A new study has revealed that Korean food is the cheapest cuisine to make at home, with a meal on average costing £2.69 per portion and £10.79 for a family of four* – over half the price of the UK’s favourite Chinese dishes including the chow mein.
The findings revealed that Japanese cuisine is the second cheapest to recreate at home, with dishes costing approximately £10.79 for four, followed by Mediterranean (£13.66), Indian (£17.57) and finally Chinese (£21.57).
This comes as prices to eat out have increased massively with the cost of living crisis. A recent ONS study revealed that prices in restaurants and cafes rose by 9.1% in the year to September 2023, up from 8.8% in June.
And with the average UK household now spending around £23 a week and £1,220 a year on takeaways and the average Chinese costing £27.28, Brits are being encouraged to embrace the ‘fakeaway’, which could save them upwards of £900 a year.
The study, conducted by Asian snack and drink brand, Kelly Loves, took 5 of the most popular dishes from the UK’s favourite cuisines, analysing the average price of the ingredients needed to prepare the dishes at home.
Pizza was the most budget-friendly dish to create from scratch at £1.10 a portion, followed by Korean green onion pajeon (£1.76), Japanese yakitori (£1.97) and finally Chinese favourite, chow mein (£2.11).
Katsu curry cost a mere £3.64 per portion, making it around three times cheaper than the £9.75 you’d pay for the same dish at the likes of popular Japanese restaurant, Wagamama.
At the other end of the scale, Chinese dim sum was the most expensive dish at £8.14, making it 8 times more expensive than pizza. This was followed by Chinese kung poa chicken (£6.95), Indian classic, lamb rogan josh (£6.58) and finally Greek favourite moussaka (£5.70).
Kelly Choi, founder of Kelly Loves, says: “For those looking to cut costs, popular Korean dishes such as fried chicken, pajeon, bibimbap, tteokbokki and bulgogi are the dishes to create at home if you’re looking at cost-saving options without compromising taste, flavour and variety. Most Korean dishes are simple – based on rice and vegetables, accompanied by meat or seafood, which can be budget-friendly if you compare supermarkets and visit your local food markets.
“Korean food mainly relies on spices and seasoning which give it its unique and well-known flavour. For example, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, gochujang and kimchi are all well-known for their distinctive taste. All of these, once in the cupboard, can be reused frequently.
Korean culture places a lot of importance on sharing food. In Korea, banchan (Korean side dishes) sharing is a feature on the table at mealtimes and so meals are naturally more communal and therefore cost-effective. Every Korean dining table looks like there is a party taking place — full of variation and colour.”
