To have found the best cheap lunch

[Overthebow]

with the cost of living going up I’m trying to find cheap lunch ideas for work.

this week: pot of pate £1, loaf of bread £0.80, bag of apples £1.50. Pate on toast and an apple, cost for the whole week only £3.30 and really filling.

anyone else got any cheap lunch ideas?

Dal and chapatis. May as well be free, costs pence. And delicious.

Hummus, pitta bread, carrot and cucumber sticks then a piece of fruit.

I made a batch of soup that makes 4 portions.

Spring greens - 30p (yellow stickered)
4 spring onions - 20p
1 leek - 30p
Celery - 25p
Broccoli - 25p

Pinch of chilli powder - negligible
Coriander - from the garden
Garlic - 5p
Lime juice - 10p
Coconut milk - 82p
Veg stock cube - 4p

So in total 2.31 and 58p per portion. Obviously a bit more of you add bread.

I love a traditional beans on toast. Can add a scrape of butter and/or some grated cheddar on top, but it's not really neccessary.

Second this. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better combination of filling, tasty and cheap.

I like it but i couldn't eat the same lunch every day!

Which is weird because my breakfast is ALWAYS the same.

Bacon sandwiches

Salami on rye bread...both from Lidl...a couple of quid for a few days lunch.

I used to but a whole camembert, pack of part baked ciabattas and bag of salad but then someone left a note on communal fridge about the smell

Can any one link good dal and chipati recipes?

Tarka dhal. Food of the gods. And you can always have the ingredients in the store cupboard except for using a fresh onion. The smell of cumin seeds popping in hot oil is the nicest thing ever.

Doesn't the pate needs eating in a couple of days once it's open? Don't kill yourself in the name of economy!

Hummus on toast with a piece of fruit is my go to.

This is a good point. If somone was heating up Daal everyday in my office I'd be pretty upset but i am sensitive to food smells. Now i work from home though its fair game, i get to be as stinky as i like and even eat garlic for lunch and not give a toss. I only like anything curry flavoured for a rare dinner though and could never eat that for lunch. I like pitta toasted covered in taramasalata for a cheap lunch.

This one looks simple enough for me to try.
rasamalaysia.com/chapati-recipe/

This is one of my favourites
Link

I've just discovered that Tesco do a loaf of wholemeal bread for 37p - bargain and tastes very nice too

I love Anna Jones' quick carrot dal

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/apr/22/carrot-dal-self-saucing-pasta-recipe-anna-jones-modern-cook

Or slightly more sustantial and healthy. 5 free range eggs 75p. Lettuce, cucumber, onion,tomato 50’ish p. Loaf whole meal bread 60p. 5 apples 75p. 5 bananas 75p=approx £3.35.

Tin of tomato soup 40p, eat half. garlic bread baguettes 38p - eat 1 half.

About 40p a lunch.

But that recipe isn't very cheap, sweet potatoes & fresh tomatoes are quite expensive. Does anyone have a more basic recipe? I'd love to give it a go.

The problem with making chapatis is Lidl don't sell atta flour and Tesco only sell 10kg bags. (These are our nearest shops and we don't have a car.)

I cook brown dal in the pressure cook, boiled rice, sauteed vegetables and fried potato slices once a week and my children always complain about it as they say they hate dal. But funnily enough it's the dish of the week which they eat more of! I also make a tomato, green chillies, coriander and onions salsa for us adults.

Not the healthiest so not for everyday but aldi chicken noodles 22p with some frozen veg (or leftover fresh stuff) mixed in

There is only one problem with your pate all week lunch OP - personally i'd probably get to day 2 and just scoff Wed, Thu and Friday's pate.

I adore pate!