Episode 4 Eat Well for Less?

-Holy guacamole!

-Gregg Wallace and Chris Bavin are back

and more determined than ever...

-Oh, look at this!

-Whoa! Whoa!

She's just gone crazy in the confectionery aisle!

..to help families rein in their spending.

-We've been watching everything!

-No!

-Oh, no!

That is a really funny way of shopping.

They're taking over kitchens!

-Oh, my...

-It's like the aubergine emoji!

She's traumatised by that!

..boosting nutrition...

Apple and carrot don't go together!

Oh, yes, they do!

..scrutinising popular food and drink...

That's vastly superior.

I like that texture. And also it's a lot thicker,

so you can get a lot more on your toast.

..and giving the Great British public their say...

-I think this is the nicest out of all of them.

-Yeah.

No. Definitely not!

..on their mission to show us how we can eat well for less.

-Wow!

-Oh, my God!

-I'm laughing, because if I don't laugh, I'll cry.

-Yeah, we've got a fair bit of work to do.

-Let's go!

-Tonight...

-Oh!

..our biggest family yet.

Oh, my word, girls! Wow!

Can Gregg and Chris help this busy mum of five?

Hello? Excuse me!

Giving her some kitchen confidence...

-Wow! Have I got to fill that?

-Of course we're going to fill it up.

What's the matter with you?

..and reign in her spending.

I don't think I want to hear this!

This week we're in Lancashire,

with a mum desperate to turn the tide on her family's current eating,

shopping and spending habits.

-ALL:

-We are the Allison family!

Single mum Angela works for a social housing organisation.

We have six people in our household.

Purdey is age eight,

Felicity is age 10,

Darcy is age 11,

Claudia is age 15,

Isabella 18 and then there's me.

It's crazy from morning to night and nobody's ever quiet,

especially not her.

Pull a weird face. I don't care!

Trying to rule five children is virtually impossible when

they're aged eight to 18.

-ALL CHEERING

-Sunshine.

Juggling a full-time job with bringing up five daughters

means Angela has little time to plan meals

and then shop for the family.

So shopping for me is a daily occurrence.

-Card?

-Oh, gosh, yes, there's a card.

It's contactless, girls.

It's quite common for me to dispatch the children with my card or cash

to go to the local village shops.

We'll just go in, grab some chicken nuggets for the girls and chips,

and that's just kind of how it goes.

Cooking is a no-go-zone for time-strapped Angela,

and meal times are all about convenience.

Would everybody like beans?

-No!

-Yes!

-What would you like?

-Do you want some spaghetti?

-Yeah.

-Mummy tries her hardiest, I think, doesn't she, Purdey?

-Yeah.

Girls, dinner.

None of my girls are fussy eaters.

The fact is my cooking is diabolical.

Hello, sweetie.

Have you had a good day?

Although she has recently mastered a roast.

Mind this, Felicity, because it's hot.

I love roasts - I could have one every day.

You see, and that,

I'm real proud of that because that's only something I've done the last couple of months.

Do you think there'll be a day, Isabella, when you make me

dinner, sweetheart?

-Yeah.

-No.

-No, I didn't think so.

Wanting to keep everybody happy,

Angela spends hours catering every evening.

The girls are all different ages - some are at college and high school.

They have different activities,

so it can be quite normal that several of them

have eaten earlier on,

then somebody else will come back and then we'll start again.

So now it's seven o'clock at night and I've been at this since 4:30.

And by the time Angela eventually eats,

she's not got the energy

to make anything other than a bowl of porridge.

It's very quick and easy, and it does fill you up.

I shall have my porridge in my bed,

probably for an hour or so, I'll get peace.

To make matters more complicated,

Claudia and Isabella both have coeliac disease.

And it basically means we can't eat anything with wheat in it, or gluten.

Things like bread, pasta...

-All your usual foods - pizza...

-..crisps.

We can't go to the chippy and have pies.

-It's everything.

-It's more or less everything.

And 15-year-old Claudia also has type 1 diabetes.

I don't produce insulin any more, which your bodies naturally do,

so I have to have injections or an insulin pump like I've got.

So I have to regularly check my blood glucose levels because,

if they go too high or low, there's always the risk

of being in hospital or getting severely ill.

Claudia was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on 1st May, 2008,

a day I'll never forget.

So our life completely changed because the care-free days are gone.

The reality is the risks of her dying are still quite high.

Knowing that's in the back of your mind is awful as a parent.

Constantly worried about Claudia,

running a very busy household

and working full-time, Angela's exhausted.

I do love my children.

They do eat, but we need help to do it better.

I just want to sit down, eat healthy food,

enjoy our food and be a family.

How can that be so difficult?

Got ya!

Angela's desperate for help and, fortunately for her,

Gregg and Chris are on their way to get them all back on track.

This is a big store.

-It is, isn't it?

-A very big store.

And without a minute to waste,

the boys tuck themselves away to get a good look at how Angela shops.

Let's get to work.

Eldest daughter Isabella and Mum have just arrived.

That's quite a small trolley. There's six of them, isn't there?

I tell you, you have a trolley like that for your lunch.

I mean, how she's going to feed a family of six for a week with that?

Oh, look. Half price.

They've only just walked inside the door

and they're drawn to a big stack of crisps.

If you see a stack of something on its own inside the door,

you naturally believe it's a really good offer.

-Yeah, get the sour cream and chives.

-OK.

Remember, a deal is only a deal

if it's an item you were going to buy in the first place.

Let's have a look. Oh, what's on offer? Have they got gammon?

I don't know.

Let's have a look. Chicken.

So, she's firmly of the mind-set that everything

on the end of the aisle is of a best value product.

Oh, how about some pork chops?

-Yeah, I'll give it a whirl. What about the...

-Oh, Mum, look.

You can get some yogurts and things.

Bananas for Purdey.

