How to Make the Most Out of Your Budget Cookbook

Drumroll please….PINCH OF NOM: BUDGET is finally out there in the world! As our first ever paperback AND our most affordable collection of recipes to date, it would be an understatement to say we’re chuffed with this one. 

It’s absolutely impossible not to notice that food costs are on the rise, so this book is all about the little things you can do to stretch your budget a bit further. Nobody should have to compromise on healthy, tasty food, and we spent months developing the recipes in Budget to be as pocket-friendly and delicious as possible. 

As always, we’re desperate to know which recipes you’ll try first, so PLEASE tag us in any photos you share (or log in and upload them to our gallery). You can find out more about Budget here. 

To help you to make the most out of your new book, we’ve put together a few handy tips for getting started.  

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Step 1: Join our Facebook Group

Pinch of Nom wouldn’t be here today without our Facebook Group  and its wonderful community, so it’s no surprise that’s where we recommend starting! With almost 1 million members, there are so many incredible people sharing stories, tips and inspiration.

When you’re getting to grips with a new book, we can’t recommend scrolling through the group enough. From ideas of what to try first, to hints and tricks, you’re sure to feel instantly inspired. We absolutely love a cheeky scroll through the group – you lovely lot always put a smile on our faces with your photos and comments. 

When you have a question or need some advice about recipes, the community is always on hand to help – plus, we swing by as often as possible to pick up any queries that they don’t beat us to answering! 

Pssst…don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and TikTok while you’re at it!

Step 2: Stock up your store cupboard

This one’s a biggie! The key to keeping all of the 75 Nomtastic recipes in Budget so inexpensive is being able to reach into your store cupboard for tried and tested flavour boosters. 

To keep costs down, there are certain ingredients that you can buy once and use time and time again. We introduced a handy new ‘SC’ sticker in Budget to help you spot store cupboard ingredients that you can build multiple recipes around. 

Herbs and spices are cheap and cheerful, last ages and come in handy for practically every recipe. Grab yourself a spice rack like this one from Amazon to keep them nice and organised. 

You’ll use plenty of store cupboard essentials when you’re making these Enchilada Sliders (page 114). This is a ‘Super Saver Recipe’ which means it’s one of the most budget-friendly meals in the whole book – although you’d never guess it from how incredible these Mexican-inspired burgers taste (and look!). 

Step 3: Shop for fresh ingredients

With this book we really wanted to help make your weekly food shop stretch as far as possible. From minimising waste to bargain hunting in the supermarket, getting the right balance of fresh ingredients can save a lot of pennies. 

You’ll find a whole load of handy tips to save money in this article, but one of the biggest savings will come from switching to cheaper cuts of meat. Grab any lean meats you see in the yellow sticker aisle, or buy a whole chicken and separate it out at home, rather than paying for each individual cut. Even if meat is close to the use by date, you can cook it safely right away, or freeze it immediately and keep it for up to 3 months. 

Another favourite shopping hack of ours is to buy a whole block of cheese, rather than the convenient, ready-grated stuff. A block of reduced-fat Cheddar will come in handy for our Veggie Quesadillas (page 61), as well as the (unbelievably cheesy) Meatball Mash Bake that you’ll find on page 74. 

Trust us, you need a microplane grater in your life! You’ll be amazed at how much further a little bit of cheese goes when you grate it really finely – perfect if you’re trying to save money and calories!

Step 4: Batch cook and make the most of your freezer

Cook once and feast for days! As well as helping to keep food waste to a minimum, making bigger batches will save you time and money. You can bulk up recipes with any extra veggies that need using up, or make dishes using yellow sticker meat or fish. Once it’s cooked, stash it in the fridge for a couple of days, or freeze for up to 3 months. 

Don’t forget that batch cooking isn’t just for savoury foods. You can make as many batches of this Lemon Curd Swiss Roll as you like, and freeze extra portions so that you always have a treat on hand when you have a sweet tooth emergency! At 126 calories per serving, it’s impossible to resist (unless you’ve hidden it in the freezer drawer). 

Make sure you have plenty of freezer-safe containers on hand if you’re planning an epic batch-cooking session. We especially like these freezer bags with space to write the recipe details and date on them.

Step 5: Plan and prepare

It’s always nice to have a bit of spontaneity in your weekly meals, but it can end up getting pretty costly when you’re always nipping out for last-minute ingredients. Make the most of our budget-friendly recipes by creating a meal plan and sticking to it!

With your main meals and a few tasty sweet treats pencilled in, you’ll be better prepared to write an efficient, cost-effective shopping list. Make sure you take stock of what’s in your fridge and freezer before you get started, so you can plan to use up any odds and ends, rather than leaving them to go to waste. 

If you have any mushrooms leftover from making the Mushroom Masala on page 66, why not plan this Slow-Cooker All-Day Breakfast for the week after? 

A Pinch of Nom planner will make all the difference when it comes to getting organised. We’d recommend getting started with the Family Meal Planner – it has such a handy freezer tracker section to help you stay on track of what needs to be used up. You can grab a fresh copy here. 

Which BUDGET recipe are you cooking first?

We’d LOVE to see which penny-pinching recipe you tuck into first from our latest cookbook. Head over to our Facebook group to share your photos – and don’t forget to tag us! You can also share any pics you take over in our Gallery (there’s SWAG up for grabs!). 

If you haven’t ordered your copy of Budget yet, you can pick up a copy here.