Saving Money on Food Shops - Meat and Fish

I'm begining a new money saving series. Here are my top tips and tricks when it comes to saving money on the pesky food shop. From what to have stocked up in your food cupboard and what to look for when buying food. 

I'll be covering Meat and Fish in this post! 

Chicken

I opt for chicken drumsticks, my local supermarket sells them for 1kg for £1.99

I cook them in the oven or air fryer, then simply shred the chicken and keep it in the fridge. Adding it to meals where I want to incorporate meat

Chicken is a versatile meat and pretty much works in 90% of meals. 

Alternatively, if I'm doing a roast chicken, I will shred the remaining chicken from the carcass and use that for another meal. Also perfect for making stock! 

Mince (beef)

Opt for roughly 10-15% fat mince. 9 time out of 10, these are price matched to Aldi at major retailers making it affordable. 

5% mince can dry out easily and be harder for little ones to eat, whilst the highest fat content mince (around 20-25%) has a habit of changing consistency and flavour of your food and making it very greasy and oily. 

Butchers sections

At my local supermarket, we are fortunate enough to have a butchers attached. They do 2 very large turkey legs for around £5. 

Often, I will buy these and blitz it in the food processor, making something resembling turkey mince. They also sell the likes of offcuts and pork ribs. These are brilliant more affordable options. 

If you have a butchers local to you, I highly recommend utilizing it! 

Fish

I often opt for frozen fish fillets. For example, frozen salmon fillets normally only contain the fillet themselves and water as a protective ice glaze. Meaning there are no added nasties. 

These are perfect options if you are incorporating the fish into something like pinwheels or a pie. Granted, if you want a pan fried salmon with a salt crust, these won't be as nice as the ones you find in the fresh section. But almost double the produce for the same price, you can't complain. 

For littles, be sure to always check the ingredients on the likes of sausages ect to ensure there's as minimal ingredients as possible. 

Savers sections

Always scout the savers lines and also reduced items. These are godsend in my meal plans. 

By saving money on these little bits, I'm able to afford nicer meals more often. For example a pork joint or a lamb curry one night in a week. 

Next I'll be covering what I keep in my dry store. Tins of stuff and my kitchen staples.