I want to get some sweetcorn because Darcy will eat that.

Have we got tomato ketchup and mayonnaise?

What's the methods to their shopping?

Well, I don't know if there's actually a method as such.

Let's try the free-from aisle, Isabella.

Over 20% of us Brits buy or eat gluten-free products

and it's a rapidly expanding market.

Mum, I didn't know they did pasta pots.

Look at that, £1.99 though!

OK, so they're checking whether things are gluten-free,

so we've definitely got a coeliac in this family.

There is an absolutely fantastic array of gluten-free foods now,

but this is where you're going to pay a little bit more.

You need to be eating foods that never had gluten in the first place.

Isabella, Yorkshire puddings.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can we get some garlic dough balls?

OK. Waffles, Isabella.

Oh, mozzarella sticks, look.

Mozzarella sticks?

-Chips.

-Just check they're gluten-free.

Beans. We need a four-pack or something though, don't we?

What about some tomato soup?

I'm beginning to think that nobody in that house is cooking.

I've got no idea what they're eating for dinner.

-No meat, have we?

-We've got pork.

Oh, yeah, we've got pork chops.

Pork chops are going to last a week?!

Right, whole porridge.

-Porridge, yeah, of course. That's what we were missing.

-Get on the porridge!

-Yeah.

It's a big pack.

They do say breakfast is the main meal of the day - maybe they're taking that literally.

Goodness me! Look how much we've bought today.

They think this is a big shop.

-Tesco's own?

-Definitely not.

Do you know what, I think they're nearly done.

-Shall we grab them before they get to the checkout?

-OK.

-Right.

The boys have seen enough,

but they'll have to be quick if they're to catch the girls.

You all right, ladies? Can we help?

If they can catch them, that is.

Hello?! Excuse me!

-Are you ignoring us?

-Can we just stop you for a minute?

SHE LAUGHS

-Come back.

-Hello.

-Did you think we were going to nick your shopping?

Why didn't you stop? Who did you think we were?

I haven't got my glasses on.

-That's a first.

-Just run away!

So, is this a bigger shop than you would normally do?

A lot bigger because I haven't been shopping properly probably for a

couple of months to a supermarket.

Now I'm here, I've made a bit of an effort.

Do you normally shop every day?

Yes. At least once a day.

Gotcha! How many meals have you got in here?

I think two because I've got the pork chops...

The beans, that's another meal.

Oh, maybe three with the soup.

I think we've got about a week.

-A week?!

-No!

-What, six of you?

-We don't eat that much.

Shall we go and ring this through the till?

-Yeah.

-Come on, then.

Gregg and Chris want to find out how much this speedy shop has come to.

-Gluten-free?

-Yeah.

Who's a coeliac?

And Claudia.

Right, OK. So you buy gluten-free ready meals, do you?

Because this is an expensive way to avoid gluten, isn't it?

Have you tried cooking from scratch with no gluten in?

Apart from my roast, not really, no.

-My cooking skills aren't brilliant, and confidence.

-Gotcha!

Who does the shopping normally?

I do or the girls go shopping.

-The girls will go in?

-It teaches them to get a list,

and to be able to use a card and pay.

But you came here today without a list.

Yes, that's true. I never normally come with a list, no.

How much do you think this has cost you?

I think about £48.

I think bigger.

-£52.

-Oh, my word!

Go, Mummy!

But if you've only got two or three meals in there,

-that's expensive.

-Very expensive. Whoops!

Shall we get this stuff home?

Very nice of you to offer to push that, Isabelle, well done.

The way I currently shop, I don't think is cost effective.

It's quite scary that I've spent that

and really there weren't any decent meals there.

Working hard in her job and at home means Angela rarely gets a break.

So she works pretty much every day of the week,

even when she has her days off, Saturday, Sunday,

she's still working.

And then she's got all five of us.

Purdey!

She's got way too much to do.

If I could save money, which I know I can do,

I would spend it on family holidays.

I've realised, over the last couple of years, time with your children

is precious and that's what I'd like to do - just be with them more.

It's up to Gregg and Chris to help Angela start saving.

So while she's heading back with the shopping,

they're having a sneaky peek around her kitchen.

-OK.

-Right.

There's not a lot here, Chris, look.

-See that one?

-Yeah, a couple of sauces.

-And this one, look.

-Blimey!

And, look. It's all big brand, isn't it?

But there's no food.

This has got to be the biggest family we've ever tried to help...

-Yeah.

-..with the smallest stock of food.

It is quite unusual.

Well, boys, wait till you see the fridge.

Full to the... No, no.

-Empty.

-You've got a slice of cake, some champagne and an egg.

That might be the saddest fridge I've ever seen.

It goes from bad to worse though.

The kitchen freezer's almost bare,

so maybe everything's in the chest freezer outside.

-There it is.

-Ah-ha! The illusive freezer.

-Oh-ho! Fantastic!

-There's nothing in there.

-Not a single thing.

I thought there'd be something in it, otherwise what's it for?

I think Angela will say she's too busy to plan and, as we know,

-she's going to be very busy because she doesn't plan.

-Yeah.

Having laid out today's purchases,

the boys want to talk shop with Angela.

This is the food you bought today.

What does it look like, now you've got it all laid out on the table?

That I've done a big shop.

-Really?

-Yes.

-We took the liberty

of having a little rummage around your kitchen.

We didn't see a huge amount of food in there, did we?

No, because I shop every day normally for that meal.

-Why?

-When you've got five children, there's medical conditions,

sometimes your mind just gets blown when you do a big shop.

I do understand. I really do.

How many times a week do you think you actually go shopping?

Probably between five and ten.

On average, every month, you are visiting the shop 42 times.

Don't say that!

That's an average of ten times a week.

Do you know? One day you went shopping six times.

Maybe it was a particularly bad day.

But for someone who's short of time...

this is a complete waste of time.

