Episode 5 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!

-My God!

-That's a really funny way of shopping.

They're taking over kitchens.

-Oh, my God!

-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 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!

HE LAUGHS

This week, we're in Derby.

-Oh!

-With a family of fussy eaters.

HE BELCHES

-Nice?

-Hmm.

And Mum's clicks on big brands and convenience...

-Whoa!

-She's paying more just to have less.

..tots up to a mind-blowing shopping bill.

That's ridiculous.

But can Gregg and Chris change this family's food habits...

Yes, as long as it's chicken pie!

..and get their budget back on track?

SCANNER BEEPS

This is going to be fun.

-Let's go!

-Meet 11-year-old Sam,

his twin brother, Alex, and their mum, Sarah, from Derby.

-ALL: Hello.

-That sounds like Teletubbies.

Sarah is a self-employed administrator.

That's like your hair was this morning!

And Sam and Alex are in their first year at secondary school.

-Stop kissing it!

-I love him!

And this threesome are in a flap with their food spend.

Smile!

Follow Alex. Such a good boy!

The boss of the house is Sam.

-Me!

-And he's annoying.

Yes, that's enough. Come on.

No, it's not.

-Come on!

-One more time.

As for Alex...

He's definitely the mischief-maker.

Spray me!

He's going to be the party animal that stays out until 3am in the morning.

HE BELCHES

-Alex!

-Oh, my God, Alex!

Yeah, my personality's different to him.

-He's a rebel.

-He's kind of like the teacher's pet.

But at meal times, Sam and Alex are like two peas in a pod.

Peas are probably my least favourite vegetable.

Sam and Alex are very fussy.

They will try something and immediately say they don't like it.

There's probably about five things that we really, really like.

Sausages, chicken pie, pizza, fishfingers,

batter - not breadcrumbs - and anything on toast.

Feels every meal is the same.

I tried pasta once but I didn't like that.

-Rice - I didn't like that.

-They're not very good at eating fruit.

They won't eat meatballs, mincemeat.

The smell put me off.

It's just easier to give them what I know they're going to eat.

And it's almost always a big brand and out of a packet.

Anything that would save me time, I would buy it.

Even the mash comes out of a tin.

-Yeah, Smash.

-I wouldn't live without Smash.

-No.

-A wipe there for when you've done. OK?

And it's easy to understand why Sarah relies on convenience.

I have been on my own with them for the last five years.

There you go. Even though their dad doesn't live with us,

he spends lots of time with the boys.

As a family we focus on what Sam and Alex can do, not what they can't do.

There's no point because it's not going to change anything.

Sam and Alex were born with spinal muscular atrophy type II -

a rare genetic neuromuscular condition.

The message from the brain to the muscles gets lost,

so the brain sends the message to tell the muscles to work,

but the muscles don't get that message.

I can barely lift my arm up like that.

I can't lift it any higher than this.

My leg actually moves from the climb...

They've never been able to walk, they've never been able to...

Sorry.

Sarah found out the boys had the condition when they were 18 months old.

When they were diagnosed, we were told...

..that they wouldn't live past the age of seven.

However, we managed to get in touch with a charity and their more positive

outlook was, with the right management of care, can survive well into adulthood.

Both boys have had to undergo extensive spinal surgery.

They have titanium rods in their spines because they both have a severe scoliosis.

We were leaning like this, which was quite hard.

Then we had the operation...

-And we were like this.

-Then we were fine.

They are resilient.

-Woohoo!

-Living life to the full and they just put a smile on my face.

Jack, queen and king is ten.

Don't look, cheat.

Ace is either one or 11.

My mum is amazing.

-You sticking, Alex?

-Yeah.

What have you got? Well done!

I mean, coping with two twins on their own being very fussy

is probably quite hard.

Twist.

-And I've bust.

-Which is why she's calling on Gregg and Chris for help.

I've got into a rut of what I buy from the supermarket and I think we need a change.

But when it comes to changing her fussy sons' eating habits,

can Gregg and Chris succeed where Sarah's failed?

I actually do think it's going to be a struggle.

-You have definitely got double trouble.

-Yeah, definitely.

We're pains.

-We are.

-Yeah.

Well, Gregg and Chris do love a challenge,

so they've arrived in town and instead of spying on Sarah's shopping trip,

today they're going to do it together.

Come on, Mrs Wallace. I've found us some marvellous curtains for the

bathroom, darling.

Because like half of the UK, Sarah is an online food shopper.

I do my shopping online,

purely because of the convenience so that I don't have to physically go

around the supermarket.

So to be able to see what's in Sarah's weekly shop,

it's up to Gregg and Chris to complete her online order.

This is the first time we've been involved with an online shop.

No pressure, boys!

-Bananas, check. OK, strawberries, Check.

-Where are the raspberries?

Why aren't the raspberries near the strawberries?

Stand back. I've got this.

Got it!

-Fruit done...

-That's not a great deal of fruit, actually, is it, for a week?

How about veg?

One cucumber portion.

-Must be a half, is it?

-And one red onion.

Chris, that's it! There's no more veg on here.

Snack pots. Peel film back and place on a microwaveable plate.

They're all microwaveable,

you've just got to open the can and pour it into a bowl.

Sarah's paying four times more for branded beans in pots,

compared to non-branded tins.

Crying out loud!

And around six times more...

Perfect in two minutes.

..for rice pouches.

-Whoa!

-As for bread...

800g.

No, 400g.

Sarah's ordered a half-sized loaf, but it's not half the price.

In fact, per 100g, it's nearly 70% dearer.

So she's paying quite a lot more just to have less.

Did you say she's paying more to eat less?

That's great! That's actually what's happening.

And there's more portion packs...

Everything's mini about this shop, isn't it?

