Everyday dinners · Practical shopping · UK families
One less thing to work out this week.
Find dinner for tonight, choose a ready-made family dinner plan, or put your own week together. Start with recipes and a shopping list you can actually use.
£30, £40 and £50 are dinner-budget targets. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are separate.
Plan the dinners. Simplify the shop.
Which dinner plan fits your week?
Every published plan below includes a dinner timetable, measured ingredients for four portions, cooking methods and a combined whole-pack shopping list.
£30 target
5 dinners · 4 people
- Meat-free meals using shared staples
- Curry, pasta, cottage pie and beans
- Plan the other two evenings separately
£40 target
7 dinners · 4 people
- A complete week of meat-free dinners
- Shared rice, lentils, beans and vegetables
- Includes cooking times and equipment
£50 target
7 dinners · 4 people
- Plant-based staples plus fish and eggs
- Tuna pasta and an egg traybake
- One combined list for the seven dinners
An easy place to start
Five everyday family dinners to try
Choose a familiar favourite, a meat-free evening or a simple chicken dinner. Each recipe below is written for four people and includes its ingredients and cooking method.
- Chicken & chickpea traybake — Chicken breasts, vegetables and a lemon yoghurt sauce. Oven.
- Creamy tuna pasta bake — Tuna, spinach and sweetcorn with a cottage-cheese and yoghurt sauce. Hob & grill.
- Cottage pie with potato & swede mash — Lean beef mince with vegetables and a potato-and-swede topping. Hob & grill.
- Roasted vegetable & lentil curry — Roasted root vegetables and green lentils in a tomato sauce. Oven & hob.
- Paprika & garlic chicken drumsticks — Air fryer chicken; choose vegetables or another side to complete your dinner. Air fryer.
Include any sides and optional toppings when making your shopping list. For a ready-made dinner schedule with a whole-pack shopping list, compare the £30, £40 and £50 dinner plans.
Just cooking tonight?
Find a dinner that sounds good.
Open a recipe for its ingredients and method. These are individual recipe ideas; swapping them into a published dinner plan means checking the shopping list and cost again.
Cottage pie with potato & swede mash
A warming mince-and-potato dinner for an evening when you want comfort food.
Vegetable & chickpea biryani
A rice-based dinner with vegetables, chickpeas and warming spices.
Roasted vegetable & lentil curry
A vegetable-and-pulse dinner to work into your own weekly menu.
Air fryer chicken drumsticks
Paprika-and-garlic chicken; choose and budget for your sides separately.
More family favourites
Midweek dinners & light meal ideas
- Air Fryer Potato and Onion Frittata — An easy egg-and-potato dinner.
- Sausage and Vegetable Tray Bake — A simple tray-bake idea.
- Pizza Toasts — A speedy option for busy evenings.
- Creamy Broccoli Bake — An easy cheesy vegetable bake.
More meat-free dinner ideas
- Vegetable and Chickpea Biryani — A rice-based meat-free dinner.
- Roasted Vegetable and Lentil Curry — A flexible way to use seasonal vegetables.
- Broccoli and Garlic Penne — A simple vegetable pasta dish.
- Crustless Tomato Quiche — An egg-and-tomato option for a meat-free meal.
Store-cupboard & soup ideas
- Store-Cupboard Salmon and Bean Pasta — A practical pasta using tinned salmon and beans.
- Simple Tomato and Basil Soup — A simple soup idea for pantry tomatoes.
- Easy Chicken and Vegetable Soup — A flexible option for using spare vegetables.
Using your air fryer?
Start with chicken drumsticks or chicken with potatoes and vegetables. For sides, try sweet potato fries or potato chips. Add the sides and their full ingredient costs when planning your dinner.
From a dinner idea to a useful shopping list
Three steps to a more organised week
1. Choose your dinners
Start with five or seven dinners. Read the recipes, check the equipment and decide whether the portions suit your family.
2. Check your kitchen
Count usable ingredients in your fridge, freezer and cupboards. In the planner, enter what you already have so it is subtracted from the shopping quantities.
3. Review the shop
Check the combined list, current pack prices and any extras. Save or print your final list before you shop.
Free UK family meal planner
Make the plan work for your household.
Load a published dinner plan, adjust it for 2–6 people, account for ingredients at home and review the combined shopping list. You can save a named plan in your browser or print your list.
Inside the planner, choose “Load £30 plan”, “Load £40 plan” or “Load £50 plan”. Loading a plan replaces the selected dinners; named saved plans and home stock are retained. Reference prices are estimates, not live supermarket quotes. Download a backup to keep your saved work elsewhere.
Before you choose a plan
Do these budgets cover the whole week’s food?
No. £30 covers five dinners for four; £40 and £50 cover seven dinners for four. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks and household products need a separate allowance.
What is the difference between the £40 and £50 plans?
The £40 plan has seven meat-free dinners. The £50 plan also has seven dinners and includes tuna and eggs. Both provide recipes and a combined shopping list. Check cheese, stock and other product labels for dietary suitability.
Will my shopping cost exactly £30, £40 or £50?
No. Those amounts are planning targets. Each plan displays a dated reference basket, which may cost less than the target. Current prices, local availability, pack sizes, substitutions and larger portions can change your checkout total.
Can I change the number of people or swap a dinner?
Yes. Use the planner for 2–6 people and review the revised ingredients and shopping estimate. Swaps and added sides change the basket. Ingredient exclusions are a convenience filter, not an allergy check.
Can I use this without the planner?
Yes. Every published budget plan includes its dinner schedule, ingredient quantities, methods and shopping list on the page. You can read it without using the interactive tool.
Can I find breakfast and snack ideas too?
For separate ideas, browse small portions and snacks or our high-protein and fibre-rich recipe collection. These are not included in the dinner budgets.
Page reviewed 21 October 2026. Check the price-review date on each dinner plan; this page review does not update supermarket prices. Recipes, portions and product labels should always be checked for your household.