Pontefract family lose two stone and save £1,000 after starring on TV show

The Formstone family admitted their shopping bills were getting out of control and were regularly turning to takeaways, jars of sauces, Pot Noodles, chocolate, crisps and sweets while spending an eye-watering £550 a month alone on snacks.

Mum Claire admitted they were "stuck in a rut" spending £30 on daily trips to the supermarket becasue the family - which includes school caretaker dad Jayson, nine-year-old son Harley and six-year-old daughter Amelia - were all eating different meals at different times.

After inviting in ITV's Eat, Shop, Save - in which their unhealthy lifestyle is put under the microscope by health and financial experts - they have now waved goodbye to their calorie-laden ways.

Screened on Thursday night, the 30-minute showed them undertaking an eight-week challenge by increasing their daily exercise, making meals from scratch that they could all enjoy and making massive savings on their inflated food bill.

Claire, who is a catering assistant, said: "We all eat together, that's the big thing, and it's family time really around the table.

"The children are trying all new things, and we are."

During the show Wakefield-based finance expert Kate Hardcastle piled up the sweets, chocolate, biscuits and crisps the family were consuming in a month in front of the shocked couple, and calculated they were frittering away £550 a month alone on the snacks.

But that has now been ditched, and Jayson - who admitted to rarely ever preparing meals - now often takes over the cooking duties.

He said: "I'm surprised how well I've done with it. I thought I'd still be having snacks but I've not been bothered about them."

Discussing trying new ingredients, including butternut squash and spinach, he added: "It not that it all just tastes better, it's a lot cheaper. We have saved over £1,000. We cut shopping down to once a week and getting the stuff you need."

During filming, the family's life was made more difficult by the announcement of the lockdown and that Jason's mother had contracted Covid-19 and was put on a ventilator in intensive care. Thankfully, she is now recovering.

Despite the constraints of life under lockdown, the couple stuck to their new eating plan with Jayson managing to shift 18lbs, and Claire dropping 9lbs.

The couple, who also own 50 per cent of their home, say they can now look to buying the remainder by embracing the changes that are leaving them financially better off.

Presenter Ranvir Singh, said: "Claire, Jayson Amelia and Harley have truly embraced the Eat, Shop, Save challenge and it's clear to see there's no going back for them now and there's a happy, healthy future ahead."