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<p>Cosy winter cooking that proves comfort food doesn’t need a big budget</p>
Recipes

Cheap winter comfort food: Budget recipes that actually feel indulgent

Winter is long and money is tight, but that doesn’t mean dinner should be dull. In this month’s Budget Bites, we’re bringing you cheap, comforting recipes that make the most of humble ingredients and cosy flavours – without compromise

<p>Slow-cooked comfort for the bleakest January evenings</p>
Recipes

The best winter stew recipes for cold nights

<p>Ryan Riley has helped thousands of cancer patients rediscover their love of food</p>
Health & Families

‘I have learned that you can run from grief but it will get you’

<p>Where weeknight panic meets plant power – Ella Mills cooks for the real world</p>
Recipes

Fast, healthy dinners from Deliciously Ella for busy cooks

<p>Creamy, comforting and quietly hard-working, this is winter food that supports immunity without feeling worthy</p>
Recipes

Five winter recipes that boost immunity, mood and gut health

<p>No knife, no mince, no problem – a clever technique that delivers real depth with minimal fuss</p>
Recipes

The ultimate Veganuary recipe bundle to beat beige food boredom

<p>Many of us are reaching the recommended daily salt limit by lunchtime</p>
Features

Think you eat healthily? Why hidden salt is still wrecking our diets

<p>A comforting curry that proves January cooking doesn’t have to be dull</p>
Recipes

Healthy January recipes from Jamie Oliver, Tom Kerridge and more

<p>Two very different ways to escape London food fatigue</p>
Features

Fine & Dime: What to eat when you’re bored of eating

<p>As appetite-suppressing drugs go mainstream, eating is becoming something to be managed, not indulged</p>
Features

M&S’s Ozempic meals: How do you feed people who aren’t hungry?

<p>A fragrant, spicy-sour broth that shows why brothy rice bowls feel like comfort food with a point of view</p>
Recipes

Why TikTok can’t get enough of brothy rice – and how to cook it

<p>Three weeknight-friendly recipes that prove saving money doesn’t have to mean boring food – flexible, filling and designed to work hard across the wee</p>
Recipes

Bored of overspending? These meal-planning rules really work

Recipes

<p>From a nervous young sushi chef to the architect of a global dining empire, Nobu Matsuhisa’s story is as much about resilience as it is about celebrity</p>
Recipes

Inside Nobu’s extraordinary rise

<p>Proof that plant-based doesn’t mean bland – this Moroccan-inspired tagine is all spice, no sacrifice</p>
Recipes

How to eat comfort food all winter without overindulging

<p>Five ways with beans – proof that Veganuary eating can be comforting, generous and genuinely craveable</p>
Recipes

The bean boom isn’t over – five recipes to cook this Veganuary

<p>The best NYE food feeds a crowd without fuss </p>
Recipes

The only New Year’s Eve recipes you’ll ever need from the top chefs

<p>Three January-proof meals that prove healthy doesn’t have to mean spartan</p>
Recipes

Three healthy January recipes that still feel comforting

<p>Three dishes that prove Stephen Harris’s point – the food you remember tastes better when it’s done properly at home</p>
Recipes

How a Michelin-starred chef upgrades childhood comfort food

<p>The best NYE food feeds a crowd without fuss </p>
Recipes

The only New Year’s Eve recipes you’ll ever need from the top chefs

<p>Three January-proof meals that prove healthy doesn’t have to mean spartan</p>
Recipes

Three healthy January recipes that still feel comforting

<p>Three dishes that prove Stephen Harris’s point – the food you remember tastes better when it’s done properly at home</p>
Recipes

How a Michelin-starred chef upgrades childhood comfort food

Budget Bites

<p>Batch cooking at its best: bold, comforting dishes that stretch your budget further</p>
Recipes

Cook once, eat all week with these budget-friendly recipes

Recipes

Cook once, eat all week with these budget-friendly recipes

<p>Batch cooking at its best: bold, comforting dishes that stretch your budget further</p>
<p>Proof that the air fryer can do more than chips – three budget-friendly recipes that taste like a weekend treat on a weeknight budget</p>
Recipes

Three easy budget air fryer recipes that are more than just chips

<p>Golden-topped comfort food for every kind of autumn evening</p>
Recipes

Three golden, budget-friendly bakes for cosy autumn nights

<p>Low on carbs, high on flavour – three quick, budget-friendly meals worth making on repeat</p>
Recipes