..in the cake section.

There is not a Mr Kipling caramel slice here.

Almond slice, Bakewell slice, angel cake slice.

-Lemon cake slice.

-I can read!

This is a positive for online shopping,

you just search the item and up it pops.

You're not stood here mindlessly looking for everything.

Setting up favourites and shopping lists can save even more time.

-Beautiful!

-Even online, Sarah has a trolley dash approach.

I just tend to do the shop as quick as I can.

That's a lot of tea.

That's the biggest box in the trolley.

And then pay at the end.

Here's a throw back from the 1970s.

And they smashed them all to bits.

HE LAUGHS

So this really typifies this shop, doesn't it?

We're going down convenience alley here, aren't we?

That's it. We're done.

How much do you reckon this lot comes to?

She's paid for the privilege of convenience, big brands.

£40-£50.

-I think a bit more.

-All right, let's have a little look here.

£57.32.

£60.

I can't see that being enough food for a family of three to last the whole

week. Can you? If that's their shopping for the week,

they're not eating enough veg and there's very little cooking going on

-here.

-Right, let's get this delivered then, shall we?

Let's get it to Sarah.

Gregg and Chris suspect this isn't Sarah's only shop of the week.

And they're right.

I quite often do an online shop,

have it delivered and then realise I've forgotten to buy something and

have to go out that same day.

Sarah tops up at her local shop, but it doesn't end there.

She also has branded milk delivered three times a week from an online

grocery service.

I can add things such as bread, cereals,

any breakfast products,

and then the milkman will deliver it the next day.

Although I know how much I'm spending on my main shop,

I have no idea how much I'm spending on the top-up shopping and the extras

I order from the milkman. That sounds really bad,

ordering extras from your milkman!

But it's not just her weekly food spend Sarah's unaware of.

She also has no idea she's about to have a very special delivery.

-Sarah...

-Hello.

-We've got your shopping.

-You've delivered my shopping.

Not only did we deliver it, we did it.

You did the shopping!

-Fabulous!

-And it's customary to tip the delivery driver, is it not?

Time to unpack those bags and get to the bottom of Sarah's shopping habits.

So what does it look like seeing all the food laid out like this?

It doesn't look very healthy.

There's not a great amount of veg.

How has that come about, do you think?

The boys are quite fussy.

So I'm limited in what I can give them to eat.

How fuzzy are they?

I mean, we've got spaghetti hoops here.

Would they eat pasta, would they eat spaghetti bolognese?

They don't like pasta or rice, only spaghetti hoops.

Hang on, if they're eating spaghetti hoops, it's still spaghetti.

I've tried it with them and failed miserably.

One of the things we noticed when we were picking your order today was a

lot of things are in sort of small portions.

-Why is that?

-Everything about our food shopping and eating habits is

convenience. Stuff that I can bung in the oven, put on a plate for them.

I can see how you've come to relying on the products. It's so easy, isn't it?

If you know they're going to eat something, because you need them to eat,

-don't you?

-Exactly.

-There's quite a few big, recognisable brands on this

-table.

-I am obviously a bit of a brand snob.

How many cups of tea do you drink in a week?

Well, I probably drink about six cups of tea a day.

-Do you really?

-Yeah.

-And always this brand of tea?

Always that brand of tea.

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

I would say probably about £60 a week on my main shop.

-And then?

-Probably another £15, maybe each time I go for a top-up.

How many times a week do you reckon you pop out to the shops?

-Twice a week.

-You pop out to the shops on average five times a week.

Really?

Gosh! That is a surprise.

But how much is all this shopping mounting up to?

We've got your receipts...

..and you're spending on average...

..£150 a week.

My God!

-That's shocking!

-The national average for one adult and two children on

their weekly shop is £58.30.

I'm ashamed of that.

-That's ridiculous.

-Have you got a figure in your mind that you would

like us to get your shopping down to?

Even if you could get it down to £100, that's better than £150.

-OK.

-If we could save you some money, what would you spend the money on?

We're going to Florida and I just want to make sure that the boys

can see and do everything that they want when we're there.

Do you know how much you want to take with you?

Probably about £2,000.

So £50 a week is the target, which is £200 a month, £2,500 a year.

Proper, serious amount of money.

-It would be amazing.

-I don't want you to be sad.

I want you to be positive.

We can help you, but only if you join in.

Absolutely!

And do you think we can get the boys on board as well?

Definitely.

Well, Sam and Alex are back from school.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Hello. So Gregg and Chris can ask them themselves.

We did your shopping.

-OK.

-Who out of you eats this?

That's both of us.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

-Who eats these?

They're mine. I would eat them every day if I could.

He'll probably marry one when he's old enough!

If we tried to introduce different foods that all three of you

could eat together, this is reliant on you two,

would you be interested in joining in?

- Yeah. - It will probably be chicken pie.

Yes, as long as it's chicken pie!

This is going to be fun!

Well, it's certainly going to be a challenge.

Sarah's shop today wasn't short of convenience food and wasn't short of

big brands. One thing it was short of, though, was fruit and veg.

You can understand what's happened.

I mean, the boys are fussy, they found foods that they like,

that's what Mum sticks with.

-Yeah.

-It's almost like a food security blanket.

This is deeply ingrained, as well.

They've been having the same four or five meals on cycle for several

years. So if we can get them just trying a couple of different meals

by the end of this week, that will be a huge success.

I'd like to see the boys eating some more grown-up food.

They don't eat rice, they don't eat pasta,

and it seems to me that every potato dish they have comes out of a packet.

You can understand why she's relying on convenience...

Single mum, twin boys, the boys have got muscular atrophy -

this is a serious, serious challenge.

I would love it if every time Sarah picks up a potato or boiled some rice,

she realised that she was saving money.

