I feed my family of 8 for just 42p each

I’d always loved cooking ever since I’d first moved out of home (Picture: Gemma Loveden)

‘Dinner time,’ I called.

Within seconds, my six children were pounding down the stairs and arrived at the dinner table.

‘Yum!’ they all licked their lips as I served up my infamous macaroni cheese topped with cheesy fish fingers, served with vegetables and salad.

Watching them all tuck in, I gave myself a silent high five. Because not only did it feel good to see my little ones tucking into a healthy meal, it had only cost me 42p a portion.

With the cost-of-living crisis, it’s more important for us all to save wherever we can. And if that means creating tasty and nutritious home-cooked meals while cutting back, it’s a win-win!

I’d always loved cooking ever since I’d first moved out of home with my partner, Guy, aged just 17.

I’ll always remember wandering down the meal aisle in the supermarket and picking up my first whole chicken. As I’d loaded it onto the conveyor belt to pay, I’d had to ask the woman behind the till how to cook it.

She’d stopped scanning, smiled and explained. I thanked her, and headed home to make a start on my first ever Sunday lunch.

I never expected it to turn into a caree (Picture: Gemma Loveden)

I’d been brought up on homemade meals and had fond memories of eating at my nanna’s house. She’d always put on a lovely spread on Sundays, complete with all the trimmings and followed by dessert.

My years of eating nutritious, hearty dinners had given me a passion for food, and now it was time for me to attempt recreating some myself. And I was learning how to choose ingredients that didn’t cost the earth.

But I never expected it to turn into a career.

That afternoon, I served up my first ever roast chicken for Sunday lunch and, between mouthfuls, Guy gave a nod of approval.

At 19, Guy and I had our first child, Crystal (Picture: Gemma Loveden)

From that day, my love for cooking spiralled. I taught myself bit by bit, starting off with simple dishes like spaghetti bolognaise, lasagne and curries; before learning about herbs and spices, and testing which flavours worked well together.

At 19, Guy and I had our first child, Crystal, now 17. I loved being a mum and after the first six months, I entered the world of weaning.

As Crystal got older, I introduced her to lots of foods, like sweet potato, cheesy broccoli and cauliflower. She enjoyed the flavours and textures and was eager to try everything.

When she was six, I gave birth to Curtis, now 11. And by the time he started eating, I’d grown in confidence with my cooking. Instead of using jarred sauces from the supermarket, I was making my own. It allowed me to tailor each recipe to our tastes, and it saved money, too.

I always wrote a meal plan down, whether it was weekly, fortnightly, or sometimes at the beginning of the month (Picture: Gemma Loveden)

When Curtis was five, Guy and I went on to have four children in four years: Cassius, now six, Clayah, five, Creeson, four, and Carmelo, three.

With six children to feed, I was busier than ever in the kitchen. It would have been easy to spend a lot, but I discovered tips and tricks to prevent us from breaking the bank. I liked knowing I was making the best use of our money.

I used extra veggies or lentils to make dinners stretch further, and added mustard to my cheese sauce to bring out the flavour, instead of using more cheese.

I liked creating meals of my own, and when I threw aduki beans and a bit of spice into my spaghetti bolognese, the kids loved the Mexican twist.

I always wrote a meal plan down, whether it was weekly, fortnightly, or sometimes at the beginning of the month. I jotted down ideas for each day and checked the fridge and freezer before listing the ingredients I needed.

Mexican hash brown pie (Picture: Gemma Loveden)

Then, I’d set off for the supermarket to stock up on meat, fish, veggies, pasta and usually a 5kg bag of rice – which always went a long way. I never particularly hunted for bargains but cooking from scratch was always cheaper than buying ready meals.

Prior planning meant we never had any wastage, and anything leftover I would turn into something else. I also made big batches when the kids were at school, to freeze for nights when we needed a quick dinner.

One day, I posted a photo of my homemade sweet potato chocolate brownie in a food-related Facebook group. Soon after, I was surprised to see notifications start popping up on my phone – likes and comments saying how delicious it looked and asking for the recipe.

I watched in amazement as a community formed (Picture: Gemma Loveden)

I continued to post photos of my culinary creations in other groups too, and then someone suggested, ‘You should start your own group!’

I laughed it off at first. I couldn’t imagine setting up a group that others would actually want to be a part of. Except, I couldn’t stop thinking about it: what was the worst that could happen?

One evening in July 2021, I sprung out of the bath, pulled on my pyjamas and grabbed my phone. Then I lay on the bed and created my own online group: Foodie Family Meals.

I had no idea if people would join, but it was a place to share my healthy, nutritious and affordable recipes regardless.

I was thrilled when people started joining and, within days, I had hundreds of members. I watched in amazement as it grew and a community formed.

Everyone shared photos of food they had made, listing the ingredients, how to make it, and sometimes the total costs or price per portion too. There was no nastiness, only positive, supportive comments.

Whenever someone told me they’d cooked one of my meals and really enjoyed it, it gave me a buzz – I was inspiring others to get busy in the kitchen.

I joined TikTok in February 2022 to show my meals to a different audience. My jaw dropped a video of my recipe for hunter’s sausage (a Polish, smoked sausage) in a homemade sauce, with mash and peas got over 279k views!

Now, it’s important to save money, because you never know when you are going to need extra cash (Picture: Gemma Loveden)

Now, my Facebook group, Foodie Family Meals, has over 75,000 members, and is still growing. It feels like we are one big family – even bigger than my own at home!

At home in St Helens, Merseyside, time is very sparse being a mum-of-six. But I’m proof that even if you’re busy with a lot of mouths to feed, you can still cook a fresh, nutritious meal from scratch, even on the tightest of budgets.

And now, it’s important to save money, because you never know when you are going to need extra cash. My advice is to try smaller portion sizes, buy wonky fruit and veg, use lentils to make meals go further, and try sausage meat instead of expensive cuts of meat. You could also buy an air fryer – they’re so versatile and save putting the whole oven on.

Children are renowned for being fussy eaters but amazingly, of my six kids I don’t have a single one. All of them enjoy the meals I make, and I put that down to the huge range of flavours and foods I’ve exposed them to over the years.

I adore the community I’ve created and would love to write my own recipe book one day. But for now, it’s fair to say my kids are my number one fans!

To find Gemma’s group, search Foodie Family Meals on Facebook. As told to Julia Sidwell

A mum-of-six shares her top tips for cutting costs at dinner time.