Create A Meal For 30p

26
Posted 14th May 2022
A recent news story was about a certain politician claiming you could cook a meal from scratch for 30p a day.

Ignoring the rights and wrongs of the story, I'd like to see peoples recipes for 30p meals.

The only rule is you can't use leftovers from previous meals unless you factor in the original cost.

Remember it's a 30p per meal (I hate when they say you can eat cheap by using leftover leg of lamb or something, yeah like those on such a tight budget can afford a leg of lamb).

Personally I think it would be hard to do without having the same thing everyday but would love to see how many different recipes people can come up with.
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  1. groenleader's avatar
    groenleader
    I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an argument!

    Food for thought, you can get a free meal every day from your local Sikh gurdwara.

    The guys at the one near me reckon they do meals for around 21p per head.
  2. psychobitchfromhell's avatar
    psychobitchfromhell
    47442296-5pXIw.jpgJust go to Morrisons at the right time. These were all 25p each. 5p to spare
  3. Azwipe's avatar
    Azwipe
    Onlydongles14/05/2022 09:41

    Cant even get a decent toilet roll for 30 pence.What was the politician …Cant even get a decent toilet roll for 30 pence.What was the politician thinking (or smoking) ?


    He referenced a local project that made 170 meals for £50. Of course people as always jump on it and take it out of context.
  4. Azwipe's avatar
    Azwipe
    Of course you cannot cook a single healthy meal for 30p. However as he correctly claimed you can batch cook for something around this amount. For instance you could cook a massive pot of curry and freeze it in separate portions then simply add rice that you purchased as a 20kg bag.
  5. bozo007's avatar
    bozo007
    groenleader14/05/2022 09:13

    I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an …I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an argument!Food for thought, you can get a free meal every day from your local Sikh gurdwara. The guys at the one near me reckon they do meals for around 21p per head.


    I have heard of a similar number, maybe 25p, from a colleague who volunteers at a gurudwara. It is a simple meal, quite healthy, but usually vegetarian so that anyone can eat it.
  6. Onlydongles's avatar
    Onlydongles
    Cant even get a decent toilet roll for 30 pence.

    What was the politician thinking (or smoking) ?
  7. Pricklerickle's avatar
    Pricklerickle
    now I would think bit of smart price pasta sauce and smart price pasta, get few potions out of it but it's not a balance diet you can live off, .

    now about 1 or 2 pounds per person you can make a great meal ,but 30p nope and don't forget the electric and gas
  8. Satan_Claws's avatar
    Satan_Claws Author
    Azwipe14/05/2022 10:00

    He referenced a local project that made 170 meals for £50. Of course …He referenced a local project that made 170 meals for £50. Of course people as always jump on it and take it out of context.


    Massively different.
    One - You need £50 up front.

    Two - 170 meals cooked at once is useless to most people. Unless you have several large freezers and can afford the electricity to run them what are you going to do with them?

    Three - That part of it was reported on yesterday, the original story made no mention of cooking that many meals.

    The point is, can you or can you not make a meal for 30p? The answer is yes but my question is can you make enough different meals to sustain a healthy and varied lifestyle?
  9. CRWAB's avatar
    CRWAB
    30p a head is doable if you are a decent size family or you combine your amounts over meals. Doable does not equal ideal though by any means.

    Smart price pasta and a cheap bol sauce will cost you just over 60p in Asda. Good for 2 days, plus 4 left over for the pasta. Means that with a few sauces could spend 1.50 per 5 days roughly. Rubbish nutrition of course. Throw in mixed beans if feeling fancy to bulk it.

    Smart price rice and a cheap curry sauce. Could throw in some carrot or potato to bulk and would be in a similar camp.

    Harder to do for an individual purchase obviously.

    Reminds me of uni. I could easily live off a quid or less a day if I needed to. Would just be fairly meh. Toast for brekkie, sandwich spread or crackers for lunch and pasta for dinner with a yoghurt or something as desert.



    Edit: did a super frugal and not overly healthy check in Asda. Based on 3 people, 30p each for 5 meals (weekday dinners) came to 5.30 so circa 35ea but does leave you with left over bits.