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

No, not really. I try not to look at it.

We've got some of your receipts here.

-On average...

-I don't think I want to hear this.

..you're spending £144 a week.

No!

But throw in the girls' lunch money and a weekly takeaway,

and Angela's total spend is...

£233 a week.

-Really?

-On average.

Oh, that's shocked me. I didn't think it was as much as that.

This is over two-and-a-half times the national average

for a family this size.

You're doing £12,000 a year.

I can't believe how much money I'm wasting on food.

-This has got to stop.

-Well, we're here to help you.

I'm really clever and my mate, Chris, can lift heavy things.

Yes. I've been carrying him for a while!

So, hopefully we can improve everybody's diets,

save you some time and save you some money as well.

I hope so.

I'm absolutely mortified.

It doesn't need to be that way,

so I have to change,

the girls have to change, and we have to do it together as a family.

With six people to please and some ingrained bad habits to break,

this isn't going to be easy.

I tell you what, Angela needs some help.

A single mum of five girls with a full-time job.

-Yeah.

-And you throw into the mix, what,

coeliacs and diabetes?

I mean, there's no wonder she's called us in, is it?

We need to stop her going to the shop because,

come lunch time at work, she's now thinking, "What do I feed the girls?"

-That's pressure.

-But that is coming about

because of a lack of planning, isn't it?

It would be much better to plan than it would to do multiple shops.

I think another key to this is getting the girls in the kitchen,

cooking gluten-free meals from scratch.

If we can tackle some of these issues, I think we could save her £60 a week.

I think there might be more to save.

I think we might be able to do £80 a week.

Either way, we've got our work cut out, haven't we?

That's what the youngsters do, that is.

With the Allisons out,

we have been in and swapped many of their favourite branded products for

cheaper, healthier alternatives.

Oh, my word, girls!

-Wow!

-What have you done with the place?

But some items are the same -

to see if they really can tell the difference

between their usual branded and our non-branded food.

I'm telling you, they are not Heinz.

But you don't know that.

And we want them to be adventurous...

-Oh!

-..and try some new things.

There's this, but I don't know how to say it? Polena...

-Let me have a look.

-It's pol-na-tus.

-Polenta.

-It smells a bit like rice.

I don't even know what you do with that.

-Whoa!

-Oh, my word!

My kitchen cupboards and fridge, I think, in ten years that I've

lived here, it's the fullest they've ever been.

-So we've got beef brisket, chicken drumsticks.

-OK...

I'm not concerned my familiar food is gone.

I'm more concerned about,

"Do I have the ability to cook the food and,

"when I do cook it, will it be edible?"

So, day one of the Allisons' food swap,

and where better start than with a gluten-free breakfast?

Banana pancakes, girls.

This morning, Angela's roped in some helpers.

There's no flour in this recipe,

just two mashed bananas and four eggs...

Yay! Two out of two so far, Purdey!

..beaten together with some gluten-free baking powder.

Everybody stand clear!

And whilst the pancakes are frying...

That's looking good, Claudia.

..Felicity defrosts some frozen berries.

Oh, they look nice, don't they?

But will the girls like them?

Can I...? Let me try one.

I don't think Claudia does.

-They're lovely.

-They're disgusting!

Perhaps with honey and berries,

they'll go down better with the others.

Oh, that looks pretty. We should take a picture of that, Felicity.

That's nice.

-Is that nice?

-Hmm-hmm.

-SHE LAUGHS

-That's my girl!

What is wrong with you?!

LAUGHTER

Is that good?

So, home-made breakfast has generally been a success and,

for £1.50 all in, it's good value and nutritious too.

But did the girls sniff a swap with their honey?

I don't think it's the normal one. It tastes nicer.

So it will be interesting to see when we've found out,

won't we, what it is?

-If it's not branded, I'll be surprised.

-Whoo!

They're right, their honey has been switched,

but for a supermarket own brand

that could save them over £1.80 a jar.

Last year, the UK spent £117 million on honey,

but is it a product worth paying more for?

We're in Bristol, where this Bollywood fitness class

are putting their taste buds to the taste,

trying five popular honeys to see which they like the most.

I use it a lot, actually.

I put it in pretty much anything I can, actually.

I think it has to be nice and spreadable.

I like it on toast.

Both the price and the taste are important for me because,

as much as I would love to buy really expensive honey,

I can't really afford to.

Today, they're trying luxury brand Hilltop Honey,

costing £1.98 per 100g.

Another premium honey, Tiptree, costing £1.47.

There's also fellow big brand, Rowse, at £1.32.

Tesco's Finest, an own brand, at 92p.

And finally, our budget option from ASDA, at 52p per 100g.

Tasters ready! Get dipping!

First up, it's the budget supermarket honey.

I don't like it that much.

It doesn't taste much like honey.

It's quite sweet, but it's like really mild at the same time, like,

not much taste going on.

Next, the luxury and most expensive honey,

which is the only organic honey in the test.

It's definitely better than the first one.

It's much rounder,

-richer-flavoured.

-I definitely prefer that one.

Yes, same here. It's got a much nicer flavour to it.

What about the popular big brand?

I quite like it because I can taste it on the bread -

the others kind of disappear into the bread.

Yeah, I agree with you, I really like this one.

So which of these honeys is to be crowned queen bee?

And the winner is - Hilltop Honey.

LAUGHTER

So it seems that price is a factor when it comes to honey,

with the luxury organic brand coming in first

and the rest trailing in descending price order.

I thought it would be an expensive honey

because it just tastes quite rich and lovely.

I don't mind shelling out a few extra pounds for something better.

So, according to our Bollywooders,

when it comes to honey, quality does come at a price.

In Lancashire, if Angela's going to reduce her £230 a week food spend,

every penny's going to count.

So what will she think of her favourite staple - porridge?

Erm... It looks nice.

