Cheap eats: live webchat with Bernadine Lawrence Weds 12 Sept 1-2pm

When our first son started university we got a book called something like "Cooking on a budget for students". We opened it at a Waldorf salad we wouldn't have been able to afford, let alone a student.

Does anyone else find some of these patronising books and comments as obnoxious as I do? There was a comment earlier in the thread about not eating steaks but finding more economical meats like gammon. Tesco online is advertising gammon at £8.00 per Kg. I use Tesco Value mince at £2.75 per Kg. This is the real world. I cook a third of the pack at a time and freeze five portions. That means 1 Kg lasts 18 meals. I'm getting enough to eat and I'm healthy but I don't feel I have much scope to economise. Another suggestion was to use less exotic vegetables. What's less exotic than Tesco Value frozen mixed veg?

Does anyone have any realistic suggestions for someone who actually is on a tight budget?

Hello clarice, Popcorn is such a quick and healthy snack for kids - they just love it! Even sweetcorn is a quick, delicious snack served with butter.

If you prepare Beanburgers in advance, they are quick to cook and serve. Make your own cereal - Granola also makes a great snack.

Pancakes are quick and kids can make them with a little supervision. My grand daughter enjoyed making them egg-free and eating them was even better!

Just mix flour and milk thicker than double cream, spread thin and cook in piping hot oil or butter on both sides. Serve with honey/lemon/fresh fruit

Hello cathyl, Can I tell you a secret? I am a very lazy cook and all my recipes are very simple.

I didn't want to cut down on taste or nutrition - just the time spent in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Hi chunky, Barley is a wee bit slimy isn't it? We need to think of ways to put that slimyness to use (without asking Fungus the Bogeyman).

Try making barley pudding moulds, as it sets quite easily - these can be savoury or sweet.

Hello Grannyruth, How You doing?

Well, I suppose I'm being lazy but you know my recipes are quick and easy and I can't stand fuss.

For example, I always make my scrambled eggs in the pan without beating or anything. No point in making extra washing up!

I lived on muesli when I was a teenager - but now we know how to make our own 'Superior' muesli.

Hello getmehrt, just got your joke - it's hilarious!

You know, when I started to economise without cutting down on nutrition I realised that I had discovered the blueprint for healthy eating which, literally, wasn't going to cost us the earth.

There is enough food to feed the whole planet without destroying it. We need to learn how to live within our environs on locally sourced, seasonal food. It's healthier, fresher and more nutritious.

Hello RINKY, Nice tip! Lentils contain plenty of protein and taste delicious too. Yummy! Feel sooo good.

Hi minette, mince is very versatile and quick - try using in 'Johnny Cakes' a West Indian version of 'Bubble & Squeak' with flour, onions, garlic and spices.

Or cheat with puff pastry and have a Mince Beef, Lentil and Onion Pie or turn them into Croquettes with creamed potatoes.

Those little mince balls go well on homemade pizza or in soups or stir fries or on top of spaghetti - all covered in cheese. (I lost my poor meat ball, When somebody sneezed...)

Hello vampirequeen - try Cheddar and Sauteed Onion Quiche or Chilli Prawns in Coconut Cream.

I like 'easy to make' delicious recipes, which keep well and are easy to re-heat.

Hello rosiemus, first to ask a question and in need of reply. It's too easy to say buy my book. Sometimes you just need to think outside the box and 'create' a completely new recipe.

For example, with mince - you can make burgers using cooked brown rice, seasoned and spiced - try adding chopped garlic or chillies. Some like it hot!

I'm going to try to answer all the questions. I should have answered them by now. Apologies.

Hi praxis, raw juice is healthy and refreshing and easy to digest. You can pick up juicers which are inexpensive - although some are very expensive.

Because I don't like waste, I use the leftover fibre in cakes and puddings and for compost. Juicing is good but I like to chew and chomp (good for teeth and jaws) and enjoy the skin on apples.

Beetroot juice is amazing! I once made some and, silly me, decided to make a face pack with the leftovers - I screamed when I rinsed it off because I was a curious shade of burgundy!

Hi jintzy, Lidl should definitely reward you! My nearest Lidl is a bus ride away so that would put £2.70 on my groceries but maybe I would save more than that!

I find that M&S do great knock down offers at closing time, as do most supermarkets, and Iceland is good for things like tuna and baked beans and their free range eggs are £1 for 6.

Probable the best buys are in food co-operatives which are becoming popular again.

Hello firenze, I don't think it necessary to spend more on food and less on other things - I spend less on food to save for little luxuries and you can have superior nutrition for minimum money, if you know how.

A dependency on junk food leads to obesity, that's why I think it important that kids receive food education and are taught cooking at school.

Hello climber, Olive oil is delicious especially on salad - I find a lot of its flavour is lost in cooking. The lighter olive oils are cheaper and better for cooking.

Take advantage of supermarket offers when good brands of olive oil are half price and stock up. I like to use sunflower oil - it has vitamin E and omega 3 and is great for wholemeal pastry and for pancakes.

Olive oil, in my opinion, does not go well in sweets and puddings so you will need other oils like corn or rapeseed.

Hello clodhopper, I can empathise with you - I was widowed when my youngest was six and I lost my appetite. I still had four kids so I kept cooking.

Now that the kids have grown I often make simple meals for myself with little cooking - like baked potatoes with tuna and salad - brown rice with boil in the bag kippers and salad - pasta and sauteed tofu with vegetables or omelette with new potatoes and salad.

It depends what you like to eat but some things like rice can be cooked in bulk and kept in the fridge for a quick stir fry. Always try to eat something green everyday and never neglect yourself clodhopper.

gracesmum Wow! Good for you.

Whoopee!! I have never won anything in my life !! Thank you very much!!