 2 small garlic cloves

• 1 tsp of wholegrain mustard (optional)

• About 800ml of chicken stock

• 1 tsp of dried sage (optional)

• 1 pack of dumpling mix

• Juice of about half a lemon

• Salt & pepper

• Knob of utter (use oil if you don't have any)

• 1+1/2 tbsp of plain flour

• A little oil for frying

Chilli con carne is one of the best struggle meals going. It's easy to make packed full of vitamins and other good stuff, it's tasty and of course it's cheap as chips. I've re visited my old chilli con carne recipe, stripped it back a bit and made it budget friendly to help you combat this cost of living crisis.

The secret to a good chilli con carne is building layers of flavour by browning the meat, cooking out the spices and reducing it down to a nice thick meaty sauce. No one wants a runny insipid chilli! Some of the ingredients I already had, but I suggest going to your local store and buying a bunch of spices to store in your cupboard. Having the spices on hand is going to elevate your cooking and make your food a bit more exciting, so you can look forward to your food. Remember, food is a key component to improving your mental health, and we need all the pick me ups we can get right now.

To make my budget beating chilli con carne you will need: Feeds 4 people with rice

• 500g of minced beef

• 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes

• 1 x 400g can of mixed beans in sauce (or regular red kidney beans)

• 2 tbsp of tomato puree

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 large red bell pepper

• 1 med sized red onion

• 1 tsp of ground cumin

• 1+1/2 tsp of smoked paprika

• 1 tsp of dried oregano

• 1 tsp of ancho chilli powder (optional, you don't need this if you haven't got it)

• 400ml of beef stock

• About half a tsp of dried chilli flakes, or more if you want it extra spicy

• A small handful of chopped coriander (again optional)

• Salt

• A little oil for frying the beef

Serve with rice, whack it in a jacket spud, or serve in tortilla wraps with salad and sour cream.

Saving money in the kitchen is vital for many people, especially right now! The rising costs of living, energy bills about to go through the roof and rising taxes have got a lot of people worried about the future. My mission is to help people make savings in the kitchen. From low energy, low cost recipes, to short cuts, hacks and tricks that will help keep that extra bit of cash in your pocket, not someone else's!

I'm kicking off this week with a tutorial on how to butcher your own chickens at home. It might sound daunting, but actually it's a really easy process and once you get the hang of it, you'll be doing your own butchery in no time, saving you a bunch of money.

The key things to consider here is having the right tools such as sharp knives, but also the initial cost of a whole chicken. You can buy a medium sized chicken from as little as £2.75 up to £12 depending on the quality and welfare standards. That choice is up to you, and no one should be judged right now when people are fighting to survive and put food on the table. You do what you feel is right for your family and what you can afford.

Beef stew is actually quite an expensive meal to make. I usually add lots of red wine, herbs, nice cuts of beef etc etc. However, in keeping with the channel's new direction, I have created a beef stew that costs around £5 and will feed a family of 4 with plenty of leftovers. Obviously the price will fluctuate depending on where you shop, what deals you can find and of course how much you spend on the main ingredient, the meat. I used some yellow sticker reduced beef mince for this, but shop around and see what you can find for the best price you can afford.

To make my budget beef stew you will need:

• 750g of beef mince

• 2 small onions

• 3 medium carrots

• 2 large potatoes

• About half a diced swede

• 2 bay leaves

• A few splashes of Worcester sauce

• Dumpling mix (optional)

• About 1.2 litre of beef stock or enough to cover

• Salt & pepper

• A little oil for frying the beef

I was messing around in the kitchen last week and I came up with this recipe for a very cheap chicken dinner. I used chicken thighs, which are very cost effective especially if you use my method on butchering your own chickens (link in the video).

To make my cheap as chips tarragon chicken you will need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (watch my video on how to do this for yourself and so much cheaper)

• 1 tsp of garlic granules

• 1 tsp of mustard powder

• 2 tsp of bottled lime juice

• 1/2 tbsp of oil (olive, rapeseed or vegetable)

• 1/2 a heaped tsp of tarragon

• Half a diced swede

• About 3 medium sliced carrots

• A good knob of buttermilk spread

• Sliced cabbage

• Salt & pepper

Making tasty wholesome food on a budget is not just about watching the pennies, but also about good cooking skills and knowing how to work with what you have. Chorizo is magical ingredient because it already has all the flavour and spice inside, meaning you don't have to spend money by adding lots of other stuff. It really is a wonder ingredient.

To make my shoestring chorizo stew you will need:

• 1 whole cooked chorizo

• 1/2 a can of drained kidney beans

• 1/2 a can of drained cannellini beans

• 1 red pepper

• 1 green pepper

• 2 x cans of tomatoes (chopped or whole)

• About a tsp of oregano

• 1 small onion

• Salt & pepper

Soups are actually really good when you want to make tasty food on a budget. They are incredibly cheap, tasty, and you can chuck in pretty much anything you want. Also they freeze really well, so you can batch cook a bunch of soup ready for a quick tasty and healthy meal. If you shop around the reduced sections of the big supermarkets you'll be surprised at what bargains you can get. As per usual, I have added some swap outs if you can't get the exact ingredients I used, but be mindful you may have to change the cooking times and the flavour will change depending on what you use.

To make my budget friendly vegetable soup you will need:

• 2 x 200g bags of sliced cabbage & leeks

• 3 medium sized carrots sliced

• About 5 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

• 2 medium sized onions or 3 small, diced

• About 2 litres of chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 tbsp of tomato paste

• About 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes

• About 2 tsp of sage

• Salt & pepper

• A good knob of butter or buttermilk spread

I came up with this nifty little number when I got my hands on some black pudding. Now, if you don't like black pudding then of course I will list some swap out suggestions in the video. If you have never tried it before, then give it a go as you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. It doesn't have an offensive flavour, it's peppery and savoury with bags of flavour. It's one of my favourite magical ingredients because you can use it to inject flavour into even the most blandest of dishes.

• To make my cheap as chips black pudding has you will need: About 230g of black pudding cut into cubes

• 2 small onions

• 2 large potatoes peeled, cut into cubes and par cooked

• 100g bag of baby spinach

• 1 bay leaf

• About 1 tsp of sage

• About 1-2 tsp of garlic powder

• Salt & pepper

• Oil or butter for frying

Baked beans are a staple in most British households. usually slaked over the top of a jacket potato with cheese, or topped on hot buttered toast, we bloody love our baked beans here. Today though, we're getting spicy with yes you guessed it baked bean curry! Enjoy, and open the window after eating it because you'll be farting like a pack mule!

To make my low cost baked bean curry you will need:

• 1 med onion

• 1 red pepper

• 1 green pepper

• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste

• 2 tins of baked beans

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 2 tsp garam masala

• 2 tsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp of cumin seeds

• 1 tsp of chilli powder (more if you want it hotter)

• Chopped coriander (optional)

• Knob of butter (optional)

• Bit of lemon juice if needed

• Salt

Who doesn't love a cheeky Chinese Takeaway at the weekend? Problem is, Everyone is Skint thanks to a bunch of nobheads making decisions on how we are supposed to live! Uncle Adam has got you though, so don't worry. Today I am going to show you how to make a tasty takeaway style chicken fried rice for a fraction of the cost!

A couple of pointers though. First, make sure you use cold, dry leftover rice and never use freshly cooked wet rice, otherwise your stir fry will turn to mush. Secondly, do your mise en place before you make it so everything is ready to go. This chicken fried rice comes in under £2 by using leftovers and veg you already have. If you have to buy extra stuff, remember the cost will increase a little. But if you want a succulent Chinese meal that costs sod all, then this is your boy.

