In the UK, a household of four people wastes on average £1000 worth of food that could have been eaten every year, with fruit and veg being the most wasted.
So we want to help you stop perfectly good food from being put in the bin. Below, you’ll find some of our top tips for reducing food waste at home!
Make a weekly menu and plan ahead
The first step to helping reduce food waste is thinking about how you buy. Planning ahead so you only buy what you need can not only prevent waste but can also help reduce how much you spend on food.
Think before you shop – what do you need, who will be eating, what do you already have?
Keep it flexible – Things change, and life is busy, keep space in your plan for a ‘use up fridge food’ meal.
Make the most of what you have
Eat every bit! You don’t need to peel carrots or potatoes, give them a good wash and you can use them as they are – plus you’ll get extra goodness from them!
Use-by dates – These dates indicate when food is safe to eat. Food that is past its use-by date should not be eaten, even if it looks and smells fine.
Best-before dates – These dates indicate when food is at its best. Food that is past its best-before date can often still be eaten.
Bananas – Banana Bread – do we need to say more?
Vegetable peelings – Make your own stock by simmering in water for 20 minutes, then freeze and use when required. Or your could bake them and turn them in to crisy treats.
Left over bread – turn tortillas in to crisps by cutting in to triangles and baking, blitz old bread in to breadcrumbs or just freeze bread and it can go straight from the freezer to the toaster! And let’s not forget bread and butter pudding – you can use any bread or bakery item for this, hot cross buns, burger buns or even croissants!
Tomatoes – roast leftover tomatoes along with any other veg you have (such as aubergines, garlic, you could even hide some greens in there) in to the oven, once roasted and cool, blend in to a gorgeous tomato sauce that can be frozen or used on pasta, pizza or for dipping your chips in.
Potatoes – Cooked too many potatoes, you can turn these into pancakes, bubble and squeak, pies, waffles or croquettes.
Get creative and pretend you’re on ‘Ready Steady Cook’
Whether you’re a foodie or just like to experiment in the kitchen, making a meal ‘ready steady cook’ style is a great way to reduce food waste. Our volunteers have no idea what ingredients they will be cooking with until they arrive at FoodCycle, and they then work as a team to come up with creative, nutritious meals.
With a good stock of dried foods like rice, pasta, and lentils, you can get creative with your dishes and utilise all those leftovers in your fridge. Yes, even that 2-week old carrot hiding at the back!
There are plenty of apps and tools out there (we’re looking at you Chat GPT), where you can list all the ingredients you have and in seconds it will come up with a suggested recipe. Or you can make use of our recipes page, all recipes have been submitted by FoodCycle volunteers and supporters and include things like brussel sprout pakoras, asparagus spaghetti, vegan pancakes and plenty of cakes!
Use your freezer
Freezing food is a great way to reduce food waste. It acts as a pause button. It’s OK to freeze most foods as long as you check packet instructions to ensure that foods are suitable for freezing.
Some of our favourite things to freeze are…
Stocks and sauces – pop them into an ice cube tray, so they’ll be easy to pop out when you need them
Grapes – they make a lovely icy treat and you can use them like ice cubes on a hot day
Cooked pasta –put your leftovers in a bag and enjoy another day
Flour – storing flour in the freezer makes it last much longer. When ready to use, let the flour come to room temperature before using it to avoid clumping
Freezer safety tips – make sure all food has cooled down properly before freezing and is sealed in an airtight container or bag. If freezing shop brought food, always freeze before the use-by date.
Want to learn some tips? Volunteer with us at your local FoodCycle – our volunteers love sharing their tips on how to reduce food waste.
Have your own tips and tricks for how to reduce food waste at home? Then don’t forget to share them with us through social media or our contact form – or you can submit your recipe on our recipe page.