    Pasta, sauce and mixed beans x2 days
    Rice, curry sauce and potato/carrot for bulk X2 days
    Pasta bake and tuna (minus cheese) x1 day.

    I mean it's not brilliant, but if you were genuinely struggling... A fiver for 5 meals for a family of 3 is decent value aside from nutrition. (edited)
  10. Wongy111's avatar
    Wongy111
    nightswimmer14/05/2022 17:36

    I wouldn't touch that meal, it's got a mouse in it! Bleurgh.


    Thank you so much for that just put it in the oven
    not funny imo
    psychobitchfromhell14/05/2022 21:20

    Morrison's are by far the best for reductions round here, followed by Lidl



    tru dat
    hotukdeals.com/com…628
    did well for lunch yesterday 7p for two rolls
    47445577-A0cTe.jpgtoday's
    bit of rtc Camembert the rocket 10p apple 21p bag of salt n vinegar
    couple of the 21p choc jammy dodgers so all in all around 50p
    plus a bottle of Dr pepper that was 50p better than free before Christmas
    47445577-IRuGI.jpghad to beat off the muggers pictured mind
  11. hd321's avatar
    hd321
    I’d say Porridge with milk/water mix for Breakfast must come close to this price point. But as Rick says above £1-2 is more realistic for a healthy well balanced meal.
  12. Felicitous's avatar
    Felicitous
    30p? so the price of a freddo, simple answer eat a freddo as a meal substitution. as soon as they go up to 35p though it's just not possible to live on the 30p a day freddo diet
  13. Satan_Claws's avatar
    Satan_Claws Author
    psychobitchfromhell14/05/2022 16:42

    [Image] Just go to Morrisons at the right time. These were all 25p each. …[Image] Just go to Morrisons at the right time. These were all 25p each. 5p to spare


    Bargain, never get anything reduced that much in Tesco. Usually high priced items reduced to slightly less high price
  14. Satan_Claws's avatar
    Satan_Claws Author
    groenleader14/05/2022 09:13

    I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an …I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an argument!Food for thought, you can get a free meal every day from your local Sikh gurdwara. The guys at the one near me reckon they do meals for around 21p per head.


    But the politicians point was people shouldn't need food banks if they learnt to budget and cook. Going somewhere for a free meal is the same as a food bank surely?
  15. psychobitchfromhell's avatar
    psychobitchfromhell
    Satan_Claws14/05/2022 21:09

    Bargain, never get anything reduced that much in Tesco. Usually high …Bargain, never get anything reduced that much in Tesco. Usually high priced items reduced to slightly less high price


    Morrison's are by far the best for reductions round here, followed by Lidl
  16. MrMaccieKFC's avatar
    MrMaccieKFC
    A tin of spaghetti hoops from Asda for 16p, microwave for a minute, stir then microwave for another minute. Done for under 30p factoring in the energy costs of 2 minutes usage. Or 2 slices of 59p cheese (11.8p) and 2 slices of 60p bread (approx 10p) for two cheese sandwiches at ~22p.
  17. james.curry's avatar
    james.curry
    groenleader14/05/2022 09:13

    I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an …I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an argument!Food for thought, you can get a free meal every day from your local Sikh gurdwara. The guys at the one near me reckon they do meals for around 21p per head.


    A church near me do similar on a donation basis, they run a cafe 3 times a week
  18. spoo's avatar
    spoo
    Azwipe14/05/2022 10:00

    He referenced a local project that made 170 meals for £50. Of course …He referenced a local project that made 170 meals for £50. Of course people as always jump on it and take it out of context.


    Far easier to bring the price per head down when you're bulk buying all the ingredients, which is exactly what anyone cooking for that number of people would be doing.
  19. nightswimmer's avatar
    nightswimmer
    Wongy11114/05/2022 16:59

    30p pah amateur won an m&s meal free tea tonight[Image] milk was 35p …30p pah amateur won an m&s meal free tea tonight[Image] milk was 35p making a cuppa should get me up to 30p


    I wouldn't touch that meal, it's got a mouse in it! Bleurgh.
  20. Qesharak's avatar
    Qesharak
    The 30p meal story brought to mind a “Less than 5 minute” bread recipe I saw yesterday. Brilliant if true on both accounts.

