Everyone is looking for ways to make the pennies stretch further as the cost of living squeeze puts family finances under severe pressure. And as the summer holidays enter the home stretch, people are keen to get food into the bellies of their little ones as cheaply as possible.
In response to the financial crisis, many supermarkets and restaurant chains have offered deals for children to eat for just £1, and some for kids to eat free. Although there can be a number of terms and conditions, including adult minimum spend.
The Manchester Evening News' parenting editor Emma Gill took her two children to an Asda cafe in Bolton, Greater Manchester. She said that depending on which store you visit, can either get a hot meal - choosing from the likes of fish fingers, chips and peas; chicken nuggets, chips and beans; a breakfast, mac and cheese, or pancakes - or a cold pick and mix, which you can either eat in or take away.
Her children choose the cold option to go. With the pick and mix, children get a sandwich, a drink, a piece of fruit, a fromage frais yoghurt and a treat item.
Choices are cheese spread or ham for the sandwich, an orange or blackcurrant Capri-Sun, apple or banana and a strawberry yoghurt. Treat items to choose from on our visit were Cadbury fingers, Oreo biscuits or a packet of crisps.
The offer is clearly in demand as some sandwiches had already been made up and were wrapped in clingfilm inside a box, which made getting the lunch even quicker - a couple of minutes if that. Another plus point of the offer is that it applies to any child 16 or under, so even those with tweens and teens can make use of it, providing it meets their standards that is!
Oh and those with babies don't miss out either, as you can get a free 70g pouch of Ella's Kitchen baby food.
Here's what Emma thought
Really there's nothing not to like. They might well prefer a fizzy drink, but most youngsters will drink a Capri-Sun and while there's nothing fancy about the sandwich - just plain white bread buttered and with the filling on - arguably that's how most kids prefer them anyway.
My two polished off everything except the yoghurts, neither are particularly keen despite devouring spoonfuls of the stuff as toddlers, yet they somehow they didn't have the same aversion towards the biscuits.
I was actually gobsmacked by what the deal includes, especially when there is no obligation on parents to buy anything from the café.
I'm sure many will - or there'll be something they need to pick up from the supermarket while they're there - Asda bosses aren't daft. But there's surely little to no profit involved in these £1 lunches and it's definitely one thing they deserve praise for.
