The Hoyland Family Eat Well for Less?

Ooh, Creme Eggs...

The "Ooh" theory to shopping.

Gregg Wallace and greengrocer Chris Bavin are back

for their biggest challenge yet...

I like my food, but this is embarrassing.

That doesn't bother you, does it?

..to help families slash their weekly food bills.

This family is spending an outrageous amount of money.

Getting quite emotional about that.

They're going undercover...

Oh, no.

I've got to go and do a top-up shop anyway.

You're already planning to do a top-up shop in the middle of a shop!

..and taking over kitchens...

I ain't having this. What is that?

Where's my stuff?

..to find out where we can spend less...

Just under six grand.

It's stupid, man.

..and where on the odd occasion,

it might be worth spending a little more.

That's the good stuff. Nice.

Restaurant standard.

They'll be checking out the country's

most popular food and drink...

My co-presenter tries to get me to do this

after a long shoot day, actually.

..and giving the Great British public their say.

That's delicious.

No. That's not right.

They'll be conjuring up cut-price recipes...

Ta-da!

Anybody can make this dish.

And it was less than ?2.50.

..but, at the end of the day,

will Gregg and Chris prove that you really can...

Eat Well For Less?

This is all about breaking habits and learning something new.

No!

Let's get to work.

Ah!

This week, we're near Edinburgh with the Hoyland family...

They've got them.

..who are finding mealtimes a minefield...

They're scared. They're nervous.

..so they've taken convenience to a whole new level.

There's nothing in that trolley that needs cooking.

The family know they need help...

Are you OK?

..but, with emotions and their shopping bill running high...

I've got your receipts here.

Oh, jeez.

..can Gregg and Chris deliver?

Are you nuts?

We are in Scotland with a family in a spin with their food shop.

ALL: We're the Hoylands!

Dad Derek works for a finance company

and mum Clair is a school support assistant.

Are you going too fast, Jamie?

They have two children -

nine-year-old Connor and six-year-old Amy.

That's a good one.

Coming, ready or not!

Mum and Dad, they're really good fun because they play games with us.

Ah! Got you!

Just magic. It really is. It's a magic family.

We're very close, so we like to spend lots of time together and do everything together.

Well, everything apart from eat,

because, six years ago, Derek was diagnosed with coeliac disease.

Coeliac means that you have to eat gluten-free foods.

If it's got anything that's got wheat in it, you can't eat it.

The tiniest crumb can make Derek ill and break out in an awful rash.

The itch is so bad.

It's like getting wrapped in nettles,

and you scratch and scratch until you bleed.

For Derek, there's an endless list of foods off-limits.

You can't eat bread.

Pasta. Pasta sauces.

Sausage and mash. Pizza.

Roast dinners. You can't have the gravy, the Yorkshire puddings.

Yoghurts, you can't eat.

Fish and chips. And I really miss that.

With family meals struck off the menu,

Derek's diet is now limited to gluten-free foods...

They look like cardboard

and they do taste a bit like cardboard.

..and salad.

It's just the same mundane food. So, it's a salad tonight,

a salad tomorrow night...

I don't know how he survives on it, to be honest.

Two onions, because I'm hungry.

The most flavoursome thing that I eat at the moment is onion.

Raw onion, actually.

It's a wonder my wife actually speaks to me with all these onions.

An onion a day might keep the doctor and Clair away...

but Derek is sick of salad.

I'm very bored with the meals.

It's just something I've got to do to keep me alive.

That's it, really.

That's the way I look at food.

And Derek isn't the only Hoyland in the house on a strict diet.

I need to lose weight and to get into shape.

And I've kind of fallen into a rut of buying convenience foods

because they say "diet".

But it's not just Clair's dinner coming out of a box.

The children are having things from the freezer too.

'I'll just buy the convenience foods because it's much easier for us

'to keep each dish contained...'

so there's no chance that that could be cross-contaminated across onto Derek's.

The packet meals may be a sure-fire way of protecting Derek from gluten,

but three different dinners a night could be costly.

If I'm being honest, I don't think I would actually know

how much I'm spending. I wouldn't even know where to start.

Thank you.

They may be clueless about their supermarket spend,

but what the family do know is,

mealtimes have become miserable.

We don't have meals together at all.

We have our dinner, then Mum and Dad have theirs when we are in bed.

Derek being diagnosed with coeliac has definitely affected

the way we eat as a family. It has become disjointed.

We're stuck in a rut. We need to do something.

Um, we can't go on the way we are.

It's just... It's not easy.

Not easy.

Well, two men have turned up in Scotland hoping to help.

And also arriving at their Edinburgh supermarket are the Hoylands...

Er... What do we need?

..completely unaware that Gregg and Chris are in store

to scout out their spending habits.

We'll go down and come back up, eh?

So they don't miss a moment...

Phwoar!

..the boys head to the back stockroom.

Right.

I'll just get some of my Weight Watchers ones, OK?

How much are they? It doesn't matter.

They're ?2.50, but they're nice.

It's three branded slimming meals going in there.

That's not cheap.

So, an expensive start to the shop.

Shall we get a roast chicken?

Why are they buying a ready-cooked chicken?

How much is that? ?6.40.

Why don't you buy a chicken and put it in the oven?

If they did that, Gregg, they'd save themselves over ?3.50.

Buying it freshly cooked can more than double the price.

OK, they've come to the fruit and veg aisle,

so this could be promising.

So, that's Monday...

Tuesday...

Wednesday...

Thursday...

Friday. There you go.

He's buying one onion for every day of the week.

'A red onion a day.'

I hope he's not expecting a kiss goodnight.

Cucumber.

After a few more bits for Derek's salad, they move on.

Pineapple? No.

Is that all the fresh fruit and veg they're going to buy?

A couple of carrots and a good deal of onions.

'And I'm not even sure they have got a family dinner in there.'

..unless it's gluten-free gravy.

I've never, ever, ever been able to find gluten-free gravy.

There's nothing we can do, Derek.

