The King Family Eat Well for Less?

Ooh, Creme Eggs! Ooh, Maltesers! Ooh!

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's spending an outrageous amount of money.

I'm 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. Stupid money.

..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.

Go!

..and giving the great British public their say.

Yeah, 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! SHE LAUGHS

Let's get to work.

This week, we're with the Kings. Yay!

And single mum Sheena's got picky taste buds...

It's all about the flavours in my mouth. It's all about taste.

..loves big brands... I can taste cheapness.

I can even smell cheapness!

..organic produce... It's the same thing.

Why don't you just get the fresh one here, then?

You can't have cheap food. It's crucial to eat well.

We're called Eat Well For Less. Yeah.

..and with a fussy daughter...

It smells horrible. ..it's all breaking the bank.

She's either minted or misguided.

Can Gregg and Chris rein in this super spender?

Now you're talking!

We're in Wandsworth, south London.

We are the King family.

And they are grandmother Erleen...

Oh, you look so cute. Sheena!

..daughter Sheena...

Is that a boy or a girl? I dare not go in to check.

..and granddaughter Nyla.

Whoo! Stop!

Sheena's working hard to improve life for both her and her

eight-year-old daughter.

At the moment, life is so hectic. I have to juggle my daughter Nyla.

I also have to go to work as a dental nurse

and I'm also juggling a part-time carpentry course.

When it comes to food, for Sheena it's all about the taste

and she believes big brands deliver it.

I do have an expensive palate and I can taste the difference.

So the ones that I tend to go for are the ones with the

bigger labels.

But it's not just big brands Sheena buys to satisfy her pricey palate.

Organic, even though it's expensive, it's definitely value for money.

However, mum Erleen,

who lives nearby and is always on hand to help, doesn't agree.

It doesn't taste no different than when I do my cooking.

As I keep on saying, I've got a good palate, Mummy. I really have.

And it's all about taste, taste, taste, taste.

Sheena's not the only fusspot in the family.

Daughter Nyla's a picky eater, too. It's too plain, though.

Which is the second issue affecting Sheena's food bill.

What's that again? Salmon. Salmon? I don't like salmon.

If I try and introduce something different,

me and her could be in there having a bit of argument.

I don't like salad! And I'm wasting my time.

To keep them both happy, time-stretched Sheena's making two

separate dinners most nights of the week.

It's madness. I don't know how she copes.

It's not simple cooking with Nyla. I need to cook to her taste buds.

I sympathise with her. I wish she could find another way.

Because at the moment,

Sheena's way of only buying big brands and organic produce,

plus cooking two meals a night is all costing a fortune.

I need drastic change, because financially I can't keep up.

To see where she might be going wrong,

Chris and Gregg have come to spy on Sheena's next shop.

Mum, you got ?1? Yeah. Thank you.

Sheena's arrived with Erleen and she's ready to fill her trolley.

Put your bag in there. Get comfortable.

It's going to be an all-dayer!

Don't get too comfortable, Sheena, because two undercover

shopping detectives will be watching your every move.

Chris and Gregg have taken cover in the storeroom.

Did you bring a list? No. What for?

I never bring a list, Mummy. I just freestyle.

The problem is, actually, freestyling, it becomes anything

but free and becomes very expensive, doesn't it?

Not half!

Shoppers who make a list are three times less likely to

overspend than those who don't, saving around 200 quid a year.

Which one are you getting? The organic? Yeah.

Why don't you change it to another one?

Sheena's first stop is for organic fruit and veg.

Organic means it's been produced without the use of any

artificial chemicals such as fertilisers or pesticides.

But how much is that?

I imagine about ?3. ?4. These are ?3.

But, Mummy, it doesn't really matter.

It doesn't even say the price. Why do you always do this to me, Mum?

Why do you always make a big fuss about...?

Because it doesn't taste any different, that's why.

For you it don't taste different, but for me there's a big,

big, big difference.

Not just a difference, a big, big, big difference in taste!

And in price.

Because farming organically is more expensive,

so is the food and, on average, costs around 30% more.

But some individual items can be almost 90% more expensive.

But it's not stopping Sheena. You don't need no organics.

Oh, Mummy, man! This is doing me in, man. You always make a big thing.

It's the same thing. Why don't you just get the fresh one here, then?

I'll just stick to that one.

Sheena's mum is trying to do our job for us. Yeah, I know. Yeah.

But she's not having much luck.

I wonder how much success we're going to have with it.

Unlike the non-organic grocery sector, which has declined,

organic food sales in the UK have grown steadily in the last

three years and the market is now worth almost a whopping ?2 billion.

You know, with the broccoli,

you need to know how to choose them, because when you start to

steam them down, it makes the whole house smell of rubbish.

That's what you keep saying, but it doesn't smell to me. Easy, Tiger!

Is Sheena suggesting that non-organic food smells, but

organic food doesn't? Yes.

I'm getting Nyla's Domino ragout.

Have I just heard the same woman who is championing organic

produce telling us that she's off to go and buy a premade pasta sauce?

I mean, there are hundreds of different pasta sauces you can make.

Yeah, you're right, and they don't have to come out of a jar.

But busy working mum Sheena loves a time saver.

Let me pick up some of my ready-made wholegrain business.

You can make this yourself, can't you? Mummy, listen.

You and this home-made make yourself ten years cooking,

that's not for me.

Ten years cooking? HE LAUGHS

Rice! What rice takes ten years to cook?

I just need to get Nyla's yoghurt and my meat.

Which sort of meat you getting? Oh, yeah. Organic, I suppose? Yep.

That's me. I would just get, like, a steak for myself.

A steak for myself?

Now we're talking. Organic again? Yeah.

Do we think Sheena's eating organically, but Nyla isn't?

Give this a go. How much is that? That's all right. ?2.50.

You know what, Mummy? I don't even look at the price.

You should look at the price, Sheena.

You should look at the price.

