Food and Nutrition Guidelines - Barnsley Council Online

7. Eating as a family
On a budget?
10 top tips to get 5 A DAY on a
budget.
• Buy fruit and vegetables loose rather than
pre-packaged. Loose fruit and veg can be
up to half the price. Buy only enough fresh
fruit and vegetables for the next couple of
days, so they won’t end up going off in the
bottom of your fridge.
• Look for supermarket deals on fruit and
vegetables, such as buy one get one free
offers.
• Fruit and vegetables are usually cheaper if
they’re in season. You can find out what is
in season at the Seasons and celebrations
page on the Food Standards Agency’s
website, and at the Love British Food
website’s page about seasons.
• Fruit and vegetables are often cheaper at
your local street or farmers’ market.
• Grow your own ingredients: if you live in
a flat, plant some herbs in a window box.
They’re easy to grow and a great way to add
some quick and easy flavour to your meals
cheaply. If you have a bigger garden, try
planting low-maintenance vegetables, such
as potatoes and carrots.
• Look for good deals on frozen and dried
fruit and veg, such as frozen peas and dried
pulses and beans. They are often cheaper
than fresh varieties.
• Swap ready meals for homemade
alternatives. Vegetables in dishes such as
stews, bakes, casseroles and curries count
towards your 5 A DAY, and cooking these
dishes yourself is cheaper than buying them
ready-made.
• Cook in bulk and freeze portions to eat
another time. For more meal ideas, go to 5 A
DAY recipes or the Food Standard Agency’s
Eatwell recipe section.
• Replace your morning or afternoon snack
with a piece of fruit. A banana or an apple
costs around 20p at the supermarket, about
half the price of most chocolate bars or
packets of crisps. The savings add up and so
do the health benefits.
• Don’t throw away vegetables that are about
to go out of date. Use them in stews, soups
and casseroles, which you can freeze and
eat another time.
• Stock up on canned fruit and vegetables.
They count towards your 5 A DAY and won’t
go off, so you can buy them in bulk. Buy
those canned without added salt or sugar.
Supermarket own-brand varieties are
usually the cheapest.
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