She usually buys individual branded sachets,

but we've given her a whole box of instant porridge.

I don't think it's quite as nice as my normal porridge,

but I think, if I put some fruit in it, it would be absolutely fine.

That's good news,

as this own-brand is 97p cheaper

and over twice the size of her normal big brand.

If it's a lot less expensive, then I'm happy.

Purdey and Felicity, meanwhile, are road testing their crisps.

They taste like our normal cheese and onion crisps.

If Mummy got these again, I'd be happy.

Good work, girls.

Swapping to these supermarket own brands could save £1.30 a week -

that's over £65 a year.

Now, what about one of their top teas?

Are they our usual waffles?

No, because they're too long.

They don't smell like the normal waffles either.

They're five rows long and then they're...

I can't believe you actually count the rows on waffles!

Waffles go five by five, these go four by five.

Sounds like a load of waffle to me.

But what do they think of the beans?

They are our normal beans, I think.

No, they're not.

-It's too watery.

-I don't think they are the same, but they taste nice.

Last chance, Claudia.

No, the beans aren't ours.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

Sorry, they are your favourite brand of beans.

Now back to those impostor waffles. Nice or not?

-There're all right.

-Are you not keen on them?

Why? Felicity likes them.

They're fine.

That's the spirit, Angela.

And if they did swap to this supermarket own brand,

they'd get two more waffles and a saving of 85p a pack.

Time to wash down those possible savings with some diet cola.

I don't like it. It's not as fizzy.

I think it depends on the price because,

if it was really cost-effective,

then I think we could manage with it.

Well, Angela, it could be cost effective,

as this supermarket own brand cola is £1.30 a bottle cheaper

than your usual brand.

-Oh, wow!

-The Allisons use their kitchen freezer

for convenience food.

Whilst in their garage,

there's a chest freezer that's currently standing totally empty.

Gregg and Chris are on their way to see dietician Hala El-Shafie

to find out what you can and can't freeze.

So, I think one of people's main concerns with freezing

is they don't know how long they can freeze different things for.

Generally speaking, it's about three to six months.

One thing I'm unsure about is how to safely and properly defrost things.

So, ideally, what you would do is you'd leave it in the fridge

overnight and defrost it there.

Raw ingredients should not be refrozen,

unless they are cooked first.

So, are there any foods that you can't freeze?

Well, we've got an array here.

Why don't you have a guess?

I don't think you can freeze the cucumber, the tomatoes, the lettuce,

because they've got such a high water content

that when you defrost it they really turn to mush.

Eggs, do you know what? I wouldn't freeze eggs.

So eggs you can actually freeze but not with their shells on.

You'd need to crack them, whisk them up and then actually freeze them.

Can I give you a tip on ginger?

Right, it grates a lot easier when it's frozen.

Similarly, you can do the same with a chilli.

Look at that, it looks beautiful!

And you don't get it over your hands in the same way as you if you were

handling a fresh chilli.

That's brilliant. I never thought of that.

Most foods are freezer-friendly,

although some, like cheese, do not defrost in as good a condition,

but are great for using in recipes.

You are not telling me you can freeze a whole banana.

You can actually freeze a whole banana.

-You haven't got one, have you?

-I have. Here's one I prepared earlier.

Hang on a minute - this is brilliant. That is amazing!

It is good, isn't it? But, yeah, you're right. I mean, this is...

What are you doing? What are you doing? You just broke my banana!

I was really enjoying that!

Thaw your frozen banana for five minutes, then remove the peel,

so the flesh defrosts quicker, ready for smoothies, ice cream and baking.

This is great because we're all guilty of throwing certain foods

away that actually, with a little bit of correct preparation

and storage, you needn't throw it away any more.

-I had no idea you could freeze all these different foods.

-There you go.

It's an education, Gregg.

Gregg's back in Lancashire, determined to wean Angela

off her daily shopping habit by showing her how easily

she could stock her freezer.

We've got to stop Angela doing this daily shop -

it's taking up lots of time and it's really expensive.

Hello!

I can show Angela how to cook once

and probably make three separate meals -

that's my plan.

Right! I want to show you something.

OK.

Oh, my word!

-Have I got to fill that?

-Of course we're going to fill it up!

-What's the matter with you?! Right, put the lid on!

-Right.

Gregg wants Angela to batch cook and make cottage pies,

bolognese and chilli con carne all in one go.

In it goes.

Oh! Yeah, nearly missed.

They start with the main ingredient -

one-and-a-half kilos of lean mince.

Right, that's browned. So we're just going to tip this out.

And if you look around this, you've got lean mince here...

-Yeah.

-..carrots, onions, beans, lentils, tomatoes -

all part of your five-a-day.

And talking of five-a-day, time to prep those veg.

To make this even quicker, we're not going to chop the carrot.

-Right.

-We are going to...

grate the carrot.

I've never grated a carrot!

How can I be 47 and never have grated a carrot?

This is another technique for the girls and I.

I want the girls to be able to cook

and I feel I've let them down in that way,

and that's why I want to do this.

I don't think you've let anybody down.

The grated carrot will cook quicker and it's added to chopped onions,

followed by tomato paste, garlic and finally the browned mince.

The beef's going in. The beef is going...

..in.

I'm excited. Come on!

To bulk out the mince, Gregg's adding tinned lentils.

-They are part of your five a day and fantastic fibre.

-Yes!

Whilst the mince and veg cook,

Gregg wants to tackle Angela about her planning - or current lack of.

Very simple. A weekly food planner,

and the idea is as you fill it in and then you make a list of the

-ingredients that you would need.

-Yeah.

And I think what's also equally as important is that everybody lends

a hand, so it's not just your responsibility.

They've got to start helping.

Meal planning for the week will save Angela time,

money and the stress of shopping every day.

And with the mince ready, it's time to call in the cavalry.

