Love Food Hate Waste
Most of us don't realise the amount of food we throw
away
8.3 million tonnes of food is thrown away
by households in the UK every year, or, to put it another way,
around a third of all the food we buy ends up being thrown
away. Most of this could have been eaten! If we stopped
wasting food which could have been eaten, it would have the same
impact on carbon emissions as taking one in four cars
off UK roads. It’s not about eating less, just making
the most of the food that is bought and, at the same time, helping
the environment, in fact, the average family could save as
much as £50 per month.
Love Food Hate Waste campaign is a national intiative designed
to provide practical information to help people make the most of
the food they buy and waste less of it. Visit the Love Food Hate Waste
website for handy hints and tips for ways to love food and
reduce your food waste.
Love Food Hate Waste at Christmas
With the shops already full of Christmas gifts, our minds turn
to festive plans and tasty treats to enjoy with family and friends.
And yet, we could all do with some extra cash in our pockets at
this time of year.
By making a shopping list, checking the cupboards and fridge and
eating up leftovers for lunch, we could all enjoy an extra bit of
cash in the run up to Christmas and reduce the amount of good food
being thrown away. Take a look at these time-saving Christmas
tips:-
- The Christmas food shop doesn't need to be stressful - planning
meals in advance, checking what foods we already have in the house
and knowing what we're going to buy before we go will make the trip
a lot easier and quicker.
- Most of us don't want to even think about going to the shops
over Christmas, so buy extra milk and bread to keep in the freezer
- that way we can have that cup of tea and slice of toast without
having to venture out into the cold.
- Save time on Christmas Day by preparing foods in advance and
freezing; stuffing, bread sauce, cranberry sauce and brandy butter
can all be made ahead of time and frozen.
- Even the roast potatoes can be prepared in advance; peel, cut,
par-boil and then freeze. On Christmas morning, season, sprinkle
with olive oil and roast straight from frozen.
- Put a mixture of bread rolls, muffins and cakes in the freezer,
they will defrost in no time and are a hassle free treat for
unexpected visitors.
- If you are making your own mince pies, make sure none go to
waste by freezing them uncooked - just bake a few at a time,
straight from frozen, when needed.
- When the party season comes we often find ourselves catering
for extra people. The party portion calculator at lovefoodhatewaste.com
removes the guess work when it comes to portions and has lots of
fabulous party recipes.
- Offers can be good value at Christmas especially if we're
expecting a lot of guests, look for fresh foods that can be frozen,
and make space in the freezer, just in case they don't all get
eaten.
Lovely leftovers - make the most of your festive foods with our
money saving tips
- There aren't many festive foods that can't be frozen for later,
keep freezer bags and pens to hand, label foods with the contents
and the date before freezing.
- Freeze any cold meats leftover after Boxing Day; they'll be
ideal for sandwiches when we're back to work in the New Year.
- Use up the last of the Christmas pudding by mixing with vanilla
ice cream for a delicious dessert second time around.
- The cheeses that didn't get eaten over Christmas, such as
stilton and cheddar, are perfect for freezing. Even the smallest
portions can be frozen - they're perfect for dropping straight into
soups and sauces for extra flavour.
- Leftover turkey just doesn't have to mean sandwiches, spice
things up this year with a turkey curry or use up those leftover
veggies with vegetable curry.
- Keep an eye on the dates of your festive foods - you can eat or
freeze right upto the end of the use by date. Best before dates are
for quality, you can eat foods after this date, but they may no
longer be at their best..
Love Food Hate Waste basics
The good news is there are a few quick and easy things
we can all do to reduce the amount of food we throw
away:
- combine leftovers from previous meals with
fresh ingredients to create delicious meals
- cook a large dish and then
divide into portions to freeze for another day,
great for days when you will be busy or home late
- check what's at the back of your fridge and
cupboards before shopping and keep an eye on 'Use by' and
'Best before' dates
- buy your fruit and vegetables
loose so you can buy exactly how much you need - this also
reduces packaging
- invest in storage containers
and bag clips for resealing bags
- after opening packets of dried foods such as
cereals, rice, flour and pasta, reseal them tightly or transfer
them into storage boxes or jars
- take time to plan your meals
for the week ahead - you'll find it much easier when you are food
shopping if you have your meals in mind
- packs of meat and fish can be
separated into smaller mounts for the freezer so
you can take out only the amount you need
Love Food, Hate Waste
Visit the Love Food Hate Waste
website for more handy hints and tips for ways to love
food and reduce your food waste. Try the Food Waste
Diary and discover what and how much food is thrown away at
home, you might be surprised.
Some food waste is inevitable, but items like peelings, egg
shells and tea bags can be composted to create valuable home
compost for your garden.