If he's avoiding gluten, I know a little bit about that.

There's gluten-free. Look. It's got gluten-free on all of them.

'Why are you buying microwaveable rice?'

'Oh, no.'

This is going to be expensive.

Instead of buying branded microwaveable pouches

labelled gluten-free,

Derek and Clair could actually buy bog-standard uncooked rice

that costs 60% less,

as rice doesn't actually contain gluten.

Although gluten and wheat are very prevalent in a lot of foods,

they're not in everything.

You can eat rice, you can eat potatoes,

you can eat all the fish, you can eat all the meat,

you can eat every single piece of fruit and veg that's ever grown.

Yeah, yeah. That's not limited, is it?

'I mean, that's an array of fantastic meals.'

But Clair and Derek are moving further and further away from the fresh produce.

OK, we find ourselves in the Free From section.

'Is that a cooking sauce?'

A gluten-free, tomato pasta sauce. I'm sorry, which bit of this...

Sure. Maybe you can help me out. ..has gluten in it?

Tomatoes. Garlic. Onions, which he... We know he's got.

And some herbs. And some oil.

And there's more Free From products going in.

It's really expensive, eh? I know.

But just get it, cos you have to eat.

If you are a coeliac, your trolley does not have to look like that.

'And you do not need to pay for a premium

'to buy these Free From products.'

But it's not just Derek's diet making this a dear shop.

What about water?

Oh, they're not buying bottled water...

Not just water in a bottle...

Oh, they've got them!

..they are also buying coffee in a cup.

'No, no, no, no. What's Coffee To Go? What's that?'

They're only ?3. They're dearer. I've seen them dearer elsewhere.

Why don't you just get an ordinary cup and put coffee in it?

Nope. Instant coffee.

Derek's not at all happy about the money being spent on coffee,

and I have to agree with him.

'That's a lot of expensive coffee.'

Skinny one...

And that's not all of it.

Clair also frequents her local coffee shop three times a week,

so the coffee spend is even more.

So, it's just freezer left, is it? Yeah, I think so.

Thank goodness for that.

Just the freezer aisle now...

for chicken...

And they're 100% chicken, so...

So... That's fine.

..potatoes...

What's a frozen jacket potato?

..diet meals...

This is expensive.

..ice cream and pizza.

There's nothing in that trolley that needs cooking.

Everything's either convenience or a big brand.

That's not only an expensive trolley,

that may be the most illogical trolley I've ever seen. Yeah.

Clair and Derek head for the tills...

Teamwork, OK?

..totally oblivious that Gregg and Chris are about to join them.

Hello. Hello! Pleased to meet you.

Hi, nice to meet you. Hello. Pleased to meet you as well, Gregg.

Are you a coeliac?

Yeah, that's right, yeah.

But it's obviously complicated

when you have an intolerance or an allergy.

I really sympathise, because a lot of people

get an instant intolerance to my mate.

No known cure, unfortunately.

Chris and Gregg are keen to make sense of the Hoylands' shop.

Clair, these slimming meals, are they just for you, or...?

They are just for me, yes. Yes.

Do you have one meal in the evening?

Derek, you have a separate meal?

That's right, yeah. Do the kids then have another meal?

They have a separate meal too, yes.

There are three separate meals going on every dinner.

Yes. Yep. Every day.

Not an awful lot of veg.

No... Quite a few onions, but not...

We don't tend to buy a lot of vegetables,

and, again, I think that's because I don't cook from scratch.

Why don't you, then?

I think it's just the fear factor of getting it wrong.

And it might have a trace of gluten in it.

In case you make your husband ill. Yeah. Yeah.

So, have you any idea how much this shop may have come to?

No, I couldn't even guess, really. Nope. Nope.

So, you've absolutely no idea how much that has come to?

No, no.

'The average weekly food bill for a family of four is ?81.40.'

Well, you've actually spent...

?153.67.

It's a lot of money.

Because there aren't a great many dinners in your trolley.

No, I know.

You all right? Yeah. Listen, listen.

It's so easily put right.

The severity of the problem clearly runs deep.

We can help. This is the start.

It's going to be a piece of cake.

Gluten-free cake.

Gluten free cake, aye. THEY LAUGH

I like that.

Gregg and Chris are hopeful they can help the Hoylands.

But first they need to expose the cost of their convenience-led diets.

So, since you've been diagnosed with coeliac,

has that dramatically changed

the way you shop and eat as a family?

Definitely. Very much so. It's more of a chore.

It's a chore. You miss sitting down and eating as a family? Definitely.

Yes, very much so. It's one of the joys of being a family,

sitting down together, isn't it?

Do you know how much you're spending on food every week?

No. Not really. No.

Do you want to hazard a guess? About ?100.

I've got your receipts here.

And you are spending...

..on average, in the supermarket on food...

?138.12.

Really? Right.

'But the buck doesn't stop there.'

'Visits to the coffee shop

'and occasional meals out for Clair and the kids

'all mount up.'

Your average weekly spend on food,

with everything included,

is ?183.06.

'That's nearly double Clair's ?100 guess.'

Do you want to know what that comes to in an average year?

?9,519 a year.

Oh, you're having a laugh. That's... Really?

That's almost... Yeah.

Oh, gee whiz.

'The Hoylands are horrified

'by what they think is an unavoidable food bill.

'But, fortunately for them,

'Chris knows all about living with coeliac disease.'

My wife is a coeliac.

And we manage to find meals

that her, I and our son can all eat together.

It is a problem. Of course it is. And you have to be careful.

But what you're leaning towards, from what I can see, through fear,

is pre-prepared or pre-made foods.

You are one of the most unusual families I've met

in that your dietary requirements are so different.

But the way you've gone about it, and I understand why you have...

You couldn't go about it in a more expensive way.

Yeah. But we're going to show you a lot of really fantastic meals

that cater to...not only your dietary requirements,

but yours as well,

and include the children,

and get this family eating one meal together again

and enjoying their food. That's so important, isn't it?