What I've done is I've taken a third of this and what you're going to do,

ladies, is put it into those dishes

and then top them up with mashed potato.

Whilst the production line cracks on with the cottage pies,

Gregg and Angela divide the remaining mince -

one half into chilli con carne...

-Now give it a stir.

-..and the other into a bolognese sauce.

-Tomatoes.

-And do you know?

I've always bought bolognese sauce in a jar.

-I've got a chilli.

-I'm doing the chilli.

-You're doing the chilli.

-I'm doing the Bolognese.

So from this one batch of lean mince and a pile of veg,

-you've got a lot of dinners here.

-It's just brilliant.

Just seeing it makes you realise it's the way forward

for a family with five children, definitely.

Listen, you need planning.

You need the family to join in.

A little bit of organisation once a week,

you could easily make yourself 20, 30 dinners.

Each dish is totally gluten-free and costs close to a pound per portion.

I'm hoping that Angela's learnt that she can cook in advance,

use that freezer, save time,

save money and all of those ladies can eat better.

I honestly think that the way forward for my family

and for me is batch cooking.

He's made me realise that I can do it, but I do have to plan.

With six mouths to feed, Angela could really benefit

from economies of scale when she's shopping and cooking.

Unceremoniously.

Angela often cooks roast gammon, buying two small joints a week,

so we've given her one larger gammon that's £3.50 cheaper.

It takes longer to cook,

but Angela's using half this evening and keeping the rest to use another day.

Quite often, when they've had gammon, there's nothing left -

so perhaps I need to look at buying larger pieces of gammon.

With tonight's portion,

Angela's challenge is to make a stir fry for her

and the girls to enjoy together.

I think it's very obvious that I've cooked very little from scratch.

Shouldn't set their mouths on fire with that.

I think, by putting it all in, Angela, it might.

Pineapple as well as those veg ensures this dish

is a good way of packing in those five a day.

I think I'd be upset if the girls didn't like it

because I've taken myself out my comfort zone

and I'm really trying, so I hope they do like it.

Angela's also using gluten-free rice noodles for the first time...

-Hello, girls.

-Costing under £1.20 a portion,

will the stir fry get the reaction Angela's hoping for?

Oh!

Oh, lordy, lordy!

Oh!

Whoops! Maybe a little too much chilli.

Spicy!

COUGHING

Wow! Girls, I feel so emotional that you're eating it

that it's brought me to tears.

I'd have it again, yeah, just without the spices.

What are the noodles like, girls?

Noodles are nice, the gammon's nice, just don't like the peppers.

That's a result for me.

OK, for a first go, that wasn't bad.

But it's not just money-saving meals that will reduce those food bills.

These crisps are different to what we usually have.

100%, they're different.

Yeah, I'd swap these if they'd been swapped

because they're really nice.

Nice one, Darcy.

This supermarket own brand is nearly 90p cheaper than your big brand.

I like popcorn,

but, I have to say, I prefer this

because I find the one we normally have

sometimes is too sweet.

It should be less sweet, Angela,

as this substitute popcorn has over 45% less sugar than your usual and

it's 60p a bag cheaper.

I'd definitely be happy to keep this as a swap, yeah.

I think you should take the bag off me before I eat it all.

Ow!

Now, will Felicity and Purdey be as keen on their fromage frais?

I don't like the other ones that much now I've tasted these.

Result! Whilst it's a saving of just 5p a pack,

you get an extra three tubes, so definitely worth considering.

LAUGHTER

An estimated 9.5 million people buy fromage frais in the UK

and it's a popular kid's desert,

but what do children want from their fromage frais?

Well, these mini boppers at this Hampshire dance club

are going to tell us.

I think you need to have a good taste and no bits.

I never think about how much it costs my mum to buy yogurt.

I've never really considered eating a known supermarket brand yogurt.

Erm...yeah.

Up for scrutiny today are Sainsbury's Basics

at 17p per 100g.

Morrisons' Savers, also 17p.

Aldi Everyday Essentials, the cheapest, at 12p.

Popular brand Petits Filous,

the second priciest, at 53p, and our only organic fromage frais,

which at 61p is the most expensive.

But which strawberry delight will these dancers like the best?

First up, a popular big brand.

Although it looks watery,

it's actually really thick in your mouth and creamy.

It does look a bit like Greek yogurt.

It's quite lumpy when you actually eat it.

Next, it's a supermarket own brand -

joint second cheapest in the test.

It tastes more like strawberry.

This one has a lot more flavour.

Too thin for me.

The final fromage frais is the organic,

the highest priced, with the least sugar of the lot.

No!

No!

It tastes really manufactured.

I definitely disagree.

I really like this one.

It's proved a tough tasting.

But which fromage frais did our dancers decide was the best?

And the winner was Sainsbury's Basics.

LAUGHTER

So beating the brands was Sainsbury's budget option

and right behind at the same price, but 13% less sugar, was Morrisons -

leaving the most expensive in last place.

I'm happy that it won because I preferred the taste of that one.

I've never tried so many yogurts

and realised how different all of them really tasted.

It's not easy keeping all six people in the Allison household happy,

so Chris wants to get everyone involved making meals

the whole family can enjoy.

So, if I can get the three eldest cooking and having a healthier

relationship with food,

not only will that take the pressure off of Angela,

but it will be great for them.

-Hi.

-How are we?

-Good.

-Great. How are you?

I'm very well, thank you very much for asking. So, do we like pizza?

ALL: Yes.

But they can be quite expensive, can't they, gluten-free pizzas?

Yeah, they're more expensive than normal.

Well, we're making pizza today but we're making polenta pizza.

-Do you know what polenta is?

-ALL: No.

Polenta is ground corn,

so it's gluten-free and can be brought in grain form

or as a readymade block.

First things first,

if you could put four teaspoons of yeast extract into that pan for me.

