Britons could save a significant amount on their food bills by making a simple change to their habits, according to the founder of FiveDinners.
The weekly shop has become ever more costly for UK households, with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) estimating a shop price inflation rise of 8.4 per cent in February.
New research by firm Kantar found households who had not changed their shopping habits were spending £811 a year more on grocery bills compared to 12 months previously.
Speaking to GB News, chef and founder of FiveDinners Theo Michaels says households could help stem the tide by adopting a certain technique he dubs “batch cooking”.
He told Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster: “Meal prep can save some pennies in the cost of living crisis at the minute.
“I never buy it when I see people meal prep 45 lunches in advance. I think the best way to do it is doubling up when we’ve cooked dinner.
“You’re cooking dinner anyway, you just double up, so if you’re cooking bolognese, you make it for eight people instead of four.
“My idea of batch cooking is doubling up what you’re already doing rather than spending three hours in the kitchen making 45 dishes of the same thing, which I just think is soul destroying.”
Theo Michaels has offered advice to households struggling with the cost of living crisis
GB News
“Never go shopping when you’re hungry, that’s a dealbreaker. Just be a little bit more conscious of the volume of ingredients you’re buying.
Michaels is not short of advice for shoppers, offering further tips during his chat with Eamonn and Isabel.
“So if you’re buying sausages, get just enough that you need for that day, or get double so you can cook it and then freeze some for another day.
“Always be prepared, you don’t want that scenario where you’re going to the shops every night because you’re struggling to find something to cook.”
It comes as the Bank of England opted to raise interest rates to 4.25 per cent from four per cent in a bid to put a lid on soaring prices after UK inflation unexpectedly rose last month.
Policymakers on the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted seven to two to increase rates from 4% to 4.25%, but said they expect the economy to grow slightly in the second quarter of the year, marking a reversal of the 0.4% decline in gross domestic product (GDP) the Bank had anticipated last month.
Inflation is set to come back down this year despite a surprise increase in Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation last month, to 10.4% from 10.1% in January, driven by surging food and drink prices.
“CPI increased unexpectedly in the latest release, but it remains likely to fall sharply over the rest of the year,” the Bank said.