We bet you have never even thought of making these foods yourself - and if you have, you wouldn't have seen a recipe as easy as ours...
With all the hidden nasties in ready made and processed foods it's good to make as many things as you can from scratch.
When we talk about making food from scratch, we're not just talking about meals and sauces. You can make lots of different products you probably put in your basket without even thinking about it.
We bet you have never even thought of making these foods yourself - and if you have, you wouldn't have seen a recipe as easy as ours...
Baked beans
How often do you stick a tin (or 2) of baked beans in your shopping trolly? Have you ever thought of making them yourself? The rich tomato sauce is actually tastier than the tinned version and it may be a little bit of effort to begin with but you can make a big batch in one go and save them until you need them.
Get the recipe: Homemade baked beans
Peanut butter
It seems so easy just to grab a jar of peanut butter from the shop shelf but once you realise how easy it is to make it yourself - you won't be able to resist giving it a go! With just one ingredient (can you guess what it is?!) you can whip up a tasty spread for the family - knowing exactly what has gone into it.
Get the recipe: Peanut butter
Cereal
If you've got young mouths to feed in the mornings, you'll be a fan of the quick-pour breakfast option that is cereal. But after seeing how much sugar is in cereals, we've taken a vow to (try) and make all our cereals from scratch. They may not be as popular with the kids but it'll be worth the struggle knowing how much sugar you're cutting out of their diets.
Get the recipe: Homemade granola
Crumpets
Crumpets are a breakfast treat that you probably pick up without even thinking about making - how would you get the classic holes in yours? Homemade crumpets are pretty each to make, they're similar to a bread recipe and the added bicarbonate of soda gives it the lighter texture.
Get the recipe: Homemade crumpets
Nutella
What? You can make Nutella yourself? And it only takes 5 ingredients - this could be very dangerous knowledge!
Get the recipe: Homemade Nutella
Mustard
We can almost guarantee that you would never have thought to make mustard yourself. The best thing about making your own mustard is that you can control how spicy you like it to suit your family's taste.
Get the recipe: Homemade mustard
Chocolate bars
It sounds so obvious but have you ever made a homemade version of your favourite chocolate bar? This Twix is a personal favourite of ours (mainly because it comes out a lot bigger than your usual Twix!)
Get the recipe: Homemade Twix
Ketchup
Tomato ketchup is one of the worst culprits for hidden sugar - which is quite worrying when you think how much we put on our dinners! Making it yourself is, of course, more effort, but you can make up a big batch and keep it some place dry for months. Once you get used to the rich flavours of homemade ketchup, the shop-bought stuff just won't do!
Get the recipe: Homemade tomato ketchup
Hot chocolate
A warming cup of hot chocolate after the kids have gone to bed is a welcome treat for most mums. Just wait until you try homemade hot chocolate! The added melted chocolate transforms your usual drink into a cafe-worthy treat - we wouldn't judge if you added a little whipped cream and sprinkles.
Get the recipe: Homemade hot chocolate
Cordial
How many bottles of squash do you buy a week? If you've got some leftover fruit lying around, you can also whizz it up into a cordial. Some recipes do include quite a lot of sugar, but you can reduce to suit your tastes.
Get the recipe: Tropical cordial
Crisps
A packet of crisps is undoubtedly a stress-free snack but if you do fancy something a little different to the (often-salty) options in the shops, you can make your own! And you don't have to stop at potato crisps - you can experiment with loads of different variations, like our parsnip crisps from Mark Hix. It's a great way to use up those leftovers.
Get the recipe: Mark Hix's parsnip crisps with sea salt
Naan bread
If you're making a curry or getting one from the takeaway, it can be an instinctive move to reach for the packet of naan bread - but have you ever thought about making them yourself? They need a little time to rise, like most breads, but they're super quick to cook - they need just a couple of mins on both sides until the bread is puffed in the middle.
Get the recipe: Homemade naan bread
Cereal bars
We've all made cakes with cereal before but have you ever thought of turning them into cereal bars? They'd make a nice change from the ones you usually put into the kids lunchboxes. You could even get clever and make your own wrappers for them too!
Get the recipe: No-bake toffee krispie bars
Where to next?
50 foods that are much better homemade
