FEWER and fewer of us are eating out as we try to cut back on costs.
A consumer spending report by Barclays found that restaurant sales fell by 8.2 per cent from May to June this year.
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And the study revealed that three in ten people plan to eat out less to help offset rising bills.
With the latest research from MoneyTransfers.com estimating that we could save £760 a year by eating at home instead, there are big savings to be had.
But how will you cope without your favourite dish?
We asked writer Lynsey Hope to knock up some of her own homemade versions to see how much she could save – and how easy they were to prepare.
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Lynsey, 42, from West Malling, Kent, says: “Lots of restaurants offer some of their most popular recipes online so it was easy to find ingredient lists and how to make them myself.”
Lynsey reveals how much you can save and gives her verdict, out of five, on how difficult it was to make the recipe dupes.
Bella Italia Spaghetti Carbonara
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Restaurant price: £14.59
Home cost: £3.57
YOU NEED:
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2 egg yolks (55p)
50g Pecorino cheese (£1.35)
100ml whipping cream (38p)
200g spaghetti (30p)
Pancetta lardons (99p)
Plus olive oil, salt and black pepper
METHOD: Mix the egg yolks with the grated Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan) and whipping cream then put to one side.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions.
Place the pancetta lardons on an oven tray and cook for five minutes.
Transfer into an oiled frying pan and cook until crispy.
Then pour the egg and cream mixture into the same pan and remove from the heat.
Drain the spaghetti, add to the pan and bring back to the heat a minute or two, coating it with the sauce.
Serve and top it with pancetta.
Lynsey says: “Carbonara is an Italian favourite of mine and this was actually very easy to put together.
“I’d made the cheese sauce and cooked the lardons in the time it took to cook the spaghetti.
There’s something about buying restaurant pasta and while my version wasn’t as good, it did save me over £11.”
Difficulty: 1
Saved: £11.02
Zizzi King Prawn Linguine
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Restaurant price: £15.45
Home cost: £4.21
YOU NEED:
6 king prawns (79p)
Dash of white wine (50p)
1 roquito chilli (13p)
100g lobster bisque (£1.13)
60g pomodoro sauce (50p)
60g fish stock (37.5p)
100g linguine (15p)
1 courgette (42p)
1 tsp of butter
parsley (9p)
pea shoots (13p)
METHOD: Add olive oil in a pan and saute the prawns for two minutes.
Add some wine, the roquito chilli, and then the lobster bisque, the pomodoro sauce and finally the fish stock.
Mix and leave it for 30 seconds to cook. Meanwhile, cook the linguine in a pan of boiling water for approx. 8-10 minutes.
Add the shaved courgette and butter into the sauce and mix.
Mix the linguine with the sauce and add some olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper.
Garnish with some pea shoots, and serve.
Lynsey says: “Some ingredients, like the roquito chilli and lobster bisque were quite hard to come by and I had to try bigger supermarkets to source them.
“Once I had everything, though, it took less than 15 minutes to cook and tasted fab. I’d definitely make this one again.”
Difficulty: 2
Saved: £11.24
TGI Fridays Deluxe Wagyu Burger
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Restaurant price: £21.50
Home cost: £2.72
YOU NEED:
6oz Wagyu patty (£1.75)
grilled mushrooms (3p)
Monterey jack cheese (32p)
Seeded brioche bun (27p)
Caramelised onions (35p)
METHOD: Press your beef patty down evenly so it flattens out a bit.
Season with salt and pepper and fry seasoned side down for four minutes, then flip the burger and let it sit for another 4-5 minutes.
If you prefer to air fry the burger, cook for around ten minutes, flipping half way through, making sure the meat is cooked through.
Whilst the burger is cooking, grill your mushrooms.
With a minute or so left on the clock, add the cheese so it melts over the patty.
Toast your brioche bun, add the burger and top with some caramelised onions and the mushrooms.
Lynsey says: “This TGI burger costs £21.50 in the restaurant but I found my Wagyu patties for just £1.75 each at Aldi and they were delicious.
“I cooked the burger in the air fryer and the meat was tender and flavoursome.
“This was easy to make and ready in under 15 minutes.”
Difficulty: 1
Saved: £18.78
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Nando's butterfly chicken and sides
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Restaurant price: £14.20
Home cost: £2.35
YOU NEED:
1 chicken breast (£1.15)
shop-bought Nando’s Peri-Peri Sauce (45p)
Peri-Peri microwave rice (34.5p)
coleslaw (40p)
METHOD: To butterfly the chicken breasts, run a long sharp knife along the side of the meat and slice in half horizontally. Do not cut all the way through.
Open it up, and flatten it, it will have the shape of a butterfly. Use a meat tenderizer to flatten it to the desired thickness.
Rub the marinade on both sides of each chicken, then refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours.
Grill chicken for about 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Lynsey says: “The hardest part here was butterflying the chicken breast, but I got it on the first attempt and it did mean the chicken cooked evenly and tasted good.
I bought pre-made Nando’s sauce and sides to go with my chicken.
“These tasted delicious, were ready in minutes and offered a great saving on one of my favourite restaurant meals.”
Difficulty: 4
Saved: £11.85
Wagamama chicken katsu curry
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Restaurant price: £12
Home cost: £2.29
YOU NEED:
½ onion (6p)
Garlic clove (3p)
Ginger (8p)
1 heaped tbsp mild curry powder (5p)
½ tsp turmeric (3p)
50g plain flour (2.5p)
150ml chicken stock (5p)
50ml coconut milk (10.5p)
½ tsp light soy sauce (4p)
60g rice (3p)
Chicken breast (£1.15)
1 egg (27.5p)
50g panko breadcrumbs (36p)
Plus sugar and vegetable oil
METHOD: Fry the onions, garlic and ginger until soft, then add the curry powder and turmeric and leave on low heat.
Add the flour and cook for one minute. Add the chicken stock slowly, followed by the coconut milk.
Season with salt and pepper and soy sauce, then strain through a sieve to make it smooth.
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
Cut the chicken fillets in half and coat in flour.
Soak each one in egg, then dip into the breadcrumbs. Cook in a pan until golden brown.
Slice the chicken and serve next to the rice, then cover in the sauce.
Lynsey says: “Of all the meals I tried to make, this was the hardest.
“Breading the chicken was a messy process, the sauce had to be made from scratch and then I still had to cook the rice and garnish the plate.
“The end result was tasty but it was hard to get it looking as good as Wagamama’s version.
“But an impressive £9.71 saving though.”
Difficulty: 5
Saved: £9.71
Pizza Express Margherita
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Restaurant price: £10.95
Home cost: £1
YOU NEED:
2 tsp dry yeast (9p)
22g plain flour (12.5p)
80g passata (9p)
70g mozzarella (69p)
Basil leaf (1p)
Plus sugar, salt, black pepper, olive oil and dried oregano from the store cupboard
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 230C. Crumble the yeast into warm water, add the sugar and leave to stand for 10-15 mins.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
Mix the ingredients until they bind. Knead the dough constantly for ten minutes until soft, then place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Leave for 15 mins.
On a floured surface, roll each piece to make a thin base and place on a non-stick baking tray.
Spread the passata on top, followed by the cheese, oregano and black pepper.
Drizzle with oil and cook for 10-12 minutes. Garnish with a basil leaf.
Lynsey says: “I was amazed at how easy this was to prepare.
“The dough came out really well, though the worst bit was kneading for ten minutes straight.
“Mine came out huge and I overdid the passata a little, but it tasted really good.
“The kids devoured every last bite – it’s amazing that you can knock this up in around 40 minutes for just £1.”
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Difficulty: 2
Saved: £9.95
