Rex Features
A public health campaign to convince families they can eat more healthily for less money is being launched.
Four million recipe leaflets will be mailed to families already signed up to the Government's Change 4 Life campaign.
Asda, CoOp and Aldi are offering discount 'Superdeals' on basics like fruit, vegetables and fish for the Supermeals campaign.
Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott has helped devise a cookbook promoting healthy dishes, with recipes that can be created for under £5.
He has also been filmed performing cooking tutorials which will be posted on the Change 4 Life website.
He said: "Sometimes the thought of making meals from scratch can seem a bit daunting, but I have always tried to assure people that cooking at home can be really quick, easy and doesn't need to break the bank."
Among the meals being promoted are vegetable soup, Sunday roast and cauliflower cheese.
Public health minister Anne Milton said: "The new year is a good time to think about losing weight. The Supermeals campaign will give us all some great ideas for balanced meals on a budget."
Mr Harriott added: "Sometimes the thought of making meals from scratch can seem a bit daunting, but I have always tried to assure people that cooking at home can be really quick, easy and doesn't need to break the bank."
But Shadow public health minister Diane Abbott said: "They're calling this public health but it's just a glorified advertisement for big business. This is a government that doesn't take its responsibility around public health seriously.
"Some areas in inner cities are fresh food deserts so families fall into eating takeaway chicken and chips."
Dale Rees, a spokesman for the British Dietetic Association, told the BBC the initiative was a positive step.
"Evidence shows that people who eat a diet low in fat, added sugars and salt are less likely to develop chronic diseases in later life. You can protect against heart disease, for example, plus you're less likely to be obese and have weight-related health problems," said the dietician.
Referring to the issues raised by Ms Abbott, he said: "We need to tackle those blackspots to make sure fresh food is made available for those people. But that shouldn't stop the promotion of eating healthy food on a budget."
What do you think? Are these health campaigns useful to family cooks looking for inspiration for budget meal making?
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