SWITCHING to cheaper alternatives at the supermarket doesn’t just mean buying own brand items, as a budget chef shares her top buys to cut costs at the checkout.
Weekly food shops have soared in price in recent years, with families often struggling to keep costs down.
Suzanne Mulholland, known as The Batch Lady, is giving her top tips on how to save[/caption]
Food prices have risen at their third-fastest monthly rate in a year, while kitchen staples like butter and sugar have seen a whopping 20%-plus cost increase in the past year, according to recent government data.
Suzanne Mulholland, family cooking expert and author of The Batch Lady, tells The Sun that switching out six common ingredients for cheaper alternatives can help you avoid a big bill at the checkout.
We added up how much these switches could save you and it adds up to about £9 a week – or a huge £468 over the course of the year if you do a weekly shop.
Here are her suggestions that she says taste very similar…
Coley instead of cod
Going for coley over cod can save you more than £2.50[/caption]
White fish can prove expensive, but switching out expensive cod fillets for coley can save you more than £2.50 a pop.
Tesco sells 2 Boneless Cod Fillets for £5.55, but its Boneless Coley Fillets are just £3 for a pack of two.
Trout instead of salmon
Salmon is another pricey fish – but trout tastes similar and also comes out much cheaper.
Aldi sells its The Fishmonger Boneless Scottish Salmon Fillets for £3.89, but the Specially Selected Trout Fillets are just £2.99.
That’s a potential saving of 90p each time.
If you shop at M&S, you’ll get an even bigger saving of £1.25 if you switch to trout.
The 2 Skinless & Boneless Salmon Fillets are £6.50, but the Scottish 2 Loch Trout Fillets are sold for £5.25.
Hake instead of haddock
Swapping haddock for hake will save about £1[/caption]
Suzanne also suggests swapping haddock for hake if you want to save on fish.
M&S sells Haddock Fillets Skinless and Boneless for £5.50, while its South African Cape 2 Hake Fillets are £4.50.
That’s a saving of £1 – although it’s worth bearing in mind the pack of hake is 220g, while the haddock fillets are slightly bigger at 250g.
Still, you are making a saving as the hake fillets are £2.05 per 100g while the haddock is £2.20.
Beef shin or brisket instead of lamb cuts
Going for beef shin or brisket over lamb can save you cash[/caption]
You can make some serious savings if you switch out expensive lamb cuts for either beef shin or brisket.
For example, if you get Sainsbury’s British or New Zealand Extra Lean Diced Lamb 300g you’ll be paying £7.75.
But if you get a much bigger 500g pack of British or Irish Diced Beef, you’ll only spend £5.50.
That’s a saving of £2.25 a time, plus you’ll get even more product.
Grana Padano cheese instead of parmesan
Gran Padano cheese makes a great substitute for parmesan[/caption]
Both Grana Padano and parmesan are hard Italian cheeses that work well with pasta dishes.
Grana Padano is generally slightly softer, milder and less salty than parmesan, but it can still make a good substitute – and it’s sometimes actually preferred in cooking.
If you’re shopping in Asda, the Exceptional by Asda Parmigiano Reggiano 170g will cost you £3.60.
Meanwhile the Asda Granda Padano 160g costs £2.50, saving you £1.10 (although you’ll get 10g less).
Greek salad cheese instead of feta
Either cheese works well with salads[/caption]
So, what’s the difference between Greek salad cheese and feta?
It turns out, the status of feta is protected under EU law (much like balsamic vinegar) so the milk must come from specific areas of Greece and from local sheep and/or goats.
Greek salad cheese is often made with cows milk and is made slightly differently, but it’s not necessarily lower quality.
Either will work great added to salads or kebabs.
You can get Aldi Everyday Essentials Greek Style Salad Cheese for just 89p, while the supermarket‘s Emporium Greek Feta Cheese is £1.69.
That gives you a saving of 80p.
What other swaps can you make?
You can also switch out fresh vegetables for frozen to save about 20% a bag.