Even if we could just take some of those brands out of that shop,

that would save some money.

I think we can save them 30 quid a week.

I think we could save them 50 quid a week.

Let's do it.

So, to smash the family's repetitive mealtimes, when they were out,

we went in.

Oh, look. I have no idea what to do with that.

Holy guacamole!

We've banned the family's usual foods.

-No Smash!

-Out of bounds.

And short cuts.

ALL: Oooh...

And given them alternatives to try.

Pull top, so at least I won't have to get the can opener out.

To put this trio's taste buds to the test,

everything's been put in plain packaging.

What do you think to those?

-They look...

-They kind of look the same.

Most swaps are cheaper.

Ah, look, they're not pyramid, so they're different.

However, when it is worth spending more, we have.

But will this brand-loving threesome be able to tell?

That ketchup looks a bit posh.

It actually does look quite formal.

And will they like the new foods Gregg and Chris want them to try?

-Oh...

-What?

Spinach.

I'm Popeye!

I do like my brands and I'm a bit nervous,

but looking forward to the challenge.

Look, Alex.

I hope Gregg and Chris haven't swapped my chicken pies.

You go on about chicken pies so much, Alex!

Let the swap experiment commence.

-Sam.

-We're going to do this!

We are.

It's day one, and to ease the fussy twosome in,

on the menu is one of their favourites.

I wouldn't normally need a tin opener.

No, but we've banned convenience lover Sarah's big brand pots and given

her hoops in a can instead - 80% cheaper.

The pot that I use only takes a minute.

And these, just two.

The bread looks really nice,

smells really nice and it feels really good quality.

We've switched Sarah's 400g half loaf for a full-size one,

and just put half of it in the freezer.

I think that's probably a good idea,

and especially if it's going to save money.

Which it will. A supermarket own brand not only is twice the size,

it's also 25p cheaper.

As for the boys' bread...

I think it's different to the brand that we normally use.

Well spotted, another supermarket own brand.

It cost just 50p,

less than half the price of the big name bread they're used to.

I think this one probably is a little bit paler than the spread that we

normally have.

But like it, and Sarah would pocket nearly £1 a tub -

plus it contains 30% less fat than their usual branded spread.

I think I'll probably know when I taste it.

What about those hoops?

Sarah knew we swapped her pricey pots for a tin,

but have we swapped the brand as well?

These hoops are definitely different to our normal brand.

The ones that we normally have, the juice is quite watery,

whereas this is much thicker and it looks nicer.

Oooh, she's good.

They're actually supermarket budget hoops, costing just 21p a can.

But will the fusspots like them?

I can't tell the difference.

You can't tell the difference?

Ahh, interesting.

Very. As they're £1.80 cheaper than the market leader they usually have.

-Ooh, you like it, then?

-Yeah, love it.

Cracking start,

because stick to these swaps and the family would knock nearly £3 off

their weekly food bill.

That's over £12 a month, which is £150 a year.

So this would be a swap, then?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, definitely.

There's no shortage of big brands in this family's food cupboards,

especially when it comes to breakfast.

And they're not alone.

As a nation, we love a bowl of cereal,

munching our way through £1.5 billion worth a year.

But what makes a good brekkie bowl filler?

We're in Milton Keynes with a bunch of figure skaters to find out.

When I'm buying a cereal,

it's more about the taste and probably the quality of the brand.

I think I would be able to tell the difference between a big brand and a

supermarket's own brand.

What I think is important is it's healthy and it doesn't have too much sugar.

On test today are malted wheats - a high-fibre cereal -

fortified with vitamins and iron.

There's Asda, the cheapest, costing 13p per 100g.

The most expensive by market leader Shreddies at 45p.

The second dearest from Waitrose at 25p.

Morrisons, with the mid-price Malties at 20p, and finally,

the second cheapest by Tesco at 16p.

Over 5 million households buy the big brand,

but which will bowl our judges over today?

First up, the second priciest.

It doesn't really have much taste or texture to it.

-It's quite soggy.

-Next, the most expensive by the popular big brand,

which contains the most fibre but the least amount of iron.

This one is of a better quality.

It seems a bit thicker.

I'm not too sure on the taste.

Can these supermarket own brands impress?

I think this is crunchy.

I think it's really nice.

It's thinner than the other ones.

This one is a lot smaller, as well.

Last up, the second cheapest.

It has the perfect balance between sugar and flavourings.

-Definitely nicer.

-It's a higher quality.

It's been a tough competition,

but which malted wheat got our judges highest marks?

And the winner is...

-Tesco's!

-God.

I am surprised.

So, spinning its way to the skaters' top spot

is the second cheapest by Tesco.

Narrowly beating the lowest price

by Asda,

leaving the big brand and two

most expensive bottom of the table.

I'm very surprised at the result.

I thought the purple one was of a much higher quality,

so I assumed it would be a bigger brand.

I think I would shop differently now.

Back in Derby, we've swapped Sarah's branded malted wheats for the

cheapest that came second in our taste test.

I think just by looking at them I would say they were the same.

But this supermarket own brand contained 60% more iron to Sarah's usual

cereal, plus they cost £1.55 less.

They do taste the same.

Result! Now, how about the milk?

I think the milk's exactly the same.

Except it's not,

we've replaced the branded milk Sarah orders for milk from her usual

supermarket.

Milk's milk, so...

Milk may be milk, but this white stuff would save Sarah over £3 a week,

that's nearly £14 a month, which is almost £165 a year.

Holy cow!

Now for the boys' breakfast, a smoothie.

This is completely different to anything that they would have for

breakfast. Let's try it.

Smoothies are a great way to sneak in one of your five a day and are much

healthier than Sam and Alex's usual chocolaty breakfasts.

That one's really nice.

