Morrisons is aiming to tempt health-conscious shoppers on a tight budget with a new range of £1 ready meals.

The dishes, which fall under its NuMe healthy eating brand and hit shelves on Monday, are based on traditional recipes but contain fewer calories and less saturated fat. A creamy mushroom pasta with Italian cheese and thyme contains 386 calories, for instance. Other meals include a 287-calorie farmhouse bake, a 275-calorie minced beef and potato meal and a 404-calorie Mediterranean vegetable pasta bake.

“The meals are customer favourites, but with a healthier twist,” said Doug Thompson, chilled food buyer at Morrisons.