If I go to the till and I ain't got the thing,

you can just chip in and I'll reimburse you.

I can chip in? Yeah. I don't think so!

Oh, here you go!

You can get this for ?1.50. Nah.

Look how big this is. I don't fancy that.

It's all about taste, Mum. When you're buying, it's all about taste. Oh, God!

It's a very expensive shop because it's full of big brands and

all the organic.

I mean, that's expensive. You're right.

And, on top of that, if they're buying different meals or eating

different things, it gets even more expensive again, doesn't it?

Chris and Gregg have seen enough.

Time to surprise these unsuspecting shoppers.

Excuse me, can I just get at the cheese?

Oh, my God!

THEY LAUGH

Hello. Hello. Nice to meet you.

Hello, darling. Nice to meet you. How are you? Are you well?

I'm very good. Hello, Mum. Hello. Come here.

We've just been watching you shop. You've got cold hands. Oh, no!

I have. Right, I'd like to have a closer look at what's in here. OK.

And, more importantly, how much it costs.

Shall we go and get it rung through? Why not? Go on.

Whoo! THEY LAUGH

Do you need some bags, Madam? Thank you, darling.

Right, so, you're a strong believer in organic produce is better, are you?

Definitely, yes. You don't check the prices of anything, do you? No, no.

No, she just puts it in her trolley.

I have a certain limit of how much I want to spend and if it goes

over, if I'm with my mum, like I am today, I just say, "Look, I owe you."

Basically, I'm trying my best to be balanced,

I'm trying to monitor my spending habits.

Really? I don't think so, Sheena.

THEY LAUGH

Who eats these?

My Pudding, she likes little noodles. Who likes them?

I call her Pudding or Pork Chops. My daughter Nyla.

Your Pudding's partial to a little noodle, is she?

We're going to need a translator!

THEY LAUGH

Why do you buy organic broccoli?

When you cook organic broccoli, it doesn't smell out the house.

Honestly, it really stinks.

Normal broccoli smells when you cook it, but organic broccoli doesn't?

You know that broccoli, that strong smell. The smell of broccoli?

How much do you think you've spent? Mum first. I think about 55.

What do you think? ?33 max.

You've spent ?56. That's a lot.

Mummy, you're going to have to top me up. How much have you got?

She's going to have to top me up!

You're not checking what you're putting in your basket, Sheena.

Sheena's spent over ?20 more than she thought and what's more,

this isn't her only shop.

There's way more to come.

Right. Thank you very much for your custom today.

Shall we take this back and have a little look in more detail? Why not?

With her mum on standby to bail her out, Sheena shops as though

the sky's the limit, but the reality is very different.

My life is tight. I haven't got heap loads of money.

I think it is wrong when, at the end of the month and you look at

your bank statement, you think, "Oh, God! What's going on?"

Or sometimes I think I've been robbed.

So obviously, I have to be on a budget and I don't want to

be on a budget.

Sounds like Sheena could be a tough nut to crack.

But Gregg and Chris are hoping some home truths will make Sheena

realise the extent of her food overspend.

You don't necessarily agree with the way that Sheena shops? No.

I try and get her on the right track and she doesn't listen to me.

I believe I've got an expensive palate

and I dislike the taste of things.

I can taste cheapness and I don't enjoy it,

so I try and avoid cheap food.

You're absolutely sure, are you,

that spending more money guarantees that you're getting better quality?

I believe so.

When we saw you, the shop seemed a little bit conflicted in the

products that you were buying.

So you started off, you were buying raw, natural ingredients,

some of them organic, and then we go into pre-made sauces.

They're very different sort of products, aren't they?

Who's eating what?

My little one, at the moment, is a bit of a fuss pot

and she don't really want the organic food,

and I'm not going to ram it down her throat,

so I've decided to do two meals so she's happy and I'm also happy.

You're working, you're a single parent.

That must be difficult in terms of time.

This obviously isn't your only shop, is it? It's not.

I also go to an organic shop. Right.

And probably spend a fair amount of money? Yeah, I do.

Organic, as an average, they say

is about 33% more expensive than conventional produce.

Wow. OK?

And then, when you put brands into that and you're also cooking two

different meals every single day, that's certainly going to add up.

So, shall I tell you how much you're actually spending on food

every week?

Yes, please.

I've got some of your receipts here from some of your visits to

the stores.

The UK average for an adult and one child is ?41.90.

You're spending, just on food,

?113.53 a week. No way! Told you.

A week. Truly?

You're spending almost three times the national average on food.

You know what? I feel quite embarrassed.

I'm blown away.

I don't want to make you feel worse, but I think we have to do

this now, we have to show you...

Yeah, just go on.

And over the course of a year, it's ?5,903.56 -

just under six grand a year.

Oh, God.

That's a phenomenal amount of money.

That's a lot of food and a lot of money.

That's a lot of money.

I knew there was a problem because, obviously, certain times,

I'm like, "Where's all my money disappearing to?"

But I didn't realise that I have gone that bad, you know.

Chris and Gregg's sums have given Sheena a huge reality check.

Chris and Gregg's sums have given Sheena a huge reality check.

I don't budget and that's the reason why I'm in this situation.

If she's spending the money like this now,

she ain't going to have a future.

There's no question Sheena needs to rein in her spending.

Now Gregg and Chris have to work out how they're going to help her do it.

So, what are our challenges here?

To get Sheena and Nyla cooking and eating together? Yes.

And get to the heart, the bottom, of why she wants to buy organic.

The organic one, for me, is interesting.

Why do people buy organics? What reasons do they give for buying it?

There's generally three reasons.

One's environmental, the other one's health and the other one's taste.

By using fewer chemicals, organic food

is more environmentally friendly,

so if you can afford it, then it's a worthwhile choice.

As for taste and the health benefits of organic produce,

the jury's still out.

Sheena's main reason for buying organic is flavour,

but to help save her money, Chris has a plan.