But will the boys agree?

That's sour.

It seems getting fruit and veg into this pair isn't going to be easy.

I don't like it.

-You don't like it?

-No.

But Gregg and Chris aren't giving up,

so they've called on dietician Hala El-Shafie for help.

So, Hala, we've got Sarah and two smashing boys,

but like so many children, they're fussy eaters.

-Right.

-Every mum and dad wants their kids to eat more veg.

-So, what shall we do?

-I think it's a great idea to get kids involved and

actually getting them in the kitchen.

Hala's laid out healthy goodies to make veggie tortilla rollups.

-Brilliant idea.

-Fruit and veg is important for a healthy diet,

but 92% of 11- to 18-year-olds in the UK don't eat the recommended

five portions a day.

One of the very few things a small child has control

over is what it eats, and if it becomes a battle,

they're going to really dig their heels in, aren't they?

You're right, it becomes a battle of wills,

and it's really about persevering, but don't make an issue of it.

Give them different vegetables on a daily basis and just keep trying.

On average, it can take up to 15 tastes before a child will learn

-to like a new flavour.

-Let's get these wraps on the go.

So it's important to get your cream cheese right to the edge

of your wrap because it helps to bind it together.

Hala's chosen wholewheat tortillas,

but you can add veg to pizzas or an omelette -

what's important is having a variety to throw on.

You're letting them pick one or two or three,

so they feel like they're making the choice, they're in control,

but ultimately all the options are brilliant,

because each different colour vegetable does something different for you,

-doesn't it, is that right?

-Exactly right.

Lots of variety ensures that not only are we getting the fibre that

we need, but we're getting all the different vitamins and minerals as well.

At 70p a portion...

They're fantastic!

..it just goes to show that eating fresh,

healthy food doesn't have to cost a fortune.

Get the children to choose the veg, make the wrap, they'll eat it,

-I guarantee it.

-And it's fantastic, well done.

Back in Derby, greengrocer Chris has decided

to trial some of Hala's top tips with fussy

twins Sam and Alex.

I've brought a load of delicious healthy snacks with me,

and if they'll like maybe just two or three out of the options I'm going

to give them, that'd be a huge step forward.

Would you like to do a big reveal?

-Ooh.

-No!

Like most kids, the boys prefer snacking on sweet treats and crisps,

but Chris is hoping his crudities and dips can persuade them

to swap in some healthier options.

So, in terms of their fruit and veg consumption,

would you say they're eating much of their five a day?

Not even anywhere near it.

What we're going to try and do here is see if we can find some we like

and are happy to maybe start including a bit more in our diet.

-OK.

-So, where would you like to start?

-I'm going to go for carrot.

-I think I'm going to try the guacamole.

Guacamole is relatively high in calories, but it can be a healthy choice.

OK, all at the same time.

Three, two, one...

Mainly made from avocado, it's rich in vitamin E -

a powerful antioxidant - and contains vitamin K,

which we need for blood clotting and healthy bones.

OK, excellent.

-I loved it.

-You loved it, that's great!

-That's a good start.

-Yeah.

Maybe Alex will like the hummus.

Shall we try the hummus?

Made from chickpeas, this is rich in protein and fibre.

Did you like that, Sam?

-Yeah.

-And Alex?

-Yep.

Brilliant, that's fantastic.

Well done.

In fact, there's no stopping our fussy friends,

as they give all of Chris' super healthy goodies a go.

I'm going for the green one.

-What did you think of the yellow one?

-Not bad.

-I'll take not bad.

-When it comes to introducing new foods,

the best approach is do as I do,

because evidence suggests if parents tuck in, children will, too.

-Nice.

-You're happy with that?

-Yeah.

-Were you surprised at the boys, how well they're doing here?

I'm really surprised. Even the fact that they're trying stuff is great.

Added to that, that they like some of the stuff is nothing short of a

-miracle.

-And it's a great way of keeping them quiet, as well.

For the first time this week!

It's been a triumphant tasting.

Now Chris wants commitment.

Can you pick one or two as a regular snack for part of your diet?

Tomato, cucumber and carrot.

I'll take carrot and cucumber.

Raisins, the apricots...

Apple, banana, pineapple.

Apple for me, as well.

What an amazing selection, that's really, really good.

Some really simple changes here, which I definitely will use.

So that's snacks sorted,

but can Chris convince the boys to try a staple food many families rely on at mealtimes?

Right... We're going to cook dinner.

And on the menu is pasta - a food

Sam and Alex will only eat from a tin.

What are the hoops made out of?

Spaghetti and hoops.

-It's pasta.

-Oh, is it?

-It is.

-I never knew that.

Chris has brought along the ingredients for a home-made sausage pasta.

And the best bit is you're going to help make it.

-Yay!

-Having spinal muscular atrophy type II can affect the chewing and

swallowing muscles, and Sam and Alex struggle to eat certain foods.

-What's first, Chef?

-Make a slit on each side of the sausage.

Sausage skin is one of them,

so Chris is de-skinning them and turning them into meatballs.

-Fancy having a little go at that?

-Yeah.

-By helping make it,

hopefully fussy Sam and Alex will be more willing to try it.

You've done a great job there, haven't you?

-BOTH: Yeah.

-Right, what's next, Chef?

Heat a saute pan until medium hot.

To make the sauce, Chris softens onion, then stirs in dried oregano,

garlic, tomato puree and tinned tomatoes.

Add the sausage balls and simmer for ten minutes.

For crispier meatballs, you can pan-fry them first,

but Chris has decided to poach his in the sauce.

So cooking them in this method should hopefully mean they're softer and

easier for the boys to eat.

Yeah.

Which is also why Chris has opted for macaroni, a small size pasta.

