Slow Cooking on a Budget

Slow Cooking Is Already Budget-Friendly

One of the best things about slow cooking is that it turns cheap ingredients into something genuinely delicious. Tough, inexpensive cuts of meat that would be chewy if fried become melt-in-your-mouth tender after hours of gentle cooking.

The Cheapest Cuts to Buy

Beef

• Stewing steak / braising steak — the classic slow cooker cut
• Beef shin — incredibly cheap, packed with flavour, falls apart beautifully
• Beef mince — versatile and affordable, especially from Aldi or Lidl
• Brisket — a larger cut that’s great value when feeding a crowd

Chicken

• Chicken thighs — bone-in, skin-on thighs are much cheaper than breasts and have far more flavour
• Whole chicken — often cheaper per kilo than chicken pieces
• Drumsticks — the most affordable chicken cut

Pork

• Pork shoulder — the king of pulled pork, and usually very affordable
• Pork belly — rich and flavourful
• Sausages — brilliant in casseroles and stews

Lamb

• Lamb neck — cheap and perfect for slow cooking
• Scrag end — old-fashioned but brilliant in a traditional stew

Store Cupboard Essentials

Keep these stocked and you’ll always be able to throw together a slow cooker meal:

• Tinned tomatoes (buy in bulk)
• Tinned kidney beans, chickpeas, and butter beans
• Stock cubes (beef, chicken, vegetable)
• Dried herbs and spices (paprika, cumin, mixed herbs, chilli powder)
• Onions, garlic, and carrots (the holy trinity of slow cooking)
• Tomato puree
• Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce
• Plain flour (for thickening)
• Pearl barley and red lentils (cheap and filling)

Money-Saving Tips

Shop the Reduced Section

Supermarket reduced sections are gold for slow cooker ingredients. Meat approaching its use-by date is perfect — you’re cooking it that day anyway.

Use Frozen Veg

Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh and much cheaper. Peas, sweetcorn, and green beans all work brilliantly added in the last hour.

Bulk Out with Pulses

A tin of lentils or beans costs around 40p and adds protein, fibre, and bulk to any stew or curry. You can reduce the amount of meat and nobody will notice.

Buy Whole and Prep Yourself

Pre-diced meat and pre-chopped veg come at a premium. Buy whole and chop yourself — it takes an extra few minutes but saves pounds over time.

Cook Big, Eat All Week

Double up recipes and freeze the extras. You’re using the same energy whether you cook 4 portions or 8.

Sample Budget Meals (Under £1 Per Portion)

These are all achievable at UK supermarket prices:

• Lentil and Vegetable Soup — around 40p per portion
• Sausage and Bean Casserole — around 75p per portion
• Chicken Thigh Curry — around 85p per portion
• Beef Mince Chilli — around 90p per portion
• Vegetable and Chickpea Stew — around 50p per portion

Browse our recipes tagged as Budget for more ideas.