I think, actually, if I sat down with her and got her to do

a little bit of a taste test with conventional produce versus

organic produce, I could prove to her that good, fresh,

non-organic fruit and veg can be just as tasty.

I might do some recipes with her, but maybe

that the pair of them can get involved in.

And if we could find meals that they're both happy to eat,

not only would it save them money, it would vastly improve Nyla's diet.

We also need to save some money.

So how much money do you think we can save Sheena?

I'll go 45.

How much, you?

60 quid. You say 60? Yep. I say 45. It's a deal.

Yeah, let's go.

To kick off the plan, whilst the Kings were out,

we gave their kitchen cupboards a makeover.

Oh, wow! Oh, wow! Wow!

Their usual weekly shopping has been replaced with other brands,

all disguised in plain packaging.

At least they didn't deprive me of my white chocolate. That's too big. This ain't organic.

That smells really nice.

Oh, it's strong, though. Do you think this is organic?

Most of the swapped food is a cheaper alternative, but to

really test their taste buds, some foods haven't been swapped at all.

This is ginger tea.

This is my organic. This is my usual.

Let me see what I have been deprived of.

It's not organic.

It's wrapped up, how can you tell?

I just know by the way it springs back, you know what I mean?

And Sheena won't be happy we've swapped some of her

convenience foods for ingredients she'll have to cook from scratch.

They're encouraging me to make home-made,

cut up your onions and get sizzling yourself.

What really concerns me that there's no ready-made sauces and,

obviously, the time I have at the moment

is quite limited, so I'm going to be put under a lot of pressure.

So she has to make all of it by herself.

Are you going to eat it when your mum cooks it? Yes.

Well, I don't think Sheena's going to cook very well!

THEY LAUGH

But I think she'll give it a try.

It looks really fresh.

I really hope that I grow to like just the general brands so that,

obviously, long-term, I have a bit more money in my pocket.

It's the following day and breakfast in the King household usually

starts with some organic wheat biscuits covered in normal

milk for Nyla and vanilla-flavoured soya milk for Sheena.

This taste is dry. The taste is really woody.

Yeah, that's what I think. And chewy.

Very, very chewy, you know what I mean?

As expected, Sheena's not going to be easily swayed, but these

biscuits are made with exactly the same ingredients, just not organic.

Can they really taste that different?

Oh, God! It's like eating cardboard, but, hey.

Put it this way, I feel like I'm in jail now.

This is big-time punishment.

OK, so not the best of starts, but if they did switch cereal,

they'd save ?1.50 a week.

That's ?78 a year.

But it's not just the biscuits that Sheena suspects.

Hold on.

This ain't my milk.

Actually, Sheena, it is.

You clearly don't know your organic soya milk as well as you

think you do.

This is going to be a long day at the office.

Sheena isn't alone in choosing not to drink cow's milk.

One in five British households now buy dairy-free versions, but

how do the alternatives stack up nutritionally and in taste?

To find out, Gregg and Chris have come to see dietician Hala El-Shafie.

Sheena likes to drink sweetened soya milk and that's made

me realise there are lots of different milks on the market.

And they vary greatly.

As cow's milk is high in calcium, vital for teeth and bones, it's

important to choose a substitute that contains added calcium.

What I've got here is six milks,

two of them are dairy and four of them are milk substitutes,

and what I want you both to do is to taste them,

tell me which one you think is which.

Yeah? And also, which one you perceive to be the healthiest.

Shall we? We'll start from the right? Yeah. Cheers.

Hala's started them off with one of the most popular

alternatives, almond milk.

With less fat and sugar than cow's milk, it tastes quite different.

Ooh, that's not milk. All right. If it's not milk, what is it?

I think it's a nut. Yeah. Of? Almond milk?

It tastes bad, so I'm presuming it's healthy.

Right.

Very low-calorie, almond milk is a great choice for slimmers,

but unlike cow's milk, it's low in protein,

which is essential for our body's growth, development and repair.

So, if you are drinking substitute milks, you must ensure that

you're getting sufficient protein from other sources in your diet.

The next milk comes from a seed and is naturally low in fat.

Oh. That's another nut milk.

Honestly, whoever invented that needs locking up.

Hemp milk may taste different, but like cow's milk, it's a good source

of omega 3, which benefits the heart, brain and circulation.

Next is a dairy milk nutritionally nearest cow's and is the milk

most drunk worldwide.

Ooh, that's milk.

No, I thought it was first of all, but I don't think it is actually.

It's creamy and it's got a taste like yoghurt.

If you experience problems from cow's milk, like bloating,

goat's milk could be worth a try as it contains

more easily-digestible fats and proteins.

I think that's soya milk. Yeah. I think so.

Perhaps they'll recognise the next one.

That's milk. That's milk. There we go. Found it.

That tastes much, much sweeter.

Cow's milk is naturally sweet,

full of essential nutrients and the cheapest milk we can buy.

But it's not suitable for anyone diagnosed with lactose

intolerance or a dairy allergy, hence the alternatives.

That's sweet. Is that sweetened soya? Yeah, I think it might be.

Wrong, lads.

It's oat milk and a good option for lowering cholesterol.

The last one is Sheena's favourite.

Oh! Well, that's like a milkshake.

I think that's the one that Sheena drinks. That is.

That's got the vanilla in it, hasn't it? Yeah, that's vanilla.

You're absolutely spot on.

And out of the non-dairy alternatives, soya milk contains

the highest amount of protein, plus it's lactose-free and low in fat.

But nutrition isn't the only issue which could affect your choice.

Substitute milks are expensive, comparatively speaking.

At the top end of the scale,

it can be as much as six times as expensive.

So, with regards to a budget, that could be the deal-breaker.

But Hala has a fun solution to that problem.

So, if it's that expensive, can we make it ourselves?

We can make it ourselves and it does turn out considerably cheaper.

So what I've done here is I've taken 125g of almonds and then

I've soaked it overnight.

