Five meals. One shopping list.

You don't need seven new recipes to plan a week. Begin with a few familiar meals, something quick, and a night for leftovers or a change of plan.

Start with what you have

Check the fridge, freezer and cupboard. Choose a meal around something that needs using soon. Put those ingredients on a separate “already have” list.

Choose meals that share ingredients

For example, tomatoes can go into pasta one evening and a simple chickpea dish another. Shared ingredients can make the list shorter without making every meal identical.

Combine quantities carefully

If two recipes need 200g and 300g of tomatoes, write 500g. Keep units consistent. Do not combine “two tomatoes” with “200g” unless you have checked the amount you actually need.

Group the list by section

Vegetables, pantry items, chilled food and household essentials are a useful starting point. Cross off what you already own, then keep the list somewhere easy to access while shopping.