Like many families across Britain we’ve been bitten by the recession so I’ve had to find new ways of saving money. Faced with a reduced food budget and soaring supermarket prices, I have found that my best form of defence is the frozen food aisle. Walking down the fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetable sections had become quite daunting. Even things like potatoes suddenly looked like luxury items!

So why are frozen foods cheaper? Well firstly you aren’t paying for the built in cost for wastage as frozen food doesn’t perish like fresh (it’s sold way before its use by date). Plus frozen food companies can also buy when supplies are plentiful.

Hence I find myself down the frozen aisle where I can afford things like chicken breasts, salmon, prawns and roasting joints which are far cheaper than their fresh cousins. Many frozen vegetables are cheaper than fresh ones too. I’ve found frozen potato products like chips (own brand) to be far cheaper than fresh potatoes and that’s without factoring in peel wastage or the bad bits which the factory will on the whole remove. Plus there’s the added bonus of convenience and time saving!

Friday night used to be takeaway fish and chips night but now I just cook frozen ones which I can do for less than £1 a serving – plus I don’t have to leave the house and there’s no petrol cost!

My spending power on fruit, especially soft fruits has also increased in the frozen aisle where I pick up things like cherries, raspberries and blueberries for a saving of at least a third. Best of all, you don’t need to use them up quickly like fresh ones. Frozen soft fruits are so versatile you can use them straight from the freezer in cakes, muffins, homemade ice cream and baked puddings or thaw them to have with yogurt, ice cream and meringues etc.I thawed half a pack of cherries the other day for a Pavlova I made on a whim and they were delicious. Another family favourite is raspberry coulis which I make by sieving some thawed raspberries (adding a little icing sugar if needed) and serve poured over vanilla ice cream.

So if like me you’re feeling the pinch, you can still eat healthily by heading down to the frozen aisle and swapping fresh for frozen – your purse will definitely thank you for it!

Camilla Hawkins is a food writer and recipe developer. She loves the culmination of art and science involved in cooking and enjoys making fabulous food, simply and cheaply. More time eating, less time cooking is her ethos! Her popular blog Fab Food 4 All was started in 2012 and each recipe she posts has to meet the scrutiny of her husband and 2 children!