Food/drink that feels luxurious but is affordable

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I've recently gone back to making porridge for breakfast like I did when my kids were young. I'd forgotten how lovely it was and how cheap! Even with poncey additions like cream and honey because these things also feel luxurious but are not so very expensive.

Please share more feel-good budget foods, preferably those involving little effort.

I adore porridge too, jusy plain and nice and hot and certainly cheaper than a lot of other cereals are too.

Porridge made with milk instead of water and cooked on a very low heat is absolutely delicious

Sadly can't abide porridge.

I'd say a jacket potato, chips, roast potatoes. Those all bring me great joy but are pretty cheap.

That and a cheese toastie. Just plastic bread, butter on outside and fairly meh cheddar. Really hits the spot! Not really posh though.

Home made focaccia I guess is quite posh?

JP for sure!

Any homemade cake just feels deluxe

Nice filter coffee.
Homemade bread.

A hot dessert with custard. Can cost pennies and go into the oven alongside other things, but makes an ordinary meal seem special.

Those seashell chocolates (Guylian),. Last time I bought them, they were £3 from Lidl. They are absolutely delicious though, with such a yummy nutty filling inside. Someone recently gifted me a box of chocolates from Harrods, the price of those is absolutely extortionate for a box of chocolates, and to be honest I felt really disappointed as in my mind, they didn’t come even close to Guylian.

Sometimes people put too much stuff in porridge. I’d have tubs of different things to add on different days: raisins, different nuts, desiccated coconut, M&S do a keto mix, which is everything but the oats. I add that- not keto but v useful.

I adore beans on toast

I like beans on toast , cheese on toast ( done in the air fryer comes out well) jacket spuds with tuna or cheese.

Butter beans in a glass jar. I can't explain why but they are so much more delicious than those in a tin. They do need more rinsing to get the gunk and salt off, but they are so tasty. Much more luxurious.

Also Rio Tuna is much nicer. Expensive, but affordable. We have it at the weekends.

I’ve a bean to cup coffee machine, which admittedly was expensive, but having a coffee each morning made with really good freshly ground beans costs pennies, and is so much better than instant, it also makes all types of coffees, and heats and froths milk, and as much as I just drink black, whenever we have friends or family over we spend an inordinate amount of time making everyone frothy coffees and we keep syrups in like caramel etc, just for that purpose.

Sometimes I worry about their caffeine levels. Most of my friends though now know how to use it and do it themselves.

My bil is the worst, I always do a double large, so it fills a big mug, and a couple of weeks ago, they stayed over, and he asked for seven in a row. I actually said to my husband, how ridiculous it was, and he wants them with hot frothy milk and syrup. I did the first 3 and then others did them for him, male and female. He’s a lovely guy but he certainly doesn’t mainline caffeine at home like that. Seven large coffees in a row. Who does that!

I buy an unsliced Finest loaf from the Tesco bakery - it’s brown and covered in seeds, about £2.50 I think… Instantly ups my toast, the ham and salad sandwiches for DS, (hopefully) is better nutritionally, and I find it actually lasts a few days tightly wrapped in its paper bag. It’s not going to be for someone who needs a loaf under £1, but I won’t pay more than that for Warburtons sliced white anymore.

(You could bake your own of course, but our oven isn’t working atm)

Jersey milk. Love the rich taste

A lovely daal. Either just lentils and spices or done with onion, maybe fried tomatoes on top etc.

Agree with homemade foccaccia. I use my mixer with dough hook so there is barely any mess. 500g bread flour, or 250 each of bread and plain, sachet of yeast, oil, water. Knead, rise, plop into a baking tray, rise, drizzle with oil, bake.

Potato gratin, any kind of vegetable gratin, just dead simple and not expensive, a little cheese and well seasoned is perfect.

Not surprised they weren’t as good - at my first read, I saw you’d been given chocolates from Halfords!

Homemade mackerel pate. It's just a tin of mackerel with a spoonful of creme cheese blitzed in a blender. On a slice of toast its really tasty and costs about 80p.

Ramen! Like really cheap, 65p stuff that comes with a packet of spicy flavouring like Nongshim or Nissin. Put it in a big soup bowl, add boiling water, and then I crack an egg in it. Cover and put in the microwave. I usually get the timing so the egg is perfectly poached and still runny. Whack it up another notch by shoving a bit of diced spring onion and avocado on top. (Avacados are pretty cheap at the mo)

A really hearty lunch that tastes like you're in a Japanese ramen bar. One of my favourite lunches that feels indulgent but costs a couple of quid at most.

Cheese on toast, home made Greek style yoghurt, homemade florentines

Homemade rice pudding!

Horlicks or Hot Chocolate. The comfort of childhood. I'm currently drinking a fabulous Options Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate which is very low in calories but feels utterly decadent.

Earl Grey

plum crumble and custard

Yes to homemade rice pudding

avocado on toast with lime juice and chilli flakes

cheese and crackers

Greek yoghurt with honey, dates and walnuts

Greek yoghurt, it’s luxury in a little tub.
dal, a really good dalis lovely.
a fresh crusty loaf, nice butter and cheese, preferably a strong cheddar or a Brie. It’s not hugely expensive but feels like a treat.
a really nice tomato.

😂😂😂 @Brightlittlecanary the bean to coffee machine is insanely good and the coffee tastes beautiful. I'm not surprised your BIL couldn't stop once he started. Hopefully he's got a strong heart to deal with all that caffeine in one go.