Pasta, it's something I eat a lot of,

and hopefully it will start off a whole new trend of meals,

-if the boys like it.

-Fingers crossed.

Pasta is certainly a cheap staple for families.

This, for Sarah and the boys, comes to just over £2.

-How does that look?

-Oh, my goodness gosh.

Is that a good, "Oh, my goodness gosh"?

Yeah.

They like the look, but how will the boys rate it?

-Ten out of ten.

-Ten out of ten?

This might sound a bit weird, but I like the pasta

more than the meatballs.

Wow, I'm really impressed!

I'm absolutely surprised at how they embraced it,

and I think this is the first step to introducing a whole new range of

meals to those two boys.

Final question for you, do you like pasta?

Very good.

Italiano!

What a great day.

It's not just Sam and Alex's picky palates Gregg end Chris need to tackle

during the experiment.

I'm quite particular about the tea bags that I buy.

Self-confessed brand snob Sarah likes a brew and always buys the brand leader.

I like tea very strong and I find that the pyramid shaped ones let

the flavour brew better.

Well, the bags we've given Sarah are round and a budget supermarket own

brand nearly £3 a box cheaper.

It does look quite a good colour.

Convert to this cuppa and Sarah would save nearly £40 a year.

But will this be a tea she can really taste?

It isn't strong enough for me, I'm not happy to swap my tea.

It seems Sarah's convinced her big brand pyramid brew is the best,

but did seeing the shape of the bag influence her decision?

To find out, Gregg's invited Sarah for afternoon tea,

to see how her taste buds fair in a blind taste test.

How much do you love your teas?

A lot - I love a cup of tea.

-You drink a lot of tea?

-I drink a lot of tea.

We did a bit of a tea swap with you, didn't we?

-You did.

-How did that go?

-I didn't like it, it was nowhere near the taste or the strength that I'm used to.

-Ooh...

Gregg's brewed five different brands,

two tea bags in each pot and left in for eight minutes,

just how Sarah likes it, and amongst the five is her beloved brew.

How confident are you you'll be able to spot your tea?

I'd like to think I could, because I drink enough of it.

Well, let's see, shall we,

as the first to be poured is Sarah's preferred PG Tips.

That doesn't look very strong.

And it's the priciest on the table.

Right, let's see.

-Nice?

-Not strong enough.

-What about the flavour?

-It's OK.

Just OK, eh?

Well, what will Sarah think of the next cup of splosh?

That's better, that's darker.

By Aldi, this tea is the cheapest of

the five and is the budget brew we

gave her in the swap.

That's better, better than tea one, definitely.

You sure about this?

-Yep.

-Next to sup, two supermarket own brands.

That's a good colour, look, that's quite strong as well.

Not bad.

That one looks slightly weaker.

It does looks slightly weaker.

-Not very good, is it?

-No, no.

Last to try, an Asda own brand.

That's strong, look at that, look at the colour on that one.

-Yes!

-And the second cheapest in the line-up.

That's probably the nicest.

-Really?

-Yeah, I like that one.

# I like a nice cup of tea in the morning... #

So much so, Sarah places it top tea,

as she rates them all from one to five.

Which one of these do you think is your normal one?

I think two.

That is the tea that we gave you

in the swap that you said you didn't like.

Yep, and her cherished brand she said you couldn't live without,

Sarah placed fourth.

-And you didn't like it?

-No.

Do you think it's the tea bag shape playing tricks with you?

-Yeah.

-Will you shop differently now, do you think?

I think I might be persuaded to shop differently.

Tea-tastic!

Chris is on a mission this week to get Sam and Alex to eat their five a day.

In the UK, nearly 15% of the fresh fruit we buy ends up binned.

But could the answer be in a tin?

Chris has come to Norfolk to find out.

I've been involved in the fresh produce industry all my life,

and I'm a huge fan of fresh fruit and veg, but when it comes to tinned,

can it be just as good for us?

Chris is meeting farmer Andrew Hornigold,

who's in the middle of a harvest for tinned rhubarb,

and he's getting Chris straight to work.

So here we go, Chris.

Twist, cut your heel off, cut your leaf off, and in the box.

Easy as that?

Andrew's team can harvest by hand 22 tonnes of rhubarb in just 3-4 hours.

Well, look, I think I've only got about 21.999 tonnes to go.

But this is all right, this will make a decent crumble.

But Andrew also produces rhubarb for the fresh market,

which isn't as straightforward.

Supermarkets have their own specification.

It is all down to a certain length and a certain width.

Making it more time-consuming to harvest.

Our costs are probably 60% more for the fresh market than for the

-processed market.

-So harvesting for cans is nearly a third cheaper.

That's a huge saving, isn't it?

Absolutely massive.

And it's no less fresh, as once picked,

it's transported straight to the canning factory just 30 miles away,

where Chris is meeting manufacturing director Nick Green.

Here it is. I even picked some myself.

But now it's arrived here, how long does the canning process take?

It's going to take about an hour and a quarter, Chris.

So this was picked about three or four hours ago,

and within another hour and 15 minutes, it will be finished, done?

-Absolutely, Chris.

-It takes just 15 minutes to get the rhubarb cut,

cleaned and into cans.

Unlike peaches or pears, which are naturally sweet,

rhubarb is naturally tart,

so it's canned in a light syrup of sugar and water.

Even if you're cooking it at home from fresh,

you're going to be adding sugar and water to it,

which is ultimately all you're doing here, isn't it?

-That's correct.

-Lid on, it's then cooked at 105 Celsius for an hour.

Is there any additives or preservatives in there?

No, not at all. That's just the rhubarb, the light sugar syrup, that's it.

And then the cooking process itself preserves the product.

Just 5-6 hours after being pulled from the field,

this rhubarb is ready-to-eat and has a shelf life of two years.