Yeah, that's what we want. Yeah, brilliant.

The Hoylands have been struggling to cope with Derek's condition,

but they are not alone.

Coeliac disease affects at least 1 in 100 people in the UK.

It's a genetic condition,

but, for those prone, it can begin at any time.

'For 40 years I was eating totally normally.

Just like everybody else.

And then suddenly you're told you can't do it.

It's a massive shock. You think, "Oh, this should be easy."

You know, "We should be able to get through this."

But it's a lot more difficult than you think.

It is really difficult.

A gluten-free diet may not have been Derek's decision,

but, for a growing number of people, it is a lifestyle choice.

15% of British households now avoid gluten and wheat,

as many perceive it to be part of a healthy diet,

as well as easing problems like bloating,

eczema and other aches and pains.

But, for the Hoylands, it's caused one big headache.

I tell you how big I think this problem is.

It's the first time I can remember

anybody actually crying at the checkout.

Food has become a major, major issue.

The fact that Derek's been relying on just having salad and onions

for his tea for the last six years...

I mean, that's heartbreaking, isn't it?

That, coupled with the fact

that Clair's buying these ready slimming meals means, for me,

there's a huge lack of confidence and knowledge

about what they can and can't eat.

They're scared. They're nervous.

So, what we've got to do is find meals they can have

that are wheat-free, gluten-free, low in fat, and the kids will eat.

Yeah. That's our challenge.

It isn't so much the money they're spending.

It's how you get people with very different food needs

and requirements

to eat the same more regularly.

Your wife's a coeliac and a vegetarian.

Yeah. Well, how do you get on?

We still find a way to have a meal that all three of us can enjoy,

that's safe for Millie to eat,

and Leo and I can enjoy as well.

What you can't have as a coeliac is anything with wheat in it.

So, no pasta, no bread, no biscuits.

It does limit it,

but not to the extent that Derek and Clair think it does.

So, if we get the family sitting round, enjoying meals, together,

then the money saving will naturally follow,

because you'll have one meal as opposed to three.

Yes. And if we can cut down the coffee spending,

I think we could save this family ?50 a week.

I think I'm going to go with ?80.

Are you nuts? Are you nuts? Too much?

Too strong? You've nearly halved the bill.

But there are going to be some big savings there.

You're going to come a cropper here, son.

Well, law of averages.

I've got to be wrong one day, haven't I?

Nothing like piling on the pressure.

So, when the family were out, we went in and took over their kitchen.

Oh, my goodness. My word.

We've replaced their usual foods

and disguised everything in plain packaging.

Doesn't look like lattes to me.

Most swaps are cheaper...

Wow. That's a whopper.

..others are more expensive,

for when it IS worth paying that little extra.

And some haven't been swapped at all.

I hope that's not tap water.

That'll be interesting. Well, I think it is,

and you're going to have to drink it. Oh, we'll see!

But the biggest challenge for this family

will be swapping convenience for gluten-free, raw ingredients.

What are we going to have for our dinner?

I think it is a shock seeing our kitchen like that, isn't it? It is. Yeah.

I think we're so reliant on picking a meal out of the freezer.

The comfort blanket's been taken away now.

The onus is on me to cook and I just hope I can deliver.

Morning in Scotland.

Derek's usually left for work before breakfast,

so it's crumpets for three.

They do actually look like the usual ones.

Yeah, I don't think there's much difference at all, actually.

Well, they are different, Clair.

Instead of your usual premium brand of crumpet,

you're having a supermarket own brand,

which is nearly half the price and saves around 40p a pack.

The same colour as what we usually have.

It may look the same colour,

but we've swapped the family's normal branded butter spread

to a supermarket own brand, which saves over ?2 a tub.

And it has nearly half the calories and almost 65% less saturated fat.

We're having crumpets, guys. OK?

If Clair, Connor and Amy like this breakfast,

they could save over ?16 a month.

That's almost ?200 a year.

Do you like the butter?

No. It's definitely different, isn't it?

It is. What do you think of the butter?

No. I wouldn't swap it.

'I don't think the butter went down too well,'

and we reckon the crumpets are the same.

Well, they're definitely different.

Where's your crumpet gone?

Just like Amy, as a nation, we love our crumpets.

So much so, we spent over ?100 million on them last year,

making them the biggest-selling bakery product in the UK

after bread.

But what makes the perfect crumpet?

If anyone will know, these ladies will.

We've come to Streatham, South London,

to the Women's Institute.

They've got to look attractive.

Slightly thicker and a little bit brown on top.

Butter is really important.

It has to sink the perfect amount.

So, can any of these five brands of crumpet meet their high standards

in our taste test?

There's big brand Kingsmill at 13p a crumpet.

Aldi, the cheapest, at 6p.

Brand leader, Warburtons, and most expensive at 15p.

Waitrose, with the second priciest at 14p.

And ASDA's own brand at 8p.

First up, the cheapest from a budget supermarket,

which contains the least calories.

It looked awful on the plate,

but it actually tastes pretty good.

It's so good! THEY LAUGH

Doesn't taste cheap, I don't think.

I'd buy them.

Will this branded crumpet go down as well?

I don't like the look of it at all.

If it is expensive, I would be disappointed.

It's just nothing, isn't it?

It's hard work and nothing to show for it.

Maybe the supermarket own brand

can please their palates.

The butter hasn't come through

to the other side, which it normally does.

It doesn't get my vote.

I like it, actually.

Next, the priciest brand leader,

which has the least amount of sugar,

but is the saltiest of the five.

This looks so good.

This one melts in your mouth.

Definitely lighter.

In it goes.

THEY LAUGH

Last up is the second priciest,

from a high-end supermarket,

and the most calorific crumpet in the line-up.

A bit chewy. It's just tasteless.

It's not as salty as some of them.

I'd rather do without.

It's been a tough tasting,

but which crumpet did our ladies love the most?

And the winner is...

Warburtons!

Yes! We knew.

We said.

