Bavin Chris - Eat well for less: family feasts on a budget

Do you struggle to think of new and creative ways tofeed the whole family? Are you stuck for ideas whenscanning the shelves? Eat Well For Less: FamilyFeasts on a Budget shows you how to cook deliciousmeals without breaking the bank.

Alongside 80 brand new recipes from the hit BBC show, youllfind practical advice from Gregg and Chris and suggestedmenus to help you plan your weekly shop. Get confidentin the kitchen with tips on batch cooking, stocking up onstore-cupboard essentials and using up leftovers. From tastysnacks to simple but hearty dinners, this easy-to-followcookbook will mean youre never short of ideas for nutritiousfood that everyone will love.

Jo Scarratt-Jones started her career in television in 1997 when she joined LWT. She spent 15 years at ITV working on a varied output from Trinny and Susannah to Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and joined RDF Television in February 2011 as an Executive Producer and became Head of Popular Factual in 2012. Jo recently relocated to Bristol with her family and works from RDF West.

We love being part of Eat Well for Less because with every family we meet we face a new set of challenges to resolve, and we never quite know how its all going to unfold! Saving money is brilliant, but what we really love is seeing a family cook and eat together. Theres something magical about everyone sitting around a table, and it puts a smile on all their faces. So, what are you waiting for?!

Weve looked back through the series and pulled together a great selection of quick and easy recipes, all of which deliver tasty and nutritious meals that wont break the bank. Its time to eat well for less!

So many families we meet have fallen out of love with cooking, either because they cant find a meal that everyone will eat or because they feel there simply isnt enough time to cook from scratch. We hope this book will bring family mealtimes to life again and show that cooking can be fun, especially if you work together.

Some of the recipes here will show you how you can take a main dish and tweak it for those family members who are a bit fussy because, believe us, youre not alone! Nearly everyone has a fussy eater in their family and its our job to help you get everyone sitting down together. Cooking different meals for different family members needs to stop!

As we always say, a little planning goes a long way, especially when it comes to getting the family eating together, but it does mean you need to plan together, too. Use this book as the inspiration to sit down as a group and work out what recipes you might be able to tweak to make everybody happy.

Another area that really works with family eating is getting some batch cooking done. If you find you have some spare time, over the weekend perhaps, have a look at some of our recipes that freeze well and save yourself some valuable time in the long run. Serve that chilli with rice today, then leftovers can be a tasty baked potato topping another day when youre short of time. Remember, cook once, eat twice or three times, or even four!

One last word from us when youre doing your supermarket shop, just imagine were watching you make all your purchases what would we be saying?! And once youre home, why not try playing along and swap out some of your usual top branded products for better value alternatives? Just pop them into plain containers and see if the family notice you might be pleasantly surprised at just how much you can get away with!

Gregg Wallace and Chris Bavin

We all know that cooking from scratch is cheaper than buying ready prepared food, but putting this into practice when youre new to cooking can feel a little daunting. Fear not though, its not difficult if you keep it simple to start with and build your confidence before you move on to trickier dishes. Remember, at this stage what you dish up doesnt have to look perfect. As long as it tastes ok and is edible, its a success, not a disaster!

First up, what are you going to cook? Start with simple, tried-and-tested recipes from trusted websites and this book! and, more importantly, pick something that looks appealing and that you think you will all want to eat. Dont attempt recipes that use unusual ingredients until you have developed your skills and feel confident to step outside your comfort zone. Its also a good idea to choose recipes that use only a few ingredients, as long lists of ingredients can be off-putting and send you straight to the ready-made jars and sauces in a panic.

Before you hit the shops, check your cupboards/fridge/freezer, then make a list of what you need and the relevant quantities of each ingredient. Remember all the planning advice think about what youre cooking and when, and dont attempt to cook something new or tricky when youre short of time, otherwise you may get flustered.