So here we are, this is the end of the process.

I love the fact that you're using fresh fruit and very little else.

And it reduces food waste, but it doesn't count as one of your five a day,

-does it?

-That's right, Chris.

And that's because of the added sugar.

However, we actually have cans with juice.

Which contains only natural sugars, so can count.

Very simply, fruit in juice will count as one of your five a day,

and fruit in syrup or light syrup doesn't count?

That's absolutely correct.

OK, if we look at it in terms of cost, how does it compare with fresh?

-We're cheaper.

-It's absolutely fascinating.

It's great talking rhubarb with you.

Back in Derby, since their tasting with Chris,

Sam and Alex have dared to try more fresh fruit and veg.

Scrambled eggs with spinach.

I really like it. What do you think, boys?

-I love it.

-Even the spinach?

-Yeah.

-He loved the spinach and ate the lot.

Clean plate, well done.

I've just got to convince Alex that spinach is good for you.

You're not so keen?

No.

When it came to avocado and tuna sandwiches, though,

Alex didn't need any convincing.

Mmm... Really nice. I can have this all the time.

And what about Sam's sandwich?

We've swapped their branded turkey ham for turkey breast from the

supermarket deli.

It's 61p more expensive,

but has 45% more meat and 20% less salt and goes lovely with cucumber.

It's actually quite nice.

-Can I have a bit of yours?

-Only if I can have a bite of yours.

-Yeah, we can swap.

So that's lunch sorted, but when it comes to tea,

there's one vegetable the boys only ever eat from a tin.

But today's different.

-Very funny.

-And it's not just the mash we've swapped.

Sarah usually buys branded frozen jackets, but tonight,

she'll be making her own.

And for convenience, will bake the boys' at the same time,

which she'll mash later.

This is an easier way of doing it because I haven't got to peel them.

Hopefully, they'll taste great and they'll be cheaper.

While cooking her spuds from scratch would save nearly a tenner a month,

that's over 100 quid a year.

We've also dared to swap Alex's cherished chicken pies.

These are definitely not our usual brand.

It's going to have to be an excellent chicken pie for him to agree to swap.

Well, these supermarket own brand pies are more than 80p cheaper,

plus they've got around 30% less fat and salt.

So I've got to flatten it till it's very thin.

On Mum's menu is char-grilled chicken.

For convenience, Sarah normally buys branded frozen chicken char-grills,

which take 20 minutes in the oven.

But home-made, they take just 2-3 minutes each side and have almost

80% less salt and double the amount of protein.

It smells gorgeous.

Looks great, too.

And so do those spuds.

I think this is a really good idea to do two types of potato in one go.

It smells really, really nice.

Really nice.

All that's left is to make the gravy.

Yep, no lumps, we're keeping this gravy.

Nice, because it's a supermarket-owned brand.

And if the family keep all of tonight's swaps,

they'd save over 200 quid a year.

Figures crossed that they like it.

This is usually Alex's favourite dinner,

so the biggest challenge of the week so far.

What's the verdict?

I feel like the chicken pie is like what I get from the chip shop.

-Yeah.

-I think the pastry was quite different. More crumbly.

-Did you like it, though?

-Yeah, it's lovely.

It is quite nice.

What a cracking start.

What do you think to the gravy?

I do think you've kept the gravy the same.

So how was yours?

I really enjoyed my dinner.

It's going great.

Now what about that mash?

I didn't like it.

You don't like it? What's different about it?

It's not using the same potatoes.

It's probably the worst mash that I've had.

So not the smash hit we were hoping for.

But Gregg's not giving up where family staples are concerned,

so he's back in Derby.

What I'd like to do is introduce them to something that lots of families

rely on, one of the cheapest foodstuffs you can imagine.

I'm not 100% confident.

-Hello.

-Hello, Madam.

But that's my plan.

Right, what is your favourite dish?

-Chicken pie.

-Tell me what is in a chicken pie.

There's chicken.

Chicken.

Carrots, peas.

-That's all I know.

-There's also gravy, so some stock cubes,

a little bit of flour, and garlic, onion.

And funny enough, there's little bit of celery.

-I didn't know that.

-This is the inside of a chicken pie.

Wow.

Gregg's hatched a plan to take the flavour of their favourite meal

and add it to a staple food Sarah loves.

She buys it in pouches.

I just thought of it, rice.

It is rice, and you don't have rice.

-No.

-No.

-Would rice make a difference if we could introduce it to the diet?

Definitely, because I can start introducing so many different ideas then.

Well, how do you feel about this?

-Really excited.

-Yeah, I'm quite excited. I'm up for it.

Brilliant. Time for Gregg and Sarah to get cooking.

Do you trust us?

-Yeah.

-I trust in you, just not Mum.

For his chicken and rice, Gregg fries chopped onion, carrots,

celery and garlic.

We need 600ml of stock!

For the gravy, flour's mixed in, followed by veg stock, and to thicken,

-left to simmer.

-Let's get this rice on.

Sarah usually pays around £1.60 for a microwave pouch.

But rice for four via the hob costs just 45p.

Hey! OK, Mum.

For succulent chicken, Gregg poaches it in the stock,

then adds in frozen peas and the cooked rice.

Look at that, that's beautiful.

-Really tasty.

-Stop nicking the chicken.

Sarah can't get enough, but will her sons, who've never liked rice before, be as keen?

This would be amazing if they liked rice.

Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there? I'm nervous now.

At only 86p a portion, this is super easy and cheap,

but can Gregg's chicken pie-inspired dish convince Sam and Alex that rice is nice?

-What do you think?

-I love it.

-Love it?

-Yeah.

-Alex?

-It's nice.

So far this week, Alex has proved harder to please,

but would he have it again?

-Yeah, I'd have again.

