Hi Kirsty,
When using the Disney Dining Plan, you are able to redeem your meals in any order throughout your holiday until each person's meal total is complete.
You can absolutely choose to pay for your boyfriends meal at a participating restaurant with Disney Dining Plan meal entitlements and pay out of pocket for your own meal. By doing so, you will be effectively saving the meal entitlements which you would have used at this dining location for use at another time during your stay.
For more help with your planning, I would recommend that you visit the
My Holiday Planner website where you can watch a number of videos including my top tips which are aimed specifically at helping UK Guests plan their trips to Walt Disney World.
You will also be able to order a copy of the Little Big Book of Magic guidebook which contains pull out maps and insider tips to help you get the most from your trip as well as a Walt Disney Travel Company brochure and some other planning tools.
Wishing you a magical holiday filled with memories which will last a lifetime!