To make my budget friendly chicken fried rice you will need:

• About 300g of leftover roast chicken shredded

• 400g of cooled/dry leftover basmati rice

• Half a medium carrot cut into slices

• 1 red pepper diced

• 1 small onion cut into chunks

• 1 big handful of frozen peas

• 2 sliced garlic cloves

• 1 tsp of finely sliced ginger

• 1 small red chilli finely diced

• 2 eggs

• 1 tbsp of light soy sauce

• 3/1 tsp of sesame oil

• 3/1 of MSG (optional)

• Salt

• Oil for frying

Chicken and chorizo are a match made in heaven, you put them together and they make sweet sweet love and produce and amazing amalgamation of loveliness. Today I'm going to make for you a really easy chicken and chorizo bake that costs less than a fiver and will feed a family with a side (3 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids). I had mashed potato with mine, but you could serve over rice or pasta, or even just some bread and butter.

To make my chicken & chorizo bake you will need:

• 6 medium skin on chicken thighs

• 2 peppers

• 1 cooked chorizo

• 1 red onion

• 250g - 300g of cherry tomatoes

• 2 tsp of garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes

• 1 tsp of dried oregano

• About 100g of drained green olives (About 2 big handfuls)

• Salt & pepper

• A little oil for cooking

In my ongoing quest to help combat the rise in costs of living, today's video goes back in time to the great depression. I stumbled upon this recipe for something called hoover stew, it has just 4 ingredients - plus salt and pepper - so is it any good? This has to be one of the easiest things I've cooked so far, and one of the cheapest.

Factor in the amounts used in this and the whole dish comes in under a fiver and will feed 6 people! That's less than £1 per person! Hoover stew - like many cheap recipes - came out of hardship during the great depression of the 1930's. Food was scarce and folks had to make the best of what they had. This recipe in particular was very popular at the time, and although I used kielbasa in my version, hotdogs were the normal sausage to use. It was often served in soup kitchens all across America in Hoovervilles, or shanty towns if you like. The towns were named after the then president of the United States, Herbert Hoover. I guess this could also serve as a vessel for other ingredients such as leftover meat and vegetables. But one thing is for sure, it's definitely simple, and definitely cheap!

To make hoover stew you will need:

• About 250g of cooked macaroni pasta

• 340g of hotdogs or kielbasa

• 1 x 340g can of sweetcorn

• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

• Salt & pepper

Good old cowboy pie! Every Brit will know about this absolute banger of a meal. It ain't pretty, it ain't fancy but I love cowboy pie so much, and i'm going to show you how I make mine. What's more, it costs sod all! I shopped at Lidl for my ingredients, bringing the total costs for the amounts used to under £4!

Chuck some frozen peas or salad on the side, and you've got a simple tasty meal for you and the family. A few key secrets to getting cowboy pie right, is firstly you want to brown those sausages all over with no un cooked beige lines going on! It's also crucial those onions get enough time to break down and go nice and sweet. Other than that, this recipe is a doddle to make.

To make my Cowboy pie you will need:

• 8 Cumberland sausages (or use your favourite)

• 2 x 420g cans of baked beans

• 1 diced medium onion

• 2 cloves of garlic sliced

• About 3 tbsp of BBQ sauce

• About 800g of mashed potato (you can also use frozen)

• About 100g of grated Cheddar cheese

• Salt & pepper

• A little oil for frying

I love a good meatball, in fact I've got several recipes on the channel that include them. Today however, in keeping with my efforts to help you cook tasty grub during this cost of living crisis, I have a super easy and cheap spicy pork meatball pasta for you.

I also felt a bit extra today, and so made a herby Persillade crumb to go on top. This is optional, but it costs sod all to make and it does add an extra layer of flavour. Now, one of the secrets to a great meatball is adding breadcrumbs to the meat. This isn't to bulk it out, but actually it helps keep the meatballs juicy and succulent. The bread absorbs the fat, meaning it's retained inside the meatball rather than it leaking out. Also, it's best to buy pork that has a fat content of around 12 - 15%, if it's too lean, then they will be dry regardless.

To make my spicy pork meatball pasta you will need:

• About 350g of pasta (I used penne, but use your fave)

• 500g of pork mince with at least 12% fat

• 1 red bell pepper or used jarred roasted peppers

• 1 red onion (half for the sauce, a quarter for the persillade)

• About 1 tsp garlic granules

• 1+1/2 tsp of fennel seeds

• 1+1/2 tsp of chilli flakes or cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp or dried oregano

• 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

• 50g of fresh breadcrumbs

• Salt & pepper

• Olive oil for cooking

For the Persillade crumb (optional)

• About 50g of fresh breadcrumbs

• A quarter of red onion

• 1 large garlic clove

• A good handful of fresh parsley

• About 1 tsp of lemon juice (bottled is fine)

• Olive oil for cooking

Pasta Al Limone - or lemon butter pasta - is arguably one of the cheapest and quickest pasta dishes you can make. It encompasses 3 basic flavour profiles of salt, fat and acid, combined together in such a way to produce something magical. You can make this as cheap or expensive as you like. I used fresh lemon, some nice pasta and good quality butter, but you can absolutely make this with cheaper ingredients which will bring this meal in at around £1 per portion.

To make my lemon butter pasta you will need:

For 1 person

• About 200g of spaghetti

• Zest and juice of 1/4 of a lemon

• 15-20g of butter

• About 30g of grated parmesan

• Salt & pepper

• A little olive oil (about 1 tbsp) Optional extras

• 1 sliced garlic clove

• A good few pinches of chilli flakes

Ramen is a gift to the world, and honestly when you find a place that makes excellent ramen, make sure you look after them because it's a lot of work to make a good one. However, because we are all broke af nice meals out are less frequent. Today I am going to show you how to take a cheap packet of instant noodles, and turn them into something tasty, quick and costs under £2 easily! This recipe is for 1 person, but if you want to make it for more people, simply scale up the ingredients.

To make my super simple budget cheats ramen you will need: For 1 person

• 1 medium sized cabbage leaf, washed in finely sliced

• 1/2 a medium carrot cut into thin strips

• 400ml of chicken or veg stock

• 1 small garlic clove finely chopped

• Small piece of ginger the same size as the garlic, finely chopped

• 1/4 of a fresh lime

• 1 spring onion chopped

• 1 soft boiled egg

• Soy sauce

• Crispy chilli oil

• Sesame oil

• Salt & a little oil

Spaghetti bolognese or 'spag bol' is a staple in most British households, and whilst I have already done 2 different variations of this dish - a more western type, and a more traditional type - I wanted to strip it back, and take it back to it's bare bones to make it affordable in these testing times. The cost of living has soared in the last few months, especially with food, and although this might not be the best or most authentic bolognese you've ever had, it will certainly be the cheapest and will still hit the spot. Best thing, is that this version comes in at under a fiver and will feed a family of 4 easy, maybe 5 if you whack some garlic bread on the table as well.

To make my budget bolognese you will need:

• 500g of beef mince

• 1 medium onion

• 1 medium carrot

• 2 small sticks of celery

• 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

• 1 tbsp of tomato puree

• 2 cloves of sliced garlic

• About a tsp of dried oregano

• About 150g of dried spaghetti PER PERSON, so if feeding a family of 4 you will need a total of around 600g

• Grated cheese of your choice

• Salt & pepper

• You may need a small amount of oil if using lean beef

Chicken wings are hands down one of my favourite finger foods, and I've done a bunch of chicken wing recipes on the channel before. This time, I'm making some budget friendly tandoori chicken wings with a simple cucumber and mint raita to go with it. All in this cost less than £5 if you factor in the amounts used. I did already have the spices though, so if you need to buy those as well, then factor that into your costs.

Now I cooked my tandoori chicken wings in the air fryer, but you absolutely can do them in the oven instead if you don't have an air fryer. I actually came up with these tandoori chicken wings when I'd had a few too many beers the other day, and in my obliterated state not only managed to create something amazing that costs sod all, but miraculously write down how I did it so I'd remember!

