Slash your food bill with our brand new money-saving round-up of the best food offers, deals and bargains this week!
Frugal Friday is our excellent weekly guide to the best deals and discounts around. However, because it covers so much ground, there just isn't room to fit in all the food bargains on offer at the moment.
So this week, we're launching the frugal Food round-up! This bumper money-saving collection of this week's best food bargains and deals is entirely dedicated to slashing your food bill - whether you're staying in or eating out.
Supermarket offers
First up, a selection of the best deals currently on offer at Britain's supermarkets:
If you shop at ASDA, get some of your money back by using cashback site Quidco. Buy your ASDA groceries via the site and (on top of the usual rewards) you'll earn £5 cashback on your first shop.
Sainsbury's is currently selling a large range of items at 50% off, including pasta sauce, toothpaste, dishwasher tablets, wine, household cleaners, soft drinks and Olay moisturiser.
Visit the Sainsbury's website and click on the 'half price' box to find out more. And it's also substantially reduced the price of milk - its four pint 1% milk is now just 75p a bottle.
The best offer I've found at Tesco is on Ben & Jerry's ice cream: Chocolate Macadamia (500ml) and Phish Food Frozen Yogurt (500ml) have each been reduced by almost 50% from £3.99 to £1.99. Yum!
Are you thinking of shopping online at Ocado? You can get 15% off orders over £60 (maximum discount £15) before 31st August. The offer is valid on the first order only for each new registered account - just enter the code VOU5979278 at the online checkout.
If you want something for nothing, Ocado also has a good, free recipe database for you to browse through.
Shopping at Waitrose (Ocado's high street equivalent) may not work out as expensive as you think. The Waitrose Essential range has really expanded recently, and after 'test driving' it for the last couple of weeks I can confirm that many of the prices do match or beat those of Sainsbury's and Tesco. Quality doesn't seem to have been seriously compromised, either.
Deep discounter Aldi currently has a range of weird and wonderful 'specials' on offer; everything from £29.99 wetsuits to its Super Six range of cheap fruit and veg.
Finally, if you want to treat yourself you'll be pleased to know that at Marks & Spencer, the two dine for £10 deal is back this weekend!
Tipple
You can currently get 20% off all wine, champagne and sparkling wine at Oddbins. Just print a voucher off (from The Telegraph's website) and present it in-store. The offer only runs until this Sunday though (12th July) so you'll have to be quick!
Best restaurant deals
If you're eating out this week, don't leave the house without a voucher! Here's a bumper round-up of the best restaurant deals around:
|
Restaurant |
Deal |
When valid |
Need to know |
|
2 for 1 on main courses with this voucher |
Valid until 19th July |
Not valid at Pizza Express O2 |
|
|
2 for 1 on main courses with this voucher (from the Daily Mail) |
Valid until 19th July |
|
|
|
Buy one meal and get another for £1 with this voucher |
Every Sunday to Thursday until 30th July |
|
|
|
Get an individual pizza, pasta dish or salad with garlic bread and a soft drink for £4 for one person, £7.50 for two or £14 for four - no voucher required |
3-6pm Monday to Friday, no expiry date set |
In-restaurant only |
|
|
2 for 1 on main courses with this voucher (from handbag.com) |
Every Sunday to Friday until 26th July |
Not valid at Center Parcs, Royal Festival Hall, Riverside, Great Queen Street, or St Katharine Docks |
|
|
2 for 1 on breakfast, lunch, or dinner if you sign up here |
Every Monday to Friday - and Sundays from 6pm - until 9th August |
|
|
|
2 for 1 on main courses if you sign up here |
Every Sunday to Thursday until 31st July |
Not valid at Center Parcs and Gatwick Airport |
|
|
2 for 1 on main courses with this voucher |
Every Sunday to Thursday until 30th July |
|
|
|
2 for 1 on main courses if you sign up here |
Every Sunday to Thursday until 19th July |
|
|
|
50% off food with this voucher |
Valid until 31st July |
|
|
|
2 for 1 burgers or main salad if you sign up here - most expensive free |
All day, every day until Sunday 19th July |
Excludes Build Your Own, Laverstoke Park farm & Junior burgers |
|
|
40% off sushi plates with this voucher |
Tuesdays and Wednesdays only until 26th August |
Up to ten plates per person, drinks not included in offer. Excludes Selfridges London, Selfridges Manchester Exchange Square, Selfridges Trafford Centre Manchester, Selfridges Birmingham, Westfield London, Heathrow Airport T3, Harvey Nichols Leeds, Meadowhall Sheffield, Dundrum Town Centre and Clarendon St Ireland. |
Cut-price snacks
Millie's Cookies is currently offers a print-off voucher booklet which includes various 2 for 1 deals on cookies and ice cream. The vouchers expire on 31st October.
And Greggs is advertising a series of print-off 2 for 1 vouchers on its website - the latest being on fajita chicken lattices.
Seasonal tip: Pick your own
At this time of year, picking your own berry fruit can be a much more frugal option than buying it in the supermarket. It might make a fun day out for the kids, too!
To find the pick-your-own farm nearest to you (and for lots more fruity information) have a look at two websites: PickYourOwn.org.uk and PickYourOwn.info.
Happy munching!
More: Feed five for under a fiver! | Beware rising prices and shrinking sizes!