Feeding a family of four can be expensive and tricky at times, but if you think that’s hard the Radford’s – a family of 22 from Lancashire – have revealed their tips to ‘cook on a budget’.
Posting videos on their YouTube, the Radfords reveal just exactly how they manage to feed a family of 22, with some meals costing as little as 30p.
Parents, Sue (45) and Noel (49), support their family with their bakery business The Radford Pie Company, and explain that all kids get the same meal and are not ‘fussy eaters’.
Sue told Closer: “We don’t really have any fussy eaters, we cook one evening meal and they have to eat what’s in front of them.
“We are lucky that we don’t have fussy eaters because there’s no way we would be messing about cooking two, three meals of an evening.”
To keep food prices down, Sue explains that the trick is to plan ahead and buy in bulk where you can.
She added: “We buy in bulk things like wash powder, toilet rolls and we shop about for things and see what’s on offer. It’s all about planning and being savvy.
“I just go out and do a shop every day which saves me a lot of money. We also buy things from our local veg man, and we use our local butcher as well because we find it’s a lot cheaper.”
Noel often shares meal tips on Youtube, showing how he whips up giant stews and bakes for as little as 30p a person.
Speaking on one video, where he is making a ham and potato bake, Noel said: “What we are going to make today is a very simple potato bake. It can be a vegetarian one if you want it to be, I’ve got a bit of gammon leftover from the weekend.”
Sue also explains she gets bargains online, saying: “We always shop around for the best deals online.
“It’s worth making sure you get the best deals on your utilities and take advantage of voucher deals where you can.”
The Radford’s also say pasta helps stretch meals further. Noel spoke to the Mail: “We love pasta and we’ll use up three 500g bags per meal. Or we’ll have a big chicken stew or pork chops. With such a big family you have to be savvy and shop around.
“Our shopping bill is around £250 a week, but we’re pretty lucky to get good deals through a butcher whom we use in the bakery and a local veg delivery man.
“We’ll get through two big bags of apples a day, eight bananas and a bag of oranges.”
On trips out, Sue explains that they will avoid pricey restaurants and instead take packed lunches. She said: “We make up loads of sandwiches and just take a packed lunch with us because if we eat out anywhere it can be really pricey.”
Big news in the foodie world: Mancunians can now feast upon an Indian Delhi brunch with bottomless cocktails and fizz.
The Delhi House Cafe, located in the Corn Exchange, is marking its first birthday this week and, to celebrate, has launched its brand new bottomless brunch offer.
Available every Thursday to Sunday between 12pm and 4pm, guests can choose one starter, one main and then receive ninety glorious minutes of bottomless booze for just £31.95 per person.
On the drinks front, diners will get the choice of fizz, lager or some of Delhi House Cafe’s notoriously impressive cocktails, such as their Spiced Bloody Mary, Mango Mimosa and Rose Sangria.
And their food menu boasts an equally impressive selection: For starters, there is a choice of Dahi Poori; a popular street food snack of puffed puri shells filled with a mint and tamarind yoghurt, A.A.C; a tasty fried avocado and potato dish, and Moong Dall Ladoo; sweet lentil fritters served with radish and a tamarind yoghurt.
And as for mains? Diners will be able to choose from one of five dishes from Delhi House Cafe’s menu, including their famous ‘Not My Burger’; a tandoori chicken tikka naan sandwich served with chips, salad and homemade curry mayo, Creamed Chicken or Achari Paneer Kathi Rolls; rolled in a crispy paratha and served with salad and chips, or the Masala Chicken Scrambled Eggs served with hash browns and a toasted bun.
This epic brunch menu launches TODAY, so make sure to get down to try it out for yourself.
Remember those really tasty and sugary puddings dished up during school dinners? You know, the one’s you’d get before Jamie Oliver had stuck his nose in?
Well, there’s a new recipe that will enable you to recreate the iconic vanilla sponge cake from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Rekindling those childhood memories, Instagram baker @cakeontherun recently shared her recipe for a vanilla traybake, complete with icing and sprinkles on top.
@cakeontherun / Instagram
The recipe for Laura’s vanilla cake tray bake uses no eggs, so a vegan version can easily be made using dairy-free milk. So, what are the rest of the ingredients?
All you’ll need is 400g self raising flour (or all purpose flour with 1 tsp extra baking powder, or gluten free flour), 250g caster sugar, 200g margarine, 200g vanillaor plain yoghurt, 200ml milk, 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract, 1 tbsp baking powder, a splash of lemon juice,400g powdered icing sugar, a splash of cold water and sprinkles for the icing.
The method is straight forward, too: Firstly, you’ll need to pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/ gas mark 4 before creaming the margarine and sugar together in a large bowl. Then, you’ll need to sift in the flour and add all of the other ingredients.
Mix together until combined – though be careful not to over mix! Once this has been done, line a baking dish with parchment paper and bake for thirty minutes (or when the top is golden and the sponge is cooked in the middle.)
@cakeontherun / Instagram
Then, remove the cake from the tin and paper and leave to cool on a wire rack. You can then make the icing sugar by slowly adding water to the powder in a deep bowl. When it’s runny and the cake is cooled, pour over the top and then scatter sprinkles. Then, you can cut into chunks and serve with custard to live out your primary school dream.
Other fun twists you can try is coconut (using coconut milk and desiccated coconut instead of dairy and sprinkles), almond (with almond milk and almond slices) and lemon.
Make sure to follow Laura’s Instagram pagefor more baking inspiration.
BAB, the Northern Quarter gourmet kebab joint after all our hearts, has launched its new menu and as you’d expect, it has some incredible new kebabs up for grabs.
BAB’s August menu boasts a number of new additions to its famous mezze dishes, including a Spinach and Feta Stuffed Flatbread with a feta and mozzarella dip for £6.50, Prawn Saganaki,£7, Octopus Terrine, £8.50, and Moussaka Croquettes filled with spicy minced lamb, aubergine and feta cheese, £6.50.
But, perhaps most excitingly, the new menu has brought with it a seafood version of their massively popular Mixed Kebab.
The new Seafood Mixed Kebab, priced at £15, features deep-fried calamari, soft shell crab and octopus, alongside a staple kebab shop salad, a creamy coriander and lime dressing and BAB’s special sauce.
It joins the OG Mixed Kebab, which comes topped with lamb adana, aleppo chicken and a portion of cheesy chips, all costing £14.50.
Also new on the menu is a vegan King Oyster & Mixed Mushroom Shawarma for £10, Octopus with a butternut squash tarragon puree, priced at £13.50, and a Chickpea Shawarma with huge fried halloumi chips, costing £10.50.
You can still also get BAB’s famous Flat Iron Steak Kebab, their Greek Fries and the always popular Scotch Bonnet Chicken Wings, and they’ve even added a Cookie Skillet (£6) that perfect for sharing, and a Pistachio Frangipani (£5.50) to the desserts.