• To make my tandoori chicken wings with raita you will need: 500g of chicken wings (if using 1kg just double the marinade spices and add a bit more yoghurt)

• 2 heaped tbsp of tandoori masala powder

• 1 tsp of chilli powder

• 2 tsp of lemon juice

• 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste (fresh or jarred is fine)

• Salt & pepper

• About 4-5 tbsp of plain yoghurt For the raita

• About 7-8 tbsp of plain yoghurt

• A small handful of chopped fresh mint

• 1/2 tsp of ground cumin

• 1/2 a grated cucumber (seeds removed and excess juice squeezed out)

• Salt

I absolutely love a good curry, and I always say that if for some reason I ever became a vegetarian, then it would be Indian food I'd mostly eat. I find with a lot of vegetarian Indian food, you just don't miss the meat at all because it's so flavoursome. This is my version of a simple potato curry, that costs bugger all and tastes fab. This comes in at around £3 or less with the amounts used, but obviously factor in the cost if you're having to make the initial purchase of buying the spices, and of course energy usage.

To make my potato curry you will need:

• About 600g of new potatoes sliced in half

• 1x400g can of chopped tomatoes

• 1 medium sized red onion (save some for garnish)

• A good handful of chopped coriander (optional)

• Half a diced red chilli (optional)

• 2 tsp of garam masala (1 for finishing the curry)

• 1 tsp of cumin seeds

• 1 tsp of ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric

• 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste

• 2 tbsp of veg oil

• About 75ml of double cream (optional)

• Salt

I have a right bobby dazzler for you fine folks, an easy to make chicken chow mein that tastes just like the takeaway! And the best bit, is it comes in at around £2 per portion, and a hefty portion at that. I am also here to tell you, that if you have ever tried to make chicken chow mein at home and it just doesn't quite taste the same. It's because of one simple ingredient that's missing, and that's MSG or monosodium glutamate. Now don't be scared of it, there's a lot of myths and untruths that surround it, so go grab yourself a bag and make this takeaway style chicken chow mein.

Another secret to getting that takeaway flavour is using dark soy sauce not light. The main differences between the two are that light soy is more salty and brighter in flavour, whereas dark soy is less salty and richer in flavour. It gives the chicken chow mein a nice dark colour and a deeper flavour. You could also make this even cheaper by using chicken thighs instead of breasts, and also by hunting around in the reduced section at your local supermarket. I bought most of the ingredients from lidl for a total cost of £5.36, and for the amounts used in this, brings it in way under £5 for 2 hungry people. Which when you factor in that a chicken chow mein from the takeaway is between £5-£6 for one, this is excellent value and means you can have the same flavours at home for a lot less.

• To make my budget chicken chow mein for 2 you will need: About 200g of dried medium egg noodles (pre cook for about 2 mins)

• 1 medium sized white onion chopped

• 2 medium sized chicken breast sliced thin

• About 3 tbsp of dark soy sauce

• 1/2 tsp of salt (taste and adjust if needed)

• 1/2 tsp of MSG

• A good couple of handfuls of beansprouts

• A few sliced spring onions for garnish (optional)

So today in cost of living bullshittery I decided to come up with this little number to help you feed yourselves for less. It's a very simple - but tasty - creamy chicken pasta. This will feed 2 hungry people and may even stretch to a 2 adults and a child but maybe chuck in some garlic bread to stretch it out.

To make my creamy chicken pasta you will need:

• 2 large chicken breasts

• 250g of pasta (I used fusilli)

• 200g of cream chees

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 2 handfuls of frozen peas

• About 70g of baby spinach

• 1 tsp of dried tarragon or any herbs you like

• Salt & pepper

• Oil for cooking (about a tbsp)

• A sprinkle of dried grated Italian cheese to finish (optional)

Cottage pie is one of my all time fave comforts foods. It is the perfect delivery system of meat, carbs, salt and fat, and as the nights get colder nothing hits the spot like a warming cottage pie. The problem is, it can get out of hand ingredients wise and can actually become quite expensive.

I have a cottage pie recipe from about 5 years ago during better times, which contained hand chopped beef, red wine and all sorts of lovely stuff. This recipe however, is a stripped back version that's more in keeping with the cost of living crisis we are all facing. It's cheap but it's still very tasty, and I'm using a little hack to save you some money too!

To make my cottage pie with a twist you will need:

• 500g minced beef

• 1 stick of celery

• 1 med onion

• 1 med carrot

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 bay leaf

• About 550ml of beef stock

• 1-2 tbsp of Worcester sauce

• About 2 tbsp of beef gravy granules (use your favourite)

• A couple of handfuls of frozen peas

• Enough hash browns to cover the top (I used 7)

• Onion and chive cheese to top (optional, and use your favourite)

• Salt & pepper

Fried chicken is probably my favourite of all the fast foods. When I hear the mere mention of fried chicken I have to get some. Now don't get me wrong, I love the old colonel but it can be a bit pricy, especially if you're a greedy pig like me. So I've got a really simple, cheap and tasty fried chicken sandwich you can make at home for just £1.50 each! So not only are you getting hot & fresh tasty fried chicken, it's also not going to break the bank, which is a god send for us all right now.

I opted for breasts, but if you want to make this even cheaper, you can use boneless thighs. You can also use whatever condiments, salad, cheese etc you like.

To make my fried chicken sandwich you will need:

Makes 4

For the marinade

• 2 medium sized chicken breasts

• 5-6 tbsp of plain natural yoghurt

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1/2 tsp white pepper

• 1 tsp dried sage

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1/4 tsp MSG

• 1/2 tsp salt

• About 50ml of juice from the pickles (or lemon juice)

For the seasoned flour

• 5-6 tbsp of plain flour (all purpose)

• 1 tsp white pepper

• 2 tsp garlic granules

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 2 tsp dried sage

• 1/2 tsp MSG

• 1 tsp salt

• Oil for frying

Extras

• 4 brioche buns

• Cheese slices

• Lettuce

Serve with your favourite condiments, cheese, salad, pickles etc. I used lettuce, mayo, cheese slices and topped with some sriracha, honey and pickles.

A few nights ago I had a hankering for something wildly savoury, spicy, salty and sweet. So I fumbled into the kitchen and made this, honey garlic pork but on the cheap. Pork tenderloin is thankfully still a relatively cheap cut, at around £2.63 for the size I bought which will happily feed 2 hungry adults with sides. I made a quick and simple dry rub for the honey garlic pork using some basic store cupboard spices. I also made a simple honey glaze to take it up a notch. It's a punchy one this, but coupled with some simple sides it makes a cracking little meal. Enjoy!

To make my honey garlic pork you will need:

• Feeds 2 adults, maybe an extra small child if not so hungry 350g pork tenderloin, you can use a larger piece if you like

• 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste

• 1 tsp of neutral oil like vegetable

For the dry rub:

• 1/2 tbsp white or black pepper

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tbsp salt

• 1/2 tbsp chilli flakes (use a tsp if you want less heat)

• 1/2 tsp of MSG (optional)

For the honey glaze:

• 2 minced garlic cloves

• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 3 tbsp honey

• 1 tbsp vinegar (I used distilled malt)

You can serve this with rice and veggies like I did, but equally good served in wraps with salad, yoghurt and a bit of cheese. Have it how you like chums, it's your dinner! x

Orzo pasta is rice shaped pasta, and is incredibly versatile and quick to cook. You can use orzo to make a sort of cheats risotto, without having to stand over it for ages, constantly stirring. You don't have to have the chicken with this dish, it's great on it's own, or served with some nice meaty white fish, or even grilled pork chops.

Ingredients:

• 250g orzo pasta

• 2 shallots or 1 small onion finely diced

• 1 lemon

• 1 garlic clove chopped

• 1 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

• About half a medium sized chilli

• 2 chicken breasts

• 50-100g parmesan cheese (use more or less depending how much you like)

• 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for cooking

• Salt & pepper

Sometimes things don't always go to plan. A recipe that I was going to do today, failed massively! Thankfully however, I have a good bunch of recipes up my sleeve. So instead, I decided to make this awesome white chicken ragu (Bianco chicken ragu) that I adapted from Gennaro Contaldo's recipe. It's really simple, really cheap, but tastes delicious!

