Post by Freya Wattam from Oxford Food Hub on behalf of Replenish
At Oxford Food Hub, we are experts on food waste. Every day, we collect good-quality, surplus food from producers, wholesalers, and retailers, and deliver it (completely free of charge) to 245 charities and community groups across the county.
Our mission is simple: to stop good food from going to waste and to share it with those who need it most. By redistributing over two tonnes of food daily, we are reducing food waste, cutting carbon emissions, and supporting the people of Oxfordshire.
Because surplus food is unpredictable, creativity is essential. Week after week, the charities and community groups that we deliver to transform surplus ingredients into fun, inventive, and nourishing meals for their communities.
That said… there are a few ingredients we always seem to have in abundance.
Bread is one of the most wasted foods in the UK. Around 900,000 tonnes of bread every year. It’s a staple in most homes, which also makes it one of the easiest foods to overlook when it goes stale.
But we wanted to show that no bread should really go to waste!
– Cook up delicious Czech bread dumplings using old bread for an amazing texture.
– Using stale bread in an Italian vegetable stew.
Potatoes are the second most wasted food in the UK, just after bread. 4.4 million fresh potatoes are thrown away by UK homes, amounting to 1.6 billion wasted potatoes every year. This is often due to cosmetic standards and the fact that they’re sold in large bags, making it harder to use them all in time.
Here are a couple of potato recipes using leftover boiled potatoes to make the most out of your spuds.
– Rumbledethumps – a traditional Scottish dish
Did you know that 1.4 million bananas are wasted in the UK every single day?
At Oxford Food Hub, we understand how challenging it can be to make the most of the food you have. We’ve all been there, fruit that looked perfect a few days ago is suddenly soft, spotty, and on its way out. But don’t throw it away just yet!
Overripe fruit can still be delicious, and it is ideal for all sorts of tasty, waste-saving recipes.
Gut Healthy Drinks
When fruit starts to get a bit squishy, don’t toss it, turn it into a gut-friendly drink instead! Fermentation might sound tricky or time-consuming, but one of the joys of it is that the bacteria do most of the work for you. This easy drink is a great introduction to the world of fermentation and gut health, and they come with the added benefit of reducing food waste:
Water kefir: just add fruit, sugar, water kefir grains, and water. Leave it for two days, then strain out the grains (which can be reused again and again) and fruit, and enjoy a naturally fizzy, fruity drink.
Here is a more detailed guide on how to make water kefir
Bake It
Overripe fruit is perfect for baking. Use bananas for banana bread, or cook down soft fruits like apples, plums, or berries for a delicious crumble. The riper the fruit, the sweeter the result!
Here are some tasty-looking recipes:
An easy, delicious banana bread
At Oxford Food Hub, we see every day how surplus food can be transformed into nourishing meals. Reducing food waste can be a challenge, but with a little creativity, it’s one we can all help tackle.
If you’d like to learn more about reducing food waste or supporting our work, visit our website: https://oxfordfoodhub.org/
For more tips on avoiding food waste or growing your own food follow us on social media or sign up to our newsletter
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