Three easy low-carb recipes that won’t break the bank

<p>Proof that picnic food doesn’t need pastry faff to impress</p>
Recipes

8 quick summer recipes for easy lunches and picnics

<p>Proof that picnic food doesn’t need pastry faff to impress</p>
Recipes

8 quick summer recipes for easy lunches and picnics

<p>Three meals, one shop: these recipes are designed to work harder for your wallet and your weeknight schedule</p>
Recipes

Three budget dinners with one shopping list to cut food costs

<p>Three ways to do dinner better this spring – fresh, fast and full of veg, these budget-friendly plates are made to share (or not)</p>
Recipes

Three easy spring dinners that look fancier than they are

Restaurants

<p>Where Ancoats’ industrial past meets playful Italian energy – Bruco’s counter is the best seat in the house for watching the drama unfold</p>
IndyEats

Bruco, Manchester, restaurant review: Small plates, supersized flavour

<p>A set menu with just enough choice – Margaret’s lets the ingredients do the talking</p>
IndyEats

Cambridge’s new candlelit bistro is quietly brilliant

<p>A tale of two stars: Aulis’s Cumbrian trick door in Soho vs Gorse’s calm Cardiff corner – same Michelin badge, wildly different bills</p>
IndyEats

Fine and Dime: When does a Michelin star really earn its keep?

<p>Two bistros, one postcode, zero resemblance – Marylebone’s newest rivals could hardly be more different</p>
IndyEats

Fine and Dime: One neighbourhood, two bistros, totally different vibes

Chefs

<p>Top chefs reveal what they eat on Boxing Day</p>
Food and Drink

Top chefs reveal what they eat on Boxing Day – it’s not just leftovers

Food and Drink

Top chefs reveal what they eat on Boxing Day – it’s not just leftovers

<p>Top chefs reveal what they eat on Boxing Day</p>
<p>(From top left, clockwise) Ian Boden, Christina Tosi, Chetan Shetty and Scott Conant share their recipes with ‘The Independent’</p>
Food and Drink

Chefs share Christmas dishes they cook for their own families

<p>The chef at home, proving even the pros don’t need a picture-perfect bird to pull off the perfect Christmas feast</p>
Recipes

Rick Stein’s foolproof guide to the perfect Christmas dinner

<p>A celebration of all things cheesy – Contaldo brings his trademark warmth (and plenty of Parmigiano) to comforting Italian classics like arancini and aubergine ‘bruschette’</p>
Recipes

Five cheesy Italian recipes from Gennaro Contaldo

<p>Martin in his home kitchen, where ‘Saturday Morning’ is filmed – and where his mum’s style critiques still keep him in check</p>
Recipes

James Martin: ‘My mum always tells me off for the shirts I wear on TV’

<p>Martin in his home kitchen, where ‘Saturday Morning’ is filmed – and where his mum’s style critiques still keep him in check</p>
Recipes

James Martin: ‘My mum always tells me off for the shirts I wear on TV’

<p>McKenna says her secret to staying energised at 50 is meditation, dancing – and eating food that makes her feel good</p>
Recipes

Clodagh Mckenna: ‘At 50, I’m happier and healthier than in my 30s’

<p>Proof that greens belong in a toastie – Genevieve Taylor’s rainbow chard version is a smoky, cheesy revelation</p>
Recipes

Toasties, croques, Reubens: The best ever sandwich recipes

Wine

<p>Look out for these bottles in your local</p>
Wine

Sommeliers reveal the best supermarket wines from Aldi, Tesco and more

<p>Shipt and Walgreens now offer same-day alcohol delivery in Columbus, Ohio</p>
Americas

Walgreens extends its same-day alcohol delivery service

<p>Wine experts turn their attentions to the Italian fizz</p>
Drink

Best supermarket prosecco 2026, handpicked by sommeliers

<p>All of the bottles chosen by our experts are less than £50</p>
Wine

Experts reveal the best supermarket champagne and sparkling wine

<p>We sampled these wines like any other, sniffing and sipping to judge each vino’s aromas, flavours, acidity and finish</p>
Wine

Best non alcoholic wines for 2026, taste-tested by a wine critic

<p>Hall road-testing her way through the no/low aisle so you don’t have to</p>
Features

