Health Money Student-made

Meals under £1

After hearing that the average student spends around £30 on food a week, I set myself a challenge to see if I could find some quick, easy meals that wouldn’t break the bank. To make it even more of a challenge, I tried to keep all my meals under £1, and honestly, it wasn’t as hard as I thought!

Quick disclaimer before we get started – I haven’t included olive oil or spices in the prices because I kind of figured most people would already have these. Also, these are £1 a head as often cooking in bulk is cheaper, so you can share your £1 wonders with your friends, or freeze the leftovers for later 🙂

Recipes and prices are all down below (based on Lidl prices or approximations), or you can watch a video where I make all these too!



2 pieces of pita bread per person (7p)

Hummus (50p – or even cheaper if you make your own!)


  1. Preheat oven to 200C
  2. Break pita bread into small pieces.
  3. Cover oven tray with 1 tbsp olive oil
  4. Spread pita =bread over tray, ensuring pieces are covered in oil, then sprinkle with 1 tsp salt
  5. Place tray in oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy
  6. Enjoy with hummus or another dip of your choice!

Serves: 1

Cost: 64p



2 x chopped tomatoes: (29p each)

Onion (6p)

Vegetable stock cube (12p)

Knob of butter: (Roughly 10p)


  1. Cut onion into large chunks (or smaller for a less chunky soup)
  2. Melt butter in pan at medium head, then add onions and soften for 2-3 minutes
  3. Add chopped tomatoes, stir, then add 1 cup of vegetable stock
  4. Simmer and stir occasionally for 30-40 minutes
  5. Enjoy! I normally eat with baguette or garlic bread, and sprinkle a little cheese on top too.

Serves: 2

Overall cost: 91p, per serving: 45p



1 cup of red lentils (45p)

Chopped tomatoes: (29p)

Coconut milk: (75p)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp spicy curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika


  1. On medium heat, add chopped tomatoes and spices together, mixing well. Add lentils and coconut milk.
  2. Once mixed together, bring to the boil, then stir and simmer for 45 minutes minimum, adding extra water if necessary
  3. Enjoy with rice, yoghurt or plain!

Serves: 3

Overall cost: £1.30, per serving: 43p



Half a bag of pasta (15p)

Chopped Tomatoes: (29p)

200g Bacon Rashes: (99p)

Onion: 6p


  1. Chop onion and fry on low heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened
  2. Add bacon and fry until cooked through.
  3. Add chopped tomatoes, stir, and simmer for 10 minutes. Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
  4. Add cooked pasta to frying pan, mixing well, then serve and enjoy! For an extra 30p, you can also add garlic bread to your tasty meal.

Serves: 3

Overall cost: £1.49, per serving: 49p



Banana (20p)

1 cup of oats (10p)

2 eggs (30p)

1 tsp cinnamon

Fruit or maple syrup for toppings!


  1. Break up banana, add oats, eggs and cinnamon and mix well
  2. Using a blender, blend together until smooth, adding a dash of milk if necessary (I didn’t blend enough in the video, so it came out lumpier than it should!)
  3. Add mix to pan on medium/low heat in whatever pancake size you prefer, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side or until brown.
  4. Add maple syrup or fruit to the pancakes and enjoy!

Serves: 1

Cost: 60p, (with raspberries, as in the video, overall cost 1.06)

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