Can You Make 3 Courses for £3 (per portion)?

I wanted to see if it was possible to make a full three-course meal for under £3 per person. No tricks, no special offers, and no skipping ingredients.

Surprisingly, it worked. And even better, each course tasted far nicer than the price suggests.

The starter had a gentle sweetness from the tinned tomatoes. The main was a creamy risotto that felt like proper comfort food. The dessert looked like something you would see in a café, even though it was the cheapest part of the whole challenge.

Starter: Mini Shakshuka

This is a simple idea that turns basic ingredients into a bright and warm starter.
The cumin seeds add a lovely aroma, and the cheaper tomatoes gave mine a slightly sweet edge. It wasn’t overly sweet, just pleasantly noticeable.

To make it, toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan, then add oil, onion, and pepper.
Once they soften, add the chopped tomatoes and let the sauce thicken.
Crack in the egg, cover the pan, and cook until the white is set.
Serve it with a slice of toasted bread.
A small dish, but full of flavour for only eighty pence.

Main: Chicken & Broccoli Risotto

This dish tastes far more expensive than it is.
The risotto comes out creamy and rich, and the roasted chicken adds a deeper flavour.

I roasted the chicken breast from frozen. It went into the oven at 170°C fan for the first twenty minutes.
After that, I added the frozen broccoli straight onto the tray.
A sprinkle of salt on the tray helps the broccoli crisp rather than steam.

Once roasted, I chopped the chicken and broccoli and stirred them through the cooked risotto.
A spoonful of cheese and a few snipped chives on top finished it off nicely.

The result was creamy, slightly salty from the stock cube, and properly satisfying.
It did make a generous portion, so you may even stretch this into two servings if you prefer.

Dessert: Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf

This was the star of the whole challenge, even though it cost the least per person.
The loaf rises beautifully and looks impressive with the banana slices baked on top.

To make it, mash two bananas with the egg and milk.
Stir in the sponge mix and most of the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into a loaf tin, add the final banana on top, and bake until golden.

For the topping, melt butter and sugar in a pan.
Add banana slices and a small handful of frozen berries until they warm through and turn syrupy.

The finished loaf is soft and moist with pockets of melted chocolate and a mellow banana flavour.
It feels like a treat and costs only around fifty pence per slice.

Final Thoughts

The full menu came to £2.98 per person.
Everything worked well, and nothing felt like a compromise.
The starter had a nice sweetness, the risotto was creamy and comforting, and the dessert looked far fancier than its cost.

This challenge proved that a bit of planning can go a long way. I’m already tempted to try a £2 version next time. If you liked this check out this budget saving video featuring a couscous cake. You can also watch the video above on YouTube here if you prefer.