They've clearly not got a sweet tooth,

because getting the WI's highest marks

was brand leader, and most expensive, Warburtons,

which had the least amount of sugar

and most amount of salt.

In 5th place was the second priciest crumpet,

by Waitrose,

which contained the most sugar.

And runner-up was by Aldi,

which has the lowest calories

as well as the lowest price.

I was a bit surprised about the second one,

but I'm very pleased, because I like Aldi's as well.

Butter melted in that one.

That was the quality product.

The difference in price isn't huge.

So, it's better... Why not go for the best?

Back in Scotland, Gregg's on his way to the Hoylands'

to get ready-meal-reliant Clair cooking from scratch.

I can understand why Clair's nervous,

because she doesn't want to cook something

that will make her husband unwell.

But Clair wants to be in the kitchen, cooking meals.

I know she does.

She just needs a little spark.

I hope at the end of today I'm going to come away

with a recipe idea that we can all have together.

If Gregg could change that for us today, it would be wonderful.

Hello, Clair. Hello, Gregg. Come on in. May I? Yes, of course.

Get your knives out, missus.

I've got something for you.

OK. Something you may or may not recognise.

Look.

SHE GASPS It's a potato.

THEY LAUGH

Clair usually buys frozen jacket potatoes,

but a normal baked potato is half the price.

We're going to cook something that both you and Derek can eat.

Great. I think the kids could eat it as well.

Gregg's brought a recipe for stuffed jacket potatoes.

So, what is it you like about the frozen jacket potatoes that you buy?

It's really crispy and I think that's what does it.

Baked using a little bit of oil and seasoning

should give Clair the crispy skin she's after.

Many people do a jacket potato in the microwave,

and, of course, it won't crisp up.

If you like an oven-cooked jacket, but time's an issue,

use a metal skewer.

It'll take about 15 minutes off the cooking time. Really?

Making the cooking time around 45 minutes.

You could even half that time again by doing 10 minutes in a microwave

and 10 minutes in the oven to crisp up.

Now for the filling.

Nothing here that Derek can't eat.

This will be Clair and Derek's first meal together

since he became coeliac.

To make sure it's gluten-free, low in fat

and something they'll both enjoy,

Gregg's bought sirloin steak.

We haven't had steak for a long time.

How much garlic do you like?

I like lots of garlic. Good.

Clair, can I tell you...

only cooks know how to crush up garlic like that.

You must have done a lot of cooking. You must miss it. I do miss it.

Can I give you that? Thank you.

Hm. You're getting the hang of using me, aren't you?

Good job, Gregg.

Using a little oil, Clair browns the steaks.

When a steak or even a piece of fish is ready to be turned over,

it frees itself from the pan.

Look at that!

With the meat resting, into the pan goes garlic, red onion,

pepper and spices.

Smells delicious.

Most pure seasonings are gluten-free,

but some seasoning mixes can have added flour, which contains wheat,

so it's important to always check the label.

Look at that. That's beautiful!

THAT'S LOVELY!

It is!

Next, a touch of pepper.

Upside down. Upside down.

I knew the pepper pot was upside down, Clair,

I just did it to see if YOU'D notice.

And the sliced steaks return to the pan.

Look at that.

It smells amazing. I can't believe how quick it is to make it as well.

Hardly took any time at all, which is great.

Clair's happy with the steak filling,

but will Gregg's jackets meet her high standards?

Nice in the centre. Look at those crispy skins! Yay!

Topping on.

Perfect.

And, to finish, a dollop of soured cream, fresh coriander,

chilli and jalapenos.

Haw-haw-haw!

At 500 calories a portion,

it's a diet friendly as well as gluten-free dinner,

which is a first, so a very special moment for Derek and Clair.

I'll sit there. Derek, have a seat.

You'll have to stop me.

A change from his usual onion salad.

What's the verdict from the man of the house?

Superb. It really is. And it's hot.

When was the last time you two sat down together like this

and ate the same food?

I can't even remember. No. I really can't.

We're talking about five or six years, really.

I feel like a bit of a gooseberry.

Do you guys want me to go?

Yeah!

Cooking with Clair was good fun. Clair obviously enjoyed it.

This is a step.

It's not even a step.

This is a massive leap in the right direction

for the Hoylands.

Up until now, dieter Clair has been relying

on what she believes to be low-fat food.

But what is the best way to eat a low-fat diet?

Chris and Gregg have come to see nutritionalist Hala El-Shafie to find out.

So, the Hoyland family... Mum's been buying

reduced fat products in the supermarket in a bid to be healthy.

Is that doing the right thing? So, with reduced fat versions,

what we need to remember

is that it has to have 30% less than the original products.

However, that still means that it can be a high-fat food.

So, to prove the point, I've got a selection of products here.

If we take this prawn cocktail...

And the fat here in a 100g serving is 30.4g.

Reduced fat is still 12.6g in a 100g serving.

I mean, that's not low. It's just lower.

That's still a fatty thing. Exactly.

Often, that's where people get caught out.

So, reduced fat doesn't mean it's low-fat at all.

It just means it has less fat than the original product.

But is there a label we should be looking for?

What you need to be looking at - is it marked low-fat?

Because low-fat means that it's going to have

less than 3% of fat per 100g in that product.

So, you can be confident that it's low-fat food.

But I'm a big believer in having smaller portions

of the natural product. Is that right?

Because, actually, when you take the fat out or reduce the fat,

you're invariably putting something else in to compensate, aren't you?

You're exactly right.

And very often, that can be sugar or salt.

It's better to have the thing that you really want and really

enjoy, but just have less of it.

What about people that are striving for a virtual fat-free diet?

I would never recommend a fat-free diet. We do need fats.

The right types of fat. Because without them, we are not able

to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K.

So, you're likely to have issues around immunity and also healing.

Healthier fats can be found in fish, nuts and vegetable oils

and can help our body get the vitamins it needs.

So, we've got this beautiful salad here.

And really to enhance that,

this is a really simple dressing of olive oil,

lemon juice and seasoning.