The best booze-free bottles for Dry January that actually taste good

<p>All of the bottles chosen by our experts are less than £50</p>
Wine

Experts reveal the best supermarket champagne and sparkling wine

<p>We sampled these wines like any other, sniffing and sipping to judge each vino’s aromas, flavours, acidity and finish</p>
Wine

Best non alcoholic wines for 2026, taste-tested by a wine critic

<p>Hall road-testing her way through the no/low aisle so you don’t have to</p>
Features

The best booze-free bottles for Dry January that actually taste good

IndyBest

<p>I saved on the washing up by cooking a Sunday roast in my air fryer</p>
Food & Drink

I cooked an entire Sunday roast in an air fryer

Food & Drink

I cooked an entire Sunday roast in an air fryer

<p>I saved on the washing up by cooking a Sunday roast in my air fryer</p>
<p>The bear cup sent fans into a frenzy in the US</p>
Food & Drink

How to buy Starbucks’s viral Bearista coffee cup UK as it launches

<p>Too Good To Go is just one of the apps I used</p>
Deals

I replaced my weekly shop with food waste apps such as Too Good To Go

<p>All the oils in this review are extra virgin olive oil, which is the highest quality</p>
Food & Drink

I taste-tested supermarket olive oils – these are the best bottles

<p>The flavour is set to stir up debate</p>
Food & Drink

Walkers releases unexpected new crisp flavour that’s dividing opinion

<p>The flavour is set to stir up debate</p>
Food & Drink

Walkers releases unexpected new crisp flavour that’s dividing opinion

<p>Kefir contains natural probiotics like lacto and bifido bacterium</p>
Fitness and wellbeing

I drank kefir for a month and it made me feel like a superhuman

<p>With less caffeine than coffee, matcha provides long-lasting energy, sharper focus, and a sense of calm </p>
Food & Drink

Best matcha powders for 2026, taste-tested by a health writer

<p>These pizzas were blind taste-tested</p>
Food & Drink

Best supermarket pizza for 2026, taste-tested

<p>Probiotics can ease stomach issues, improve skin health and help maintain gut health long term</p>
Food & Drink

Best probiotics to help improve gut health in 2026, tried and tested

<p>I asked experts which collagen supplements they recommend and why </p>
Food & Drink

Best collagen supplements 2026, recommended by experts

<p>We put bread from Tesco, Waitrose and other big supermarkets to the test to see which are worth their dough</p>
Food & Drink

I’ve found the best supermarket sourdough for your 2026 weekly shop

<p>A monthly delivery of the good stuff to your doorstep feels a little like receiving a present</p>
Food & Drink

Best coffee subscription services for 2026

<p>A third Sentia flavour launched at the end of 2024</p>
Spirits

This alcohol-free spirit actually makes you feel tipsy – here’s how

<p>Discover the best sparkling wine deals on champagne after Christmas</p>
Deals

Best champagne deals after Christmas

<p>Each week you can choose from more than 75 different recipes</p>
Deals

Gousto discount codes for January 2026 – exclusive 50% off

Food and drink deals

<p>Stock up with your favourite chocolate brands using these Easter egg deals</p>
Easter

Best Easter egg deals 2025: Cadbury, Hotel Chocolat and more

<p>Stock up on your favourite chocolate for less</p>
Deals

Hotel Chocolat discount code 2026: 15% off in January

<p>Get your next coffee fix for less with these Nespresso deals</p>
Deals

How to save 35% on Nespresso coffee machines and pods

<p>Did somebody say Just Eat deals? </p>
Deals

Get up to 50% off orders with these Just Eat discount codes

More

More food and drink features

<p>Superfoods Inc., the manufacturer of Live it Up-brand Super Greens powder, has issued a recall for its original and wild berry flavors. </p>
Food and Drink

Popular diet supplement powder recalled over salmonella fears

Food and Drink

Popular diet supplement powder recalled over salmonella fears

<p>Superfoods Inc., the manufacturer of Live it Up-brand Super Greens powder, has issued a recall for its original and wild berry flavors. </p>
<p>An herb first used in Ancient Greece comes with some major health benefits like protecting bone strength and nervous system health</p>
Food and Drink

The herb that can lower your blood pressure and help you sleep

<p>Even a seemingly harmless coffee cup can release microplastics into your hot beverage (PA)</p>
Food and Drink