Gluten-free stock can be quite expensive,

so Chris is using gluten-free yeast extract instead.

And hopefully it will just give the base a nice colour

-and a nice bit of flavour. OK?

-That just looks disgusting.

The loose polenta is added to the pan and heated so it expands,

ready for the girls to add some Parmesan.

-All of it?

-Yeah.

So it's gone a bit like a dough, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-So I want you to try and sort of spread that out.

Similar to a pizza base, yeah?

After a quick brush with oil,

the bases go into the oven for 25 minutes to dry out and crisp up.

Chris is also showing the girls how to make chips from the pre-made

polenta, which costs around 75p a pack.

Chop it up as thickly or as thinly as you want,

drizzle some oil over it and then we just whack them in the oven.

-Simple as that.

-Simple.

-Simple.

-Simple.

-Here we go.

With the pizza bases ready for toppings...

So I think the first thing you want to be doing is putting on some tomato puree

and then pretty much put on whatever you want.

..Chris wants to discuss their school lunches -

currently costing Angela £45 a week for the three of them.

If you could commit to just having two packed lunches a week,

that would save £18 a week,

which over the course of a year would come to £720.

That's a lot of money, isn't it?

Yeah, but there's never anything for packed lunches in the house.

So if we get your mum to buy the right things you'd do that, would you?

Yeah, I would. But it's like, I want things like chicken.

-I love chicken.

-But we could do that. We could buy chicken breast,

cook them and you could take a nice chicken salad.

-I don't have time to cook it.

-You do have time to cook it.

-No, I don't.

You do. If you all come together and work as a team,

you'll have the time, won't you?

Will you all commit, please...

-Yes!

-..to taking a packed lunch at least twice a week and save your mum

a small fortune in the process?

-Sure.

-Yes?

-ALL: Yeah.

-Definitely?

-ALL: Yeah.

-Shake on it?

-Deal!

Well done! Thank you.

Ooh, nice work, Chris.

-Shall we get these in the oven?

-ALL: Yeah.

Just ten minutes later...

Oh, they look really good.

-Ours looks amazing.

-Be careful.

-This is very, very hot.

-That's yours.

Also ready are the polenta chips.

-Oh, they look good.

-They do, don't they?

Costing £6 for both pizzas and their toppings, these are much

cheaper than the girls' usual gluten-free takeaway pizzas.

But do they taste as good as they look?

What do we think?

You don't look convinced.

-I think that's all right, isn't it?

-It's all right.

I think it's just because that pizza didn't have any mozzarella on.

It's all right. I just don't like the taste of the base.

But apart from that, it is really good.

As always, it's a mixed reaction.

But maybe Angela, Felicity and Purdey will be more enthusiastic.

Do you like it?

That's really nice. Well done.

What about those polenta chips?

They're really good.

-Yeah?

-I really like them.

-So did we enjoy making that?

-ALL: Yeah.

-Shall we make it again?

-ALL: No.

OK, so the girls' first exposure to polenta pizza

might not have been the huge success I was hoping for,

but what was a success was the fact that they were really happy to get

involved, really happy to take part.

It was like good fun cooking it and everything, but it tasted disgusting.

I don't think it tasted disgusting, I just think the base wasn't...

It needs more flavour.

One of the things the family need to do is get organised

and, by the girls helping out and taking some of the pressure off of

Angela, that will free up some time for her to be more organised.

In order to help her mum, Claudia's taking control in the kitchen

and cooking breakfast for everyone.

She's using bacon medallions, which have less fact on them.

Having lined a muffin tin with the bacon,

Claudia breaks an egg over the top, adds tomato and seasoning. Easy.

Well, they'd best like it.

They don't have a choice - they're going to eat it, aren't they?

Voila!

Baking the eggs for ten minutes at 220 degrees

is also healthier than frying.

Ta-da!

Well, they look delicious.

-Are they, Claudia?

-That's actually really, really nice.

They often have fast food breakfasts at the weekend,

but Claudia's egg bites are nearly £7 cheaper.

What I like about this breakfast is it's quick,

it's easy and I think it would be a good start to the day.

Not shopping daily means everyone's cooking more from scratch.

Wow! Look at this!

Gluten-free soda bread.

Costing £1.20 to make, this soda bread is nearly £2 cheaper

than their usual branded gluten-free loaf.

I like it.

-The inside's fine, but I think the top's just a bit hard.

-Really?

The swaps are also getting mixed reviews.

Hmm.

I don't think they're my usuals

because I like them really fluffy and these aren't that fluffy.

They're not your usual brand of crumpets, girls,

but these supermarket ones are 40p cheaper

and you get two extra per pack.

I think the butter's swapped because it's not very tasteful as our usual.

Nothing gets past you, Purdey!

This switched butter could take another £1.50

off their weekly spend.

I really like it. So if I had been swapped, I would definitely keep it.

Tonight, it's another first for the family -

as Darcy and Purdey are taking over the kitchen.

This is an easy one-pot barbecue chicken.

Chicken and veg are covered in a barbecue sauce

and chucked in the oven for 40 minutes.

I thought it would be really hard because of all the ingredients

that were in it and how you mix it and stuff,

but, when I actually did it, it was quite easy to do.

This is the first time ever I've had dinner made for me,

so I'm quite excited and it's lovely.

It's actually really nice to see what they can actually achieve.

I think it's nice for Mum

because she's always really busy with her work.

I think it's nice for her to have relaxing time in the sitting room.

Containing four different vegetables,

once again, it's a nutritious meal that costs just over a pound a head.

-Is this for me?

-Yes. This one.

But will Angela be impressed?

There you are, Mummy.

-Hmm. That's lovely.

-It is.

What do you think of it, Felicity?

-It's nice.

-Hmm-hmm.

So are you going to be able to cook me a meal like this every week?

Yeah. Me and Darcy could, without any fighting.

This is really delicious, girls. Well done.