And what it does is it increases it, so it's now 220g.

And then what I've done is I've placed that in this blender

with double the amount of water.

That should be done. And now what I'm going to do is strain it.

And here we have our almond milk. That's it?

It's soaked nuts blended up with water? Exactly.

You can see there's a lot of pulp here, as well.

You must be able to use that for something as well, mustn't you?

Yeah. You can add it into muesli, make some granola out of it.

I prefer your version to the shop-bought one.

So, as you can see, there's a lot of variety out there.

It might be more expensive, but you do have an immense amount of choice.

And you can make it yourself, as well.

Back in Wandsworth, we're putting the Kings'

palates to the test with some sweet treats.

I don't like it.

We've swapped taste queen Sheena's upmarket chocolate for an

ethically produced supermarket bar.

Hm. Tastes a little bit like the one that you normally buy.

That's what I thought.

Great news, as this chocolate offers a sweet saving of ?1.75.

It's hard to tell the difference.

Here's hoping the cookies go down as well.

We've swapped Sheena's premium Belgian chocolate cookies for -

wait for it - a value brand.

This taste is, like, not really the cookie I know,

but the taste is decent.

Once I've dunked it in, it's nice.

I like it as much as the other one, my normal cookie.

Who'd have believed it?

These cut-price cookies could save the Kings a substantial ?70 a year.

Will our soup swap be as successful?

I usually get brands and I don't know if this is my usual brand,

so I'm a bit apprehensive and a bit nervous to eat this.

They're actually supermarket own-brand soups, over half the price

to Sheena's usual premium brand,

but which will Sheena's picky palate prefer?

It's not my usual, but I really like this one better. I don't mind the soup.

What do you think? Is it thumbs up or thumbs down?

SHE LAUGHS Thumbs up.

Some other swaps, however, are not going down so well.

It's all going down the pot, so I'm not really happy today.

Bread, different. I usually get the one that's gluten-free.

The butter, definitely different.

Sheena's half right.

We've switched her pricey premium-brand bread

to a supermarket-own brand, but it's still gluten-free

and is almost a third cheaper.

The butter, however, is the brand she always buys.

Nyla's going to struggle with this.

This swap could save the Kings nearly ?50 a year and if they

don't like the loaf we've chosen, it could be worth shopping around.

Even the smell is horrible. It's giving me a stitch.

When it comes to bread, we're spoilt for choice.

200 different types are baked in the UK with the equivalent of

nearly 12 million loaves flying off the shelves every day,

most of which are white.

But is there a big difference in taste between branded white

bread and the supermarket's own version?

Ready, ready, yeah!

To find out, we've come to Swindon Rugby Club to ask these

players to tackle a variety of sliced white.

Hit one, two!

A good white bread is fluffy.

It's got to be nice and soft

and it's got to have plenty of room on there for my cheese, my salad

and all my meats, as well,

because I like it to be a thick sandwich.

These burly boys know their bread and in today's taste test,

there's Tesco Everyday Value, the lowest price,

Co-op's Toastie White,

the most expensive by Jackson's...

..big brand Hovis and, finally, market-leader Warburtons.

But which bread will kick the others into touch?

First up, the cheapest.

Very dry, isn't it? Yeah, it is dry.

It's got no butter on it, has it?

If I had to go for anybody, I'd say it's an own brand in a shop.

I think it's too thick to be an own brand.

I'd say, like, maybe Kingsmill, Hovis.

I'm not sure 100%, but definitely a brand name.

This one is the thickest on the table.

Yeah, that's delicious.

That is really a nice feel, nice taste.

It's far too chewy.

And I'm convinced it would fall apart if I put a bit of sauce on it.

Next is from the oldest bakery.

It's the most expensive, but is it the tastiest?

I like the flavour.

I thought it had a good flavour to it.

I'd put money on that that was a name-brand bread.

I would agree with you on that,

because obviously it's got a lot of flavour to it. Nice quality bread.

No, I don't like that. I'm going own brand, 100%.

Strong taste and strong reaction.

Will they recognise this well-known brand which has the least calories?

I like that. That's definitely my favourite bread so far.

I think I remember it, as well. My mum and dad used to buy Hovis.

So I think it could be the Hovis.

I reckon it's... Is it Warburton?

Yeah, I'd agree with you there on Warburton.

A familiar flavour, but this one is Warburton's.

It's got a good smell to it. It does smell good.

The crust is a little bit burnt,

but the bread actually smells really nice.

That's probably leapt into my favourite now.

I'd say it's a Hovis.

I'd probably go Warburton's.

It's been a play-off between two big brands,

but which loaf has landed top of the league?

The winner is...

Hovis. Oh, Hovis!

Nice. Wasn't expecting that. No.

I was!

So, a mid-price, but well-known brand won,

with the market leader coming in a close second.

And for strapping lads,

our rugby players chose the two loaves

with the least amount

of calories per slice.

But at the end of the day, it all

boiled down to one thing - taste.

When it came down to results, it was my favourite,

so I'm not surprised it won, to be honest.

Yeah, I definitely think there was a noticeable difference between

the cheaper breads and the better breads.

Back in Wandsworth, to challenge Sheena's taste buds,

Chris has invited her, Erleen and Nyla to their local

greengrocers for a fruit and veg blind taste test.

Hello. Oh! Hello!

How are we? Not too bad. Really fine.

For the last eight years, Sheena's been paying more for organic food.

So, can I ask you why you buy organic?

When I buy organic, I just feel certified that, you know,

I'm getting the top end.

So, what do you think is the difference between organic...?

Taste. You definitely think you can taste the difference?

Definitely, definitely.

Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, because if she

can't taste the difference, she could save a lot of money.

OK, so I think we'll start with a lovely, firm favourite of lots

of people.

Now, will Sheena prefer the organic or non-organic strawberry?

First to try, the organic.

That's nice, isn't it? Nice. It is nice.

It's sweet.

Now, the non-organic.

