A THRIFTY mum has shared her shopping tips which have saved her money on the weekly shop, and how she turns one chicken into four family meals.
Laura Swain, 28, from Weston-Super-Mare, shared her secrets to making the most out of food as the UK tightens its belt amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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The mum-of-two used to spend £11 a week on pricey chicken breast fillets, but now spends just £4 on a single roast chicken a week.
After doing a Sunday roast, she then turns the leftovers into a BBQ pasta bake, enchiladas and noodle soup.
She told LatestDeals.co.uk: “I always write a shopping list before I go, listing out the ingredients you need for each meal and I also write out meals I could use with the leftovers.
“I wrap leafy, or green, vegetables in kitchen roll as I find then they can last up to a week. I buy whole cuts of meat so I can stretch them into different meals.
“One large chicken costs £4 and I can make family meals bulked out with store cupboard essentials and vegetables.
“For example, one large roast chicken made a roast dinner, a chicken pasta bake, enchiladas and some chicken noodle soup.
“Roast chicken can be shredded and makes it go so much further especially when you bulk meals out with veggies.
“Another time, I roasted a large gammon joint and made a roast dinner, pulled gammon in rolls and then gammon, egg and chips.”
It makes me feel proud, thrifty and that I’m making the most of being in lockdown
Laura Swain
Laura shares her shopping tips on Instagram, where she’s amassed more than 18,000 followers.
She added another key ingredient is lentils, which she uses to bulk out meals with mince to make them go further, and freezes a portion for later.
Laura added: “It’s good to get clever with leftovers as well, like making a big batch of spaghetti bolognese, which can be turned into a chilli easily the next day just by adding chilli powder and bulking up with some kidney beans or baked beans.”
Laura, who cares for her son who has a chromosome disorder, decided to use time in lockdown to get smarter with her food shopping.
She said: “Before lockdown I would spend £11 on two big packets of chicken breast to do three family meals but by cooking a large roast chicken for £4 and bulking them out I’ve saved myself £7 a week on chicken alone!
“As a busy mum of a five-year-old with a chromosome disorder and a one-year-old I find this helps my anxiety and give me something positive to focus on…
“It makes me feel proud, thrifty and that I’m making the most of being in lockdown.”
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