The everyday foods and drinks that contain thousands of microplastics

<p>Gareth Ward, the chef behind the restaurant, was a contestant on ‘MasterChef: The Professionals’</p>
Home News

Top chef defends one-star hygiene rating at Michelin-star restaurant

<p>Studies have linked ultraprocessed foods to poor health outcomes, but such foods make up about half the calories of a typical American diet</p>
Food and Drink

Avoiding these foods could boost weight loss and improve cholesterol

<p>Studies have linked ultraprocessed foods to poor health outcomes, but such foods make up about half the calories of a typical American diet</p>
Food and Drink

Avoiding these foods could boost weight loss and improve cholesterol

<p>Among the offerings are the Turf and Clover small extra lean steak (100g), M&S high protein cottage cheese, three-ingredient beef burgers, and nutrient-dense Romesco chicken</p>
Food and Drink

Grocery giant launches aisle designed for people on weight loss jabs

<p>Tesco supermarket has increased the price of the deal to a minimum of £3.40 (Alamy/PA)</p>
Food and Drink

Coca-Cola has lost the top spot in the Tesco meal deal drink of choice

<p>Eggs are the most sustainable form of animal protein and among the most affordable</p>
Food and Drink

One food that could help you prevent weight regain

<p>The foods to consume to look after your body if you are aged 60 and beyond</p>
Food and Drink

The foods over-60s should eat to boost immunity and sustain energy

<p>Thanks to evolution, your brain is wired to make you love the sweet sugars your body and brain need for fuel and hate the bitter poisons than could kill you</p>
Food and Drink

Scientists explain why OJ tastes bad after you brush your teeth

<p>The classic Christmas side dish can be eaten raw</p>
Food and Drink

Eight vegetables you should eat raw for a greater health boost

<p>Rosamund Hall’s New Year’s Eve edit in full: from champagne steals and elegant fizz to easy reds and cocktail-ready bottles worth stocking up on</p>
Food and Drink

26 brilliant bottles for New Year’s Eve, from champagne to party reds

<p>A cheese ball recipe from the cookbook Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South by Vivian Howard</p>
Food and Drink

Cheese balls are a retro party classic. Here’s how to make them

Food and Drink

Rick Stein’s expert tips for cooking the perfect roast potatoes

Food and Drink

Top chefs’ tips for avoiding turkey disasters this Christmas

Food and Drink

The Christmas treat that may aid digestion and reduce cholesterol

<p>The best Christmas gravy</p>
Food and Drink

Top chefs share their tips for perfect Christmas gravy every time

<p>The soaring cost of food has meant one in four working parents have sought help from food banks this year</p>
Features

‘I have a job but still use food banks for our Christmas dinner’

<p>The program, which began in 2023, was initially intended to help grocers understand customer price sensitivity</p>
Food and Drink

Instacart ends controversial pricing program

<p>No one is safe from the scourge of cranberry sauce, not Boots sandwiches, Greggs pasties or posh Pret toasties</p>
Food and Drink

Cranberry sauce’s reign of terror over Christmas sandwiches must cease

<p>The Korean dish bibimbap</p>
Lifestyle

How to eat for immunity for superflu season

<p>Follow these festive food preparation rules to avoid being sick over Christmas</p>
Food and Drink

How to avoid the common causes of food poisoning this Christmas

<p>The festive gut feeling: December’s real dress code is ‘uncomfortably full’</p>
Features

Feeling festive bloat? Nutritionist shares 5 foods that actually help

Food and Drink

The superfood that’s fast becoming a ‘mainstay of the festive feast’

<p>Nana (Liz Smith) in ‘The Royle Family’ was partial to a bucks fizz, avocaat and eggnogg at Christmas</p>
Features

How the ‘council estate’ dinner became cool again

<p>Legumes ar back</p>
Food and Drink

Beans and bitter: The food trends that will be huge in 2026

<p>Lettuce is the first horticultural species on which such a detailed study has been carried out</p>
Food and Drink

Why does lettuce go bad so quickly? Scientists have the answer

<p>Hall road-testing her way through the no/low aisle so you don’t have to</p>
Features