Would you be able to tell which one was organic and which one wasn't?

On this one, I would be stuck.

Not to worry, Sheena. That's good news,

as basic non-organic strawberries from your local supermarket

are ?7 a kilo cheaper.

Ooh, the apples now.

Next up, an apple.

That's nice.

It's got a nice little crunch. All right. It's nice. It's all right.

Yeah, I think that's lovely, isn't it?

I like the taste. Yeah.

What do you think? I like it.

In terms of flavour, actually, I think it was...

They're both the same. Yeah. No difference, really.

It does taste the same.

OK. Do you want to try a bit of pepper?

This tastes really nice. Yeah, that's lovely, isn't it? It's sweet.

Yeah, that's nice. Really nice.

Oh, wow.

The sweetness on this is really nice. Is it? This is nice.

You know what?

I don't know on this one.

Are you still convinced that organic is worth spending

a bit more money on? No, not at all.

After having this taste, I can't really taste a big, huge difference.

Not worth the money, no ?3 extra for now.

Now Chris wants to show time-strapped Sheena how she can

turn tasty non-organic produce into speedy home-made dishes

that both she and Nyla will enjoy.

So, we're going to be making coleslaw. I love coleslaw.

First, Chris slices some red cabbage.

We're going to just do exactly the same with a white cabbage.

It doesn't have to be nice and precise. It doesn't have to be neat.

There we go.

Next, in goes chopped red onion and grated carrot.

OK, so now we're just going to chuck all that carrot in there.

Give it a little mix.

So, now we've just got to make a little dressing.

The dressing is simply low-fat yoghurt.

Right, we're just going to put a couple of spoonfuls of

mustard just to liven it up.

The juice of half a lemon.

And some salt and pepper.

We're going to use a little bit of fresh parsley.

And a little bit of mint.

Mix it all in.

If we just put our dressing in.

There we go. Look at that. And that took seconds.

All the flavours, I can just smell it. Yeah. All lifting off.

Yeah, it's really nice.

And the good thing, everything apart from the yoghurt and the

mustard has come from this shop. Wow.

Really nice. That's lovely, isn't it? Really nice. Brilliant.

And it cost ?1.35 for that whole bowl. That's brilliant, isn't it?

Can't go wrong, yeah.

After some time with Chris, Sheena's finally starting to see she

doesn't always have to buy organic to get the flavours she loves.

Well done, Pork Chop.

Now to move on to tackling one of busy Sheena's

other pricey pitfalls -

ready-made pasta sauces.

If I can get anything from a jar, I really would do that.

However, a leading manufacturer has recently advised customers

about some products that have higher levels of added sugar,

salt or fat, and recommended that they're only eaten once a week.

So, Gregg and Chris have challenged dietician Hala to come up

with a quick and healthy pasta supper that's budget-friendly, too.

They're buying jars of pasta sauce, which isn't the cheapest

thing to do and it's also maybe not the healthiest thing to do, so what

we'd like from you is a quick, healthy pasta sauce under ?3. Can you do it?

Well, I've managed that for you.

I've created a super-quick pasta sauce which has no added

sugar in it and we know exactly how much salt we're putting into it.

How much? ?1.61 and that includes the pasta. Wow.

So, if you two can give me a hand.

You can open that tin.

The sauce shouldn't take any longer than the pasta takes to cook -

between ten and 12 minutes.

No onions in there?

It's a one-pot, no-chop recipe, so on this occasion I'm not

using onions, but if you wanted to, you could do at the start.

Nutritionally, I suppose it would add to your five a day. Absolutely.

To the tomatoes Hala adds two tablespoons

of extra virgin olive oil.

Then one pinch of onion powder and the same of garlic granules,

great store-cupboard short cuts that add bags of flavour if your

fridge is running on empty.

So I've got a little bit of Tabasco in here to add

a little bit of spice.

But what I want to know is how much spice would you like adding to your sauce?

I'm happy with a bit of heat, chuck some in. OK. Gregg?

Whatever he wants. OK. Just a few drops should do it.

Give the sauce a quick blitz and then throw in

a packet of frozen roasted Mediterranean veg,

although you can use any frozen veg you have to hand.

And, literally, just stir that through.

Then simply throw in your cooked pasta. This is just so easy.

I can't see why anybody would buy premade pasta sauce,

it's so quick and it's so easy to make.

And this is such a healthier option, isn't it?

It's a much healthier option. You know exactly what's going in it.

It's also really inexpensive. Yeah.

I wouldn't use the Tabasco.

I like that. I don't mind that.

It's got like a smoky flavour, hasn't it?

That just shows you, if you like it spicy, you can add it.

If you don't, it is your choice.

Leave it out. So how much was that?

That was 1.61 for four portions, and that's including the pasta.

If you've got a tin of tomatoes, you can make a pasta sauce.

And you've just proved it. I have.

Back in Wandsworth, working mum Sheena was often buying and

cooking two separate dinners for herself and fussy eater Nyla.

But Hala's pasta dish has given Gregg an idea on how to crack

that two-dinner challenge.

So, have you tried things on Nyla, new dishes?

No, I've just stuck with what she likes

because if I try something new, Nyla's quite funny.

She won't eat it, so that means her not eating for the day.

So I can't run the risk.

So this is how you've just ended up buying the same sort of...?

Yeah, of course. Yeah.

What I thought I'd do is find something that I know you like.

OK. That I know that Nyla likes.

Also find something that's not expensive. OK.

But also find something that is sexy and good to do. Oh, wow!

Oh, well done, broccoli. Broccoli, that you like.

Eggs that nobody minds. OK.

Do you know what that is? Flour.

Have you ever seen...?

A pasta maker. We are going to make...

Home-made pasta? Yeah. Wow.

Making pasta is a lot simpler than you might think.

And it's fun, too.

Make a little well.

So in the middle of that... Yeah, yeah.

Gently, don't let it spill out over the sides.

Bring that flour into that egg.

