THE YOUNG FAMILY
Freelance PR consultant Francesca De Franco, 43, lives in Banstead, Surrey, with her husband Matthew, 45, and daughters So„ia, 13, and twins Maria and Gabriella, 11. £100-150 per w k FOOD BUDGET
Idon’t have any loyalty to any supermarket or brand, and sign up to points cards for all of them, as well as their email lists. If I neglect one for a couple of weeks, they’ll email me money-o vouchers to entice me back.
I do packed lunches for the twins every day and I repurpose a lot of our leftovers by adding raisins to couscous and chopping up chicken Milanese, which the girls enjoy cold. They’ll also have sandwiches with cold cuts I’ve bought on o er,
I plan only three evening meals a week, leaving time and space to use up our leftovers or take up special offers
and carrot batons that I have peeled and chopped myself. I won’t pay for pre-prepared veg any more.
When shopping, I’ll pick up snacks like raisins and cupboard staples like rice and dried beans in the world food aisles. They’re cheaper and just as good, if not better, for being authentic to the region. I bulk out meals by swapping meat for cannellini beans and adding lentils to make my fresh produce work harder and keep our large family fed.
The kids love grating oodles of parmesan cheese on the many pasta dishes we have, but it’s expensive. I’ve swapped it for another Italian hard cheese for half the price.
I plan only three evening meals a week, leaving time and space to use up our leftovers or take up special oers when I see them. It’s reduced our waste and forced us to doublecheck sell-by dates and be flexible in our cooking.
Use less popular cuts of meat like pork shoulder and cook gently for longer