Celebrity chef Simon Rimmer runs two restaurants, Earle in Hale and Greens in Manchester has recently won “North West Restaurant of the Year”. Simon has a fresh and funky approach to food and is an advocate of healthy eating.

You will know his face from TV where he currently co presents Something for the Weekend every Sunday on BBC 2 and has been working on a number of new BBC ventures including: Recipes for Success, Food Poker and Take on the Take Away. Simon also appears regularly on a number of programmes including his own show Grubs up on Granada.

Simon firmly believes, for speedy, healthy and delicious dishes cook with Quality Standard beef mince.

“One of the fantastic things about beef mince is that it need not be time consuming. Whether you are looking for a quick and easy dish, a healthy square meal or an opportunity to indulge with friends, Quality Standard beef mince is the answer, plus it’s good on the pocket. You can: Make more meals from mince, use a variety of recipes and dishes that can range from the plain and traditional to spicy and exotic, plus its healthy.”

Be a thief! Simon says to steal ideas from anywhere and never be scared to try new things - you can be more adventurous on a budget

Excite people with your cooking - cooking can be fun and a very social experience

Strip your food down to the basics - Get back to basics, processed food such as microwave meals contain so many hidden fats and salt and they are expensive. Steer clear of these in favour of buying healthy and fresh products

Always try and buy seasonal items, they will taste better when they are in season and you'll find it cheaper to buy fruit and veg when it's in season

Rather than just preparing a meal for one, cook in batches, you’ll save time and only have to buy one set of ingredients

Learn how to do four dishes well try: curry or chilli, a pasta dish, a stew or casserole and of course your favourite pudding!

When you buy food that goes off quickly, plan your meals ahead of time so you are not having to throw things away

Try to buy locally – to ensure quality while watching the pennies, get down to your local butcher or supermarket and look out for the Quality Standard Mark

To ensure you are really buying quality beef mince always look out for the Quality Standard Mark. The label not only tells you that the meat you are buying has been produced to the strictest guidelines and is independently audited. It also guarantees provenance and assures you that the mince is 100% beef with no added water, additives or fillers, and does not have a fat content over 20%

You can check out more of Simon’s tip’s recipes and cooking advice from his most recent book Rebel Cook out now