So, actually putting a dressing on it will make that healthier?

It will make it healthier from the point of view

of the fat-soluble vitamins.

So, all the goodness that's in that salad,

we will absorb that easier through a little bit of good oil.

Exactly. Good plan.

In Scotland, after a confidence boost from Gregg,

Clair's back in the kitchen,

doing what she's been too frightened to do -

cook one meal for the whole family from scratch.

I'm scared to give something to Derek that would make him potentially ill

and, you know, we couldn't have that.

Definitely not!

So, we've started Clair off with a really simple recipe

for a gluten-free chilli bake,

with lean mince and gluten-free pasta.

It doesn't look terribly different to our pasta.

And it's readily available in supermarkets.

As Clair's slimming,

this home-made bake has the same calories per 100g as her usual diet,

ready-meal pasta.

Looking at this recipe,

I wouldn't need to worry so much or feel guilty about eating it.

Exactly!

To prevent Derek eating gluten by accident,

the Hoylands would usually cook four separate pasta ready meals

at a cost of ?12.45.

But using fresh, raw ingredients, which are 100% gluten-free,

means this pasta bake comes in at just over ?5.

Which could save them over ?380 a year.

I'm quite pleased.

Well done, Clair.

So, cooking from scratch wasn't as scary as you thought.

There we go. Oh, that looks lovely.

An amazing moment for the Hoylands,

to all be sharing the same dinner.

Thank you very much.

That's beautiful.

A fantastic start to family meals for the Hoylands.

The family did enjoy the meal and Derek's had ten portions.

So, yeah, it was a success.

You should have just given Dad that.

Exactly!

I've got a lot of catching up to do, haven't I?

You certainly have, Derek.

And this is just the beginning.

But getting the family eating more meals together

isn't the only thing on Gregg and Chris's to-do list.

Clair's a big fan of coffee.

And she's not alone.

The UK drinks 70 million cups of coffee a year.

Giving the market an annual value of over ?1 billion.

But is Clair's commitment to expensive brands warranted,

or can cheaper coffee be just as nice?

To find out, Gregg's come to Lincolnshire

to a coffee roasting factory to meet with taster

and assistant buyer, Rebekah Kettrick.

Hello, you must be Rebekah.

Nice to meet you, Gregg. Can you teach me about coffee?

Absolutely. Could you?

One of the biggest roasteries in the UK,

this factory sources its coffee beans from 40 different countries.

We source two different types of coffee beans here -

Arabica and Robusta.

And from combining and blending just two species of bean,

they produce around 60 different flavours and supply many high-street

coffee houses and specialist retailers.

You can get up to 60 different flavours from just two beans?!

At least. That's amazing!

It is.

Rebekah's going to show Gregg how they roast the 500 tonnes of

coffee beans they get every month.

Can I have a go? Of course you can.

Stand back.

When they arrive, the coffee beans look very different

to the brown beans we're used to.

Give it a good slice.

Oh, they're green! They look like lentils.

So, this is what they look like before they've been roasted.

And they don't smell like coffee, they smell like earth.

This is why we've got to roast it, to bring out the coffee aromas.

The raw coffee beans are blown through pipes

and dropped into a roaster, set to around 200 degrees.

The beans are roasted for anywhere between 12 to 18 minutes.

That is now going very brown.

The longer the roast, the darker the colour and stronger the flavour.

But, despite what we may think,

a stronger flavour doesn't mean more caffeine.

If I have a really strong tasting coffee,

that doesn't mean I'm getting more caffeine?

Not necessarily, Gregg, no.

The amount of caffeine actually depends on which of the two beans

the coffee's made from.

The Robusta bean has more caffeine than the Arabica.

But the Arabica bean is more expensive,

as it's a difficult bean to grow.

Now they look like coffee beans.

Once the beans have been roasted, they're sucked up...

That's a massive coffee hoover!

..and either packed to be sold as beans

or ground by this industrial grinder.

It may look small,

but it can process 600 kilos of beans every 40 minutes.

How many different grinds are there? Lots of different grinds.

For a cafetiere, you want really coarse coffee,

for a filter machine, a bit finer,

and for espresso, it's going to be really, really fine.

This is where the coffee aroma really kicks in.

That is so intense.

It's much more intense here than at the roaster, isn't it?

It almost smells like chocolate. It's very sweet, isn't it?

Just in one day,

this factory roasts enough coffee to fill a million cups.

The cost of a cup will all depend on the type of bean,

where it's from and how much manufacturing it's taken.

But is the priciest always the nicest?

Gregg's doing a blind test with Rebekah,

who'll show him the professional approach to tasting.

OK, so you want to just over half-fill your spoon.

And then bring it up to your lips.

REBEKAH SLURPS

Oh, turn it in!

Do you mind if I just have a drink?

Just go... If you want.

GREGG SLURPS

That's actually quite mild.

SLURPS AGAIN

Mm. No bitter finish at all.

SLURPS AGAIN

Stronger. More coffee flavour.

Cor, I'm getting into this.

REBEKAH CHUCKLES

SLURPS AGAIN

Big coffee, but no bitterness.

That one is my absolute favourite.

For me, it's the biggest coffee flavour.

That would be the cheapest one on the table, Gregg.

Yeah!

So, Gregg's gone for a cheaper, but stronger,

Robusta bean coffee over a smooth but more expensive Arabica.

The most expensive one next to it is four times the price of the one that

you liked. And I actually really do prefer that one.

Exactly. It's all down to personal taste.

And not the price.

High-five!

Back in Scotland,

and we've swapped Clair's leading brand of ground coffee

for a supermarket own brand.

I think it looks quite smart, actually.

I quite like brown paper bags. It looks quite posh.

It may look expensive, but it's actually over 40% cheaper.

But does Clair like it?

I did say I wouldn't be happy if you changed my coffee,

but actually, this is much nicer.

Oh, good.

Clair, you've just put nearly ?80 a year back in your bank balance.

