School and workplace closures have sent food bills rocketing over the past month, with many families struggling to keep on top of their finances.
To help, the Government has launched a new food vouchers initiative, giving parents £15 coupons for every child in receipt of free school meals.
All schools in England can sign up to the scheme - which will give qualifying families vouchers to redeem at their local supermarket.
So far, the big four have joined, along with Aldi and Marks & Spencer who are also now accepting the money-saving coupons.
But what can you buy with £15 and how many lunches does that cover from home?
Well, Marks & Spencer nutritionist Laura Street put this to the test, in an attempt to feed two kids for a week for under £15.
"Eating a healthy, balanced diet helps keep children healthy, gives them energy, and helps them to concentrate on school work and to be alert," Laura explained.
"Although we're facing challenging times, it's worth trying to embed a few healthy habits where you can – and hopefully these tips and recipe ideas will help you do that.
"If you’re at home more, smaller habits repeated each day can really stick. But the main thing is not to be too hard on yourself. The 80/20 rule is a good one to keep in mind – if you can encourage children to eat a balanced diet around 80% of the time, you’re on to a winner!"
Laura's meal planner of 5 lunches for 2 kids for £15
Day 1: Easy cheesy pasta + banana
Day 2: Tortilla pizzas + salad
Day 3: Tuna pasta salad + crunchy crudité + fromage frais + banana
Day 4: Speedy cheese & tomato toasts + fromage frais
Day 5: Fish Finger sandwiches + fromage frais
Laura’s top tips
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Role modelling: While we’re at home, we have a unique chance to sit and eat together for at least one meal a day, so use the opportunity to display the kind of eating behaviours you’d like to see in your child.
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Get kids involved: If they help prepare meals, they’ll take pride in the food, and will be more likely to tuck in.
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Try making fruit and veggies the topic of your dinner time conversation. Discuss which you’ve eaten that day, and how you plan to fit in your five-a-day tomorrow.
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Most schools talk about the environment and food waste – strike up a conversation to see what knowledge your child has of it, and if they have any creative recipe ideas to use up leftovers.
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Get creative! Presentation has a big impact, so make food as appealing and varied as you can – kids will enjoy helping, too.
Shopping list
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500g pasta
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1 jar tomato & basil pasta sauce
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1 pack (6) soft tortilla wraps
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1 loaf (750g) best of both bread
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1 can of tuna
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2 red peppers
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1 pack kids fromage frais
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1 pack (10) mature cheddar slices
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4 bananas
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1 pack breaded cod fish fingers
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1 bag (500g) carrots
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1 pack (6) round tomatoes
Recipes
Monday - Easy, cheesy pasta (serves 2)
Cook a couple of large handfuls of pasta and stir in half a jar of tomato & basil pasta sauce.
Serve with two slices of cheddar cheese crumbled on top.
Enjoy with 1 banana each.
Top tip: To make healthy banana ice cream, freeze two sliced bananas in a sealed container then whizz in a food processor until super creamy.
Tuesday - Tortilla pizzas and salad (serves 2)
Spread the remaining tomato & basil sauce over two wraps, then top with a sliced pepper and sliced cheddar cheese.
Pop under the grill until the cheese has melted.
Meanwhile, grate three carrots and slice two tomatoes. Stir together to make a crunchy salad.
Wednesday - Indoor picnic (serves 2)
To make a tasty pasta salad, cook two handfuls of pasta. Toss with a tin of drained tuna and and three quartered tomatoes.
Chop two carrots and a pepper into chunks for some crunchy snacks.
Enjoy with 1 pot of fromage frais and 1 banana each.
Top tip: Lay out a rug inside, in your garden or on the balcony to enjoy a picnic lunch – you could even invite some teddy bears too. Serve the
leftover tuna with pasta for dinner (it needs to be eaten within two days).
Thursday - Speedy cheese and tomato toasts (serves 2)
Arrange slices of cheddar and one sliced tomato on top of two slices of bread (like all M&S bread, it contains vitamin D). Grill until bubbling.
Enjoy with 1 pot fromage frais each.
Top tip: Keep bread in the freezer to help it last longer. If you've got some leftover, blitz stale bread in a food processor to make breadcrumbs that can be used as a crunchy topping for pasta bakes.
Friday - Fish finger sandwiches (serves 2)
Cook the M&S chunky breaded cod fish fingers according to the pack instructions. Serve in four slices of bread. Add a squeeze of mayo or
your kids’ favourite spread from the fridge, if you like.
Enjoy with 1 pot fromage frais each.
Top tip: If you fancy mixing things up, try serving the fish fingers in wraps instead.
