Produced for BBC2. As the recession forces us to tighten our belts, top chefs Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett show us how to cut our food bills and eat like royalty at the same time.

Economy Gastronomy is the cook’s answer to the credit crunch. With less money in our pockets, many people are looking for ways to cut the weekly food bill. In this new series, top chefs and restaurateurs, Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett, combine their skills and experience to create great food on a budget.

Each week, Allegra and Paul shows a household that routinely overspends on their food shopping how they can slash their food costs but still eat well using good quality produce. This isn’t about dull and austere cooking – it’s about using ingredients ingeniously to create delicious and flavour-packed food.