Feeding a family on a budget can be quite the challenge, yet one resourceful mum has demonstrated how to whip up a filling meal for less than £5. Jenine Kayley, who frequently posts her money-saving food advice online, headed to her local supermarket armed with just a fiver and emerged with enough ingredients to rustle up a delicious dinner for her entire family.
In the footage, which Jenine posted on TikTok to her 308,000 followers, she is seen popping into a branch of Lidl to browse the shelves. However, she made one blunder that had her groaning with frustration when it came to preparing the meal. Kicking off the video, she said: “Let’s make a meal to feed a family of four for a fiver, and today we’re hitting Lidl, let’s see what we can find.”
What Jenine bought to feed her family of four
- Spanish chorizo: £1.89
- Plumb tomatoes: 47p
- Loose red pepper: 67p
- Bag of long grain rice: 52p
- Three red onions: 95p
- One bulb of loose garlic: 37p
- Total: £4.87
The clip then cut to Jenine back in her kitchen with her shopping, ready to prepare the dish — a one-pot chorizo rice recipe. She began by slicing the chorizo into thin pieces, reports the Mirror.
“I’m actually using the whole chorizo,” she said. “Try not to cut the pieces too thick. Cut them nice and thin, and then when you cut them in half you’ve got a lot more to distribute throughout the meal.”
Jenine then tossed the chorizo into a pan, frying it for several minutes before adding the onion and pepper, continuing to cook, and then adding the garlic. “I’ve got four cloves here and I’ve done it in the food processor because I broke my garlic press,” she said.
“But, honestly, when it comes down to garlic, add as much or as little as you want because, honestly, I don’t think there’s ever such thing as too much garlic.”
She continued cooking the mixture for several more minutes before adding seasoning. “Honestly, use whatever you have to hand at home, it really doesn’t matter,” she said. Jenine opted to include smoked paprika and chilli flakes, alongside salt and pepper.
It was at this stage that she discovered her mistake – she had bought plum tomatoes when she intended to buy chopped tomatoes. Unfazed, she blitzed them in a food processor before tipping them into the pan.
She mentioned the chopped tomatoes would have cost 49p, keeping everything within the £5 budget.
Jenine then poured in 750ml water and the rice, noting viewers could include a stock cube if available. “I’m just going to give that a mix together, then I’ve reduced the heat, I’m going to leave that for around 15 minutes, stirring every now and then with a lid on top or until the rice is tender,” she said.
Presenting the completed dish to the camera, she served up a helping and tasted it, declaring: “That is really good.”
- Chop the chorizo into thin slices, then chop each slice in half
- Dice the red pepper and onion
- Crush or blend the garlic
- Heat a large pan
- Add the chorizo and cook for a few minutes until it starts to crisp
- Add the pepper and onion and cook for a few more minutes
- Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes
- Add the seasonings and salt and pepper
- Add the chopped tomatoes, water, with the stock cube if using, and rice
- Mix it all together and then cover and cook for around 15 minutes or until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally
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