And it's not just her branded filter coffee Clair's decided

to wave goodbye to.

I have to say, the reality set in when Gregg and Chris visited us.

I'm not buying the sachets and the cups and things to take away.

So, yeah. Huge change.

Huge change, indeed.

And whilst we're on a roll,

we changed Clair's usual branded diet cereal

to a non-diet supermarket's own brand.

But will she notice?

No, it doesn't taste the same.

Tastes a lot sweeter, actually.

They may taste sweeter, but these normal bran flakes

are practically the same, nutritionally, as Clair's usual slimming brand.

What's more, they could reduce the Hoylands' annual food bill

by over ?100.

Would you have it again? I would, actually. It's nice.

In fact, we debranded this entire breakfast

from premium to supermarket own budget brands.

So, guys, what do we think of the orange juice? It looks different.

It is different. It actually tastes nicer.

It doesn't taste as artificial.

And if they kept all these swaps,

the family could save almost ?8 a week,

squeezing nearly another ?400 a year out of their food spend.

Is it thumbs up or thumbs down?

Looks like a thumbs up to me.

Onwards and upwards.

That's the plan, Clair.

So, Chris has arrived back in Edinburgh.

Desperate to show Derek that food can still be fun

when you're a coeliac.

Nice to see you again. How are we doing?

He's brought with him a bag of ingredients

that he hopes will take Derek down memory lane.

If I could take you back, before you were diagnosed with being a coeliac,

what's the one meal that you would want to eat again?

Fish and chips. I used to love battered fish.

We are, in fact, going to be cooking fish and chips for you today.

Oh, give me it there.

Derek starts by cutting the potatoes into thin wedges.

Oh, yeah. You're a pro, aren't you?

I suppose this is the experience of chopping many onions, isn't it?

It surely is, yeah.

To get a fluffy middle, the potatoes are parboiled for five minutes,

then, for a crispy coating, tossed in rapeseed oil...

Look at that, they look like chips already. They do.

..and put in the oven to roast.

OK, so the next thing to do is to make the batter.

Traditionally, batter is made using flour, which contains wheat.

But gluten-free flour is easily available.

We want 100g of flour in there.

To be mixed with sparkling water.

The bubbles will give the batter a nice, light consistency.

This is why people use beer. But obviously, you can't have beer.

It's a big hole in my life.

Now for that classic fish and chip companion - mushy peas.

Derek mashes together garden peas and fresh mint.

That smells really nice.

Then adds half-fat creme fraiche,

which is a healthier alternative to cream.

So, the peas are ready, the chips aren't far.

So, now all we've got to do is the fish.

Derek coats the fish in batter.

You can lay it in. As you lay it in, lay it away from you,

just in case any of the fat does spit up, it won't come towards you.

The fish needs two or three minutes on each side.

Look at that.

I can smell the sea air coming in!

Derek uses baking paper instead of kitchen roll to drain,

so the fish doesn't stick.

Right, I'll get the chips out.

Look at those. Lovely.

Good enough to eat.

Out of chip shop paper, of course.

So, you can't go to the fish and chip shop, can you? That's right.

But the fish and chip shop can come to you.

And it costs less, too.

The average price for haddock, chips and mushy peas locally

is nearly ?7.

Chris's gluten-free version comes in at just ?2.16 a portion.

So, we're going to have your first fish and chip supper for six years.

And we're going to go and eat it in the garden with the kids.

Ah, magic.

This will be the first time Connor and Amy have shared fish and chips with their dad.

Tuck in, everybody.

Taste like you remembered? It sure does.

Nice and soggy.

Would you like Daddy to do a bit more cooking and for you all to eat the same meals?

We'd love that. Would you? Yeah.

Enjoying that, yeah? Yeah.

That couldn't have gone any better.

To see Derek smiling whilst cooking and eating food

with his two children was just a complete joy.

Amy, what are you enjoying? Chips.

The chips. Reminds me of what I did with my family.

I can definitely see the fun coming back into food again.

Can we have this a lot more? Yes. We can. Every week.

There you go.

Reintroducing old favourites to Derek

didn't end with the fish and chips.

After the success of her simple pasta dish,

we decided to turn it up a notch

and ask Clair to replace their usual Chinese takeaway

with a home-made, gluten-free chicken in black bean sauce.

I think I am feeling a little apprehensive about making this

because it's the children's favourite. I feel a bit pressurised.

But if Clair pulls it off, not only can Derek have a Chinese, too,

they could also chop nearly ?135 off their annual food bill.

And to top it off, this only has 247 calories a portion.

Cheers. Cheers.

Cheers, indeed.

But what does Clair think about the water?

I think that's tap water.

Clair always drinks bottled water,

spending over ?4 for 19 litres every week.

Do you like it, though?

No. I think it's tap.

Are you sure, Clair?

I can smell the chlorine.

The kind of, you know, tap watery smell.

Clair may think she's sniffing tap stuff,

but she's in for a shock,

because it's actually her usual bottled water.

With the week in full swing,

Gregg and Chris want to find a super cheap, gluten-free family meal

for the Hoylands for ?3 or less.

So, they're back with nutritionist Hala.

So, we set you a challenge, how did you get on?

Well, I've got it to ?3 on the nose.

Hala's cooking a kedgeree,

an Indian rice dish which traditionally uses smoked haddock.

But Hala's using smoked mackerel instead, which is cheaper,

but just as tasty.

What I've done here is sweated these onions for ten minutes.

I'm adding in my one clove of garlic

and three teaspoons of curry powder in here.

Hala mixes it, then adds in the rice.

What rice is that? That's Basmati rice.

I give that a quick stir.

She then adds vegetable stock.

Mmm!

I'm going to bring it to the boil

and leave it to simmer for 15 minutes.

Whilst the rice cooks, Gregg and Chris prepare the parsley and mackerel.

Right, give me that. You can have fishy fingers.

Yeah, lovely. What do you want? Chopped flat parsley?

Yes, please. You don't want these too small, do you?