What you want to end up with is something that's

a little bit like Plasticine.

So you pinch it, press.

Slam it down.

Bang! Beat it up!

The pasta dough only takes ten minutes to mix and knead.

We are now going to roll this out into pasta shapes.

And cut it.

We might want to bring Nyla out here because it's easier with two of you.

Pork Chops! And it's fun.

There you are. Yes, that's fun!

A basic pasta machine can be bought for as little as ?15.

Yeah, and again.

Once you get it thin enough, you can then cut it

into any sizes you want.

Now you can pull that handle out and put it in there.

Oh, for it to shred, OK.

Go.

Go. Look, that is your pasta.

Look at that, look, look! Keep going. Keep going.

Don't you love this? Wow!

Once the pasta's made,

it can be kept in the fridge in clingfilm for up to three days.

You know, I'm finding this really fun, I'm enjoying myself, as well.

And I think it's quality time that I can spend with Nyla.

And it's the fun of cooking and getting involved which Gregg

thinks will help encourage Nyla to eat the same foods as Sheena.

Right, in the other room. Yeah, come on. Come on.

Herberts. Oh, stop it! SHE LAUGHS

The pasta is as quick to cook as the broccoli Sheena usually

has a problem with.

Do you need organics?

You know with the broccoli, you need to know how to choose them,

because when you start to steam them down,

it makes the whole house smell of rubbish.

That's what you keep saying, but it doesn't smell to me. Easy, tiger!

Does that broccoli smell? No.

Must be organic, then, hey, Sheena?

Is it organic? Well, you tell me.

Next, some anchovies,

an ingredient most fussy little eaters would turn their noses up at.

Stir that anchovy in with that broccoli

till it's all coated together.

But this salty little fish will add bags of flavour and healthy

omega-3 fatty acids.

Shake it. Shake it.

Nyla's still getting hands-on with the cooking.

If she likes this anchovy and broccoli meal,

Gregg might crack the two-dinner conundrum.

There you are. Do you want to have a taste?

Yes, please. Go on, then.

Mmm. Really nice, Gregg.

That's really good. So, you like it? Yes. Thought you would.

And that broccoli is not organic.

Oh! Told you!

It's been a great success.

Give me a high five. All right.

This is all about breaking habits and learning something new.

Sheena is a good cook.

Nyla likes to experiment and likes different flavours.

They can move on from here.

Mission has been accomplished. Thank you very much.

I need to do more cooking with Nyla because she enjoyed it and

she was eating so much of the food, so I think once she's involved,

naturally, she's going to want to eat what she has cooked.

It was nice. And delicious.

With all the healthy organic food she buys,

Sheena might appear incredibly virtuous.

But she does have one little secret.

I'm having a pizza frenzy at the moment.

I don't know what is going on.

I'm very healthy and stuff, like, but the pizza, it is just

getting into my life and I just want to divorce it, you know?

I really do.

And you can, Sheena,

by trading it in for a home-made and healthy alternative.

What is that you're doing, then? Pitta pizzas.

She's got all the ingredients. She just needs to follow the recipe.

"Heat oven to 200 Celsius."

We're just going to whack it full blast because we want it to be cooking.

No, you put it to what the paper says, isn't it?

I'm just going to do it Sheena style.

Sheena's usual takeaway was laden with fat and calories.

But these supermarket pittas are only 300 calories a slice.

It looks nice. Superb! Really nice.

Can't wait to put my teeth in it.

Ooh, how do they taste?

I really like it. I've gone back into wiggling the toes!

I'm impressed.

Can I get some more? Yeah!

I'm going to have some more, too.

And they've saved some for Nyla, too.

Oops, perhaps the oven was a little too high.

I like cheese.

There's ham. I like ham.

Sauce, I like sauce. It's really nice.

Result!

For a working lunch,

dental nurse Sheena usually buys a pre-packed salad.

Kale and quinoa salad. OK.

But to save money, we've given her the ingredients to make her own.

Let's get cracking.

Kale is king when it comes to healthy green vegetables.

And it's packed full of vitamins and minerals.

Tasted like normal kale.

It is normal, Sheena, just not the more expensive organic variety.

We've swapped it for a bag that's twice the size but half the cost.

Once you start cooking with all the other ingredients,

the organic is never a highlight.

So I'm learning something.

This simple switch is going to save Sheena over ?100 a year and

the rest of the salad is ingredients she'd normally have at home -

like this mature cheddar cheese.

I do get strong cheese, cheddar cheese,

but I don't know if it's the brand that I usually get.

It isn't.

We've swapped it for a brand that's not only 83p cheaper,

but it's also 37% bigger.

There you go. A kale and quinoa salad.

Here in Britain, we absolutely love our cheese

and the UK now produces more varieties than France.

Cheddar is still king, making up 55% of all our cheesy purchases

and the supermarket shelves are stacked with it.

However, a growing number of artisan producers are now making a premium

cheddar that's supposedly bigger on taste and quality, but also price.

But is it worth spending more?

To find out, Chris has come to the Somerset village of Cheddar

to see cheese made and matured in the traditional way.

Good morning, John. Morning, Chris. How are you? Pleased to meet you.

So you're the only cheesemakers left in Cheddar? We are. We are.

We're trying to keep the tradition alive.

So how long does this process take?

Well, from the start when the milk arrives

till it goes into store, that's four days.

A local delivery of milk has just arrived.

So fresh, it was in the cows last night.

So how much milk gets delivered every day?

About 2,000 litres.

Now, 2,000 litres sounds a lot. It's not that much.

But 2,000 litres will make nine 25-kilo blocks of cheese.

A lot of milk for not a lot of cheese.

Most cheddar made in the UK comes from pasteurised milk,

but not John's.

If you pasteurise the milk, you obviously take out any

harmful bacteria, but you take out any good bacteria, as well.

So within this milk, you'll have lots of different bacteria

which are making good flavours.