-Do you want to give this a mark out of ten?

-Ten.

-Eight.

-Eight?

-Why eight?

-Why not?

-And what would you give it, Mum?

I'd give it a ten out of ten. Really, really tasty.

To be honest, I was nervous.

All we were hoping for was that they tried it today,

and actually they tried it, they liked it, they ate it.

That's a big, big bonus.

Well done, Mum!

Oh, yeah!

Aww!

I don't mind, you ate the rice.

Yeah.

Before the experiment ends,

Gregg and Chris are determined to find Sarah more budget dinners

she can share with her boys.

So they're back with dietician Hala.

Have you got a quick, tasty, nutritious recipe they can enjoy

as a family AND can you do it under three quid?

I can. I've got a great take on bubble and squeak,

and it actually only costs 70p a portion.

70p a portion?

-Yeah.

-I love your value for money meals.

Traditionally, bubble and squeak uses up

leftover potato and veg from a Sunday roast.

Hala's making hers with sweet potato and kale.

I love using sweet potato instead of normal potato because it's got so

much more nutrients and vitamins, doesn't it?

It's really rich in vitamin A and it tastes great as well.

Is a sweet potato part of your five a day?

-Yeah.

-But normal potato's not?

That's right.

-Why kale?

-It's really rich in vitamin K,

it's really cost-effective as well.

Veg left to simmer, Hala fries bacon.

That's going to give it some texture and some flavour,

and I'm actually not adding any oil because, you know,

there's quite a bit of fat on the bacon anyway.

As the bacon cooks, Gregg roughly mashes the sweet potato.

Now, we're going to season that with the nutmeg and lots of black pepper as well.

Chris mixes in the kale,

then throws it all in a pan to heat through and brown.

That's two of your five a day in there as well, presumably.

It is. Any leftover veggies can go in here.

Hala's topping her bubble and squeak with a poached egg.

-Fantastic.

-I hear that you're quite good at poached eggs.

The thing to remember with a poached egg is don't have the water boiling

too much, and don't put salt in the water.

It will break the egg white up.

Instead, add a splash of white vinegar, then crack in the egg.

Leave it for a couple of minutes,

then get it out with a slotted spoon and see what it looks like.

It is like the perfect poached egg, there, Gregg.

All that's left is to serve and finish off with some chopped chives.

-Do you know what I fancy now?

-A bit of brown sauce.

A bit of brown sauce.

From start to finish, this nutritious meal takes just 25 minutes.

-Shall we cut this yolk?

-Yeah.

And at 70p a portion, would feed a family of four for just £2.80.

I think kids would love this. You know why?

-Because it is sweet.

-I think Leo, my boy, would love that.

-I love this.

-It is wonderful.

70p? What's not to like?

In Derby, it's nearing the end of the experiment.

Ooooh! I love these.

And fussy Sam and Alex have had a tonne of fun trying our swaps.

Oh, yeah.

More mayo!

The sauces have gone down a storm.

That's actually better.

As have the freezer swaps.

What did you think to the waffles?

They are a lot nicer.

-Really?

-Even brand snob Sarah has been impressed with our cheaper alternatives.

I would definitely have this again.

Smells really nice.

Really fruity.

And compared to their branded juice drinks, really inexpensive,

by 140 quid a year.

I would definitely be keen to have a swap on this.

Not all our swaps have been liked, though.

I can barely bite it.

It is not very fizzy.

This is a no swap.

But all in all, this fussy twosome and their brand queen have given

everything a good go.

-Love.

-Love.

It's the final day of the swap,

and the meal Gregg and Chris have been building up to...

I think we're making omelettes.

Close. It is a frittata.

Shell we begin?

-Eggs-ellent.

-Stop, you are cracking me up.

Sarah starts by whisking the eggs.

I have never made a frittata before,

but I am actually really looking forward to trying it.

Then de-skins turkey sausages...

I have never had turkey sausages before.

..which Sarah flavours with paprika.

I like the taste of paprika, because I like chorizo.

Sarah usually buys chorizo sausages just for herself,

but these are healthier, and for the same price you get three times more.

Enough for Sam and Alex.

I'm not sure about the boys, but hopefully they will like them.

Sarah loves a short cut, so we have given her tinned potatoes,

cheap and pre-cooked.

They only need a minute before adding the egg.

That smells really nice.

This will be a three-way frittata,

with Sam and Alex choosing what goes in their third.

Yes, we are very excited.

On the condition they pick at least one veg.

-Brilliant.

-Yours is out of your third.

-It looks good, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

To fluff up and brown, their creation's baked for around six minutes.

Then it's ready to serve.

Oh, my goodness.

It looks like a pizza.

So they like the look,

but will the family like the taste of their first-ever frittata?

It's nice.

-Really liked it.

-Love it.

Amazing, because instead of separate convenience dinners for Sarah and

the boys, this meal for three is over £2 cheaper.

Make it once a week and they would save over 100 quid a year.

I was not at all convinced that they would like that.

But they have both really enjoyed it.

I would definitely have it again.

Probably one of the best things I have ever eaten.

What a fabulously unfussy end to their food swap.

It is a big day in Derby,

as Gregg and Chris have come back to find out how Sarah,

Sam and Alex have got on.

So, I was really worried in the beginning of this week,

two very fussy eaters, and poor Sarah was drawing a blank

as to trying to get them to try new foods.

Have we managed to change things?

Has Sarah abandoned her love of brands?

-We should have saved them some money.

-I said 30 quid.

-What did you say?

-I said 50.

Only one way to find out, mate, isn't it?

Let's go.

I am a big brand lover, and quite excited to find out

what we have been eating and to find out the saving.

-Yay!

-Hello!

-Hello.

-Oooh!

I bet we've got some surprises for you.