To make my white chicken ragu you will need:

• 1 small carrot finely diced

• 1/2 stick of celery finely diced

• 1/2 medium onion finely diced

• 3 chicken thighs de-boned and chopped

• 1/2 red chilli (optional)

• 150ml white wine

• 200ml chicken stock

• 2 sprigs of rosemary

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 small garlic cloves

• 200g penne pasta

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt & pepper

• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

• Parmesan to serve

My creamy chicken pasta is really simple to make, and only takes around 15 minutes from prep to table. For this recipe, I used chicken breast, but you could use skinless thighs as an alternative. I also added some creme fraiche, as this does two things. It gives the dish a sort of 'twang' but also lightens the dish, making it less heavy and cloying. If you want quick easy meals, that are tasty and a little bit healthier than the usual cheese laden stuff I make, then recipes like this are perfect for you. You can also make this vegetarian by replacing the chicken with some fried mushrooms!

To make my creamy chicken pasta you will need:

• 300g of chicken breast

• 250g of pasta (I used tagliatelle)

• 150ml of double cream

• 3 tbsp of creme fraiche

• Zest of 1 lemon

• About 2 tbsp of pine nuts

• Fresh basil leaves

• 1 fat garlic clove or 2 smaller ones

• Salt & pepper

• Oil for cooking

This is one of those recipes that just works. It has very few ingredients, making it cheap as chips and you can knock this up in less than 15 minutes. This is my go to spaghetti recipe when I want something quick and simple and don’t want to be messing around in the kitchen for hours on end. The capers coupled with the sweet tomatoes, tangy lemon and the passata creates a wonderful and vibrant pasta recipe. The Parmesan just rounds everything off, toning down the sharpness a little, and it gives the dish a creaminess. Of course, it's obligatory to add more over the top when it's finished...why wouldn't you?

To make my homecooked spaghetti with tomatoes and capers you will need:

• 250g of spaghetti

• About 150g of passata

• About 12 cherry tomatoes

• 2 cloves of garlic

• Zest of 1/2 a lemon

• 2 tbsp of capers

• Parmesan cheese

• Salt & pepper

• Good extra virgin olive oil

• Parmesan & fresh basil or parsley to finish
  

As you probably know by now, the main premise for this channel is simple, easy, cheap and tasty food. I like to make the best of everything I have and using ingredients that might otherwise end up in the bin. Today I show you one of my easy, fast and delicious sausage & bean pasta dishes. It's really good eating, and can be eaten hot or cold. If you're making it for kids, you might want to omit the chillies. I also use butter beans (also known as lima beans), which are a natural source of protein, iron and zinc. They are basically the potato of the bean world and are lovely and creamy, and brilliant if there's not a lot of meat to go round, and you want to bulk out the dish without compromising on flavour. This recipe will serve 2-3 people, or 4 people as part of main, with some crunchy salad leaves and maybe some nice buttered corn on the cob.

To make my sausage and butter bean pasta you will need:

• 6-8 high quality pork sausages

• 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 medium onion

• 1 tsp of dried oregano

• 1/2 a red chilli (more if you like it hotter)

• 1/2 tbsp of tomato puree

• 1 can of butter beans (lima beans)

• 300g of whole wheat fusilli pasta

• Salt & pepper

• Freshly chopped parsley (about 1 tbsp)

• Freshly grated parmesan (optional)

• Oil for cooking

Marcella Hazan was one of the most prolific and knowledgeable cooks in America. She brought Italian cuisine to the masses and showed the world how simple and tasty, good Italian food was. She holds a special place in my heart because of her tenacity to learn, and that she was a self taught cook, not a chef. I thought I would do something a bit different today, and cook one of her recipes from her book 'Essentials of classic Italian cooking'. It’s her recipe for peas, bacon and ricotta sauce. The word sauce should be used lightly, as it's not really a sauce at all, but more of an amalgamation of lovely things. I think if I made this again, I would add a touch of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up a touch. That being said, it's a very refreshing, light and tasty dish. This recipe is perfect for those on a tight budget, as pasta costs little, neither do peas or bacon really. The ricotta was a quid for a whole tub from my local market. Incidentally, I popped in to a supermarket for some other bits and bobs, and noticed that their ricotta was less in weight and almost double the price! It pays to visit your market, people. The pasta of choice is conchiglie, which is the shell shaped pasta. It seems to hold the sauce better, and as Marcella said herself 'for the deftness with which it’s hollows catch the sauce'. Other pasta varieties can be used, such as rigatoni or perhaps penne. Marcella was a magnanimous, sharp woman. I never got to meet her, but I am certain that I would have spent hours talking to her about food.

To make Marcella's peas & bacon with ricotta sauce you will need:

• 450g of shell on peas or 140g of frozen peas thawed

• 115g of lean back bacon

• 115g of fresh ricotta

• 450g of conchiglie pasta or something similar

• 15g of butter

• 6 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan cheese

• Salt & pepper

• A little oil for cooking the bacon
  

Saint agur cheese is a very mild, sweet and creamy cheese with a light blue cheese flavour, that works really well in sauces. This recipe is brilliant because most of the flavour comes from the cheese, so you don't have to spend ages making a flavourful sauce, because it's already in the cheese!

I first made my spaghetti with blue cheese sauce on the last live stream I did. I promised I would make an actual video for the recipe, so I'm doing it now before I forget! There are a couple of added extras to the recipe, the addition of parsley and a touch of lemon zest, helps cut through some of that richness. I mean it's not exactly a slimming dish folks, but it does taste good. You can use different blue cheeses if you can't get hold of saint agur. Roquefort would be good, or maybe a mild stilton. Just be aware that different cheeses, will alter the flavour considerably, so tastes as you go.

• To make my spaghetti with blue cheese sauce you will need: 350g of spaghetti

• About 75g of saint agur cheese (use more if you like)

• About 150ml of double cream (heavy cream)

• 4 rashers of smoked bacon

• Fresh parsley

• Zest of 1/2 a lemon

• Salt & pepper

• Olive oil for cooking

Spaghetti and meatballs is one of those Italian American dishes that just kind of makes you go 'ooooh yes please' The combination of soft, juicy meatballs and that silky spaghetti covered in a rich tomato sauce is just a pleasure to eat. Now, let's talk about the meatballs themselves. The difference between a good meatball and a great meatball is all in the meat, specifically using a combination of good quality beef and pork, in this case half and half.

You want to make sure that either your beef or pork is not too lean, as you don’t want them to dry out. Equally you don't want them too greasy either, so opt for either lean pork and fatty beef, or in this case fatty pork and lean beef. This will give you a soft, crumbly and juicy meatball. It's also important to note that breadcrumbs are absolutely essential. Contrary to belief they don’t bulk out the meatball, but they instead, suck up all the juices and fat whilst cooking, which in turn keeps the meatball juicy and tender. You can add whatever herbs and spices you like. Some fennel seeds would be nice, fresh basil, garlic and onion maybe? It's up to you.

To make my spaghetti and meatballs you will need:

• 225g of pork mince

• 225g of beef mince

• 1 egg

• 1 heaped tsp of oregano

• 80-100g of fresh white breadcrumbs

• About 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

• A good handful of chopped parsley

• 2-3 tbsp of grated Parmesan

• 1 small chilli finely chopped

• 1 batch of my basic tomato sauce

• Salt & pepper

• About 100g of dried spaghetti per person

Spaghetti aglio e olio is arguably the easiest pasta recipe you're ever likely to make, it's got 5 ingredients and even one of those is optional. The key to a good spaghetti aglio e olio is using really good olive oil (the best you can afford) and also not allowing the garlic to burn. You burn the garlic, the dish is ruined.

This dish is great after a night out, and you've had a few drinks. So instead of reaching for a cheap kebab, make this instead. It takes around 8 minutes from start to finish, and can be in your belly in less. Give it a bash!

To make spaghetti aglio e olio you will need:

• 250g of spaghetti

• 3 garlic cloves

• 5 tbsp of olive oil

• 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes

• Freshly chopped parsley

• Salt & pepper

I have to say that it's very rare I get sick of a recipe, but let me tell you folks I have been eating this dish almost daily for the past week in order to get it right! So at the moment, I don't even want to look at another blinking sausage again! That being said, it is really REALLY good eating.

