Sound familiar?
The shops are made for families. You’re one person.
- Half the bag of salad goes in the bin by Friday.
- The big pack is “better value”, until you throw half of it away.
- You know what you spend, and it doesn’t fit the state pension.
- Every video says shop online, use the app, scan the code.
- You cook as though the whole family was still at the table, and then wonder what to do with it.
It isn’t you. The shelves are packed for four. Nobody tells you what to buy when it’s just you.
What you were told, and what works instead
The big pack is always better value.
Only if you eat it. I show you what to buy big and freeze, and what to buy small.
One store is cheapest for everything.
None is. I show you what each store is best for, for one person.
Use the app for the deals.
Most of what you need is on the shelf without one. I show you the deals that need no app and the ones that do.
Cooking for one isn’t worth the bother.
Buying for one is the trick. Get the shop right and the cooking is easy.
Throw it out when the date comes.
Some dates are about safety and some are about quality. I explain them the way the Food Standards Agency does.
Real pages from the book
Look inside
Swipe to see all 4 pages →
What’s inside A Basket for One
A Basket for One gives you 11 store cards, one for each UK supermarket, with what to buy, freeze and leave when you live alone.
| # | Chapter | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start Here: The 10-Minute Cupboard Check. Know in ten minutes what’s in your cupboard and freezer, what to use first, and leave with a one-page plan. | 11 |
| 2 | Shop for One, Waste for None. Know what to buy big and freeze and what to buy small, item by item. | 19 |
| 3 | The Store Cards. Walk into Iceland, Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Co-op, M&S, Poundland, B&M or Home Bargains knowing what to buy there. | 26 |
| 4 | The Store Cupboard for One. Keep a store cupboard for one that never goes to waste. | 65 |
| 5 | The Freezer for One. Fill the freezer with single portions, labelled, so nothing gets lost at the bottom. | 71 |
| 6 | Use By, Best Before. Understand use-by and best-before the way the Food Standards Agency explains them. | 78 |
| 7 | Winter Basket. Keep warm, cheap food in for winter, and know when to stock up. | 86 |
| 8 | Once a Month. Shop once a month with a small top-up list. | 93 |
| 9 | One Chicken, One Week. Turn one whole chicken into a week of meals for one. | 100 |
| 10 | Shopping When Carrying Is Hard. Shop when carrying is hard: smaller baskets, bus-friendly shops, delivery basics. | 108 |
| 11 | Christmas for One. Have a proper Christmas for one without a fridge full of leftovers. | 115 |
| 12 | Jean’s Cards. Take the pocket card in your purse and keep your freezer log with a pen. | 122 |
A few things you’ll find out
- The one thing I buy at Iceland and nowhere else
- Why the big bag of potatoes is the dearest thing in your basket
- What to freeze on the day you buy it, and what never to
- The tins I always have in, and how many
- How to read a use-by date the way the Food Standards Agency does
- The once-a-month shop that fits on one bus
- Christmas for one without a week of leftovers
Every price carries its store, the region and the date I read it. No store paid to be in this book.
Who says so
Thirty-one years in a school kitchen
I started as cook in charge of a primary school kitchen in 1979. Two hundred and fifty dinners a day, one budget, and an order sheet every Friday. You learn very quickly what keeps, what freezes and what ends up in the bin.
My Ron died in 2014. The first time I went shopping after, I came home with enough for two and threw half of it away. Everything in the shops is packed for a family.
So I did what I did at school. I worked out what to buy where, what to buy big and freeze, and what to buy small. Eleven years on, I waste next to nothing, and I don’t care what anyone thinks of my basket.
My granddaughter Chloe has just got her first flat, and I started writing it down for her. That turned into this book. It’s what I’d tell you on the bus.
Jean Holroyd
Is this book for you?
It’s for you if
- You live on your own and shop for one.
- You’re on the state pension or a small income and count every penny.
- You’re tired of throwing food away.
- You’d rather have a card in your bag than an app on your phone.
- You shop at more than one UK supermarket and want to know what each is best for.
It’s not for you if
- You want recipes and meal plans; this book is the shop, not the cooking.
- You want diet or health advice.
- You shop for a big family every week.
What still needs someone else
Diet and health questions go to your doctor. Money, pension and benefits questions go to Age UK or Citizens Advice.
What this book won’t do
Prices change every week. Every price has its store and date so you can see how fresh it is; check before you buy.
Get A Basket for One today
A Basket for One, the complete book
- Start Here: the 10-minute Cupboard Check, so you use what you have first
- The 11 store cards: what to buy, freeze and leave at each UK supermarket
- The buy-big-freeze-small chart, item by item
- The store cupboard and freezer for one, with how long things keep
- The winter basket and the once-a-month list
- The pocket card for your purse and the freezer log, to use with a pen
Secure checkout. One payment. Keep the book even if you ask for your money back.
Right after you pay, you get the download link by email, as a PDF and an EPUB. Open Start Here first; the Cupboard Check takes about 10 minutes.
Two short notes from me in the week after, one tip and one question.
The Ladle Promise
I ran a school kitchen on a budget for thirty-one years, so here’s mine. If this book doesn’t help you waste less within 30 days, write to me and you’ll get every penny back. No questions, and you keep the book.
Questions people ask me
Is this a cookbook?
No. It’s the shop: what to buy at each store when it’s just you, what to freeze and what to leave on the shelf.
Did a supermarket pay to be in it?
No store paid for anything. Every price has its store and the date I read it.
I’m not good with computers. Can I print it?
Yes. It comes as a PDF you can print at home, and the cards are made to use with a pen.
Prices change. Won’t it be out of date?
Prices move, but what each store is good for changes slowly. Every price is dated so you can see how fresh it is.
My nearest store isn’t one of yours.
The cupboard, freezer and dates parts work anywhere, and the store cards show you what to look for on any shelf.
Why is there a timer on the price?
The launch price of £19 runs only while the timer runs for you. After that the book is £26.
Shop for one. Waste for none.
Next time you go to the shops, you’ll know what to buy for one, what to freeze and what to leave on the shelf.
Shop for one, waste for none. Jean
P.S. P.S. A Basket for One gives you 11 store cards for living alone, for £19 with the 30-day The Ladle Promise. If it doesn’t help, every penny comes back.