Ed Smith's summer meal plan

✅ Serves four

✅ Pre-prepared shopping list to save you time

Ed Smith (@rocketandsquash) has taken everyday meals to a new level in this budget plan. Focusing on familiar dishes, like chilli, curry and pasta, he’s added a refreshing, nutritious twist and designed a plan that provides balance and variety through the week. Expect some meat, brain-friendly fish, vegetarian dishes and plenty of colourful contributions to your five-a-day.

Using fresh herbs, lemon and nuts, you’ll optimise flavour and stick to your budget – and because Ed’s designed the plan to use up what you buy, you’ll avoid unnecessary food waste, too. Plus, with delicious dishes like fragrant prawn rice noodle salad and sausages, quick romesco & lentils, you’ll have new midweek favourites to add to your repertoire.

UK nutritional guidelines recommend we eat two portions of fish per week, with at least one being an oily variety, like salmon or trout. Whether you’re a fish lover or not, Ed’s spiced trout skewers with coconut green bean & cashew curry will be sure to win you over. Plus, with dishes like the roast green pepper & red kidney bean chilli packing in four of your five-a-day, this budget meal plan will help you reach all your nutrition targets with ease.

“It’s always good to aim for a little balance over the course of the week – familiar dishes with something new; some cooking, but not too much; meat on occasion, but some fish for the brain and plenty of veg; and of course, ideally a cost balance between the dishes to suit the purse strings. Hopefully, all those things are taken into account in this meal plan.” — Ed Smith