Money saving mum Jack Monroe shows how to cook 12 family meals for just £5

Renowned money saving mum Jack Monroe has revealed how to cook 12 family meals for just £5.

The food writer and poverty campaigner achieved the feat using three different recipes.

What's more, her creamy salmon, pea and lemon pasta, fruit and veg curry, and mustard chicken with winter veg took just five minutes to demonstrate.

"I love This Morning so I was delighted to be asked on, especially as budget cookery can be seen as unglamorous," Jack told Mirror Money.

"I've been teaching budget cookery through my website and books for several years now - as the cost of living and use of food banks increases every year it's more relevant than ever - so it's fantastic to be able to bring that to a wider audience.

"It seems to be very much what people want to see right now and I'm happy to be given an opportunity to deliver it."

And viewers were seriously impressed.

"Give Jack a show! We definitely need a cook who understands we can't all afford expensive ingredients. She's wonderful," one wrote.

Another wrote: "Really hope we see more of Jack Monroe on your show. I'd love to see her be a regular chef in your cookery slot.

"She not only creates fantastic food that's affordable and healthy, but is inspiring many students and families on tight budgets to get in the kitchen and cook".

"All of the dishes looked amazing! Such a clever idea to use the paste as a sauce for the pasta dish," Lesley Mackay wrote in Instagram.

Paul Sharp added: "Brilliant, Jack. My wife and I thought, 'We should do this', so I’ve just bought 3 of your books!"

"Oh jack this is MAGIC," another commented.

Jamie Honeybourne seemed keen to try it himself, "Just watched ... fantastic. Gonna try the curry tomorrow night with a beer n' naan!"

What Jack bought to cook the 12 meals (ITV)

The good news is that, despite some early nerves, Jack's said she's happy to come back on.

"I’ve been getting such lovely comments and feedback, it was a really wonderful day," Jack wrote after filming.

"Thank you all so much for your support and kindness – hopefully they’ll have me back soon…!"

Jack, who's come up with more than 1,000 recipes for people cooking on a budget over the years, including Tin Can Cook and Vegan(ish) offering people affordable ways to make healthy food, bought all her ingredients from Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda.

This is what you need to know to recreate them yourself at home:

What Jack cooked

Jack's mustard chicken recipe (Jack Monroe)

Mustard chicken with winter veg - 48p a serving

• 600g chicken thighs or drums, 95p (£1.58/kg, frozen at Tesco)

• 2 tbsp cooking oil, 3p (£1/1l, Asda)

• 500ml chicken stock, 3p (39p/12 stock cubes, Asda)

• 200g carrots, 10p (50p/1kg, Sainsburys)

• 200g onion, 10p (50p/1kg, Sainsburys)

• 250g swede, 26p (30p a jar, Smartprice at Asda)

• 1 tsp mixed dried herbs, 3p

• 200g long grain rice, to serve, 9p (45p/1kg, Sainsburys)

• 2 tbsp plain flour, 5p (45p/1.5kg, Stockwell at Tesco)

• 2 more tbsp cooking oil, 6p (£1/1l, Asda)

• 1 tsp mustard, 1p (35p a jar, Sainsburys)

• 125ml milk, 6p (52p/1l, UHT at Asda)

• 200g spring greens, 26p (52p/400g, Tesco)

Method

1. First defrost your chicken, overnight in the fridge in a covered bowl or tupperware to prevent the juices from roaming around everywhere, as this could be a cross contamination risk!

2. When the chicken is defrosted, place it into a large nonstick pan with 2 tbsp oil. Season with salt and pepper, and cook on a high heat for 10 minutes, turning over, to seal and brown. Add 500ml of hot chicken stock - or realistically, boiling water and a stock cube - and pop a lid on the pan.

3. Dice the carrots, onion and swede and add to the pan, along with the herbs and plenty of pepper. Replace the lid, and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Bring a separate pan of water to the boil and add the rice, and cover to cook while the chicken is cooking.

5. Make a slurry by blending together the flour, oil, mustard and milk. Stir into the pan slowly to thicken the sauce, then remove the lid completely and reduce to a simmer. Finely slice the greens and add them a minute before serving to wilt. Serve hot over the rice - if it’s a little runny, that’s fine, as the rice will soak up any excess liquid.

Creamy salmon, pea and lemon pasta - 20p a serving 

• 300g spaghetti, 12p

• 150g salmon paste, 54p
• 60ml milk, 3p
• 200g frozen peas, 14p
• Lemon juice, 3p, and plenty of black pepper, <1p   

Method

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil, and add the pasta. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the peas halfway through to defrost and cook so they’re lovely and tender.
2. While the pasta and peas cook, grab a small bowl, and beat together the salmon paste, milk and lemon juice. Season generously with black pepper.
3. When the pasta is cooked, remove from the heat and drain. Tip the pasta into the pan and coat with the sauce, and serve.

Fruit and veg curry - 53p a serving

• 400g canned chickpeas, 40p
• 1 onion, 5p
• 2 fat cloves of garlic, 4p
• 1 chilli or a pinch of dried chilli flakes, <1p
• a splash of oil, 2p
• 1 tsp cumin (ground or seeds), 2p
• 1 x 400g tin of peaches (or apricots or mandarins), 33p
• 1 x 400g carton or tin of chopped tomatoes, 30p
• a handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 stock cube, 5p 

Method

1. First drain your chickpeas and rinse them vigorously. Pop them in some fresh water in a saucepan and boil rapidly for 10 minutes to soften.
2. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, and chop the chilli. Pour a little oil into a medium, heavy bottomed pan, and add the onion, garlic and chilli, then the cumin, and cook gently on a low heat for a few minutes to soften the onion. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up – burned onions will permeate your whole curry, whereas sweating them will add a delicious sweetness.
3. Drain the peaches, reserving the juice, and chop into small pieces. Add to the onion mixture in the pan, along with the reserved juice. By this time, the chickpeas should have finished boiling, so remove them from the heat and drain them, and tip them into the peaches-and-onion pan.
4. Pour the chopped tomatoes in, add the coriander, and crumble over the stock cube, then stir everything together. Reduce the heat to a low setting, and cook gently for 30 minutes. You may need to add a cup of water to the sauce if it starts to get a bit thick. Stir well, and serve.
5. Will keep in the fridge, cooled and stored in an airtight container, for three days, or in the freezer for three months. Reheat to piping hot to serve. 

Jack's latest book, Vegan(ish) - 100 Budget Vegan Recipes, is out now,