Feeding 10 on a Tight Budget: Tesco Meal Plan Using Own Brands

Feeding 10 people a day is no small feat — unless you’re a military quartermaster or run a small prison. Luckily, with a bit of meal planning and some own-brand magic from Tesco, it’s doable without selling a kidney or re-mortgaging the pram.

We’re living proof: 2 adults, 8 kids, limited budget, full bellies.

And for anyone still thinking that buying in bulk is the answer? Think again.

🧠 Real Talk: Bulk ≠ Bargain

Take pasta for example:

  • Hearty Food Co. Spaghetti (500g) – 23p → 4.6p per 100g
  • 1.5kg Bag (fancy brand) – £2.50 → 16.6p per 100g

That’s nearly quadruple the cost per 100g. Don’t fall for the ‘bigger is cheaper’ trap. Always check that unit price.

🗓️ 7-Day Budget Meal Plan for 10

All meals scaled for 2 adults + 8 kids. Prices are based on Tesco’s value ranges.

🍽 Day 1

  • Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese (x2 packs Hearty Food Co mince, 4x Grower’s Harvest chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic granules, dried herbs, spaghetti)
  • Lunch: Cheese sandwiches, crisps
  • Breakfast: Tesco cornflakes + Grower’s Harvest milk

🍽 Day 2

  • Dinner: 4x frozen cheese & tomato pizzas + homemade wedges
  • Lunch: Leftover bolognese on toast
  • Breakfast: Toast + Tesco jam

🍽 Day 3

  • Dinner: Sausage casserole (2 packs Hearty Food Co sausages, 3x chopped tomatoes, 2x baked beans, herbs, onion, rice)
  • Lunch: Instant noodles & toast
  • Breakfast: Grower’s Harvest porridge

🍽 Day 4

  • Dinner: Jacket potatoes with beans & Creamfields cheese
  • Lunch: Egg mayo sandwiches
  • Breakfast: Toast + banana

🍽 Day 5

  • Dinner: Chicken nuggets, oven chips & frozen mixed veg
  • Lunch: Tinned soup & bread
  • Breakfast: Cornflakes

🍽 Day 6

  • Dinner: Tuna pasta bake (3x Stockwell tuna, 2x sweetcorn, Tesco pasta, cheese sauce from scratch)
  • Lunch: Crackers + cheese + fruit
  • Breakfast: Porridge

🍽 Day 7

  • Dinner: Veggie curry (frozen mixed veg, chopped tomatoes, curry powder, rice)
  • Lunch: Beans on toast
  • Breakfast: Toast + jam

🛒 Shopping List (Approx. £60–£65)

This is scaled for 10 people over 7 days — mostly Tesco own-brand/value lines. It feeds an army, literally.

🧂 Cupboard Staples

  • Grower’s Harvest Chopped Tomatoes x10 – 32p each
  • Stockwell Baked Beans x4 – 28p each
  • Tesco Pasta (Spaghetti x3, Penne x2) – 23p–42p each
  • Tesco Rice (2kg total) – ~£1.60
  • Tesco Cornflakes (1kg) – ~£1.30
  • Grower’s Harvest Porridge Oats (2kg) – ~£1.60
  • Tesco Jam – 31p
  • Tesco Instant Noodles x10 – ~20p each
  • Stockwell Tuna in Brine x3 – 65p each
  • Tesco Cream Crackers – ~40p
  • Vegetable Oil – ~£1.20
  • Curry Powder – ~60p
  • Salt, Pepper, Garlic Granules – ~30–50p each
  • Flour (Plain) – ~65p
  • Stockwell Stock Cubes – ~35p
  • Tomato Puree – 35p

🧀 Fridge

  • Creamfields Cheese (400g block x2) – £2.50 each
  • Grower’s Harvest Milk (6 pints or 2x 4-pint) – ~£3.00
  • Margarine – ~£1.20
  • Eggs (30 pack) – ~£3.50
  • Tesco Yogurt 12-pack – ~£2.20

❄️ Freezer

  • Hearty Food Co Sausages (x2) – £1.50 each
  • Chicken Nuggets (900g x2) – £2.00 each
  • Cheese & Tomato Pizza x4 – £1.20 each
  • Frozen Mixed Veg (2kg) – £2.00
  • Oven Chips (2.5kg) – £2.00

🍌 Fresh

  • Baking Potatoes (5kg) – ~£2.50
  • Bananas (10) – ~£1.50
  • Onions (2kg) – ~£1.60
  • Value Bread x4 loaves – 45p each
  • Apples (basic multipack x2) – ~£1.50

💸 Budget Tip of the Week

🧾 Unit Price Is King.
If the label doesn’t say “per 100g”, you whip out that phone calculator like you’re defusing a bomb. Don’t assume a big bag = big savings.

  • 500g Spaghetti = 23p → 4.6p/100g
  • 1.5kg branded = £2.50 → 16.6p/100g
    BOOM. Myth busted.

Same goes for cheese, cereal, soup — read the small print. And if something’s on Clubcard offer? Even better — load up only if the price per 100g checks out.

👨‍🍼 Dad Hacks: Budgeting Edition

Here’s a few tricks I’ve picked up between the nappies, the tantrums, and trying to remember which kid eats what:

🛑 1. Don’t Bring the Kids Shopping

Seriously. Don’t. It will cost you in stress, snacks, and strange items that magically appear at checkout. Unless you enjoy repeating “Put that back” like it’s a broken NPC dialogue line.

📋 2. Take Your Meal Plan and Your Shopping List

It’s not just about what’s on the list — it’s about what’s on offer. If you’ve got a meal plan in your head (or scribbled on a napkin), you can swap meals around if something’s on Clubcard discount or yellow label markdown.

🟨 3. Yellow Stickers = Gold Dust

Check end-of-day reductions! Even eggs get yellow-stickered — they’re often reduced on the display until date, but still perfectly fine up to the use by. Same goes for meat, bread, and dairy — just freeze what you can’t use the same day. Sorted.

🧊 4. Know What You Can Freeze

Cheese? Yep. Bread? Definitely. Milk? Go for it. Eggs? Trickier, but possible if cracked and whisked first. Make space in the freezer — it’s your budget’s best mate.

🧠 Final Thoughts

Being broke doesn’t mean being bad at feeding your family. It means being smart, adaptable, and maybe a bit cheeky. You don’t need Gousto or HelloFresh when you’ve got Grower’s Harvest and some common sense.

So embrace the 23p spaghetti, the jam toast breakfasts, and the fact that you’re stretching £60 to feed 10 actual humans for a full week.

Like this post? Share it with a fellow budget battler or family man trying to dodge both inflation and toddler tantrums at tea time.