Cooking one gluten-free meal seems to be working,

so Gregg and Chris are hoping Hala might have another simple dish the

girls could easily make.

We've got a tricky one for you.

Have you got a tasty recipe that's quick and easy

that doesn't contain any gluten

and preferably is made with food from the freezer?

I have indeed. I've got a great fish stew, which everybody can enjoy.

If it's not from the freezer, it's from the store cupboard.

Having heated a little rapeseed oil,

Gregg throws in two good handfuls of frozen onions.

So you've bought these frozen, haven't you?

-That's right.

-But obviously it would be a great way

of utilising any leftovers.

If you had half an onion leftover,

-chop it up and stick it in the freezer.

-Exactly.

Frozen pre-prepared onions are more expensive than prepping them

yourself, but for a large family like the Allisons,

they can be a quick and cost effective way

to help encourage them make a home-made meal.

A teaspoon of paprika.

That is beautiful.

Garlic, chilli and smoked paprika all hitting the pan.

-Right!

-Next in the pan, two tins of tomatoes.

What we want next is about seven cubes of the spinach.

I've never cooked like this.

-There you go.

-That's brilliant!

And two thirds of the mixed veg.

For additional fibre and protein, Hala is using a tin of chickpeas.

And it's another one of your five a day, isn't it, chickpeas?

-It is.

-No way.

-Yeah, yeah.

-No way!

-Way, way.

-So, the next thing is to turn the heat up,

put the lid on and make sure all these veggies are heated

through before we add the fish in.

Before we go fishing, did you say?

Before we add the fish in.

Needn't pack my waders then.

Minutes later, the vegetables are properly thawed and hot through.

HE LAUGHS

Look at this.

Wow! Let me have a look at that.

That's a bar of soap.

It looks like a bar of soap.

At just 60p per steak,

these are great value and just as nutritious as fresh fish.

Let's put the lid on that now and that's going to take just another

eight minutes and that dish will be done.

Do you know what's really good about this?

Didn't have to cut up anything.

-We didn't get a knife or a chopping board out at all.

-We didn't, actually.

This is probably the easiest way to cook ever.

Once the fish is flaky, it's ready.

That smells lovely, doesn't it?

That's done. Look at that.

-Perfect. Smells amazing.

-No prep, one pot.

Gluten-free. Looks incredibly tasty.

-Is it cheap?

-This whole dish is £4.41.

74p a portion, that's incredibly good value.

But will the taste be as good as the cost?

Hot!

Mm! That is rich and fruity from those tomatoes reducing.

And that fish brings a lot of flavour, doesn't it?

-Phwoar!

-That's really lovely.

-Yeah. It's good, isn't it?

-That is a winner.

Winner, winner, fish stew dinner.

In Lancashire, the Allisons' swaps are almost over

and Angela has not visited the shop once.

The girls agreed to try packed lunches,

so Angela is using up the ham and soda bread made earlier in the week.

It's absolutely brilliant,

the fact that this gammon is from a previous meal,

so that saves money and I haven't had to go to the shop.

-Have a good day at school and enjoy...

-Don't touch me!

..your freshly made bread and packed lunch.

And before she starts work, Angela preps tonight's finale.

She's going to be using her slow cooker for the first time.

I am starting to feel more confident and, if you would have asked me if I

could have used the slow cooker a week ago, I'd have said,

"I don't think so."

She's making Thai beef curry using beef brisket,

a cheaper cut of meat, which benefits from a slow cook.

Angela puts all the ingredients in the pot and, six hours later...

her beef curry, costing £15, is ready,

just as the girls return home from school.

But how was Claudia's packed lunch?

If it saves my mum money,

I would have those packed lunches probably every day of the week,

they're easy to make, just like without certain things like the bread...

I don't like the bread much.

Angela could save £240 a year

if she didn't give Claudia lunch money twice a week.

Come on, girls. Sit down.

So, time for Angela's first-ever Thai curry.

Will it be a total triumph?

Lovely.

The meat is nice.

The rice is nice.

I quite like this, actually.

It's not actually bad.

Like, I'm impressed.

Now, this is a result.

Angela has made a meal that even Claudia is enjoying.

It's gluten-free and any leftovers can be frozen for another night.

Mum's cooking this week has actually been all right.

It's been different, but I did like everything she made.

-I did try it all.

-It's been lovely cooking one meal for all of us

and the fact that it's gluten-free is just amazing.

Gregg and Chris are on their way to the Allisons to see how they've got on.

As a full-time working mum of five girls, with dietary needs...

-Yeah.

-..that's resulted in Angela shopping every day...

More than, sometimes.

..which is hugely time-consuming and hugely expensive.

The real reliance on these gluten-free products,

which again are expensive,

so hopefully our meal plan has shown her that there are a lot of quick

recipes that the whole family can eat that don't contain gluten.

Now, it's literally down to them to see what they've embraced and what

they are going to have rejected.

Well, we've got a bet on as well, Chris.

I reckon we'd save them 60 quid.

-You thought 80.

-Yeah, maybe I stronged it.

Bad habits, though, are deeply, deeply ingrained in this family.

I think it's going to be a big ask.

Bad habits are hard to break.

I'd been working with you now for over two years.

-All good things come to an end.

-Promise?

THEY LAUGH

I'm really excited to find out exactly what has been swapped and

how much money we can potentially save

because I think then we can move on to our next step,

so it's really exciting.

Well, Angela, the wait is nearly over.

-It is us again.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Come on in.

-Thank you very much.

Right, what we want to know is how has it gone?

I think very well. I've learnt a lot.

I've realised that I can cook and the girls can cook as well.

How did you get on making gluten-free food from scratch?

It's a winner all round - gluten-free.

The girls eating the same meals, which saves time,

and everybody is happy.

Have they been eating everything?

Yes. They've done really, really well. I'm really proud.