It'll break up a little bit in there, presumably. Yeah.

Have you took the skin off?

Yes, sir. Do you eat the skin?

Erm, sometimes. I'm not a big fan.

You're quite refined, then, aren't you?

For a big brute of a man!

CHRIS CHUCKLES

You'd never know it, would you? No!

Mackerel flaked, it goes into the pan,

followed by peas and then the chopped parsley.

CHRIS: Oh, that's lovely. GREGG: Mate.

A squeeze of lemon and the mackerel kedgeree is done.

HALA: Right, there we go.

Get in there.

This is an excellent dish because it's nutritionally balanced,

it's got protein in it, it's got Omega 3s from the mackerel in there.

And no gluten?

And no gluten.

And at only 437 calories a serving,

it's a perfect ?3 feast for the Hoyland family.

That is a fine thing. Mmm.

What do you think the family are going to think about this?

Scotland is famous for its smoked fish.

I think they're going to absolutely love it.

I'm sure they will.

There's one meal the little Hoylands really want to share

with their dad.

So Gregg and Chris can help Mum and Dad,

we'd like to all sit down and have a roast dinner together.

Your wish is Gregg and Chris's command.

But for the whole family to feast on a roast,

Clair needs to make everything from scratch.

I've never made a chicken dinner from scratch before.

So, at the moment, I'm kind of just getting my head round at all.

So, at the moment it feels like it's a bit "whoo!"

Clair's feeling the heat because, like a lot of families,

she usually relies on frozen potatoes, Yorkshires,

gravy granules and stuffing.

But a lot of these packet products contain wheat.

I never thought it would be possible to do a gluten-free dinner

that Derek can eat.

And there's more good news, because it's cheaper, too.

One onion.

Derek will be pleased. It's a big one.

For the stuffing, Clair combines gluten-free breadcrumbs with onion,

thyme and egg, costing a third of the price

of their usual premium-brand frozen balls.

Next, Clair preps the chicken.

I hate raw chicken. Touching it. Ugh!

Okey dokey. I'm going to stuff it in.

Clair may not like the feel of the raw bird,

but it's less than half the price of the rotisserie chicken they buy

and could save the family over ?15 a month.

For the Yorkshires, Clair whisks together

gluten-free flour, eggs and milk, then pours into a hot muffin tray.

I'm just hoping they rise.

Unlike the food bill, which could drop by nearly ?135 a year,

if Clair sticks to the home-cooked spuds

and Yorkshire puds.

They look gorgeous.

Certainly do!

Look at the size of them!

They're ginormous. I bet they're bigger than my mum's.

With everything almost done...

Crispy skin.

..Clair adds stock and cornflour to the meat's juices to make the gravy.

I think Derek will be astounded to see gravy on his plate.

Well done, Clair.

The Hoylands' first roast dinner together for six years is ready.

Dinner!

DEREK: Oh, my word!

Hey, look at that. Is that mine, is it?

There you go. Connor, can I just pass that over to you, honey?

If they all like their gluten-free roast,

not only will Derek be able to eat with his family,

they could also save over ?336 a year.

That's superb.

Honestly.

That's amazing. That's the nicest meal I've had in years.

I just can't believe it's gluten-free, as well.

Here's to our first proper roast dinner.

The Hoylands' food swap experiment has come to an end.

CLAIR: To many, many more. DEREK: To many, many more.

And what an end it was.

CLAIR: I know!

Morning in Scotland,

and it's the moment Gregg and Chris have been waiting for.

To find out how the Hoylands have got on.

This family needed our help more than most, I think.

Do you reckon we've done it? I sincerely hope so, because they were desperate for change.

You know, they had fallen out of love with food, which is really sad.

How much did you say we'd save them?

I said I think we could save them 50. What did you say?

You went a bit over the top, didn't you? As per usual, yeah.

I went with 80. So... It may be a good day.

And there is only one way to find out. Are you ready?

Let's go. Come on.

Gregg and Chris have had their guess.

Hello, lovely to see you. Come in.

But how much would the Hoylands like to save?

I'd be happy saving ?20 a week.

Yeah, I think so. I'd be happy with that, too.

Any saving's a bonus.

Derek and Clair. We're intrigued, aren't we?

Not half. Obviously, we swapped some of your foodstuffs about.

Generally, how have you found that?

It was actually quite fun.

Shall we have a look at what it is you've been eating this week?

Oh, yes. I can't wait.

Let's talk about your breakfast cereal. Mm-hm.

How did you get on with that? I like the breakfast cereal.

I thought it tasted sweeter, so I'm not sure if it was a diet one.

That's the only thing, I wasn't sure.

Right, did you worry that it might not be a diet one? Mm-hm.

Because you used to buy a branded slimming one.

That's right, yes. Uh-huh.

Well, let's show you what you had, shall we? OK.

You had that.

Mmm.

That is virtually the same calories,

fat and sugar as your slimming one.

Really? I would never have thought.

Yes. My goodness. That's great.

This one has got double...

double the amount of fibre.

There you go. That's brilliant. CHRIS: Isn't it?

Look at the price difference.

Oh, my goodness.

That's unbelievable. Oh, I'm definitely having that, then.

That's just amazing. That's a definite swap.

Switching cereal saves ?109 a year,

proving food doesn't have to be labelled "diet"

to help shift the pounds.

Orange juice?

That was a big hit. Was it? I liked the orange juice.

We all liked it. We actually preferred that.

Whatever you did with it, we preferred that one.

We did swap it.

For this.

My goodness!

I've never thought to buy that.

No. I'm very surprised.

So, there is, as you'd imagine, a saving with that.

It's that. CLAIR GASPS

Look at that! Wow!

That's a juicy saving of ?141 a year.

That's ridiculous.

Isn't it? It is. Oh, we're definitely having that.

And the family squeezed even more savings out of their breakfasts.

That's a no-brainer, we're definitely having that.

Swapping these five items alone

takes another ?297 off their annual food bill.

