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.