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Food Budgeting

A new study by the Potato Council has revealed our average weekly food shopping bills are nearly 350% more than average bill our parents received! If you're under 50, chances are this is the first time you've experienced food costs rising. When you need to watch your budget and want cheap ideas for easy dinners that all the family can enjoy, use potatoes.

Potatoes are full of goodness, you can make all types of different meals with them and whilst the price of pasta and rice has risen, potatoes are still cheap to buy and have lots more nutrients in them than either pasta or rice: potatoes contain 13 times less fat than rice and 5 times less fat then pasta!

How much do potatoes cost?

There are different varieties of potatoes to make different types of meals. On average potatoes cost just 77p per kilo, which should make up to five meals - that’s only 13p per portion!

Tasty & cheap ideas with potatoes under £1! These fantastic cheap dinner ideas cost less than £1 per person and help keep your shopping bill under control...

BOMBAY POTATO CURRY Spice up your midweek dinner with this easy curry
Just 38p per person & 180kcal per portion

TUNA & POTATO SALAD This easy Tuna Nicoise is ready in less than 15mins
Only about 60p per person! Compared with rice and pasta, potatoes have more nutrients for your money

EASY SAUSAGE & POTATO CASSEROLE Delicious family feast
Less than £1 per person! A portion of new potatoes contains 66% of your Vitamin C RDA

Look at more easy and healthy recipes, or see how you can keep your shopping bill under control with our Budget Weekly Meal Planner.

Get the most out of your potatoes...

When you're shopping, choose potatoes that are firm It's very important to keep potatoes away from light. Exposure to light will make your potatoes go green. Take your potatoes out of plastic packaging as soon as you get home and put them in a cotton potato bag, paper bag or vegetable rack. Leave bags open slightly to allow moisture to escape and air to flow. Potatoes should ideally be stored between 5 and 10°C.

Don’t buy potatoes with soft spots or a green tint. Don't keep potatoes in the plastic bags they come in from the shops. Choose paper or cotton if you want to keep them in a bag. Don’t let your potatoes go to waste! If you need to use up potatoes look at our recipe ideas or freeze them.

Can I eat green potatoes?

Green potatoes show that the alkaloid solanine has formed, which is poisonous. You can still eat partially green potatoes – just cut away the green bits.

Save money by choosing potatoes over pasta or rice

British households are going back to basics with their cooking and as the prices of pasta and rice rise, turning to other store cupboard staples, such as locally-grown potatoes, which are experiencing steady pricing and an increase in sales. Potatoes also give you more nutrients for your money than pasta or rice which makes them the best choice for health and your budget!

Take some tips from independent money expert Jasmine Birtles at moneymagpie.com:

“Bringing certain foods such as potatoes back into our diet will certainly cut down on family food bills.”

• Try and shop for your fruit and veg at local markets sometimes, rather than just the supermarket. You could save about 30% on your food bill and save money on petrol.

• If you have time, cook from scratch sometimes rather than using pre-prepared foods to save more money.

• Buying locally-grown food where you can means you’ll be supporting local farmers and saving on the rapidly increasing costs associated with transporting food from other countries – not to mention out-of-town shopping centres.

“Baked potatoes are a great way to feed a family on a budget and they really fill you up.” Baked potatoes are great for lunch or tea and can be varied with different toppings. Take a look at our baked potato recipes here.

• Mashed potato is also a great way of making a meal go further which is why it's in great British staples like shepherd's pie and fish pie.

"If families replace some meals that were rice or pasta-based with potatoes then their food budgets will go further!"

To read more about the Potato Council's study into British household's shopping bills, click here
If you have any tips or advice for making the shopping budget go further with potatoes, contact us

Try vegetarian recipes

The cost of meat has risen quickly in the credit crunch and you can save pounds by going veggie a few nights a week. Try a meat substitute or really tasty veg like big portobello and flat mushrooms, sweet peppers and carrots or get adventurous and try a vegetable you haven't cooked with before. Add mouthwatering flavours like cajun or BBQ spice mixes and sweet chilli sauce. If you miss the smoky flavour of bacon, try adding smoked paprika to your meals instead. Potatoes are the perfect staple for a vegetarian diet as they're so versatile, you can have them every day and they're packed full of nutrients whilst being fat free too.

Try these delicious vegetarian recipes.