I love Italian sausages, they bring so much flavour to anything you cook with them. They have a pungent garlic and fennel flavour which really gives your taste buds a tingle. However, it's not always easy to get hold of Italian sausages - well here in the UK at least - so I developed a recipe that gives you a similar flavour without having to actually make your own sausages. If you can get hold of good Italian sausages though, use those and skip straight to the cooking method. If you are going to do it this way, then please PLEASE use good quality pork sausages, with at least 95% pork content. One of the great characteristics of Italian sausages is they are very meaty and have lots of texture, which you won’t get from cheap pasty bangers! It's also important to watch your salt and pepper. Most pre-made sausages are already seasoned, so as a tip, I wouldn't add any salt to the mixture until you have fried a small piece off and tasted it, then adjust the salt if you need to..

To make my Italian sausage pasta you will need:

• 6 high quality pork sausages

• 2 + 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds

• 1 + 1/2 tsp of coriander seeds

• 1 + 1/2 tsp of oregano plus extra for the sauce

• 1 medium white or red onion

• A large handful of baby spinach leaves

• 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes

• About 1/2 bottle of red wine (don't worry kids the alcohol burns off)

• A few table spoons of parmesan cheese

• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (add more if you want it hotter)

• 3 cloves of garlic minced

• About 250g of rigatoni pasta or whatever pasta you like

• Zest of 1/2 a lemon

• 2 bay leaves

• Salt & pepper

• Olive oil for cooking

Have I ever told you that I love prawns? Well I do. So much in fact that I remember devouring 2 kilos of the things cooked in horrendous amounts of garlic, butter and parsley, To the point I was sick! I didn't need that many I know, but I just couldn't help myself. The great thing about prawns is their versatility. They are sweet and delicate morsels, but they can stand up to some robust flavours, which in this case is chilli and garlic. It’s very simple recipe, but using fresh ingredients really does make all the difference. For me, the secret is not over cooking the prawns, not adding too much chilli that it swamps the rest of the flavours, and not burning the garlic. You get those things right, and you'll have a great meal. Now you don't have to use linguine for this recipe, spaghetti will work just fine and if you don't want to stretch to fresh prawns, then you can use frozen if you like. Just make sure you defrost them first. You could also really stretch the boat out and use langoustines, crayfish or even lobster! it's up to you.

To make my chilli and prawn linguine you will need:

Serves 2

• 250g of fresh prawns

• About 150g of dried linguine

• About 200g of cherry tomatoes

• 3 fresh garlic cloves

• Juice of half a lemon

• About 1/2 tsp of dried chilli flakes (add more if you want it hotter)

• A good handful of freshly chopped parsley

• Salt & pepper

• About 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
  

Some of you may know that recently my grandfather ended up in hospital, which resulted in him having a pacemaker fitted. It was all a bit scary to say the least, but thankfully he's out of hospital and back in the comfort of his own home. The other day I made him up a bunch of meals to take over so he didn’t have to worry about cooking, and this was one of them. A quick and simple pork ragu with rigatoni pasta. It's packed full of flavour, veggies and calories to get his energy back up. Now i'm not going to claim that this pork ragu is in any way a traditional Italian recipe, more Italian inspired. It's a great midweek meal if you want something fairly quick, because it can be on the table in 45 mins. Also, you can cook it for longer if you have other stuff to do before dinner. You can leave it on low to trickle away until you're ready to eat. You can also do all the prep the night before to make life even easier. You can pre-mix the pork mince and chop all the veggies and just keep them in the fridge until the following evening. It’s also great for batch cooking and freezing any leftovers!

To make my spicy pork ragu with rigatoni you will need:

• 500g of good pork mince

• 2 tsp of fennel seeds

• 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

• 1/4 tsp of nutmeg

• 4 garlic cloves (2 for pork 2 for sauce)

• 1 tsp of smoked paprika

• 300-350g of rigatoni pasta

• 1 x 400g tin of cherry tomatoes (or chopped)

• Fresh basil

• Thyme

• 2 bay leaves

• About 500ml of chicken stock

• 1 large carrot

• 1 stick of celery

• 1 medium sized white onion

• 2 tbsp of tomato paste

• Fresh parmesan

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

So I had a bunch of meatball mix leftover in the freezer from the IKEA series and I needed to use it up. So I created this simple, family cheesy meatball pasta bake and it was insanely good. You can use whatever meatball recipe you like, but a simple mix would be 225g of pork mince, 225g of beef mince, 1-2 tsp of dried oregano, salt and pepper. Mix it up and boom you have basic meatball. You can go extra and add some breadcrumbs, extra spices and herbs too. Or you can find a recipe on the internet/cookbook that suits your meatball requirements. This meatball pasta bake will happily feed 3-4 people with some side salad, maybe some corn on the cob, even fries and garlic bread if you want to play that game!

To make my cheesy meatball pasta bake you will need:

• 450g of meatball mix

• 250g of pasta such as penne, fiorelli, rigatoni, fusili

• 400g can of chopped tomatoes

• About 2 tsp of worcester sauce

• About 8 basil leaves

• 1 small onion

• 1 med carrot

• 1 stick of celery

• 2 garlic cloves minced

• Salt & pepper

• Oil for cooking

• About 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

• Cheese for topping (I used cheddar and mozzarella)

Mac and cheese has to be one of the worlds most recognisable comfort foods, and is actually one of my favourite snacks to eat when I feel like I need a cheesy gooey fix! I stumbled across a recipe by J.Kenji Lopez-alt a few weeks back for his 3 ingredient mac and cheese and I HAD to try it.

Not just because it's a quick easy stovetop mac and cheese, but also because it only has 3 main ingredients! Cheese, evaporated milk and of course pasta. I think the science behind this method, is that the evaporated milk contains protein micelles, which act as an emulsifier with the cheese to create a super luxurious velvety sauce. If you've ever had a bad mac and cheese, where the fats in the cheese has split, and you get a grainy stringy oily mess, that's not that pleasant to eat. That's because the cheese hasn't emulsified properly. This method ensures a wonderful cheesy consistency. but the downside to this recipe is that you have to serve it straight away. Because if it sits for too long it will clag up and go stiff. However, after making this video and wanting to re heat the leftovers, I found that adding a little water as it heats, loosens the mixture enough to get it back to It’s previous delicious state.

To make J.kenji Lopez-alt's 3 ingredient mac and cheese recipe you will need:

• 170g of macaroni pasta

• 170g of cheese (cheddar, red leicester, gouda, fontina, Gruyere are all good)

• 180ml of evaporated milk

• Salt

Ragu alla bolognese is one of the most abused recipes in the world in my view. I know, because I'm guilty of it as much as anyone else. And that is not to say that the adaptations of this sauce are not good, it's just generally the proper Italian way is always going to be better in my view. This is not to be confused with bolognese alla Napoletano, which is probably closer to a spaghetti bolognese than this, as it's much more tomato based. However, a good ragu alla bolognese is what I’m making today, and honestly it is way better than any jarred crap you buy off the supermarket shelves, and a lot better for you.

You will also be surprised at how few ingredients it takes to make a really good ragu alla bolognese sauce. The only thing this sauce needs is time...lots of time. You cannot rush a sauce like this, so It's a good idea to batch cook a load of it and freeze if you want your bolognese fix anytime you want. It needs a good few hours, I’d say two hours at least low and slow, if you can give it an extra hour or two then great, as it will only get better. Like most slow cook dishes as well, it's better eaten the next day. The pasta is you serve with this is just as important as the Ragu itself, and so doesn't lend itself all that well to spaghetti. What you need is a ribbon like pasta such as tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettuccine to allow the sauce to really coat the pasta. And please, make sure to mix some of the sauce in with the pasta, don't just take all that hard work you've put in and just dump it on top.

