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I sometimes pop into my local Iceland to pick up some good quality bargains. A friend recently asked me to recommend a list of what is good to buy there. So I thought I’d share my list and if you are out shopping this weekend, why not try your local Iceland you may be surprised by what you find.

Iceland Goodies:

• Cheese
• Bread/crumpets/potato scones etc
• Frozen vegetables
• Own brand frozen pizzas (cheap, delicious & good ingredients)
• Family sized lasagna (good ingredients & great value)
• Fresh fruit & vegetables
• Free range eggs (6 for 99p, or maybe £1)
• Wine

Please leave a comment if you buy any particular items from Iceland, they could be added to my list!

I’ve been reading Jamie Oliver’s “Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook”. Since this book was given to me it’s been sporadically used, but I decide to try reading it from cover to cover to learn something new. I’m still in the process of reading it now.

So far I’ve found Jamie’s emphasis on good quality ingredients has intensified my interest in this subject. Jamie says Italians eat very well but fairly cheaply by buying expensive meat to eat a couple of times a week and great risottos, pastas, frittatas on other days to drive down the food bills. This concept could replace the idea of eating cheap mass produced bargain meat everyday, as seems to be a trend in Britain. My husband is a big meat eater and I discussed these ideas with him, what can I say, Jamie Oliver won him over! Less meat, but better quality, more expensive meat for us from now on.

In the light of all this my husband charged me with the task of finding us some good local farm shops. Boy did I do a good job! We visited Calcott Hall Farm Shop, Billericay, Essex. When we walked in we were blown away. We’ve shopped in a lot of farm shops, but this beat them all. Every shelf was packed full of the best quality vegetables, displayed beautifully, there was such a range of homemade products, a great butchery department, something for everyone and it was all competitively priced. The staff were really friendly and helpful and we can’t wait to visit again.

If you live in Essex or are visiting I urge you to try this shop out. See their website here. Maybe you have already visited this farm shop – please leave a comment, what did you think of it? What about farm shops in your area? Any recommendations?

Here are some of the ways I try to save money on my food bill.

1. Swap olive oil for cheaper sunflower or rape seed oil when frying.
2. Don’t buy prepared vegetables/salad, a bag of salad costs around the same as two whole heads of lettuce.
3. Weigh each portion of rice and pasta so you have less wastage.
4. Grow your own herbs, even a pot on your windowsill will save you buying expensive packaged fresh herbs.
5. Compare the price per kg(lb) of products to find the real bargains.
6. Make your own flavoured yogurts by buying plain yogurt and adding jam, fruit, nuts, muesli, chocolate chips etc.
7. Say no to ready meals, make meals in bulk from scratch and freeze them in portions so you have your own ready meals at a fraction of the price.
8. Eat less meat, choose several nights a week to eat vegetarian.
9. Don’t buy brands, instead try supermarket own brands.
10. Make your own bread (dig out your breadmaker from the back of the cupboard, or buy a cheap one on ebay). Bread made at home costs only a few penies and you can make flavoured breads at a fraction of the shop bought price.
11. Meal plan – plan a whole week of meals so there are no last minute calls to the local takeaway.
12. Check the fridge, freezer and store cupboard before shopping so no duplicates are bought by mistake.
13. Dilute fruit juices to make them go further – this also makes them more refreshing as the fruit provides vitamins and the water hydrates.
14. Check out local shops – at my local Chinese supermarket I can by the same products 3x cheaper than leading supermarket chains.
15. Don’t buy gravy granules – use some cornflour to thicken sauces.
16. Make your own muesli with oats and dried fruit, it is cheaper and healthier as there are no hidden sugars or salts.
17. Use a teapot to make tea, it will provide more than one cup per tea bag.
18. Make lunches to take out – shop bought sandwiches are expensive and unhealthy.
19. Don’t thrown away leftovers make bubble and squeak or soup.
20. Look at the low shelves in the supermarket – items at eye level are more expensive and budget ranges are on the lower shelves.

If you have any other ways you save money please leave a comment!