If you find yourself cooking for a crowd of people, either for a once-off occasion or on a regular basis, you may find it hard to keep your food costs down. But budget cooking for a crowd doesn't have to be difficult or cost a lot of money. Here are five tips that will help you to save money with your planned meal.

1) Buy ingredients that are in season.

Modern farming methods and transport networks mean that it's very easy to buy fruit, vegetables and meat all year round. But while fresh ingredients may be available all year round, it doesn't mean they are the same price (or the same quality) all year round! If you want to buy summer berries in the middle of winter, you will be paying extra for the convenience of having them available. For more details www.bread-bakers-assistant.com When you're trying to cook on a budget, you can't afford to pay those extra costs. Find out what ingredients are currently in season (and thus cheaper), and plan your menu around those items.

2) Buy meat on sale & freeze for later.

If you know you will be cooking for a crowd ahead of time (or if it's a regular situation), buy up on meat when it's on special and freeze it for use later on. You can keep most meats in the freezer for several months (be sure to label the meat with the date and check the recommended maximum for whatever you are freezing), and simply defrost the meat for the meal a day or two ahead of when you need it.

3) Buy cheaper cuts of meat & slow cook.

If you've never tried it before, slow cooking is a fantastic way to make meals using the cheaper cuts of meat that are usually unsuitable for most uses (but cost less than half the price of the more popular cuts!) Meat that most consider tough or fatty just melts in the mouth after slow cooking, and the flavor is usually much stronger as well. Slow cooking can be done either in the oven or in a separate crock pot, and most people will never guess that you've used a cheaper cut of meat.

4) Cook one pot meals.

One pot meals are a great solution when cooking for a crowd. Rather than mucking around with lots of separate dishes all cooking separately, a large pot of one dish can be fantastic. For more details www.tailgating-recipe.com .Having just one dish usually means a reduced number of ingredients, so a lower cost. Popular comfort food like lasagna or spaghetti bolognaise don't cost a lot to make, but always go down well.

5) Bulk out the meal.

The easiest way to stretch a meal to feed a large group of people while keeping costs down is to add filler ingredients to the meal (whether they are in the original recipe or not). Additional vegetables, pasta, rice, other grains or even just bread on the side are all great ways to add bulk to a meal for low cost, but not cut down on the quality or taste of the meal.