A poor man's Le Creuset...

Have you tried estate/yard sales? I often find better quality furniture and kitchenware in areas where there are a lot of old people and for a fraction of the price. Things were made much better a half century ago.

The boot sale season has come to a close here, with winter on its way. But yes, looking out for second hand ones is well worth considering.

I've got two Le Creuset dishes, one big and a small one. But, that was a present.
Normally I use those simple Spanish clay dishes (tapas) that are around 1 € a piece. they come in different sizes, invariably brown.
They look like those in the middle..
When is your next trip to Spain? They're are available in every supermercado. Possibly also in the UK, if you look around.

Have you looked at Corningware? Not as heavy-weight as Le Creuset but reasonably priced. I found this site that says it ships to UK

http://www.worldkitchen.co.uk/CategoryProduct.aspx?CatId=29&nc=1

Do you have anything equivalent to our hardware stores in England? I ask because I'm a good baker and I find that my local hardware store has things like pie tins, cake pans, etc. that are as good as the "name brand" ones without the high prices. I haven't seen cast-iron cookeware there, but maybe I just haven't noticed.

Part of the problem, as I see it, is that although you used to be able to buy perfectly serviceable cast-iron pots at reasonable prices, "name" chefs with TV cooking shows now attach their names to cookware, and it's never cheap.

Good luck in your search; I'm tempted to say that a good cast-iron pot is worth its weight in gold, but that would bankrupt a nation's economy nowadays.

They sell 'em quite cheap on Amazon.

Can you order from here in the UK?

Lodge Cast Iron

Do their prices qualify as "poor man's?"

I don't know - but Tesco Extra (UK) are doing a superb (very heavy) cast iron skillet right now - and it's ony £22.
Very good quality and nice looking - too.
5 year free warranty comes with it - as well.

Shipping costs wil probably rule out anything transatlantic, given the weight.

It occurs to me that I don't have anything that goes from hob/stovetop to oven. I brown things in a big castiron frying pan and then transfer to a pottery casserole. Or the slow cooker. Or, more likely, just finish cooking on top of the stove.