Eat healthy and save money! 

Eating a healthy, balanced diet has many benefits for you and your family:

• Weight Loss
• Increased energy for the day
• Improved mood
• Cooking and eating delicious food!
• More focus at work or school
• Can help save money

Trying to eat healthy can sometimes feel difficult and expensive - but it doesn’t have to be! In fact, by shopping locally, choosing the right recipes and making a few small changes to the way we prepare, cook and eat, eating healthy can be delicious, fun and cost-effective.

There are also many local services in Stockwell and across Lambeth to support people who are financially struggling to eat well on a budget.

Go to the next section to find out more.

If you’re tight on time, looking to reduce your food budget or just looking for inspiration, here are some tips for eating well on a budget in Stockwell:

Cheap and delicious recipes

• Head online to find cheap and delicious recipes for every budget. If you’re just getting started, why not sign up to BetterHealth for free? Enter your email and you are sent two simple, tasty recipes per week with cheap ingredients and step-by-step instructions. 
• Cooking on a Bootstrap and Pat’s Food have a big collection of healthy and cheap recipes to dive into, including Pat’s ‘Feed Yourself for £1 a Day’. If you find a great recipe, post it below in the comments!

Buying and cooking in bulk 

• Buying in bulk, especially ingredients you use a lot or can store easily, can help you save money on those essentials. 
• Bulk cooking can also help reduce the cost of ingredients by storing extra food for later - especially if you have a large pot or slow cooker and some tupperware. BBCGoodFood have batch cooking recipes to help you do this - why not pick one and get started.

Alternatives to meat

• Meat and fish can often be the most expensive part of a meal. But there are an increasing number of alternatives that are delicious, filling and nutritious. Why not try this recipe calculator to find an alternative for meat in your next meal

Shop smart!

• The average UK family throws away around £60 of good food per month. Planning your meals so ingredients get used is an easy way to make your money go further. You can freeze any food you don’t use - here are some tips on freezing and defrosting.
• Write a shopping list - and try not to shop when you’re hungry! 

Food sharing:

Want to help your community fight food waste? Food waste is a worldwide issue and is being tackled by the anti waste app Too Good To Go. 

Lambeth has a number of allotment sites of various sizes in different parts of the borough. If this is something you are interested in, have a look at the different options here.

Markets and shops:

Why not choose to do your shopping on The Food Bus? The London Food Bus is the first converted double-decker bus of it's kind in London. Each week it aims to offer groceries, cupboard items and more at an affordable price. It even has a cafe on the top section!

Some other options:

BRIXTON VILLAGE MARKET

Food from all over the world
Find out more

BRAZILIAN CENTRE STOCKWELL

Butcher shop and store
Find out more

PORTUGUESE DELI

Delicatessen Serrana
Find out more

COMMUNITY SHOP WEST NORWOOD

Surplus food for low prices
Find out more

Food support services in Lambeth:

Want to find out where your local food bank is for yourself, someone you meet in need or for a friend? Use the Trussel Trust to help locate your nearest bank.

Lambeth Larder is a social enterprise that helps connect local people to a variety of services in Lambeth. Check out their directory here to see their links to food services.

Did you know that on average, a person throws away the equivalent of their own body weight in food every year!

Here are some handpicked healthy, low-cost online platforms to help get you inspired:

• Jamie Oliver’s ‘cheap and cheerful’ recipe list
• Healthy Living Platform
• BBC GoodFood Budget Healthy Recipes
• Easy Meals App

Wondering which foods are healthy but also cheap? Your prayers have been answered here!

Psst - there's a great resource created by the NHS called 20 tips on how to eat well for less check it out here.

Brixton People’s Kitchen collects food that would otherwise be thrown away from local shops, markets and businesses and invites people to cook together in a local kitchen. 

Click here if you would like to learn new recipes from others and help reduce food waste in Lambeth by visiting and being part of this movement, at Brixton People’s Kitchen.

Healthy eating is vital to children’s growth, development and happiness. They are also our future chefs and food experts!

Understanding what ‘healthy eating’ looks like is vital for children to develop healthy habits for a lifetime.

Why not download the free NHS food scanner app.You just scan the barcodes of your family’s favourite foods, swipe to see the healthier options available and make a swap next time you shop! It also helps to show children what a ‘good’ choice looks like, as ‘good’ choices are shown with a badge when you scan and you also get a traffic light rating for your product’s sugar, salt and fat content.

Need help with recipes?

Take a look at these great family recipes and why not sign up to ‘cook together’ emails. Every week for 4 weeks you will get 2 healthy recipes - with videos, easy-to-follow instructions and a shopping list - straight to your inbox.

Are you worried about your child’s weight? If you are worried about your child's weight, there is lots of help available and support here. 

Events and courses

Cook and Eat well courses for children can be explored here.

You can also discover food and cooking activities in Lambeth by looking on Lambeth’s calendar

Have you heard about the Impact on Urban Health group? They are running a ten-year programme to improve children’s health in urban areas by tackling childhood obesity, read their vision online.

There are a variety of vegetarian and vegan restaurants and shops in Lambeth. Cafe Van Gogh is an amazing social enterprise that as well as providing a 100% delicious vegan menu, also provides on-the-job training for people with additional challenges in life, such as disabilities or mental health concerns. Take a look at their social mission video here.

Other great veggie/vegan ‘go tos’:

• The zero waste store Pipoca
• Temple of Seitan (Brixton, Lambeth)
• The cure vegan food (Brixton, Lambeth)
• Peachy Goat (Herne Hill, Lambeth)

A varied diet is a healthy diet, which means you don't have to be a vegetarian or vegan to eat such styles of food. Why not try 1 day per week only eating vegetarian or vegan food? Cutting out saturated fats and meat in some meals not only benefits your body but also the climate.

Other sources…

• There are great vegetarian recipes on BBC Good Food - check them out!

• Jamie Oliver has created lots of different easy to make vegan recipes - see which ones make your taste buds tingle

• Veganury isn't just for January…Check out this site for vegan recipes from all over the world