Mmm.

So, how did you get on this week with the swaps?

Some of the swaps have been really good.

The introduction of the fruit and veg snacks went down really well.

The frittata was a great success.

The boys both loved that.

Have you drawn any conclusions from this week's experiment?

Don't believe your children when they say they don't like something.

-You look really happy.

-I've had a great week.

It has been really good fun and I have learned loads of stuff.

-Do you want to see what you have been eating?

-Yes, please.

Time for Sarah to see what was swapped and what wasn't.

Tell me about the malted breakfast cereal.

I thought it was the same.

Look.

-We did swap it, didn't we?

-Yeah.

-Do you want to see the price difference?

-Yeah.

-Wow!

-Wow indeed.

Plus it's 50% larger than her usual brand.

That is a big difference.

-For more.

-It is a good start, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah.

But there's an even bigger saving to be made on the eight pints of

branded milk Sarah orders every week.

Tell me about the milk. How did you get on with that?

It just tasted the same.

We did swap it.

-Would you like to see the price difference?

-Yes.

-Wow!

-And that's just the semi-skimmed.

Gregg has got the blue top saving, too.

If you swapped both milks, you would save £165 a year.

-Gosh.

-That is milk alone.

Yeah. Swap.

-Yeah?

-Definitely.

-Hmm.

-Hmm.

-BOTH: Hmm.

You and I had a cup of tea together.

-We did.

-In fact we had five cups of tea together.

We did.

That's probably the nicest.

-Really?

-Yeah.

The one you liked the most was that.

-Oh, yeah. It was lovely.

-Do you want to see the price difference?

-Yes.

-Do you want to keep this?

Yeah.

-Love you.

-I love you, too.

Swapping her tea and the boys' apple mango drink saves Sarah a juicy

£180 a year.

Next, a swap close to Alex's heart.

-Right, right, right.

-Oh!

-Oh!

-Oh! Ooh!

-Chicken pies.

-Chicken pies.

You know we swapped it.

-Oh, yes.

-That's what you had.

That is the price difference.

-Yeah.

-That is a saving of over £40 a year, and that is not all.

These pies have around 30% less salt and fat.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-Are we keeping it?

-Yes.

-Good choice.

Yeah.

Now for another family favourite.

Spaghetti hoops.

-Did we swap them?

-Yes, you swapped them.

-What did the boys think?

-They loved them.

OK. So we gave you these.

Do you think there might be a price difference?

Definitely a price difference there.

-Whoa!

-Blimey!

-Is this a swap?

-That is a swap.

Just by switching her hoop pots, chicken char-grills,

beans and frozen jackets...

-Wow.

-..saves over 270 quid a year.

-It is great, isn't it?

-Oh, yeah.

And the family pocket another 90 quid,

just by changing to these freezer favourites.

There's big savings adding up here. I'm excited.

But not everything we swapped in cost less.

-Turkey ham.

-It was really nice.

It was really tasty. I would say probably more expensive.

Yeah, you're right. It is 61p more.

-Yeah.

-But there is a good reason why we gave you this.

This is 94% turkey meat,

where what you had before was 64% turkey meat.

And then the differences keep coming.

This has got 70% more protein, and 20% less salt.

-Are you going to have this?

-Yes.

Bootiful.

We didn't just trade their sandwich meat for a healthier option, though.

We swapped Sarah's usual chorizo for turkey sausages.

Smells really nice.

-Did you like them?

-Loved them. Really nice.

And we all ate them.

They cost the same as her chorizo, but they are three times bigger.

They'd save Sarah over 80 quid a year.

Not only that, they're 73% less fat than chorizo.

And 66% less salt.

-Well, I'm guessing you're keeping them?

-Yeah, definitely, yeah.

In fact, Sarah, Sam and Alex only turned down a handful of swaps.

-What did you think?

-I didn't like it.

Even on foods the boys said they didn't like...

-Smoothies.

-I'm going to persevere with that.

Sarah's not taking no for an answer.

-Mashed potato.

-Oh, swap, yes.

I would prefer them to eat potatoes.

So much has changed for you this week.

I'm amazed, amazed.

Totally, because although Mum started the week with two fussy sons...

Eggs and spinach.

-This is a winner, right?

-Yes, definitely.

..86% of our swaps are staying.

-Keeping them?

-Keeping them.

Are you proud of how the boys have done this week?

Yeah, very proud of them both.

-We are proud of you.

-Thank you very much!

Now it's time to find out how much Sarah, Sam and Alex have saved.

So, when we first met you,

with your supermarket shop and all your top up shops,

you were spending just under £150 a week,

which was seven and a half grand a year.

What were you saving money towards?

We're going on holiday to Florida, so savings towards the spending money.

And remind me of the figure you wanted to save for the holiday.

About £2,000.

Hopefully we can get somewhere near your goal.

You have saved here...

..just under...

..£45 a week.

-Amazing.

-That is £2,250.

There it is.

Sarah and the boys have hit their £2,000 target.

Thank you very much, thank you.

£2,000 every year, that's phenomenal.

That went amazingly well.

The boys are trying new foods,

Sarah's lessened her reliance on big brands and they're all eating

together the same thing as a family. That's amazing!

-How much did we save then?

-45 quid.

-Yeah, I said 30.

-I said 50.

You win. Do you think they're going to have a good holiday?

Well, I think they deserve it after that.

I think our hard work has paid off.

£45, that's quite a lot.

It's been amazing.

-High five.

-Well done.

High five.

Next time, a mum trying to please her family...

We're known as like the Ben and Jerry family.

..means her shopping is out of control.

Sue, what are you doing?

Can we get her back to basics...

Get your spice tray out for me, please?

..and rein in their spending?

The financial impact of this is colossal.