£5 a packet?? Blimey. I agree, stay a long way away.

This may not suit everyone, but when the family are eating pasta, I cut white cabbage into very very thin slices, separate into spaghetti like strands, boil them till 'al dente' and drain very well indeed. Leave in saucepan to dry out, add a little olive oil.
Nearly pasta, and certainly good enough if you have a strongly flavoured sauce and lots of cheese.