To make my ragu alla bolognese sauce you will need:

Serves 4-5 with pasta

• 150g of minced pork (ground pork)

• 350g of minced beef (ground beef)

• 100g of unsmoked pancetta (guanciale also good)

• 200ml of dry white wine, or drinking wine of your choice

• 2 small carrots

• 1 large celery stick

• 1 medium sized onion

• 2 tbsp of tomato paste

• 150ml of full fat milk

• 150-200ml of chicken stock

• Salt and pepper

• Olive if needed

• Cooked tagliatelle (about 150g per person)

• Freshly grated Parmesan to serve

Is it lasagna or lasagne? Who knows? No one, because it's both. Regardless of that fact, it's one of the many great exports to come out of Italy and it's a doddle to make. Really, to make a good lasagna, you first need a good meat sauce (the ragu). The crucial thing to a great lasagne is giving the meat sauce the time it needs to develop it's flavour, giving you the richness you so deserve...and need! If you don't cook the meat sauce long enough, then well...your lasagne will resemble insipid drain water. I make this slightly differently to my ragu recipe, as I add canned tomatoes. I find this gives the finished lasagna some much needed sweetness and tartness, to cut through all that creamy bechamel and cheese. You can make it the day before, a few hours before you want dinner, or even batch cook a big load of meat sauce, portion it and freeze for whenever you fancy a delicious lasagne for you and your family.

To make my family lasagne you will need:

• 500g minced beef

• 250g pork mince

• 1 large brown onion

• 2 medium carrots

• 1 large celery stick

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 300ml white wine

• 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tsp of dried oregano

• 150ml milk

• salt and pepper

• olive oil

• Lasagne pasta sheets (about 9-12 sheets)

• About 250g of grated mozzarella cheese

• About 50g of grated parmesan cheese

• A good handful of fresh basil leaves

For the bechamel sauce:

• 600ml milk

• 50g unsalted butter

• 50g plain all purpose flour

• About 50g grated parmesan cheese

• About 1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg

• Salt & pepper

Spaghetti carbonara is probably in my top 5 Italian recipes. It is incredibly easy to make provided you follow some crucial steps. So why then, is this simple recipe messed around with so much!? We've all seen the abhorrent creations from adding peas, double cream, mushrooms to adding chillies and even garlic. And hey, it probably tastes good....but a carbonara it aint! A proper homemade spaghetti carbonara is one of those dishes that shouldn't be messed around with, it needs protecting from the imposters. It's made with spaghetti, eggs, guanciale or pancetta, pecorino cheese and black pepper. That's just 4 ingredients if you discount the pepper! That's it, that's all you need to make carbonara. Like many Italian recipes, spaghetti carbonara falls under the Italian way of cooking called Cucina povera which roughly translates to 'poor kitchen'. It's a thrifty frugal way of cooking, and getting the best out of the little ingredients you have. A good Spaghetti carbonara is simple, cheap food that has bags of flavour. So put the mushrooms, peas and double cream down and let me show you how to make it properly.

To make my spaghetti carbonara you will need:

• 250g of bucatini spaghetti

• 4 medium sized egg yolks (Burford browns if you can, or good free range)

• About 40-50g of grated pecorino cheese plus extra for serving

• 160g of diced guanciale or pancetta

• Plenty of black pepper

• Salt for cooking the pasta

Tuna pasta bake is one of my childhood faves. We ate a lot of pasta bakes as kids, because they were filling and cheap. There certainly wasn’t a lot of money going around and so more often than not, it was the cheaper meals that we ate. But cheap doesn't have to mean crap. You'd be surprised what you can do with just a handful of store cupboard ingredients and a little bit of know-how. What's also good about my tuna pasta bake is you can switch out ingredients. Got some leftover ham that needs using up? Wang it in! Only got spring onions instead of white onion? Use those instead. You can get really creative once you know how to get the base sauce done, and learning just a few tricks. Remember, cheap doesn't mean bad, i'm cheap and I am delicious af!

To make my family tuna pasta bake you will need:

• 500g of fusilli pasta £0.53

• 250g mature cheddar cheese £1.25, half for sauce half for topping

• 200g of canned sweetcorn drained

• 650ml of whole milk

• 2 x 145g canned tuna chunks in water

• 1 small onion

• 200g of frozen peas

• 4 rashers of smoked bacon

• 50g of butter

• Salt & pepper

In my ongoing quest to help combat the rise in costs of living, today's video goes back in time to the great depression. I stumbled upon this recipe for something called hoover stew, it has just 4 ingredients - plus salt and pepper - so is it any good? This has to be one of the easiest things I've cooked so far, and one of the cheapest. Factor in the amounts used in this, the whole dish comes in under a fiver and will feed 6 people! That's less than £1 per person!

Hoover stew - like many cheap recipes - came out of hardship. During the great depression of the 1930's, food was scarce and folks had to make the best of what they had. This recipe in particular was very popular at the time, and although I used kielbasa in my version, hotdogs were the normal sausage to use. It was often served in soup kitchens all across America in Hoovervilles, or shanty towns if you like. The towns were named after the then president of the United States, Herbert Hoover. I guess this could also serve as a vessel for other ingredients such as leftover meat and vegetables. But one thing is for sure, it's definitely simple, and definitely cheap!

To make my hoover stew you will need:

• About 250g of cooked macaroni pasta

• 340g of hotdogs or kielbasa

• 1 x 340g can of sweetcorn

• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

• Salt & pepper
  

I love a good meatball, in fact I've got several recipes on the channel that include them. Today however, in keeping with my efforts to help you cook cheap and tasty grub during this cost of living crisis, I have a super easy and cheap spicy pork meatball pasta for you. I also felt a bit extra today, and so made a herby Persillade crumb to go on top, this is optional, but it costs sod all to make and it does add an extra layer of flavour. Now, one of the secrets to a great meatball is adding breadcrumbs to the meat. This isn't to bulk it out, but actually it helps keep the meatballs juicy and succulent. The bread absorbs the fat, meaning it's retained inside the meatball rather than leaking out. Also, it's best to buy pork that has a fat content of around 12 - 15%, if it's too lean, then they will be dry regardless.

To make my spicy pork meatball pasta you will need:

• About 350g of pasta (I used penne, but use your fave)

• 500g of pork mince with at least 12% fat

• 1 red bell pepper or used jarred roasted peppers

• 1 red onion (half for the sauce, a quarter for the persillade)

• About 1 tsp garlic granules

• 1+1/2 tsp of fennel seeds

• 1+1/2 tsp of chilli flakes or cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp or dried oregano

• 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

• 50g of fresh breadcrumbs

• Salt & pepper

• Olive oil for cooking

For the Persillade crumb (optional)

• About 50g of fresh breadcrumbs

• A quarter of red onion

• 1 large garlic clove

• A good handful of fresh parsley

• About 1 tsp of lemon juice (bottled is fine)

• Olive oil for cooking

Pasta Al Limone - or lemon butter pasta - is arguably one of the cheapest and quickest pasta dishes you can make. It encompasses 3 basic flavour profiles of salt, fat and acid, combined together in such a way to produce something magical. You can make this as cheap or expensive as you like, I used fresh lemon, some nice pasta and good quality butter, but you can absolutely make this with cheaper ingredients, which will bring this meal in at around £1 per portion.

To make my lemon butter pasta you will need:

For 1 person

• About 200g of spaghetti

• Zest and juice of 1/4 of a lemon

• 15-20g of butter

• About 30g of grated parmesan

• Salt & pepper

• A little olive oil (about 1 tbsp) Optional extras

• 1 sliced garlic clove

• A good few pinches of chilli flakes

Spaghetti bolognese or 'spag bol' is a staple in most British households, and whilst I have already done 2 different variations of this dish - a more western type, and a more traditional type - I wanted to strip it back, and take it back to it's bare bones to make it affordable in these testing times. The cost of living has soared in the last few months, especially with food. And although this might not be the best or most authentic bolognese you've ever had, it will certainly be the cheapest and will still hit the spot.

