Blog 1: What Homesteading Really Means in the UK

When you hear the word homesteading, what pops into your head?

A rustic barn? Chickens clucking around your garden? Shelves of perfectly lined jars that look like they’ve come straight out of Pinterest?

Yeah, me too.

Now, swap the barn for a 3-bed semi, the chickens for a toddler who screams when you cut his sandwich the wrong way, and the jars for Aldi freezer bags shoved in the bottom drawer — and you’ve got a more realistic picture of a UK homesteading attempt.

Homesteading, But Make It British.

Here in the UK, we don’t tend to call it “homesteading.” It sounds a bit… Wild West. But the idea is the same:

• Growing some of your own food (even if it’s just herbs in a pot).
• Cooking from scratch, so you spend less.
• Preserving, batch cooking, freezing — not because it looks pretty on Instagram, but because you don’t want to cook every night.
• Stretching what you’ve got, whether that’s a £5 chicken or a sack of spuds.

It’s not about going “off-grid.” It’s about saving money, eating well, and feeling a bit smug when you pull homemade soup out of the freezer instead of ordering a takeaway. (Living off grid is a dream, but it’s a long distance in the future for us).

The Pinterest Myth

A lot of the advice floating around online is American and it doesn’t always translate.

They’ll say “just can 100 jars of tomatoes for the winter!” Meanwhile, you’re looking at your tiny kitchen, your electricity bill, and Aldi’s 45p tins and wondering if you’ve lost the plot.

That’s where UK homesteading gets real: it’s not about doing everything. It’s about figuring out what actually works here, with our prices, our shops, and our smaller houses.

My Reality Check

When I first got into this, I thought I’d save a fortune making everything myself. Bread, tomatoes, soap, jam, candles — if you can DIY it, I tried it.

Some things were brilliant (flatbreads, jam, soups). Some things… not so much. (Let’s just say I once spent more on jars than the actual food inside them was worth.)

The truth is: you don’t need to do it all. You don’t even need a garden or much space. You just need to be clever about what’s worth the time, and what’s worth a 45p tin.

What This Series Is About

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to break down:

• What’s actually cheaper to make vs buy.
• Which crops are worth growing in the UK (and which are just for fun).
• How to batch cook and freeze like a pro without turning your house into a Tupperware graveyard.
• Where to shop (Aldi, Asian shops, wholesalers, markets) to actually save money.

Think of it as a myth-busting, thrifty guide to UK homesteading — written by someone who’s tried, failed, and finally found what works.

The Bottom Line

Homesteading in the UK isn’t about being perfect, having acres of land, or owning a flock of chickens (though if you do, I’m jealous).

It’s about living a bit more intentionally, saving a lot more money, and finding joy in the small wins, like pulling a jar of homemade jam out for toast, or knowing that your freezer has dinner sorted even when your brain doesn’t.

So grab a cuppa, and let’s get started. Next up: Why Making Everything Yourself Doesn’t Always Save Money.