Things which are easy to make and cheaper than shop-made versions

[Urbanbeetler]

I have just made hummus from a tin of chickpeas, tahini (1 tablespoon), some olive oil, juice of a lemon and 2 cloves of garlic.

It’s lush! I added a drop of water as it was slightly too stiff in texture. Nicer than the shop stuff in texture and taste.

I think I have saved a couple of pounds as it is a good amount. Using a high quality olive oil may have negated that a bit (oil was a present so I don’t know the cost but I know it’s a good one).

I thought perhaps it would be a good emergency from-storage food if made with bottled lemon juice and garlic paste from a jar.

Anyone have any other ideas of how to avoid shop made food staples when it’s simple to make your own? Especially if they are things that can be made with long-life substitutes to fresh ingredients.

Soup or any variety. I use whatever I've got in the fridge and whip up some great soups from very little. I regularly make a soup out of a bag of watercress and spinach salad, or timed toms and a red pepper, or chicken and just about any veg.

Going to try the flatbreads as well ... never thought of making my own!!

This is MN. So you're bound to have people coming along with stuff like puff pastry, filindeu pasta, all the french breakfast pastries, complicated foreign recipes that call for local fresh herbs and ingredients...

Tomato sauce for pasta. Never understood why people buy the stuff in a jar when canned tomatoes are so cheap and you can easily flavour it with whatever you like. Just a little bit of garlic and pepper make it taste really good, I usually add chilli and basil to mine too.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1993658/homestyle-chicken-curry

This curry is so easy to make and delicious. Tastes every bit as nice as a good Indian takeaway. I've tried lots of curry recipes and they were always just okay. This one is a game changer. We haven't had a curry takeaway since discovering this recipe. Added bonus is we always have the ingredients In the store cupboard and frozen chicken in the freezer.

I blitz the onions in my nutribullet, grate ginger (I keep some in the freezer) and use lazy garlic. Use more of the herbs and spices than recommended (except fennel).

Try with homemade flatbreads

Chicken liver pate.

Yorkshire puddings (and pancakes from the same batter)

Garlic dip - yoghurt, mayo and a crushed garlic clove, even better if the mayo and yoghurt are home made.

flatbread - basically any flour and any liquid (or combination, plain flour and water will work.

Popcorn!

I make my own soups, they freeze really well and are definitely cheaper and tastier then shop bought.’ive made my own hummus too but not for a while so have just added chick peas to my shopping list for next week!
I love cooking from scratch and think it’s healthier and cheaper but I still have a jar or 2 of sauces hanging about in the cupboard for when there’s no time.
Homemade cakes are just so much tastier than shop bought. And still cheaper even with the price of butter!!

Joining in!!

Pancakes absolutely with the bbc food recipe as in 2 eggs, 100 grams of flour and 300ml milk and a touch of cooking oil. Better still if you have a proper pancake pan.

Pizza is unbelievable cheap and easy to make.

I am a passionate home-cooker, but most things are not cheaper to make at home than shop-bought, especially things involving dairy products. It's rare to be able to compete with the bulk-buying abilities of food manufacturers, especially since cooking and baking from scratch have become a middle-class thing and therefore the mark-up on basic ingredients has increased.

However, taking quality into account, home-cooking beats shop-bought every time.

cook not cooker

A curry in the slow cooker

Flapjacks. Oats, butter, sugar, golden syrup, bit of ginger. Just have to ensure you wait 10 min then sluice while still warm.

Another vote for soups, use anything especially if you grow your own veg. I like a thick veg soup and always add chilli and spices as I like a kick to my soup. I add diced potatoes to thicken and whizz at the end.
A tip I learned from MN is to add tinned new potatoes to soup if I can't be bothered to peel one. A to costs a few pence and I keep one in just in case.

I do agree with Foenie though that most things are not cheaper.
MonumentVal I have some honey and peanut flapjacks in the oven right now.

MonumentVal just what I was about to say.
Also something easy that most DCs can do/help with.

This is not a, it is cheaper than buying the same thing tip. My tip is this recipe which is soo quick and simple yet so delicious, it’s as quick as doing an instant meal but either cheaper, better for you, or both. I usually add finely julienned carrot and courgette to up the veg.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1583/herby-salmon-and-couscous-parcels

Fruit pies and crumbles, take moment, cost pennies so much nicer than shop bought

That flatbread recipe! (Yoghurt and SR flour)

i learned it as an impoverished student and have been using that for more than 20 years as an emergency pizza base.

Can’t believe JO has claimed it.

I just made the granola! Very tasty.

Definitely soups, shop bought always taste of preservatives to me.

I make my own custard too, really easy and tasty. Heat up some milk. Mix egg yolk with sugar and cornflour and vanilla. Pour on the hot milk, mix, put back in the pan and cook stirring til it thickens.

I always make pizza from scratch. Shop bought pizzas and bases are horrible, and the nice ones cost at least £5 for a single pizza.

Pretty much any sauce (Chinese, Indian, Italian). And just made double and freeze it for busy times.

I buy fruit and veg that's being reduced for jam, pickles and chutneys. DH has a thing for very expensive pickles and I hate cheap jam so this saves us loads.

One of my go to "recipes" is condensed milk ice cream. Whip a carton of double cream, add in a drop of vanilla and a tin of condensed milk (you need about the same amount of condensed milk and cream) then freeze it. No need to keep stirring it or use an ice cream maker. Eleventy billion calories but easily worth it and easy for kids to help with.

Fruit pies and crumbles

The males in our house would live on cottage pie followed by crumble if they could.

Choux pastry buns.

No piping necessary just spoon the mixture onto the baking tray. Cut after taking out of the oven to allow steam to escape from the middle.

I’ve been making the flatbreads for a while now and they’re delicious. I am an enthusiastic home cook and I think it’s probably saved me a lot of money cooking that way for years. I hate throwing things away. I am annoyed I had to throw some plums out earlier which I had wanted to bake into a plum tart. I have been ill and have let things slide a bit. I still managed to make a banana and chocolate cake out of a few manky bananas though so that’s something.

morningseleven I’m an icecream fiend and I think I love you