To make my budget bolognese you will need:

• 500g of beef mince

• 1 medium onion

• 1 medium carrot

• 2 small sticks of celery

• 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes

• 1 tbsp of tomato puree

• 2 cloves of sliced garlic

• About 1 tsp of dried oregano

• About 150g of dried spaghetti PER PERSON, so if feeding a family of 4 you will need a total of around 600g

• Grated cheese of your choice

• Salt & pepper

• You may need a small amount of oil if using lean beef

Cacio e pepe is arguably one the quickest, cheapest and tastiest recipes to come out of Rome. It always amazes me that the Italians can makes something so good, with very few ingredients. The secret to a great cacio e pepe is using pecorino cheese, using freshly ground black peppercorns and utilising the pasta water to make a luxurious rich creamy sauce. You can use parmesan if you can't get pecorino, but honestly the pecorino makes it.

To Make my Cacio e pepe you will need:

Feeds 2 hungry adults

• 300g of dried spaghetti

• 150g of grated pecorino cheese

• 2 tsp of whole black peppercorns

• Salt for the pasta water

A proper risotto takes an absolute age to cook, So I've created this quick, easy and tasty 'risotto' that doesn't take anywhere near as long, but still gives you that creamy satisfying texture reminiscent from a regular risotto. The secret? Well you'll have to watch the video won't you!

To make my cheats risotto you will need:

Feeds 3 with sides

• 200g of chorizo

• 1/2 large leek

• 600ml chicken stock

• 250g or orzo pasta

• 250ml of white wine

• 60g of grated parmesan plus extra for garnish

• 2 garlic cloves

• Juice of half a lemon plus zest for garnish

• 3-4 knobs of butter (about 25g)

• Salt & pepper

• 1+1/2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

• 4-6 basil leaves

It's no surprise that ham and leeks are a match made in heaven. So I've created this super easy, super quick and super cheap four ingredient ham and leek pasta recipe. PLUS I am using garlic and herb cream cheese as a cheats ingredient. It already has bags of flavour, so you won't have to go out and buy lots of other ingredients, as it already has them in.

To make my 4 ingredient - Excluding oil and S&P - creamy ham and leek pasta you will need:

Serves 4

• 320g of rigatoni pasta (or pasta of your choice)

• 200g of garlic and herb cream cheese

• 100g of ham trim

• 1 medium sized Leek

• About 1 tbsp of rapeseed or olive oil

• 1/4 tsp of chilli flakes (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Looking for a simple yet delicious pasta recipe? My penne arrabbiata recipe is one of the easiest Italian dishes you'll ever make, but you have to follow a few simple rules to get the best out of this classic Italian dish. Don't worry though, I'll be guiding you through the whole thing step by step!

To make my penne arrabbiata you will need:

• 300g penne pasta

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2x400g tins of Italian whole tomatoes (San marzano if you can)

• About 1 tsp red chili flakes

• About 3 tbsp of decent extra virgin olive oil

• Small bunch of freshly chopped parsley plus a few stalks

• Salt to taste

• Grated fresh parmesan or pecorino to finish (optional)

Baked beans are a staple in most British households. usually slaked over the top of a jacket potato with cheese, or topped on hot buttered toast, we bloody love our baked beans here. Today though, we're getting spicy with yes you guessed it baked bean curry! A customer at work told me about this little gem she makes for her family, so this is my twist on it. Enjoy, and open the window after eating it because you'll be farting like a pack mule!

To make my low cost baked bean curry you will need:

• 1 med onion

• 1 red pepper

• 1 green pepper

• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste

• 2 tins of baked beans

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 2 tsp garam masala

• 2 tsp coriander powder

• 1 tsp of cumin seeds

• 1 tsp of chilli powder (more if you want it hotter)

• Chopped coriander (optional)

• Knob of butter (optional)

• Bit of lemon juice if needed

• Salt

I was browsing through tiktok a while ago and I came across a fella called Imran Ali who runs the channel ‪@whatinthechef‬. He made this amazing coconut egg curry, and I HAD to make it. My recipe has been modified slightly, but a big shout out to my man Imran for the inspiration for this awesome egg curry. Also eggs are cheap, making this a super cost effective and tasty meal. The sauce will also take another couple of eggs too if you want to stretch it out to more people. Watch the video for the full method, with all ingredients listed below.

To make my coconut egg curry you will need: Feeds 2 hungry people, or 4 with extra sides

• 8 free range med sized eggs

• 2 large tomatoes

• 1 large red onion

• 1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

• 1/2 tsp chilli powder

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1+1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp garam masala

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 3 green cardamom pods

• 1 tsp dried fenugreek (methi)

• 2 x blocks of frozen ginger garlic (or 2 tbsp of fresh/jarred)

• 3 green chilli's

• 1 x 400g can of coconut milk

• A handful of chopped coriander

• Salt

• 2 tbsp of ghee or oil For the egg fry:

• 1 tbsp of ghee or oil

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp chilli powder

Serve the curry with rice, roti or whatever you like really. And do what Imran says and eat with your hands.

I absolutely love chicken katsu curry, and if you've never had it before you need to make it. Flavour wise it has a similar profile to your local Chinese takeaway chicken curry, you know the one with the peas and curry sauce? If you like that, then you will love katsu curry. It's sweet, rich, mildly spiced and you could slather it on anything and it will make it taste good! As for the chicken cutlet? I'm going to show you how to get it super crispy using one special ingredient.🍛

To make my chicken katsu curry you will need: For the sauce (serves a good 4-5 people)

• 2 medium carrots

• 1 whole medium sized onion

• 4 large garlic cloves

• 1 piece of ginger about 2 inches thick

• 1 litre of chicken stock

• 1.5 tbsp of medium curry powder

• 2 tsp of turmeric

• 4 heaped tbsp of plain (all purpose) flour

• 1 tbsp of light soy sauce

• 1.5 tbsp of honey

• Salt if needed (taste as you go!) For the chicken cutlets

• 4 medium sized chicken breasts

• 5 medium sized eggs

• Panko breadcrumbs

• About 6 tbsp of plain flour

• Salt & pepper

• Sunflower or vegetable oil for frying

Serve with rice and some pickled vegetables

I recently had a craving for some prawns, but rather than my usual go-to of cooking them in garlic butter and slinging them down my neck with bread (which is also delicious) I decided to whip up a quick prawn curry instead. It's not as complicated as you might think. This prawn curry uses very few spices, and comes together really quick so is ideal for a weeknight dinner after work. The addition of coconut milk, makes this prawn curry silky smooth and creamy as well. Give it a bash!

To make my coconut prawn curry you will need:

Serves 2 people with rice

• 300g of king prawns

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric

• 1/2 tsp of chilli powder

• 2 tsp of garam masala

• 1 tsp of yellow mustard seeds

• 1/2 tsp of ground cumin

• 3 green cardamom pods

• 1/2 a large red onion (plus a little for garnish)

• 1 cube of frozen ginger garlic paste (or 2 tsp if using fresh or jarred)

• 200ml of coconut milk (not cream)

• 2 small green chilli's

• A small handful of fresh coriander

• About 2 tbsp of ghee or veg oil

Salt to taste Serve the prawn curry with rice, roti or both!

Curry night is something we all look forward to, a nice spicy feast and a good film is always a good thing. It can be expensive though especially if there's a few of you, and a couple of dishes each when ordering for a family can really mount up.

So I came up with this budget beating lamb meatball curry that costs a fraction of any takeaway. You can actually make this even cheaper if you want, by swapping the lamb mince for pork or beef. This lamb meatball curry will feed 3 people with sides maybe 4 if you have smaller appetites.

To make my lamb meatball curry you will need: For the meatballs

• 500g of lamb mince

• 2 tsp ground coriander

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp of chilli powder

• 2 tsp ginger garlic paste

• Salt

For the sauce

• 1 large red onion

• 1 medium sized courgette

• 1x400g can of chopped tomatoes

• 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 2 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 2 tbsp garam masala

• 1 bay leaf

• A small handful of fresh coriander stalks and leaves

• Salt

• 2 tbsp of oil for cooking

Serve with rice, roti or in this case a hoofing great naan!

