Cheap Meal Prep Shopping List UK: Under £30 for a Full Week

The £30 Meal Prep Basket

This basket covers approximately 5–6 days of main meals and snacks for one person eating 1,600–1,800 kcal per day with 130–150 g of protein daily. Buy frozen chicken and fish to keep protein costs down without compromising nutrition.

• Frozen chicken breast (1 kg) — £3.49 (Aldi). Covers 5 dinners and 3 lunches.
• Eggs (12 large, free range) — £2.59 (Aldi). Used across breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.
• Tinned tuna in spring water (4 × 145 g) — £1.99 (Aldi). Fastest high-protein lunch available.
• 0% Greek yogurt (500 g) — £1.09 (Aldi). Breakfast base and snack.
• Rolled oats (1 kg) — £0.69 (Aldi). Cheap, filling breakfast that lasts all week.
• Brown rice (1 kg) — £0.89 (Aldi). Carb base for all dinners.
• Frozen broccoli (1 kg) — £0.95 (Aldi). Bulk it up in every dinner for almost no calorie cost.
• Baby spinach (200 g) — £1.00 (Tesco/Aldi). For omelettes, salads, and curry bases.
• Tinned chickpeas (4 × 400 g) — £2.20 (Aldi). Protein and carb in one; brilliant for curries and salads.
• Wholemeal bread (800 g) — £0.99 (Aldi). Toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch.
• Skimmed milk (2 L) — £1.09 (Aldi). For oats, coffee, and protein smoothies.
• Low-fat cottage cheese (300 g) — £0.99 (Aldi). Evening snack or high-protein lunch addition.
• Tinned tomatoes (4 × 400 g) — £1.40 (Aldi). Base for pasta sauces, curries, and stews.
• Frozen mixed veg (1 kg) — £0.95 (Aldi). Side for every dinner — peas, carrots, sweetcorn.
• Garlic (bulb) — £0.45 (Aldi). Flavour base that adds almost no calories.
• Olive oil spray (or small bottle of olive oil) — £1.75 (Aldi). Spray oils save calories vs pouring.
• Salt, pepper, mixed herbs (if not at home) — ~£1.50 for 2–3 jars. Essential seasoning.

Total Estimated Cost

Adding up the above: approximately £23–26 at Aldi or Lidl. Adding a 300 g salmon fillet (£2.79) or a pack of turkey mince (£2.00) for variety brings the total to £25–30 — still within budget. At Tesco own-brand (without Clubcard), expect to add £5–8 to these totals.

This is enough food for approximately 35 meals (5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 dinners, 5 snacks across a week, with the larger protein portions providing generous servings). The cost per meal works out to approximately 70–85p.

Sample Meal Plan from This Basket

Using only the above ingredients, a typical day looks like: Breakfast — 50 g oats + 150 ml skimmed milk + 150 g Greek yogurt (~450 kcal, 30 g protein). Lunch — 1 tin tuna + 100 g chickpeas + spinach salad (~350 kcal, 40 g protein). Dinner — 200 g chicken breast + 80 g brown rice (dry) + 150 g frozen broccoli in tinned tomato sauce (~550 kcal, 55 g protein). Snack — 150 g cottage cheese + 2 boiled eggs (~300 kcal, 32 g protein). Total: ~1,650 kcal, ~157 g protein.

This structure is high in protein, filling, and nutritionally complete. It is also genuinely boring to eat every day — which is exactly why batch cooking and alternating between a few different dinner flavours (chicken curry, chicken stir-fry, chicken and rice with different seasoning) helps maintain consistency without mental fatigue.

Tips to Cut Costs Further

Always buy frozen over fresh for protein. Frozen chicken breast, turkey mince, and salmon are nutritionally identical to fresh and consistently 20–40% cheaper. The quality difference in a cooked meal is negligible.

Check the reduced-to-clear section. UK supermarkets mark down fresh meat and vegetables daily — usually in the morning (8–10 am) and evening (after 5 pm). Buying reduced chicken breast and freezing it immediately is one of the most effective ways to cut the weekly protein budget.

Buy staples in larger sizes. A 5 kg bag of oats at Aldi costs around £3 — six times the 500 g bag price but much cheaper per kilogram. The same logic applies to rice, tinned tomatoes (buy cases of 12), and tinned tuna (multipacks).

Supplement with legumes. Lentils, chickpeas, and kidney beans are among the cheapest protein and fibre sources available. Using them to extend chicken or tuna dishes (50% chickpeas, 50% chicken in a curry) cuts the protein cost per meal dramatically without reducing total protein by much.

Getting a Personalised Shopping List

The basket above is a starting point — but everyone's calorie targets, dietary requirements, and preferences differ. Use our free meal plan generator to build a personalised week of meals around your chosen supermarket (Aldi, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Lidl, or Iceland) and receive a categorised shopping list tailored to your calorie target. The generator also estimates your total weekly cost.