Money-saving tips for families looking to cut down on food bills are especially valuable given the cost of living crisis.
With households struggling to make ends meet, one expert in making affordable meals has shared a handy tip.
Lorna Cooper, a Scottish author on cookbooks focussing on budget meals, posted the advice on her popular facebook page, Feed your family for about £20 a week.
It zeroes in on the most expensive part of meals - meat.
The tip has gone down a storm with her followers as it offers pointers on how to bulk meals out in order to make them cheaper.
Just like Yorkshire puddings and dumplings are used to fill people up, she says the same can be done with lentils, chickpeas, beans, barley and oats, Manchester Evening News reports.
"We often tell people to bulk out meat meals," she said in her post.
"The reasons for this is that meat is often the most expensive aspect of the meal. Another is that we don't actually need the huge portions of meat that many of us enjoy and by reducing the portion we reduce the price.
"It isn't a new phenomena. Yorkshire puddings are used to fill up people so they eat less meat, same with dumplings and stuffing. Breadcrumbs are used in sausages, meat balls and meat loaf to reduce the meat content. Lentils, chickpeas, beans, barley and oats are used for the same reasons.
"It is a tip that has been used for centuries. If you don't want to do it we won't force you. But if you are meat eaters who want to reduce the cost of your weekly shop then is a very quick and easy way to do it."
Followers of savvy Lorna, who has also published books about budget cooking, praised the idea, with many saying they had given it a whirl.
"Bulked my spaghetti bol with peppers and mushrooms, I I actually preferred it," said one.
"I've just halved the amount of meat we have in things with mince and chicken and make it up up lentils and pulses," said another. "It definitely helps save money and its not hurting the waistline either."
One follower asked whether the family would notice a difference in taste from adding a tin of lentils to cottage pie or spaghetti bolognese.
While some said it made no difference, others offered their own tips.
"Use dried red lentils rather than green or tinned would be my advice," said one.
"They're cheaper and a better colour match for camouflage, but more importantly they smush down beautifully into the sauce.
"Start off with a small amount and increase gradually each time you make that dish. Just make sure they're well broken down and you should get away with it."
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