Our 5 Favourite Thrifty Food Bloggers

You may know her as ‘A Girl Called Jack’ but Ms Jack Monroe is a single mum of one who has launched a massive wave of thrifty gourmets and frugal home cooks hitting the web. If you were looking for a little recipe inspiration a few years ago, chances are you end up on Good Food or good old Auntie Beeb. These days, there are armfuls of budding budget mums and dads whipping up inspiring food on a shoestring online. If you’re hunting for clever food ideas, whisks at the ready as we round up our very favourite frugal foodies…

A Girl Called Jack

Jack Monroe had fallen on hard times when she started blogging about her penny-pinching recipes and her tasty treats created on a tight budget. Over time, word got out and the lovely Ms Monroe started gaining lots of fans and increasing amounts of attention. Now Jack is a regular columnist for The Guardian and strong advocate for Hunger Hurts, Child Poverty Action Group and Oxfam – plus a regular food guru for gourmets without the budget for extravagant ingredients.

Jack’s website is full of scrummy shoestring recipes and unusual meals to cook up for less. We’re particular fans of her 27p tea, mandarin, banana and chickpea curry. It might sound peculiar, but the richness of the banana adds a divine creaminess to the curry – without the sickly banana sweetness you might expect. Yum yum!

There are also lots of sweet treats to make to keep your little sweet-toothed monsters happy. From 13p pop tarts to 98p for ten delicious ‘almost Florentines’ these treats are perfect for lunchboxes. Bravo, Ms Monroe!

Stone Soup

http://www.thestonesoup.com/blog/

Focussing on recipes using simple 5 ingredients and on making the most of leftovers, Stone Soup is the tasty brainchild of the clever, food-fantastic Jules Clancy. Jules is passionate about good ingredients, used cleverly to create simple, succulent fare. And – because the majority of her recipes feature just 5 ingredients, they’re brilliantly cost effective. Have a go at her simple and scrumptious aubergine, pesto and roasted tomato dish – you won’t be disappointed!

Utterly Scrummy

http://utterlyscrummy.blogspot.co.uk/

There is lots and lots of inspiration to be found for mums and dads who love good food without a big price tag here. If your margins are tight, Utterly Scrummy’s meal plans are perfect for picking and sticking to your budget. From 5 dinners to feed 5 people for £18, to a £50 vegetarian weekly family meal plan – there are recipes and ideas to suit families of all shapes and sizes.

Microwave meals, gluten-free meals, slow cooker meals – you name it, Utterly Scrummy has some brilliant ideas for food without breaking the bank. We recommend the Budgeting Tips category for really clever thrifty treats!

Good Cheap Eats

http://www.goodcheapeats.com/

Time for a quick hop across the pond to sunny California to meet Jessica – a thrifty “mom” of 6 living on an $800 per month grocery budget. Her recipes may be in cups, but she’s got all sorts of lifestyle inspiration and ideas to get you cooking cheaply and eating healthily.

This month Jessica’s been setting herself a “Pantry Challenge” – working to get through all of those odds and ends in the back of the cupboard and save herself a packet in the process. With clever little ideas like snacky cinnamon croutons (ideal for using up stale bread in a scrummy fashion!) she’s a great source of cheap, clever munch!

Budget Gourmet Mom

http://www.budgetgourmetmom.com/

Some more American inspiration, this time from budget gourmet mom Krista who keeps her four growing boys and husband fed and watered in gourmet style on a teeny budget in Utah. From homemade juicy burgers to recipes the kids can make too (look out for “Kids Can Cook Too-sday”), Krista provides all the inspiration you need to cook classy on a shoestring.