Money

Money saving mum slashes the price of McDonald’s and KFC by making her own ‘fakeaways’ – and here’s how you can too


A MONEY-SAVING mum-of-four slashes the cost of takeaways, including KFC and McDonald’s, by more than half by making her own “fakeaways” at home.

Penny Campbell spends just £20 a month making fakeaways every weekend, when just a Chinese alone used to cost the family £40 a pop.

 Penny Campbell loves making fakeaways at home for her family

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Penny Campbell loves making fakeaways at home for her familyCredit: Penny Campbell

Her crispy shredded duck, for example, costs just £7 to buy in a supermarket while the same costs £20 from her local Chinese takeaway.

The 56-year-old from Dunstable began watching the pennies when she was forced to give up her job as a receptionist to become a full time carer for her partner.

Steve Digby was a facilities manager for a global company before a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy meant he had to leave work.

Penny was also diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, and while she thankfully got the all-clear this year, her illness reinforced the importance of trying to eat more healthily.

 Penny's homemade McDonald's looks almost the same as the real deal

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Penny’s homemade McDonald’s looks almost the same as the real dealCredit: Penny Campbell

Of course, at home takeaways aren’t always the healthiest but at least you knowl exactly what’s gone into making them.

And now Penny’s fakeaways have become a Saturday night staple for the couple, with the mum whipping up everything from pizzas to fish and chips in her kitchen.

And even Penny’s kids and step-kids, who no longer live at home, like popping around with the grandkids to get a bite of whatever’s going spare.

“My partner is disabled and I had to give up work to be his carer, so we couldn’t be spending a lot on takeaways,” Penny told The Sun.

How to make your own Big Mac

HERE’S Penny’s recipe for making her own McDonald’s-style Big Macs:

  • For four people, mix 500g of raw minced beef with salt and pepper in a bowl.
  • Divide into four portions and use your hands (or a burger press) to form them into a patty.
  • Chill for at least 30 minutes before cooking in a dry frying pan, griddle or BBQ.
  • Cut your burger buns in half, spread with a little butter and toast on the pan until golden.
  • Add sauce to the bun, top with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
  • When the burger is cooked, place sliced cheese on top and cover with a lid until it’s melting. Then sit it on top of the filled bun and top with sliced gherkins.

“Plus, I refuse to pay the prices of some takeaways – even with only two of us it can be really expensive.

“But now my family love my fakeaways, they always want to come round and have them.”

 Penny uses cheap chicken drumsticks and thighs to make her own KFC

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Penny uses cheap chicken drumsticks and thighs to make her own KFCCredit: Penny Campbell

Penny says everything she makes is from store cupboard essentials and it tends to be just the meat or fish she has to shell out for – but even then she makes sure she bags a bargain.

She said: “I’ve got a Lidl that I can see from my front window, so I use that a lot. Five minutes the other way I have a Sainsbury’s and I always look in the yellow-sticker corner for the bargains and offers.

“Aldi and Lidl tend to discount in the morning – I often get 30 per cent off – while other stores tend to be later in the afternoon.

“Make the reduce section your first point of call – don’t forget you can frozen things and get them out later in the week to use.”

 These popcorn chicken-style bites look tasty

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These popcorn chicken-style bites look tasty

Penny also recommends looking for cheaper cuts of meat. She buys chicken thighs and drumsticks for just over £1 a box instead of breast meat for her KFC and that saves about £3.

She also buys the cheaper 20 per cent fat beef mince costing about £1.50 for her fake Big Macs and saves half compared to the 5 per cent fat variety.

And of course, she’s saving even more compared to the real deal with a Big Mac on its own costing £3.19 and six pieces of original recipe KFC costing just under a tenner.

Penny points out that Iceland is also good for cheap frozen fish to use for fish and chips and for frozen corn on the cobs for her homemade KFC meals.

 Penny buys cheap frozen fish from Iceland for her fish and chips

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Penny buys cheap frozen fish from Iceland for her fish and chips

For the other vegetables in her fakeaways Penny likes Aldi’s veg boxes.

“You get 5kg of vegetables for just £1.50. I use these in the fakeaways as the boxes often include potatoes, onions, and peppers.”

When it comes to herbs and spices, which are particularly important for her KFC-style rub and for Chinese dishes, Penny recommends buying in bulk.

“All the Chinese things I buy from the world food aisle or local Chinese or international supermarkets.

How to make your own KFC

HERE’S Penny’s recipe for homemade KFC:

  • Mix together 2tbsp of paprika, 4tbsp onion powder, 2tbsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder, 2tbsp black pepper, 1tbsp celery salt, 1tbsp garlic powder, 1tbsp oregano, 1tbsp all spice, 1tbsp basil, 2tbsp coarse sea salt, 2tbsp brown sugar, and two cups of plain flour.
  • Dip eight chicken pieces in buttermilk or egg white and heat oil in a frying pan.
  • Put the chicken into the seasoning mix and coat really well.
  • Shake off the excess and fry for 15 to 20 minutes, turning to cook on all sides. Or cook the chicken in an airfryer at 190c for 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Drain on kitchen paper and serve.

“You get bigger packets and it works out far cheaper than the silly little jars. I even buy the rice in 5kg bags as it’s so much more economical.”

The mum also has a membership to wholesaler Costco through her partner’s former employer and she says this is a good place to bag bulk bargains.

Costco membership costs £15 a year for individuals if you shop online or £33.60 if you want to shop in store – but that includes a free card for a partner or spouse.

 The money saving mum uses mince to make kebabs at home

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The money saving mum uses mince to make kebabs at home

Penny adds that you also don’t need to go over the top.

“With McDonald’s, they say that all that’s in their Big Mac is beef, salt and pepper and nothing else, so that’s the way I do it.”

She points out that online blogs and Facebook groups are another good source of cheap recipe ideas.

Penny posts her recipes on the Reduce Your Facebook Spend Facebook group, for example, and loves the feedback she gets from people who try out her concoctions.

She says her sweet and sour chicken is always a winner.

 These corn on the cobs are brought frozen from Iceland to save money

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These corn on the cobs are brought frozen from Iceland to save moneyCredit: Penny Campbell

And it’s not just ingredients Penny saves on as she also uses cooking appliances that use less energy, such as a pressure cooker and air fryer.

Of course you will have to shell out for these to begin with, but you may find the savings on your energy bill make it worthwhile.

Energy comparison site uSwitch explains that the sealed lid on pressure cookers, for example, traps steam and ensures food cooks more quickly and efficiently than it would in a pan, which saves energy.

Penny said: “I’ve got a smart meter and I know that when I’m using my energy-saving appliances my usage is shown as ‘green’ but this increases to ‘amber’ when I turn on the oven.”

 Penny uses leftover roast beef to make her own crispy shredded beef

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Penny uses leftover roast beef to make her own crispy shredded beef

The savvy mum’s final tip for people looking to make their own grub is to plan ahead, and “don’t be scared” if you think you can’t cook.

She said: “If you make it and it’s not quite right, you’ll know what you did wrong and you can put it right next time.”

We spoke to another frugal mum who also whips up delicious Friday night “fakeaways” for just 81p a head.

Meanwhile, The Sun went behind the scenes at KFC to reveal the secret to crispy fried chicken.

And here’s how to make your own Big Mac for just £1.

We go behind the scenes at KFC to reveal how to cook like the Colonel at home


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