3 course meal for 4 people £10?!

[NC543210]

Hi all

Looking for some MN wisdom
My middle dc is just leaving 1st year at college and they've been set a task by their form tutor who's in charge of their pastoral care (and is the food tech teacher too)

They don't have to take part but ds wants to.

They have to design and cook a 3 course meal for 4 for £10
Rules are
£10 and you have to buy everything you need.

Store cupboard essentials not counted are any spice or herb. Oil, stock or thickening agents (but not enough flour to make pasta) and strictly no pot Noodles 🤣

We have a full spice cupboard but the teacher has said they have until then end of term to raid her spice rack and that she's convinced there is not a spice or herb she doesn't have.

They have to show receipts and photos at the start of term and score cards from their " guests" haha.

DS is a decent cook and we have a few ideas but just wanted some MN ideas too 😊

wearywolfadventures on YouTube does some good food on a budget challenges. Might give your DC some ideas.

Italian theme.
Starter: Mozzerella (69p, value), tomato (50p?), basil(free as we grow it, but otherwise 55p ish). Small portions, but artistically arranged. Drizzled with EVOO, and a big crack of black pepper.

Main:Spag carbonara, spag (28p, value), cooking bacon (£1), dried Italian hard cheese (£1.25), 4 eggs (£1.50 max, could be closer to 75p if value used).

Dessert: Panacotta. Double cream (£1.39) sugar (85p), gelatine (£1.50).

Apart from eggs & tomato I've quoted cost of full pack sizes.

I reckon there'd be enough cash left over for a simple side salad too, especially if only cost of the proportion of ingredients counts

I love this sort of challenge too:

potato skins (stock mayo and garlic granules for a garlic dip)

potato and Mediterranean veg pesto bake

pinapple fritters and vanilla ice cream

total cost 9.59 at sainsburys

Oh wow
Thank you for all the replies

I'll be showing him tomorrow.

And worry not he will definitely be cooking this all for himself haha. Fortunately he likes cooking budgeting isn't his thing though.
He said " mum could i do steak on this budget"

🤣🤣🤣 so a very valuable lesson more than cooking i think.

And with regards to the budget.

He has to take £10 to the shops and buy everything he needs.
Hence why I think it's quite tricky.

The mushroom pasta a pp mentioned might be a good shout. He adores the mushroom pasta ready meal from m&s and told me earlier he was " costing it" as a homemade meal.

What's the point of the challenge?

Realistically it's going to be very difficult to buy everything for £10 so if this is the absolute limit you'd be better sticking to 1 or 2 courses not 3.

But if it's about making good food on a budget you'd be better off allowing the purchase of larger packs when the cost per 100 g is much lower.

My suggestion would be a thali style plate so a selection of curries eg dhal, something with chick peas or potatoes and one with chicken legs. You could then add rice, flatbread made with yogurt and self raising flour and basic salad eg lettuce, cucumber, carrots and onions.

To comply with the 3 course rule, you'd need to serve the dhal as a starter so it's a bit of a UK centric rule as many other cultures, which as an aside generally do 'good food on a budget' much better than we do in the UK don't serve food like that.

However if you have to buy flour, rice, yogurt, cucumber etc, you're going to have loads left over and bust the budget as described above. So not constructive to what could be a good learning point.

But in order to comply with the rules it might be easier if he goes somewhere he can buy loose produce if he needs one carrot not a bag full for example

But if he's buying cream for mushroom pasta, he could use the leftover to make chocolate pot puddings and all he needs is a bar of value dark chocolate, which is 55 p in Aldi or Lidl- not sure if its still this cheap in other supermarkets, I use this chocolate for baking and it used to be 30 p just about everywhere but I haven't bought it for a while and I've heard its gone up a lot due to the increase in cocoa prices but 55 p is still pretty cheap.

This is surprisingly delicious as a main, so you can then direct a bit more towards a starter and dessert.
https://www.foodandwine.com/pasta-e-ceci-8624315

I was going to suggest breaking the mould with a traditional roast dinner (definitely achievable with a medium chicken for 4) but, on my way to check prices, I landed at this Sainsbury's page. It's got some good ideas!

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/recipes/scrapbooks/feed-your-family-for-a-fiver

Courgette and coriander soup

Crispy chicken wings and I'm assuming no pro rata so the cost is for a bag of something even though you might only use half.
Vegan 'ice cream'

Using Sainsbury's website so not the cheapest:

100g Fresh coriander £1.25 (much cheaper if you have an Asian grocer near by)
2-3 courgettes depending on size (500g) £1.45

1 kg of chicken wings £2.19
1kg White rice rice £0.52
1 Garlic bulb £0.22
1 kg frozen mixed veg £0.99
1 pot bicarbonate of soda £0.59

5 bananas £0.78
2 sachets of Galaxy hot chocolate £0.80
1 jar peanut butter £0.99

Total £9.78

Peel and freeze the bananas (1 per person is enough but the pack was 5)

For the soup chop the courgettes, put a little bit aside to go in the rice later.

Sweat the courgettes in a little oil or air fry till they get a little colour.

Add the coriander (save a few leaves for garnish) and boiling water (ideally add a vegi stock cube if that is allowed ) and cook for 15 mins. Then blend. Taste and add seasoning from the cupboard. This can be done earlier or even the day before. It can be served hot or chilled.

Dry the chicken well with kitchen paper. Mix a few spices with the bicarb of soda and coat the chicken with it. Leave for 20-30mins then put in a moderate oven and check and turn every 20 mins.

Cook the rice with the frozen veg, garlic and left over courgette, add spices / herbs salt and pepper.

After you have eaten get the bananas, peanut butter and hot chocolate and blend together to make the 'ice cream'.

ShoutOutLucile

love Doubles, thanks for the recipe, not sure about the cucumber chutney though 🤣

This! I think it's the funnest part of it.
I'm definitely going to make this Jamaican Doubles, they look delicious!

It just makes up prices doesn't it🤷

Those prices seem about right.

However he's not allowed to count the cost of the sugar, pasta or lentils he actually uses, but several pounds for full packets even though only a small amount is needed and they're all cheap store cupboard ingredients that anyone who can cook will usually have in.