This is the traditional method, but not necessarily the method

that's being adopted by the majority of people making cheddar.

Absolutely. Most of it is pasteurised.

There's lots of differences between the traditional make and a

commercial make now.

In John's creamery, a lot of the cheddar making is still done

by hand, which adds to the expense.

The good thing is, is that the cheesemaker is feeling the

cheese all the time, so he knows what's happening to it.

Feeling the cheese.

Who could resist?

That's it.

We'll make a cheddar maker out of you yet!

No, on there. This one here?

On there, yeah. That's it.

You can see, it's nearly as neat as the other one, but not quite.

There's room for improvement, I think!

That's hard work, isn't it?

Once the cheese has been moulded into shape,

it's wrapped in muslin cloth.

Most commercial cheddar is wrapped in plastic.

But what does that have to do with the price of cheese?

In cloth, you are losing moisture all the time. In fact,

over a period of 12 months, we will lose about 1% per month.

So if you take our vintage of 18 months,

you've lost nearly 20% of the cheese.

And that's one of the reasons why mass-produced cheese is

matured in plastic.

Because you don't lose any weight.

You get a very different flavour developing,

but commercially, it's much better.

Does that mean that that costs more money? Yes, it does.

For the extra time it's maturing, it's still got to be handled.

It's still very much a labour-intensive job.

So we need to charge for that.

The ever-shrinking cheeses are stored between five

to 17 months to mature.

But some are headed to a more atmospheric nook - the dark

and eerie caves in nearby Cheddar Gorge.

Wow, this is incredible.

I mean, this is probably one of the best storerooms I've ever

been in in my life.

But why do you use a cave to mature this cheese?

Well, the cave has all the attributes you are looking for.

It has constant temperature and it has a very high humidity,

running about 98% all the time.

Now, the difference that the humidity makes is that you

lose slightly less water.

So the cheese inside has a different moisture level,

which means you get different flavours from it.

Not everybody has a handy cave at home to store their cheese.

So John recommends keeping your cheddar in a plastic bag

or Tupperware box in the fridge.

Well, John, thank you very much.

It's been an absolute pleasure and a real eye-opener.

It's been a pleasure and we've enjoyed having you.

So if you fancy a cheesy treat, a flavoursome traditional

cheddar might be worth paying that little bit extra for.

In Wandsworth, it's the final meal of the swap,

so Sheena and Nyla have popped round to Erleen's.

Hiya, Mummy. How are you? Lovely. I'm tired, yeah.

With her daughter's help,

Sheena's decided to cook a family meal from scratch to show her mum

just how far they've come since the start of the experiment.

That is, if Nyla plays ball.

Now, today we're having a tuna and tomato sauce

and baked sweet potatoes.

How does that sound so far? I'm not sure.

We're going to give it a go.

You're going to have to work with it.

Come on, Porky, cheer up.

It's not the end of the world. Wash your hands.

I don't like sweet potato. I might let you have a jacket.

But you know what, you're going to try this first.

Before, Sheena would have given up, but, hopefully, getting Nyla

involved in the cooking means she won't have to.

She's even doing her own baked potato.

Give it a good old stab, just be careful.

These aren't Sheena's usual organic sweet potatoes.

They're a supermarket swap that costs a fifth of the price.

Tuna.

Tastes just like the brand.

Actually, Sheena, it's another supermarket-own swap,

which is ?1.24 cheaper.

Over a year, that's a saving of ?63.

I think it smells really nice. What do you think? It looks good.

It smells good and, hopefully, it will taste good.

MICROWAVE PINGS

There's only one way to find out and that's to dish it up.

Here you are.

Oh, thank you. No problem.

Mm. Looks delicious. Thank you. Bon appetit.

It's really nice. It's delicious, actually.

Mum's impressed. But what about Nyla?

I like the jacket potato. I like the tuna. OK.

That's brilliant, that's a good start. So you can eat all of that.

It was delicious, Sheena. I finished it all.

It was a treat you cooking for me tonight. Thank you so much.

No problem, any time, Mummy.

And thank you very much for supporting me on this journey.

I am really proud of you. Thank you.

I'm sorry...

You're crying.

It's been an emotional end to the week,

but, hopefully, a worthwhile one.

God's blessed me with a good girl.

I just feel grateful, man.

You know, she's tried every food.

And she's done everything with a positive spirit

and I'm proud of her.

She's really keen to do all this stuff so, hopefully, this is

an opening for many cooking things and doing a lot of things together.

I'm happy.

With the food swaps at an end, Chris and Gregg are back in

Wandsworth to meet Sheena and Erleen one last time.

But have they shown a determined Sheena she can get the big

taste she wants without spending a small fortune?

She's a headstrong young lady,

so, I mean she might reject things out of principle because it

doesn't fit in with her lifestyle or the way she thinks you should live.

So I don't think this might just be about

flavour and planning and taste.

This might be about, "I don't want to conform,

"I don't want to do things like this."

You know, this is complicated, isn't it? Tricky one.

Do you want to get over there? I'd love to, yeah.

Go and have a look. Have a chat with her.

Well, come in.

So, it's the moment of truth, isn't it? Moment of reckoning.

We want to know how you got on.

Tell me about the cooking and cooking one meal. Much easier.

I preferred it more than doing the two separate meals.

I don't have much time.

You know, I've got a busy life,

so having to cook one meal was more ideal for me.

What about planning your meals?

Because you go, "I'm a free spirit...

"I don't do planning."

It's Sheena's rules, isn't it?

"If I run out of money, I do just, like, an IOU."

So what about planning?

I realised that I do like food from scratch.

But it's, obviously, time consuming.

So if I've got, like, a planner and I know what I'm doing,

it doesn't feel like I'm working too much.

So I am forced to do the planner,

to have my home-made cooking.

So how did you get on with the swaps?

You know, it kind of, like, confused me and it also confused my

taste buds because I'm used to a certain taste.

