We’re still a nation of food-wasters, chucking away 4.2 tonnes a year. Could you be doing more to save that grub from the garbage?
Everybody knows pizza tastes better the next day, right? Well, sort of … But a recent poll by Up&Go Breakfast revealed that over a third of Brits have eaten takeaway food for breakfast.
While guzzling leftovers the morning after the night before might not sound all that appealing, or indeed that healthy, actually – in one very important way – these cold pizza/curry/chow mein devourers are doing a very good thing.
Because every year, this country throws away 4.2 million tonnes of good food and drink. For the average family, that’s the same as throwing around £700-worth of perfectly edible meals straight into the bin.
It’s shocking. Financially, environmentally, and practically (that’s lot of extra totally unnecessary slogs to the supermarket). Top of the wasted food list, according to Love Food, Hate Waste (england.lovefoodhatewaste.com), goes something like this: Bread, potatoes, milk, home-made meals, fizzy drinks, fruit juices and smoothies, poultry, pork (including ham and bacon) and (weirdly) cakes.
In even starker terms, the numbers (every single day) are something like: 5.8 million whole potatoes, 24 million whole slices of bread, 1.5 million sausages and 1.9 million slices of ham.
But other than eating a lot of sandwiches filled with potato, sausage and ham, what can we actually do about this staggering level of throwaway food? How can we stop thinking of leftover food as the end of one meal, and start thinking of it, instead, as the beginning of the next?
Well, for one, you can do the takeaway for breakfast trick. For a few more, you could try these clever tips …
LEFTOVER TEA AND TEA BAGS
Did you know you can use old tea to marinade meat before cooking it? You can also use old teabags and leaves in compost, or put it in some cold water to make a special cleaning solution that’s great at dissolving grime on mirrors and floors.
BREAD
If you’re not going to eat it sliced, why not put it in a blender and create breadcrumbs for toppings on fish or pasta?
EGGS
If they’re about to go out of date and you don’t have time to use them, don’t just throw them out – freeze them. Not everyone knows you can freeze eggs, but if you do it separately, it’s no problem. Also, remember experts say that if you cook eggs thoroughly, it’s ok to eat them a day or two after their best before date.
PASTA
If you’ve slightly over-estimated how much pasta you’ll need (who doesn’t?), don’t chuck it, rinse it in cold water and freeze it. It can be reheated whenever you need it. Cooked pasta also keeps for two days in the fridge, so use it in a pasta salad for lunch the next day.
POTATO
The other carb we’re all prone to over-catering with, but piles of leftover potato can easily be remade into other meals. Use old mash in fishcakes or as a pie topping; add boiled potatoes to an omelette or salad, and even use peelings to make oven-cooked crisps.
LETTUCE
You got all keen and bought lots of lettuce to have healthy salads. Then it all went a bit old and off. But fear not; it can still be healthy, just in the form of a soup, instead. Boil it up with some stock and sliced leek, simmer, cool, blitz in the food processor then stir in some cream, and you’re there: delicious lettuce soup.
CHICKEN
Ah, the ever versatile leftover chicken. Make it into burgers, put it in sandwiches, or try a stir-fry – which handily uses up old vegetables too. Put the chicken, marinated with a little soy sauce and a teaspoon of runny honey, into a wok, add some garlic, spring onions, broccoli and peppers (and whatever other vegetables you have left in your fridge drawer), and fry until cooked.
CAKE
Bit fed up with that well-intentioned birthday cake? Unlikely to get through the next eight slices on your own? Then treat yourself to another sweet treat, and make your cake into truffles. Chuck it in a food processor, mix with cocoa powder and roll into small balls.
5 TIPS FOR CURBING FOOD WASTE
1 Keep a short diary to assess exactly how much you are throwing away in an average week.
2 Double-check your cupboards before shopping, so you don’t double up.
3 Always plan your meals in advance, don’t shop and just pick up what you fancy as you go.
4 Get savvy with food storage, so you’re keeping items for their maximum time.
5 Freeze whatever you can, and remember to go back and use it (clearly mark when you put it in to keep track).