Save Money: Good Food

This week, Susanna Reid and Matt Tebbutt are in Kent with the Ockendens. This family of six are overspending on their food bill because Mum Sarah has to cook many meals to satisfy her fussy family. Matt takes on the challenge to reinvigorate their meal times with sumptuous dishes which will get them all eating together and save them money- including with veg packed meatballs for just 88p per person and a fabulous Mexican Feast for £6.71 for six people. Susanna is finding out how we can all save money by shopping smarter when it comes to veg - and she puts the nations favourite cheese and onion crisps to the taste test- how will the supercheap winner stand up to market leader Walkers?

Susanna and Matt visit Rotherham in Yorkshire and the Hudson family.Mum and Dad are stuck in a habit of splashing out on expensive brands believing paying more equals healthier food for their two children.Matt is out to prove that by cooking from scratch and ditching the premium pre made meals they can enjoy delicious meals and save this family money.He serves up a budget busting chocolate pud at just 33p per person – and a show stopping steak supper for just over a pound a head.Susanna is investigating our national habit of spending on premium smoothies and yogurts- bringing some tips on slashing your spend. And we put classic milk chocolate to the supercheap taste test- how will the supercheap version fare against superbrand Cadburys?

This week Susanna and Matt are in Wolverhampton to raid the kitchen of takeaway lovers the Cookes.With five daughters Mum and Dad are so busy that they often reach for the phone rather than cooking from scratch.So Matt has to deliver dishes fabulous enough to rival their beloved takeouts. With a healthier homemade fish and chips meal coming in at under a pound a head and a Chinese feast to rival their favourite takeaway for just over 7 pounds for the whole family! Susanna is at Billingsgate Fish Market to see how a few changes to our fish shopping habits could mean big savings and we put shortbread to the supercheap taste test- how will the budget biscuit stand up to famous brand Walkers?

This week Susanna and Matt are in Surrey with the Dhillons. This family love cooking but they throw most of their leftovers in the bin. Matt takes on the challenge to get them loving their leftovers, using them to create delicious new meals to save them money. The Thai vegetable curry can be reinvented the following night with meat – and the leftover rice is used for a clever pudding! The final feast of Moroccan tagine is a taste sensation that will taste even better the next day. The Dhillons do a lot of top up shops at local convenience stores so Susanna is finding out how we can all shop smarter when we use the smaller shops - and as it's the run up to Christmas we are testing the nation's favourite tipple – red wine.

This week we are in Scarborough and we are road testing Christmas.

Matt is challenged to save money on the biggest and most expensive meal of the year. He will be raiding the kitchen to find treats to create homemade party food- and then he will be making a three course traditional Christmas feast for less than five pounds a head!.

Susanna is finding out how we can get the best value for money when we buy wine to go with our Christmas feast and we will be taste testing mince pies to find out which of the budget buys tastes best.

Susanna and Matt are in Essex with the Evans family.This family rely on premade sauces and packets for their meals and make nothing from scratch. Desperate to save money and take their children on holiday, shows them some fantastic family favourites – each for under a pound a head – to get them cooking and saving. With a classic fish pie and delicious chicken curry for less than a fiver for the family the Evans' cooking habits are transformed. Susanna is taste testing cola and pitting the supercheap with superbrand giant Coke to see which shoppers prefer. And as many of our favourite snacks seem to have fallen victim to ‘shrinkflation' – and we could be being charged the same amount for smaller packets - Susanna investigates how we can fight back and beat the shrink.

In this episode, Susanna and Matt join the Puri family in Kent. Stuck in a rut of cooking the same things week in week out, this family need some inspiration in the kitchen. Matt takes on the challenge to broaden their culinary horizons with light, bright and low-cost dishes; meanwhile, Susanna finds out which supercheap instant coffee shoppers prefer before putting the winner up against a market leader. Susanna also investigates how we could save hundreds of pounds in our weekly meat shop.