Follow our four steps to save food. Be food savvy because food is worth saving for all kinds of reasons.
Did you know the average household of 4 throws away around £1,000 worth of edible food each year? What a waste.
In Oxfordshire alone, each day we throw away 10,800 bananas, 15,120 tomatoes, 22,680 carrots and 31,320 potatoes. That’s enough potatoes to make a portion of chips for every person who lives in Carterton!
We spoke to residents at East Oxford Farmers Market to share their tips with you for how they reduce food waste.
Follow these four steps to avoid food waste.
Planning and preparation prevents us from throwing food away.
Check what’s already in your fridge and cupboards
- Plan what you are going to eat each week or month by making a meal plan.
- Take a shelfie to remind yourself what you already have.
- Make a shopping list.
We know there are times when planning may be more difficult for some people. Taking a flexible approach is fine. If you know your capacity may vary from day today, you could plan over a much shorter time frame.
If you’re having a get together with your friends or family, agree who is bringing what, so food isn’t duplicated and there are fewer leftovers. You could also make sure everyone goes home with a doggy bag!
Watch our video for hints and tips to help with food planning from customers at East Oxford Farmers’ Market
Now you’ve made a plan, stick to the list, although we know that’s easier said than done. But binning things that haven’t been eaten is no fun.
Before adding it to your basket, ask yourself:
- Is this on my shopping list?
- Have I budgeted for this? (tip: use the ‘Quick scan’ hand-held facility in-store to add up your food bill as you go along)
- Sense check special offers
- Does this fit in my meal plan?
- Can I eat it before it goes off?
- Can I freeze or store some of it?
- Could I buy loose produce to get just the amount I need?
- Swap brands for the supermarket’s own brand to save some money.
Our video has hints and tips to help you be a savvy shopper.
Storing food in the best possible way, will help keep it fresher for longer.
The food and recipe tool from Love Food Hate Waste gives you lots of great information to make sure your store produce to increase its longevity.
Remember to regularly check your fridge and have an “eat me first shelf” so you don’t miss that pot of cream lurking at the back.
Another great tip is to stay on top of what’s in your freezer so you have space to store your leftovers.
You can put a “pause” on food waste by storing leftovers in airtight containers and freezing them, be sure to label your leftovers so you know what it is when you pull it out.
For more ideas for storing food, watch our video
If you have planned your meals well and stored properly so everything is fresh you’re ready for the fun part, which is the cooking!
Cooking food from scratch can be so rewarding. You might already have the skills and knowledge to do this but if not, check out The Good Food Cooking Toolkit from Good Food Oxfordshire. A really simple guide to create dishes without a recipe using different cooking technique.
We asked customers at East Oxford Farmers Market how they ensure all the food that they’ve planned and shopped for is eaten.
Festive recipes
We’ve also put together a list of our favourite recipes from around the web to avoid wasting your festive foods and get creative in the kitchen.
Turkey
Cranberry turkey pasties
Leftover turkey curry
Red cabbage, cauliflower & coconut dhal
Slow cooker turkey pho
Spicy turkey noodles
Turkey ramen
Next level turkey and ham pie
Best ever Christmas leftovers sandwich
Vegetables
Bubble and squeak – for green veg and potatoes
Brussels sprout slaw
Creamy sprout, hazelnut & leek pasta
Sprout remoulade
Pickled red cabbage with walnuts & apple
Refried roasties – even more delicious the second time round
Desserts
Chocolate fondant pudding – uses leftover Christmas pudding
Mince pie ice cream
Bottom of the chocolate box brownies
Coffee toffee ice cream – make use of extra cream
Christmas rocky road – for Christmas cake, biscuits, fruit and nuts
Take a look at our food rescue recipes for more ideas to use up commonly wasted foods. Love Food Hate Waste, BBC Good Food and Big Oven also have great recipes for you to try out.
Useful Links
For more tips on reducing food waste visit Love Food Hate Waste and Hubbub
For information on recycling visit Oxfordshire recycles
To find local food organisations visit Good Food Oxfordshire
For more tips on food waste reduction and home growing,
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