Every month we interview top chefs from around the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks, views on the industry and more. This time, we speak to multiple Michelin-starred chef Kenny Atkinson, chef-owner at Solstice and House of Tides in Newcastle and Solaya in London.
I’ve been fortunate to work under some amazing chefs… but my time in London alongside a chef called Hywel Jones was where I really learned my craft as an aspiring chef. His ability to get the best out of ingredients and his techniques helped me learn to achieve this, which gave me the platform to build on and has helped shape the chef I am today.
A cheap ingredient that a lot of people overlook is… offal. People often go for the prime expensive cuts, but offal is often very cheap. Tripe is something a lot of butchers give away for free, as no one wants it, but braised slowly in red wine, bacon and mushrooms, it is one of the most delicious things to eat.
The best store cupboard ingredients with the best flavour-for-money payoff are…a good range of seasonings and spices. They contain flavour enhancers and herbs that provide an instant savoury umami boost to meat, pasta and vegetables to enhance flavours at home.
My go-to cheap eat out… is a little dim sum bar called Nan Bei Chinese Dumplings in Grainger Market in Newcastle. They’re famous for their handmade dumplings and noodle soups – class for the price!
They might be prestigious, but Michelin stars have their downsides… Sometimes they can be a double-edged sword due to the intense pressures they exert on chefs, relationships, staff, business viability and guest expectations. I love the pressure – it makes us keep pushing for excellence and perfection. It also helps having a good team behind me.
Everyone should invest in a good kitchen blender… They’re perfect for a good range of things, from smoothies using all fruits to making pesto, salsa verde or your own mayonnaise, oils and soups.
TV chef on Jamie Oliver cookbooks and the thing he wishes customers would stop doing
Top chef on what Brexit has done for UK fishing and the question you should always ask when buying fish
Cheap Eats: Tommy Banks on his train station debate over a toastie, weight loss drugs and why you’re using salt wrong
You can find great supermarket meat that stands up well… Aldi’s meat selection is actually very good for home cooking – the flavour and tenderness of their steak range is very good value. I also like the fish counter at some Morrison’s shops; they’re great for fresh fish rather than pre-packed varieties.
A great £10 meal needs to give a good yield and be both delicious and comforting… I’d make a classic beef stew using a braising cut, such as shin or brisket, with mashed potatoes. Here’s how:
The most underrated British ingredient is… Worcestershire sauce. It’s a powerhouse for flavour and versatility. While often relegated to cheese on toast, its complex blend of molasses, malt vinegar and anchovies acts as an instant umami booster for meats, fish, sauces or stews.
For more information about how we use your data and your rights, you can visit our Privacy Centre.
The cost of living appears to be causing permanent shifts in how people dine out… Consumers are being more intentional and value-driven in their choices. Rather than simply cutting back temporarily, diners are adopting new behaviours and prioritising experiences that justify the cost, but eating out less is a result of this.
One major misconception diners have about restaurant pricing is… that if a dish is expensive, the restaurant must be making a big profit on it. In reality, higher prices often mean higher risk and thinner margins, not greed. Ingredient cost is only 30-35% of the menu price; the rest pays for rent, staff, utilities, insurance, equipment, breakage and waste. Labour is the killer cost: a dish that looks simple may actually require prep cooks, service staff and dishwashers behind the scenes. Premium ingredients are also volatile. Fish, beef, dairy and produce prices fluctuate weekly. Restaurants can’t constantly change menus to keep up.
It’s been harder to find good staff since COVID… Staffing has been affected ever since the pandemic, and we’ve seen fewer chefs willing to relocate to different areas to enhance their career, not helped by rising rental prices. I also feel a lot of young chefs of today don’t look at their workplace as an investment for their future.
Rising business rates are the biggest cost pressure that diners don’t see… I feel this is going to be the nail in the coffin for a lot of business owners already struggling in today’s climate. There are so many other pressures, like the huge rise in electricity and gas, which has risen almost 100% over the past few years. The 20% VAT tax on all sales, when most of what we are charged isn’t tax refundable, also really hurts our business. By contrast, in Europe, it sits at around 10% tax on all sales.