When I go in a shop, I know I'm having my organics, blah, blah, blah.

So the taste bud was going crazy.

The brain was going... Everything was just... I was out of my depth.

Would you like to know what you've been eating this week?

Most definitely, yes. Come on, then. Let's have a look.

Let me ask you about your wheat breakfast biscuits.

Oh, disastrous.

I didn't like the taste of it.

No? Not at all. Tasteless.

Put it this way...

I feel like I'm in jail now. This is big-time punishment.

Look, this is what we gave you. Oh, didn't like it.

Let me just tell you something, the ones you were buying

had 24 biscuits in for ?3.

This one has got 24 biscuits in for ?1.49.

I mean, that's a saving of ?1.51.

Instead of actually buying wheat biscuits now,

I think I might just leave it in total and just stick to some fruit.

But what will Sheena decide to do about her branded soya milk

that we didn't actually swap?

Soya milk? How did you get on with that? The taste wasn't there.

I usually get vanilla soya,

so the vanilla makes the soya milk taste really good.

But I couldn't taste the vanilla in this one.

And you think we swapped it?

Definitely.

OK. No?

Well, we didn't swap it. What's going on?

What's going on? So this is the...

vanilla soya milk that you buy? Yeah.

That you used to like.

I feel what happened was justifying myself,

because I had that Weetabix, I think it just ruined my taste buds.

I think I just shut down. Well, she may have a point.

I think what should happen, you're right.

I should just get something a bit...

shop around for something a bit cheaper.

You still like this a lot. Now I don't. Now you don't. Mm-mm.

You're going to shop around and try and find a cheaper one. Cheaper one, yeah.

How did you get on cooking the sweet potatoes?

That was really good.

That was delicious, as well. Really, really...

I think out of... That was one of my best meals.

It's really nice.

It's delicious, actually. It tasted really nice.

I believe there wasn't a swap there

with the organic sweet potatoes.

I know that taste.

So you think we kept the sweet potato the same? Yes.

You don't think we swapped them? No.

Don't let me down. Sweet potato, be with me!

These are non-organic...

Oh, no. ..sweet potato.

I'm getting messed up here. Messed up, big-time.

A kilo of these potatoes is 89p. Wow!

A kilo of your organic ones would be over ?4.

And when you ate them, you loved them.

Yeah, I loved them. Yeah, they were delicious. Really, really nice.

This has got to be a serious message here. Definitely a keep.

I'm going to keep those sweets. I like it when you call me sweets.

Talking of sweet things...

Which one are you getting? The organics.

Why don't you change it to another one, to this one? Why?

What's the difference? Mummy, the difference is the taste.

I know they've been swapped.

So, you definitely know they've been swapped. They were acceptable.

Yeah, acceptable, yeah. Right, OK.

Well, we didn't swap them. Oh, no!

These are your... What is...?

They're letting me down.

..organic strawberries.

You're paying ?2.95...

Whoa!

..for a 250g punnet. Whoa!

Three quid?! Three quid.

The price, I'm sweating underneath my armpits.

I can't believe I've been doing this, do you know what I mean?

Replacing the strawberries with value supermarket strawberries

could bank Sheena over ?90 a year.

What are we going to do with the strawberries?

Are we going to stay with the organic ones? No way. No way.

Are you sure? Yeah, definitely. Thank the Lord!

Many people choose to buy organic produce for the environmental reasons.

But Sheena's been buying it for taste alone

and she's discovered most of the time she can't tell the difference.

But what about those big-brand swaps?

The taste in the lentil soup is really nice and my daughter

couldn't taste the difference with the tomato soup.

They're both cheaper. OK. 60p and 55p respectively. Wow.

You were spending ?1.75.

These are 40p. Oh, no!

It's a bigger bar.

Which just over the course of a year is ?91. Whoa!

That's 83p cheaper. What? No way! That's a saving of ?660.

If she stuck with the swaps on these six items alone,

Sheena would save over ?1,000 a year.

Mission accomplished. I do feel, some of the time here

that I have landed on another planet, most certainly.

Some of these swaps have been extraordinary.

Most of the swaps have been a real hit,

but how do the final figures add up?

When Gregg and Chris first met her, Sheena was spending over

three times the national average on her food bills.

You were actually spending, for you and Nyla, just over ?113 a week.

Oh, my God. Mm.

Which is a lot of money. Yes, I know. 62% of that was on organic.

Yeah, on the meats. Foods.

If you embrace these swaps, you would save ?56.96 a week.

Wow, that is really good. That is a wow.

Chris and Gregg's swaps have knocked 50% off Sheena's food bill.

You guys have really nailed it.

Should I tell you how much that comes to a year? Yeah.

That's a saving of ?2,961. Wow!

That's a massive yearly saving, and the great thing is Sheena's

so-called expensive palate hasn't lost out taste-wise.

Really good. And to be fair, I struggled tasting the difference.

So I'm definitely going this way. Definitely, definitely.

Yeah, I just think, what was I really doing? I've been wasting my time.

I'm not tempted at all to slip back to old habits, so there's no need

for me to be spending so much money on an item that I can get cheaper.

Just what mum Erleen's been saying all along.

Well, I'm going to try and keep Sheena under control of her spending.

I'll be checking up on her every so often and speaking to her.

I might even go shopping with her sometimes.

No, not shopping.

Me and her shopping, it's just like...

Oh!

So, what do you make? Another job well done there, I think.

They're cooking together as a family, eating together.

Nyla's trying new foods, and Sheena, the self-styled freestyler,

is now actually planning and enjoying it.

Just a little matter of the bet. I won it! What? No.

I said 60, you said 45. We saved ?56 and a few pence.

That means I won, doesn't it? No, it doesn't.

That makes me the winner, doesn't it? It isn't, is it?

Of course it is. That's not right. Yeah. Well, it might not be right.

But it is certainly the facts. Add it up again.

HE LAUGHS I demand a stewards' inquiry!