Can a UK family really make meals for 30p?
Politician Lee Anderson’s recent claim that it is possible to make meals for 30p has stirred much public debate.
MoneyTransfers.com wanted to test the theory: so we compiled a list of 10 of Britain’s favourite budget-friendly dishes, from beans on toast to spaghetti bolognaise.
We found that none of the meals – following popular recipes online and with prices sourced at the cheapest rate from Asda – could be made for less than 30p per person.
At the bottom of the scale, homemade tomato soup, using a recipe from inspiredtaste.net, came in at 63p for a meal and 32p per person, rising to 41p when we added estimated power usage.
An electric oven uses about 0.87 kWh of electricity an hour. So, averaging costs from all energy providers in the UK, that works out at about 14p an hour.
At the more expensive end, a sausage ragu made to BBC Good Food’s recipe for four came in at £4.50 for the meal and £1.13 per person, rising to £1.23 with power added.
Jonathan Merry, chief executive of MoneyTransfers.com, comments:
“There will always be variables when estimating a food budget, but our research shows that it is very difficult to make a meal for less than 30p, even when that’s a group meal divided per person.
“That is especially true at a time when inflation is at a 40-year high of 9% and people’s energy bills are going through the roof.
“It’s certainly true that things like swapping supermarkets for better deals, batch cooking ahead of time and hunting out more cost-effective recipes can cut bills; but it’s also true that this isn’t always easy or even possible for busy families.”
| Meal | Recipe | Cost per Person | Cost per Meal | Cost for Power (1hr = 14p) | Total Cost for 1 person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato Soup | inspiredtaste.net | £0.32 | £0.63 | £0.09 | £0.41 |
| Cheesy Broccoli pasta bake | bbcgoodfood.com | £0.43 | £1.73 | £0.04 | £0.47 |
| Beans on Toast | bbcgoodfood.com | £0.52 | £1.04 | £0.02 | £0.54 |
| Jacket Potato with Cheese | whereismyspoon.co | £0.39 | £0.77 | £0.19 | £0.58 |
| Easy lentil curry | bbcgoodfood.com | £0.62 | £2.48 | £0.10 | £0.72 |
| Simple stir fry | bbcgoodfood.com | £0.90 | £3.59 | £0.02 | £0.92 |
| Meatballs with spaghetti | bbc.co.uk | £0.92 | £3.66 | £0.14 | £1.06 |
| Spaghetti bolognese | skintchef.co.uk | £1.08 | £6.45 | £0.09 | £1.17 |
| Sausage ragu | bbcgoodfood.com | £1.13 | £4.50 | £0.10 | £1.23 |