“Plus, you can just put it back in the freezer when you’re done so you’re not potentially wasting it at the end of the week,” Suzanne says.
You might even find some surprising items in the frozen aisle, including herbs and garlic.
For example, you can get a 400g pack of Taj Crushed Garlic at Asda for just £1.15.
Or, you can get a 75g pack of frozen COOK by Asda Chopped Basil for £1.45.
A fresh 30g pack will cost you 52p, so you’re getting more bang for your buck with the frozen version.
Suzanne also has more tips on how to cut down on each shop…
Planning ahead
For Suzanne, cutting down on costs starts before she’s even set foot in the supermarket.
“We’re bombarded with everything in the shops,” she says.
“Instead, sit down with a coffee at home and plan out what the week ahead is looking like, how many meals you need and what you want to eat.”
Now is also the time to check your fridge, freezer and cupboard – it will help you to plan meals with items you already have, and will prevent you from buying an ingredient that’s already in your kitchen.
Your choice of supermarket makes a difference
Suzanne recommends going to a budget supermarket such as Lidl, as there will be more own brand items and less choice – which can stop you from picking up pricier branded products.
Last year, an expert revealed shoppers could save £884 a year by switching from Waitrose to Aldi for their weekly shop.
She also suggests avoiding superstores and instead going for slightly smaller shops.
This means you’re less likely to end up filling your trolley with all the extra items you see.
Have some willpower
Supermarkets will try to tempt you with offers, but you should try to just stick to buying what’s on your shopping list.
Suzanne suggests dropping a branded item each time you shop and trying out an own-brand alternative – you might even find you prefer it.
According to Money Saving Expert, downshifting brands typically cuts your grocery bill by 30%.
Another tip when it comes to branded items: “Everything eye level is what the supermarket wants you to buy.
“Bend down to look at the bottom row – there’s probably a much better deal down there.”
Check for yellow sticker deals – but watch out for these things
While Suzanne is a fan of a yellow sticker deal (when supermarkets discount items that are going out of date), she has some caveats.
The 47-year-old says you should only buy yellow sticker items you’re actually going to use.
You should also check how much the item has been discounted, as sometimes only pennies have been taken off the full price.
Suzanne says to check when your favourite supermarket often starts its yellow sticker deals.
Lidl tends to do them early in the morning while Tesco does so later in the evening.
Back in January, The Sun revealed the best times to go to all the major supermarkets for yellow sticker bargains.
In particular you should look out for yellow sticker deals on fish – particularly varieties such as monkfish and tuna that people don’t always think to cook with – as you can get them at a “huge reduced cost”.
Once you’ve got your yellow sticker haul, Suzanne says to see how much you can freeze.
“You should put it in a freezer bag and make a note on it that it needs to be used immediately after defrosting,” she says.
Consider going veggie
“If you want to save the most amount of money, the main thing you can do is to go vegetarian,” says Suzanne.
A study by Oxford University previously found going vegan could cut their food costs by up to a third.
Of course, not everyone will want to do this – so an alternative is to go “half and half” on your meals.
For example, Suzanne suggests making spaghetti bolognese half with beef and half with lentils to bulk it out.
That means you’ll then have more beef left over for another meal, or you can make more portions.
Think about your appliances
With the right kitchen equipment, you can make even more savings.
Suzanne says that if you have a slow cooker, not only will you be saving on gas but you can also buy cheaper cuts of meat that would be chewy if they weren’t slow cooked.
Having an air fryer also means you can heat up smaller amounts of food and therefore save on energy.
We recently tried and tested the best air fryers for 2025 – you can read more here.
Stick to one shop a week
Suzanne says doing your food shop just once a week is “100%” the cheapest way.
“The minute you go back into the shop, you will spend more money,” she explains.
If you’re doing small shops here and there, she says it’s often when you’ve finished work and are in a rush.
This can lead to you having a “grab-and-go mentality” and cause you to spend more.
In all, Suzanne says these tips save her a fortune and she reckons she can feed four people for six nights for £35.
Suzanne is also a columnist for Fabulous Magazine – you can read more here.