I'm really happy! This is going really well.

But what about that bit of butter they didn't think was better?

No, I wouldn't swap it.

Maybe this can convince Clair.

Jeez! Yeah, that's a big one. That's a huge one.

But still, we didn't like it. No.

Enjoying your food is important

and sometimes that may mean spending a little extra.

Yeah, cool, but this is a no? No, thank you. No problem.

Hopefully, the next swap will be a yes.

You did some cooking. You did a chilli pasta bake.

Yes, it was lovely. When you were buying the ready meals,

you were buying different pasta ready meals for the whole family.

That's right. I mean, that came to a lot of money.

Yeah. Mm-hm.

A total of ?12.45, in fact.

That is the saving on not buying the ready meals.

Superb. Just unbelievable. It was nicer as well.

Swapping four ready meals for one gluten-free pasta bake

saves the Hoylands a meaty ?384 a year.

Yeah, it's just amazing.

Even more amazing was the money Clair saved cooking a gluten-free

Chinese for four instead of buying a takeaway for three.

That's great. That's really good.

Not to mention cooking a roast chicken dinner from scratch.

And look at that as a saving.

DEREK: Oh, that's a big one. Yeah. Magic.

Crazy, isn't it? Just on the chicken.

Home cooking the Chinese and roast dinner would pluck nearly ?45

from their monthly food bill.

Are we going to keep the spuds?

We're definitely keeping them, yeah. Well done.

I'm proud of you.

Across a year, that's an incredible saving of over ?500.

And Derek gets to eat with his family.

Can I just say, the contrast between when we met you

and now is incredible. Yeah.

It's just changed my outlook on food.

You look so much happier.

Yeah, we are. This week's been fantastic, hasn't it?

It has. It's just night and day.

Are you all right, Clair? Yeah, I'm fine.

It's happy tears. It's happy tears. Yeah.

So happy, Clair and Derek decided to keep 87%

of the food we gave them.

Wow. That's great. Yeah.

Whilst most swaps did cost less,

there were a couple of items a few pence pricier.

13p more expensive.

But this bacon is healthier.

This is 75% less saturated fat.

That tasted good. Mm-hm. That's the point.

It's worth it for that bit extra. Definite keep. Good.

Good, good, good. You could have more of this every week!

Clair's smiling, but how will she react that she discovers

the boys duped her with the bottled water?

Tell me about the water.

The water, I think's been changed and it's tap water.

You think that we swapped your bottled water with tap water?

I do. And you didn't like the taste.

How did it taste?

It tasted like chlorine.

Clair's in for a surprise.

Feeling strong, Mr Wallace?

Can I borrow you for a moment?

We, in actual fact...

Crikey!

Didn't swap it. Because this is...

the brand of water that you previously bought, isn't it?

Yes, it is. This is the actual amount that you buy every week.

I'm sure Gregg could testify, that's quite a lot of water,

isn't it?

DEREK: It's a lot of water.

Chris has the amount Clair spends a year on water in cold, hard cash.

?216.84.

Look at that. My goodness.

That's serious money, isn't it?

Yeah, it is.

So, would you rather this...

..or that? GREGG GROANS

Without a doubt. Yeah? Sorry, Gregg.

We're going to swap the mineral water that you used to like,

but now you don't like, for tap water.

For tap water. Brilliant.

Well, that's interesting.

So, I'm not standing here holding it for nothing then.

As well as drinking from the tap,

Clair's also decided to cut down her coffee habit

and meals out with the kids.

Those two simple things alone would be almost ?15 a week.

Right, OK.

Totting that up and all the foods they like,

Chris and Gregg have worked out how much the Hoylands have saved.

When we surprised you at the supermarket,

we told you your average weekly spend was ?183.06 a week.

DEREK: Mm-hm.

That's a lot. So, obviously, this wasn't just about money.

This was about getting you eating together as a family.

Trying to get you eating healthily.

Yes, yes. Getting you eating.

Yes. CHRIS: So, I hope you won't be too disappointed with the saving.

Yeah? Yeah. You had a figure in mind, didn't you?

Yeah, about ?20 a week would be a bonus for us.

Yeah. ?20 a week.

And what was it that you would have liked to have saved some money for?

We'd like to take the children to Disney.

Yeah. So, yeah.

Big holiday. Florida.

GREGG: Have you priced that up?

I think it's somewhere...

Nearly ?4,000, I think it is at the moment. Oh!

Yeah, it's a lot of money.

We have managed to save you a little bit of money.

It is in fact ?90.83 a week.

A week?! Really?

Great, that's brilliant.

What a bonus!

So, that's a monthly saving of ?390.55.

Oh, Jesus.

Wow! A month!

Oh, my goodness.

That's phenomenal.

Which is an annual saving of ?4,722.90.

That's just amazing. Really.

Yep. Mm-hmm. I can't believe it.

Yeah. Just short of five grand.

That's your holiday. And not only that, it's the start of something...

Something brilliant, really. Yeah?

Yep.

The future starts here, eh? It does!

Feel free to have a hug.

Well done.

No, I didn't mean him, I meant us.

We did all the work, didn't we?!

Gregg and Chris have effectively cut the Hoylands' food bill in half.

What a result.

We're surprised that we actually saved so much money.

Which has just been great, hasn't it? That's right, yes. Yeah.

Give us a kiss. No.

Oh, you've not had onions. OK, then.

Well, I tell you what, mate.

That's probably the biggest success we've ever had.

The difference from now to when we first met them

is nothing short of remarkable.

I said we'd save them 50 quid, you said 80 quid.

You've won again. We saved them 90 quid.

You've won the bet again. I'm going to have to start giving you odds,

aren't I? You're a clever boy.

Next time...

You've got a good palate, Mummy.

..a cash-strapped mum with expensive tastes.

I don't really look at the price.

You should look at the price, Sheena.

Can the boys help them find great food for less cash?

You can just chip in and I'll...

I can chip in, can I? I don't think so.

What's going to happen to me now?