Wondering how you can save some extra pennies this year? Well look no further, we’ve given you our top 6 savvy shopping tips and additional tips for cutting costs when cooking at home with pork. 

Woman's hands holding a shopping like in the supermarket aisle

Savvy Shopping

1. Meal Planning and Shopping Lists 

Planning your weekly meals can help you form a complete shopping list, enabling you to stay clear of those tempting impulse purchases in store. Heading into store with a list can also cut down your shopping time as you’re not making food decisions in the supermarket aisles. 

Tip: Before planning, always start by checking your store cupboard, fridge and freezer to see what ingredients you already have to work with – this also helps reduce food waste. 

2. Buying Frozen and Longer Shelf-Life Items 

Frozen food is a great alternative to fresh as it can be delved into and out of to suit your cooking needs. This also helps reduce food waste as you take what you need, and means you aren’t as pressured with use-by dates. Buying longer shelf-life options such as canned food items can also help to build a chest of store cupboard ingredients, so you can always have items for a rainy day. 

Pulled pork joint, some pulled, on a chopping board with forks

3. Buy economical cuts 

Try to make savvy choices relating to meat cuts too. Look at buying a whole pork shoulder and making pulled pork as it’s a great option for a big family, or if you just want to cook once, eat twice and enjoy leftovers. You can also look at other pork cuts such as mince, perfect for making delicious pork meatballs, or buying sausages, which are versatile in many dishes including this sausage bolognese or sausage jambalaya. 

4. Buying store cupboard essentials in bulk 

Certain ingredients tend to pop up in lots of recipes, for example oil, pasta, rice, and certain seasonings. So, it is often cheaper to buy these store cupboard ingredients in bulk, as you benefit from economies of scale. Bulk shopping is particularly well suited to larger families and it also means you don’t have to buy the same ingredients every week.

Pork and pumpkin pilaf served on a plate with fork, with spoonful of yoghurt on top

5. Buying Seasonal 

Opting for seasonal produce is a great way to save money, as there is often an abundance of seasonal produce meaning supply exceeds demand, making prices lower for these products at that time of year.  

There are also many other advantages to buying seasonal, including keeping your diet varied by changing your meal plans to fit seasonal produce, keeping your carbon footprint lower by buying more locally sourced products, and of course supporting local farmers. 

Check out some of our autumnal recipes to get your seasonal taste buds going. 

6. Make use of loyalty schemes/ discount cards 

Most supermarkets offer a form of loyalty scheme or card which can help you save money, whether that be immediately at checkout, or by receiving vouchers and limited discounts over time. Most loyalty cards are free to join so you can start saving money on your groceries today.

Blue bowl with a spoon, filled with rice and sausage balls and peas

Cost-conscious cooking

Make it yourself

Fight the temptation and save your money by making your own takeaway inspired recipes at home. From Mexican, Chinese, Indian or whatever you fancy, you can enjoy them all without worrying about costs – and they’ll taste just as good!

Take a look at some of our favourite fakeaway recipes.

Oven Alternatives

Cooking costs involve more than just ingredient prices, so it can be worth utilising other cooking options to reduce your oven usage.

Although sometimes ovens are the best way to cook meals, alternatives such as microwaves, air fryers and slow cookers can be great ways to reduce costs as they can often use less energy than ovens. Slow cooker recipes are also ideal for busy lifestyles as meals can be prepared in advance.

It is important to cook your food, especially meat, in a safe way so remember to check packaging or recipe instructions for best methods.

sausage jambalaya with spring onions in a white cooking pot with large serving spoon

Batch Cooking for the Family

Cook once, eat two, three, or even four times! Whether you’re cooking for a family or just yourself, batch cooking is a fantastic way to spread your costs whilst still eating well during your busy week. Find out why you should batch cook here!

We’ve also included top tips for freezing leftovers.

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