The best booze-free bottles to drink this Christmas

<p>Rosamund Hall picks The Independent’s best Christmas wines</p>
Features

The best Christmas wines: from a £6 quality bottle to £40 treats

<p>Christmas dinner</p>
Christmas

The Christmas dinner classics you can prepare well in advance

<p>Food Standards Agency (FSA) has discovered ‘several’ Dubai-style chocolate in the UK that do not comply with crucial safety and labelling regulations</p>
Food and Drink

Major warning issued for Dubai-style chocolate over allergy risk

<p>Kerridge’s £195 showstopper: the pastry-wrapped status symbol that sold out faster than you could say ‘cost-of-living crisis’</p>
Features

How a £195 Beef Wellington became Christmas’s most debated dish

<p>A coffee and a slice of cake used to feel like a modest pleasure. Now it’s quietly become a measure of how expensive everyday life has become.</p>
Features

How the £5 coffee became the new normal

<p>Members of the Unite union have rejected what they deem an "inadequate" pay offer from the drinks giant</p>
Food and Drink

Fears grow over Christmas supply of Guinness 0.0 after pay dispute

<p>This year’s centrepiece comes with a side helping of uncertainty – bird flu, tight supply and rising costs mean even the Christmas turkey isn’t the given it once was</p>
Features

£98 for turkey? How food shortages are changing your Christmas dinner

<p>A reminder that Christmas cheese should be chosen with intent – not grabbed off the supermarket shelf</p>
Features

How to build the ultimate Christmas cheese board

<p>The Body Coach in his natural habitat: proving that feeding a family well starts with actually lighting the hob</p>
Recipes

Joe Wicks says we’ve been ‘duped’ by health foods

<p>Rick Stein’s tartlets prove that the best Christmas canapes deliver a jolt of flavour before anyone’s even taken their coat off</p>
Recipes

Chef-approved Christmas canapes to impress your guests

<p>Proof that a weeknight dinner can feel like a seaside holiday</p>
Recipes

Four easy pasta recipes for cosy winter cooking

<p>Mary Berry received an outstanding achievement award</p>
TV & Radio

Beloved TV chef receives prestigious award at London event

<p>Waitrose reported a change in buying habits</p>
Features

How Waitrose turned into middle-class Iceland

<p>The history of the Christmas Pudding goes back centuries</p>
Food and Drink

Christmas pudding isn’t just a dessert – it’s a relic of the Empire

<p>Old-school comfort meets restaurant swagger, complete with a crackable caramel top</p>
Recipes

Three bright, comforting Barbary Coast recipes for darker evenings

<p>A chef prepares a vegan dish at Plates restaurant in London, Britain, November 21, 2025. REUTERS/Sam Tabahriti</p>
Food and Drink

Surprising fact about Britain’s first plant-based Michelin-star venue

<p>High street baker Greggs is launching its first range of Christmas cards that come complete with the gift of a sausage roll</p>
Food and Drink

Greggs unveils first-ever Christmas cards – with a free sausage roll

<p>Turning the stray sprout and the last pig in blanket into pasta worth fighting over</p>
Recipes

The best Boxing Day leftovers recipes to save Christmas

<p>Langoustine and lobsters are being targeted by organised gangs fuelling a Christmas crimewave</p>
Features

How high-end thieves are fuelling a festive food crime wave

<p>Guinness’s unlikely cultural renaissance has been building for a while</p>
Features

Has Gen Z’s Guinness obsession ruined the pint for the rest of us?

<p>A proper winter pie: flaky pastry, deep flavour and the kind of roast-chicken comfort every cold evening deserves</p>
Recipes

Four British comfort-food recipes for cold nights

<p>In the hustle of a holiday kitchen, the risk of cross-contamination is real.</p>
Food and Drink

The vital Thanksgiving kitchen tools you need for a foolproof dinner

<p>Cranberry sauce is a thanksgiving staple.</p>
Food and Drink

Three quick and easy cranberry sauce recipes to try this Thanksgiving

<p>Turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid vital for melatonin production, which regulates sleep schedules.</p>
Food and Drink

The truth about Thanksgiving turkey and whether it makes you sleepy

Food and Drink

Why you shouldn’t trust a pop-up thermometer when cooking your turkey

<p>While open cup milkshakes and coffee drinks are exempt from the government’s latest sugar tax, their calorific content can still be a problem</p>
Lifestyle

How embarrassing is your coffee order?

<p>Thanksgiving</p>
Food and Drink

The pros and cons of buying a frozen turkey this Thanksgiving

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