A budget shopping/cooking thread for vegetarian eating

[Peppapigforlife]

We always see the threads and comments about making food budgets stretch with chickens and cuts of meat, but I thought to start one for vegetarians to come together and share their tips and deals for healthy eating. Personally I'm focused on food that doesn't include meat alternatives like Quorn etc and I try to have as little processed food as possible, but I'm understanding that some families may find these important and I also do have a few of these items to mix it up a bit for my DD.
So if you're a great budgeter, what's your budget and food shopping look like with vegetarian cooking and for how many and where do you find the bargains? I'm hoping that with a bit of planning to start doing a weekly shop for £30 or under for me and a fussy toddler! I'll do my best bargain finds so far in the next post.

Today I found ASDA had some veg on offer. Broccolli for 20p, a bag of carrots for 20p (decent size bag), a bag of parsnips for 20p (decent size bag) and a pack of three large onions for 20p.
Tesco have a cheap range in the freezer with a bag of yorkshires for 50p.

Btw I know that yorkshires count as processed food but I meant more like the extreme stuff.

Bump!

Ok. Apologies if this appears twice. My post seemed to vanish!

Lentils can be cheap and useful for things like veg shepherds pie and bolognese.

I do use Quorn and Linda McCartney products although they aren't what you were after, some people might find it useful to know that they regularly go on offer at least in Morrisons and Tesco which are my easiest to get to supermarkets

Suggest

Do not waste any food, eat any leftovers the next day or freeze

Eat fruit & veg in season

Buy a huge sack of potatoes, rice

Buy yellow sticker reduced price food & can freeze

Use the food waste apps called Olio & Too Good To Go

Make homemade soup, curry, can freeze extra portions

Bbc good food slow cooker lentil ragu

What's everyone's budgets? I was out of the country for a few years and when I came back with a baby I spent a lot on take away and convenience things so I'm out of the loop of what a normal vegetarian budget should be for fresh cooked food every day. I think before I left in 2016 I was spending £20-£30 a week and bought all my veg at a greengrocers. I never ate bread or very much cheese. Granola fruit and yoghurt for breakfast then a dinner like quinoa and veg or stir fry. I can't remember what I used to have for lunch here though!

I spend about £70-90 a week but we're 2 adults, 1 teen and 2 older primary aged DC. We only have organic eggs and dairy though so we could save a little there if we needed to. Is your toddler vegetarian?

I find the slightly older cookery books - basically Rose Elliot - use quite basic ingredients and that's usually cheaper.

Also meal planning makes huge savings. I think that's a habit that our mothers and grandmothers had that's slipped. If you meal plan you buy a lot less food.

I spend £72 this week, 4 adults but we ate it once and that doesn't include lunch (we eat meat, DD's don't so it's vegetarian when university holidays)

I buy a bunch of root vegetables and make a pot of soup, that lasts a few days. That’s my cheapest meal, I think.
The omelette is twice the quantity I would eat in one sitting, the other half goes for lunch at work the next day.
Seems to me the proverbial MN chicken is used as flavouring, really. I use a bunch of fresh parsley/dill etc for that.

I never feel tired of beans and pulses. Aduki, lentil, chicken pea, black eyed peas, kidney beans, etc., are all always in my cupboard. And I'm dull. I can happily have some sort of chili and rice daily. It's such a cheap, clean, filling and satisfying meal.

Chickpea flour (also known as gran flour) is a staple here. You can use it as a creamy and nutritious base for soups. You can make a soya free alternative to tofu. It makes a lovely flatbread and can be used in place of eggs as a base for cauliflower cheese or sweetcorn fritters.

I had a good ‘MN chicken’ of veg this week:

Bought from Tescos (about £3.50)
Value bag red onions
Value bag courgettes
Value bag plum tomatoes
Value bag peppers
An aubergine
Bulb garlic
Small bunch parsley

I caramelised all the onions in a pan and diced and roasted everything else (in bulk to save on gas)

Meal 1- vegetable tarts
Onions, veg, pesto and pine nuts on pastry squares
The pastry was a faff to make so next time would use Tesco value part baked baguettes for a bruschetta type thing

Meal 2 - tagine
recooked leftover onions with cumin, coriander, cinnamon, paprika and chilli flakes, a can of chickpeas and a dollop of tomato puree. The added in leftover veg and some water and simmered briefly
Served with bulgar wheat

Meal 3 - soup
Leftover tagine will reserve about 1/4 of the chunks, blend the rest with more water/stock and add the chunks back in. Might add frozen spinach to stretch it a bit more.

It was varied enough to not feel like the same meal over again

I have just made pasties for tea. Last of the potatoes, leeks and grated
Carrot - with lots of black pepper and ready roll pastry from Aldi.

I'm basically recreating my childhood meals - we were skint and well fed!

@stilldumdedumming

I have just made pasties for tea. Last of the potatoes, leeks and grated Carrot - with lots of black pepper and ready roll pastry from Aldi.

I'm basically recreating my childhood meals - we were skint and well fed!

Ooh they sound delicious!

I'm going to try and make a meal plan with ideas from this thread!