Today on the channel I wanted to spice it up a little to give myself a little pep up during this absolutely abysmal cold weather we are having right now. So today, we have a beef keema curry that comes in at a very reasonable £1 per portion. Mine cost a little less though because I used reduced beef minced, but I have factored in full cost mince just in case you cannot get hold of any yellow sticker bargains. Just keep in mind to factor in the initial cost of the spices if you have to buy them and of course energy usage when cooking. I have also included some costings below for the amounts used in this recipe (as of 22/01/23)

To my make my low cost beef keema curry you will need:

• 500g of beef mince

• 1 large red onion

• 100g frozen peas

• 4 med potatoes

• 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 2 tsp round coriander

• 1 tsp of chilli powder

• 1 tsp of ground cumin or seeds grounded down

• 1 tsp of garam masala

• 3 green cardamom pods

• 2 whole cloves

• 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste

• 2 tbsp Oil such as sunflower/rapeseed

• Salt

It's a meal in it's own right, but you can stretch it out further with some naan, roti, extra rice or whack some in a jacket spud!

I absolutely love a good curry, and I always say that if for some reason I ever became a vegetarian, then it would be Indian food I'd mostly eat. I find with a lot of vegetarian Indian food, you just don't miss the meat at all because it's so flavoursome. This is my version of a simple potato curry, that costs bugger all and tastes fab.

This comes in at around £3 or less with the amounts used, but obviously factor in the cost if you're having to make the initial purchase of buying the spices, and of course energy usage.

To make my potato curry you will need:

• About 600g of new potatoes sliced in half

• 1x400g can of chopped tomatoes

• 1 medium sized red onion (save some for garnish)

• A good handful of chopped coriander (optional)

• Half a diced red chilli (optional)

• 2 tsp of garam masala (1 for finishing the curry)

• 1 tsp of cumin seeds

• 1 tsp of ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric

• 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste

• 2 tbsp of veg oil

• About 75ml of double cream (optional)

• Salt

You know the story, you go into your favourite curry house after a skinful, you order way too much food, and you think you need a side dish and so you order some rice, naans and some saag aloo. You inevitably end up with too much and you don't finish it. Saag aloo should be treated as a main, not a side.

Serve up with some roti and you won't want anything else trust me. Aloo palak is also a very simple curry to make, and doesn't need a tonne of different spices so you can knock this up in no time. It’s one of the easiest tastiest Indian vegan recipes, so go make it!

To make my Aloo Palak (saag aloo) you will need:

• 800g of new potatoes sliced in half

• 1 large red onion

• 4 garlic cloves

• About a 2 inch piece of fresh ginger (same amount as garlic) 2 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 2 tsp of garam masala (plus 2 tsp at the end of cooking)

• 1 tsp of chili powder

• 4 whole kashmiri chillies

• 1 tbsp of tomato paste

• 5 medium sized tomatoes chopped

• 200g of fresh spinach leaves

• Salt

• Ghee or oil for frying

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is one of the most ordered dishes in Indian restaurants across the world, especially here in the UK. It is arguably on par with the famous chicken tikka masala, and for good reason. Butter chicken is not a curry you'd want every day, because this puppy has a lot of butter in it, and I meant A LOT. That being said, butter chicken is a fantastic flavourful curry for a weekend treat.

The dish itself was created in 1947 by the founders of moti mahal restaurant in Delhi as a way to use up leftover chicken tikka, which is cooked a mildly spiced tomato sauce rich with butter and cream. If you have never tried butter chicken then do so now, and I promise it will become a firm family favourite. The secret to a good butter chicken is marinating the chicken over night. This gives the spices the time needed to really penetrate into the chicken and make it super tasty. I also advise that you blitz the base sauce and pass through a sieve, to make the sauce creamier and much more luxurious.

To make my butter chicken you will need:

Serves 4 people with rice/roti

For the marinade:

• 3 chicken breasts (about 600g worth)

• 1+1/2 tsp of kashmiri chilli powder

• 2 tsp of garam masala

• 1 tsp of ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric

• 2 tsp of garlic/ginger paste

• 5 tbsp of plain natural full fat yoghurt

• Juice of half a lemon

• Pinch of salt

For the sauce:

• 3 tsp of methi leaves (fenugreek leaves)

• 5 green cardamom pods

• 3 whole cloves

• 1 tsp of ground coriander

• 1 tsp of garam masala

• 2 tsp of garlic/ginger paste

• 2 tbsp of tomato paste

• 1 large white onion

• 125g of unsalted butter

• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

• 100-150ml of double cream (heavy cream)

• A small bunch of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro)

Serve with rice, lightly toasted roti or naan breads and get it in your face!

The Lancashire hotpot is synonymous with British food culture. It is without a doubt one of the most famous of our nations dishes. It's a simple affair, of good quality lamb, carrots and onions, some flavourings and good lamb stock. Top that mix off with some slices of potato and bake for a long time. What you get is a flipping delicious, deeply savoury thing. There are a few tricks and tips though to get your Lancashire hotpot right. But don't worry, I’ve got you covered!

To make my Lancashire hotpot you will need:

Serves 4 people with sides or 2 very hungry greedy guts on it's own

• 600g of Lamb shoulder or neck (weight after the bone is removed)

• 1 large white onion

• 2 bay leaves

• 4-6 medium carrots

• About 2 tsp of finely chopped fresh rosemary

• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce

• 700-800ml of lamb stock (for ref I use knorr stock pots)

• Salt & pepper

• 2-3 large maris piper potatoes

Serve the Lancashire hotpot with greens & pickled red cabbage.

Shepherd's pie is one of the greatest dishes this nation has created, and yet I see it done wrong SO many times! Now, to make a great shepherd's pie it all starts with good lamb. Minced ground shoulder of lamb is great for a shepherd's pie, because it's meaty but with a good amount of fat for that lamb flavour.

It also comes down to good techniques, and by that I mean browning the meat, making sure the mash isn't too wet and making sure everything is cool enough so the mash doesn't sink into the filling. The difference between a good shepherd's pie and a GREAT one is following my steps.

To make my mind blowing Shepherd's pie you will need: Serves 4

• 900g of minced lamb

• 500ml lamb stock

• 1 large onion

• 2 large carrots

• 2 celery sticks

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp worcester sauce

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

• 1 tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary

• 1.4kg of potatoes (I used maris piper)

• 2 tbsp Butter

• 2 tbsp of plain flour

• Salt & pepper

lamb breast is quite an under used cut of meat, and yet one of the most rewarding when it's cooked right. I make this recipe by chef Simon Hopkinson, and it's one of the easiest and cheapest lamb recipes I've ever made. you can pick up lamb breasts from your butcher, and I've seen it in some supermarkets as well. it does require long slow cooking, but you'll be surprised how much meat you get from a lamb breast.

To make braised lamb breasts with onions you will need:

• 1.6 kg/3lb 8oz lamb breast, boned, rolled and tied with kitchen string

• fine salt and freshly ground white pepper

• 2 tbsp dripping or vegetable oil

• 1.6 kg/3lb 8oz onions, thinly sliced

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• 2-3 tbsp anchovy essence (or several finely chopped anchovies), or to taste

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Want to know the secret to perfect mashed potatoes? Watch this video to learn the key to making the creamiest, smoothest most delicious mashed potatoes every time!

What you will need:

• Maris piper potatoes

• Unsalted butter (real butter not the spreadable stuff)

• White pepper

• Salt

• Full fat milk

Recently I saw a video of celebrity chef John Torode showing people how to cook pasta, and to be honest it had me shook! There was so much to say about his method, but in essence it was shockingly bad advice. So I though I would turn it into a positive and show you how easy it is to cook pasta the proper way. No BS, No Nonsense, just how to cook pasta correctly!

Pad kra pao is one of Thailand's most popular dishes, it's also super easy to make and cheap as chips! This isn't an authentic recipe as it's missing the holy basil, but it is very very good. Pad kra pao is a prime example that with just a few simple ingredients, you can make something super tasty that's also good value for money.

To make my pad kra pao you will need:

(feeds 2-3 people)

• 500g pork mince

• 5 garlic cloves

• 4 red birdseye chillis

• 1 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

• 1 tbsp dark soy

• 1 tbsp light soy

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp MSG

• A big handful of holy basil (Thai basil if you can't get it but NOT Italian basil)

Serve with rice and a crispy fried egg