THE credit crunch is biting.

Prices seem to be rising every day. So it is essential to be clever when planning menus for the family, ensuring you are preparing food to meet the family's nutritional needs, yet keeping within your food budget.

But cooking on a budget need not mean you have to find lots of interesting ways to use baked beans, it simply means putting a little time and effort into the way you shop and cook. We asked Neath's SIAN HINDLE, from La Creme Patisserie, for her favourite budget recipes. Amazingly, most come in at around the 50p-a-head mark.

Butternut squash soup

Serves 6, costs 30p per portion

1 chopped onion, 1tbsp sunflower oil, 1 small diced butternut squash, 1 potato, 1 red chilli finely chopped, 2 pints vegetable stock (made with two stock cubes), seasoning, 1 can of tomatoes.

Saute the onion until softened, add the squash, potato and chilli. Pour over the stock and cook until the vegetables are softened. Whizz the soup with a blender stick, adjust the seasoning and serve.

Vegetable chilli

Serves 4, 54p per portion

1tbsp sunflower oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 chopped onion, 1tbsp chilli powder, 1 courgette, 1 red/green pepper, 1 diced potato, 1 sliced carrot, 1 can tomatoes, 1 vegetable stock cube, 1 can kidney beans.

Saute the onion and garlic in the sunflower oil. Add in the chilli powder, courgette, pepper, potato, carrot. Stir in the can of tomatoes plus a can of water. Crumble in the veg stock cube. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Stir in the beans and adjust the seasoning. Serve with brown rice.

Pot roasted brisket

Serves 6, 90p per portion

1 joint of brisket, 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 beef stock cubes, 1 pint water

Fry the brisket on all sides in the oil to caramelise the outside. In a large pan, cut the onion into chunks, the carrot into quarters, crumble the stock cubes in and top up with the water. Place the beef in the pan — the stock should be covering up to halfway. Place in a slow cooker, the bottom of an Aga or in the oven for four hours at a low heat, covered tightly.

Tomato sauce

Serves four, 30p per portion

1 chopped onion, 1tbsp sunflower oil, 1 clove garlic, 1tsp Italian herbs, 1 can tomatoes, 1 veg stock cube, 1 tsp sugar, seasoning.

Saute the onion and garlic in the sunflower oil. Pour in the tomatoes. Crumble in the stock cube, add a little water if too thick. Add the herbs, sugar, seasoning. Cook for 10 mins until slightly reduced. This is a fantastic base for so many recipes. Stir in oven roasted spicy sausages or meatballs made with minced beef shaped into balls or use for this pizza recipe.

French bread pizza

Serves 4-6, 42p per portion

1 French stick, 1 quantity of tomato sauce, 50g mozzarella or grated cheese, topping of your choice: try a rasher of cooked bacon, pepperoni, ham, pineapple. Cut the French stick in half, spread each half with a generous topping of tomato sauce, top with meat of your choice, sprinkle with cheese. Cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.