    … the only problem is …

    Quick bread recipe that takes less than 5 minutes.
    Start by pouring 150 milliliters or 0.63 cup of warm milk into a bowl,
    Also 150 milliliters of warm water,
    1 tablespoon of sugar,
    1 teaspoon of salt,
    10 grams of dry yeast,
    and mix very well,
    Then add 2 cups of plain flour, little by little, mixing very well.
    When it’s thick and you can't use a spoon anymore, start to knead with your hands..
    After kneading for 5 minutes, add a drizzle of olive oil,
    Then knead for another 5 minutes.
    Now let it rest for 40 minutes.
    After this, it’s time to start modelling.
    put on a surface,
    and stretch it with your hands.
    Now put the dough in a bread loaf pan already lined with parchment paper,
    and let it rest for another 15 minutes.
    Meanwhile, in a small bowl add 1 whole egg,
    20 milliliters of milk
    Mix well with a fork.
    With a knife score the dough
    and brush the beaten eggs over it.
    Then just take it to the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 356 Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. (edited)
  21. Zek's avatar
    Zek
    Qesharak14/05/2022 09:29

    The 30p meal story brought to mind a “Less than 5 minute” bread recipe I sa …The 30p meal story brought to mind a “Less than 5 minute” bread recipe I saw yesterday. Brilliant if true on both accounts.… the only problem is …Quick bread recipe that takes less than 5 minutes.Start by pouring 150 milliliters or 0.63 cup of warm milk into a bowl,Also 150 milliliters of warm water,1 tablespoon of sugar,1 teaspoon of salt,10 grams of dry yeast,and mix very well,Then add 2 cups of plain flour, little by little, mixing very well.When it’s thick and you can't use a spoon anymore, start to knead with your hands..After kneading for 5 minutes, add a drizzle of olive oil,Then knead for another 5 minutes.Now let it rest for 40 minutes.After this, it’s time to start modelling.put on a surface,and stretch it with your hands.Now put the dough in a bread loaf pan already lined with parchment paper,and let it rest for another 15 minutes.Meanwhile, in a small bowl add 1 whole egg,20 milliliters of milkMix well with a fork.With a knife score the doughand brush the beaten eggs over it.Then just take it to the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 356 Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes.


    30 mins + preheat in the oven gonna cost you more than 30p in electric these days Would have thought it would be longer too my breadmaker takes 4-5 hrs to complete, worked out it cost about 50p a loaf in ingredients, though that was before current price rises.
  22. nightswimmer's avatar
    nightswimmer
    groenleader14/05/2022 09:13

    I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an …I cant believe how out of context people take points to make an argument!Food for thought, you can get a free meal every day from your local Sikh gurdwara.


    Thanks for the tip. My nearest one is 44 miles away. Should prove handy.
  23. Wongy111's avatar
    Wongy111
    30p pah amateur
    won an m&s meal free tea tonight

    47442359-WRQfV.jpgmilk was 35p making a cuppa should get me up to 30p
  24. C0mm0d0re_K1d's avatar
    C0mm0d0re_K1d
    Apart from the bread, none of that is really healthy food. It's all processed sugary crap.
  25. EN1GMA's avatar
    EN1GMA
    the original story did not mention the 30p was because they batched cooked 170 meals. Realistically, which family is going batch cook 1 item for 170 people. plus, as others have mentioned space to keep the 170 portions, regardless of size of portions.

    I do think you can save alot of money from batch cooking but again, it takes the upfront cost and also batch cooking costs more upfront in terms of energy costs and storage costs re freezers.

    i do think the education around household budgeting and cooking is something that has slipped out of the list.
  26. .MUFC.'s avatar
    .MUFC.
    The media really blew this one out the water and totally misconstrued what he said etc.. He's a sound guy, full of common sense and sadly people don't like to hear the truth. Anyway it can be done, He said can make a meal for around 30p a day etc.. I dare say you can. Obviously a few caveats to that etc..
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