Make your food pack go further
These simple, easy to follow recipes can be made using our food packs
Meal planner based on our food packs
This planner is to help you make the most of the food pack we provide. It is based on a standard single-person food pack with no additional needs. Packs will vary depending on the stock we have available, dietary and cultural needs we are advised of during your referral, cooking facilities and the size of your household.
Download meal planner
Recipes
If you receive one of our food packs, we want to make sure you can make the most of them. The recipes below are based on ingredients found in our food packs without any specific dietary needs and can be scaled up for larger meals.
You may well have some ingredients already in your cupboard to add to these recipes, so they are just a guide to help your pack go further.
If you have any other recipe ideas you'd like to share with us, then get in touch.
Cooking on a boot strap with Jack Monroe
Recipes and tips for cooking on a budget, as well as creative ideas using tinned foods.
Search recipes using food type or ingredient as well as read Jack's blog here.
Full-Time Meals
Chef Tom Kerridge and Marcus Rashford have set up the Full-Time campaign to call ‘Full Time’ on child food poverty – supporting the nationwide initiative #EndChildFoodPoverty.
Tom has created 52, pocket-friendly and seriously tasty recipes that the whole family can cook – dishes to fill hungry tummies. These recipes are simple and easy to follow with emphasis on limited equipment and the inclusion of store cupboard goods with a longer shelf life.
They want to help give children and families the skills and confidence to cook good, proper food in their kitchens, using the equipment available to them. Encouraging them to be creative, have fun and spend valuable time together cooking and eating.
Follow @FullTimeMeals to access all cook-along videos featuring Tom, Marcus and famous friends.
Love Food Hate Waste
If you're thrifty with your food, an average family of four can save £60 a month simply by reducing the amount of food they throw away.
There are lots of simple food hacks and tips on the Love Food Hate Wastewebsite to help you learn how to be smarter with handling food from the moment you start thinking about shopping through to when you are cooking, preparing and serving your meals.
A great starting point is to try to learn one or two simple things to do differently each week and build up your knowledge over a few months. You are more likely to stick with the new ways of doing things in the long term than trying to do everything right now.
Here are a few things to get you started:
- Leftover food recipes – not sure what to do with the odd bits of food left in your fridge? Take a look at our leftover recipes to find something to create with your leftovers. Tip: type in two or three of your leftover foods in the search bar to find relevant recipes to make.
- Freeze leftovers – cooked or prepared too much? No problem – just pop them in a container or sealed bag, write the date and what the food is on a label and place it in your freezer. You can freeze most food, however, to be sure why not check out our A-Z Storage tool? And, remember to plan to eat the food at a later date.
- Planning how to be a smarter shopper – not everyone likes to plan, however, being ahead of the game with your weekly shopping will help you save a few pounds so it’s worth it.
Here are a few tips to think about:
- Make planning your meals a fun family activity – ask your younger folk to choose something they would like to help you make during the week. If you have some fussy eaters this might also save some food from the bin too as they are more likely to eat food they’ve helped to make.
- If you live with friends – share an evening meal once a week and make it a social affair. Decide what you’ll cook before you go shopping.
- Plan some one-pot meals – so meal cooking is simple and you can use up what’s left in your fridge too. You can switch the ingredients to use up the food you already have.
- Serving the right amount? – check your guestimates for serving sizes by using our handy Portion Planner.
- Plan the rest of your meals around your favourites – remember that you can include frozen food or staples from your cupboard. Mixing up the types of food you buy and use for your meals means there’s less chance of having too much fresh food that is likely to go off before you can use it.