Have you been going to the shop?

No, actually, I've been really good.

Sounds like you've really enjoyed and embraced the swap week.

Yes, I really, really enjoyed it

because I knew we had to change how we were living.

But I know we have to do certain things in order, you know,

-to continue.

-Planning is integral, isn't it?

Planning is.

So, would you like to find out what you've been eating?

Definitely, yes.

-Gammon.

-Love gammon.

The girls love gammon.

You normally buy small joints of gammon, don't you?

I do, yes.

-And what did we give you?

-A large piece of gammon.

-You know we swapped it.

-Yes.

It was really, really nice.

-Would you like to see the saving?

-Yes, this will be interesting.

So, if you swapped this larger gammon for the two smaller gammons

you were buying, you would save £3.51 a week.

Wow! That's massive.

I did some cooking with the girls and, while we were doing that,

I asked them if they would agree to take packed lunches twice a week.

-That would save you £18 a week.

-Ooh.

-£720 a year.

Which would go a huge way into us saving up for a really nice holiday.

-So this is a swap?

-Definitely.

-The larger, the better.

-Well done.

A solid start.

How did you get on with the cola?

I don't like it. It's not as fizzy.

I think it would depend on the price because,

if it was really cost-effective,

then I think we could manage with it.

You think we swapped it?

Oh, yeah. I think you swapped it.

-This is what you had...

-Yeah.

-OK.

-Not completely free,

-but...

-Oh, my word!

That's a massive saving!

-Do you know what this comes to a year?

-How much?

£134 a year. Now, look, I've got £134.

That's what you'd get if you swapped to this cola, look.

I think we will do.

I think we have decided we are not going to do it half-heartedly.

We are going to make changes.

-Keeping this?

-Yes.

Next up, waffles.

They are five rows long...

I can't believe that you actually count the rows on them.

They were 100% sure those waffles had been swapped.

I mean, they can't taste much different, can they?

I mean, waffles are waffles, aren't they?

They did eat them and they ate them all, actually,

so there's no reason why we can't swap.

But not only that, look at that.

It's a massive saving.

You are getting through two packs of these a week, so that's £1.70,

which comes to £88 a year.

That's a lot. But maybe I should enter them on Mastermind

for the most knowledge around waffles.

I've started, so I'll finish.

-Are you going to keep them?

-Yes.

And to go with the waffles, beans.

They like the beans but they didn't think they were the same.

The main thing is, Claudia ate them.

So they need to be gluten-free.

Yes, they have to be gluten-free.

-Well, these are gluten-free...

-Fab.

..because we didn't swap them.

Do you think it might be worth trying a cheap alternative?

-I think so.

-Very good.

Now, what about those crumpets?

Don't tell me the girls counted the holes.

No, I don't think they counted the holes.

-Did we swap?

-Yes.

Oh...

Well, again, absolutely spot on, well done.

-Bit of a price saving.

-Yes, it is as well.

And you'll be pleased to know these are marginally lower in salt,

-and you get two extra in a pack.

-That's a definite swap then.

But will they keep the butter?

I really like it, so if it had been swapped, I would definitely keep it.

Let me show you the butter you had, look.

Right. So it is different?

And the girls liked it.

-They did like it.

-Brilliant,

-because look at that.

-Gosh, that's massive!

That's an annual saving of £78.

It's all adding up, isn't it, the savings?

-Right, are you going to keep the butter?

-Yes. I'm doing well.

Very well.

In fact, despite the odd rejection...

It's a no swap.

..Angela decides to keep a whopping 86% of all our suggestions...

Wow! That is a lot cheaper.

That is £93 a year...

-on soup!

-..including every meal swap.

So you buy a takeaway breakfast sometimes, don't you?

Sometimes we buy takeaway breakfasts.

But you had a go of doing it yourself this week

and you made some bacon and egg bites, is that right?

We did. Claudia made them.

-Ta-da!

-So you obviously know we swapped it.

-Would you like to see the saving?

-Go on.

Wow! And I believe that as well.

With a family of five having a takeaway breakfast, a massive hit.

-So, this is a swap?

-Definitely.

-Brilliant.

And if she continues to follow the boys' advice and stick with

all the swaps, will Angela save enough for a fabulous holiday

for the six of them?

You were spending £233 a week...

Just over £12,000 a year.

I'm still recovering from those figures now.

We have made you a saving.

Would you like to know what that is?

Yes, definitely.

All right, well, if you carry on like this, you will save £73 a week.

Oh, that's amazing.

Now, if you put all that into a jar for your holiday,

at the end of the year, you will have just short of £4,000.

Which is huge.

-Huge.

-Gosh, I can't believe that.

I'll send you a postcard from Florida.

We made it!

Well done. Give me a hug.

-It's life-changing, isn't it?

-Yes.

It's been an amazing experience and something we have really learned

from and are going to take forward, which is priceless for us.

That went a lot better than I expected.

That was probably one of our biggest challenges.

But yet, probably one of our best results.

We got those girls in the kitchen,

we managed to cater for all the dietary requirements,

and save them some money.

I can't believe that we are going to be able to save nearly £4,000.

It is just amazing.

I am very proud of Mummy because she's learned how to cook.

If it was on a scale of one to ten, I would give it ten.

Aw! Purdy, thank you.

You know what? Everybody's happier and I think those girls are on their

way to a lovely summer holiday.

And what a saving - £73 a week.

-Who won the bet?

-You said 60, I said 80.

I think that's me.

You won the bet. You always win the bet.

I don't mind. I'm fed up. I don't know why I even do it.

-Next time...

-Oh!

..a family of fussy eaters...

ALL: No!

-Nice?

-Hm.

-..who click on big brands and convenience...

She is paying more just to have less.

-That's actually what is happening.

-..leaving Mum...

-Hello.

-Hello!

-..with a mind-blowing food bill.