Simple Ways To Reduce Food Waste

Over the years I have realised that reducing food waste is not about perfection. It the small things we do, like using leftovers creatively and shopping more intentionally, that can really make a difference. There are lots of simple ways to reduce food waste that can help save money and support the environment as well.

The Love Food Hate Waste website reports that about 4.4 million tonnes of edible food are thrown away each year in the UK.

Simple Ways to Avoid Food Waste in Your Home

Keep a tidy fridge
Keep an eye on fresh products and if you feel you won’t be able to use them by the use by date, pop them in the freezer straight away.

Use your freezer
You can freeze:

Leftover lemons, oranges and limes –Simply slice citrus fruit and freeze flat. Once frozen, transfer to sealed containers. Use to make water and soft drinks more interesting or to perk up a gin and tonic.

Most hard cheeses – grate and then freeze in sealed containers. Use straight from frozen as a garnish on pasta, pasta bakes and baked potatoes. The cheese melts into the hot main dish and tastes just the same as fresh.

Roast vegetables – Cool and freeze in serving size portions. Add to pasta sauces, couscous or rice.

Bread 
- Freeze half a loaf of bread so that you have one half to eat now and the other to toast for later. If fresh bread begins to go dry or stale, grate or process it to make bread crumbs which can then be frozen. You can also make croutons.

Slightly stale bread also makes wonderful bread and butter puddings and breakfast casseroles.

Don’t believe everything the supermarkets tell you
‘Use by’ dates are based on food hygiene rules and should be followed. On the other hand ‘best before’ dates don’t mean ‘rotten after’. It just means the product should be at its best if used before that date. Best before dates on fruit, vegetables and bread are pointless as it’s obvious when they are past their best.

Provided you freeze a product before the use by date, it should be fine for at least three months in a well-maintained freezer. It does not need to be frozen on the day of purchase.

Use leftover fruit and vegetables in baking
All of these delicious cakes were made from vegetables that were either leftover or past their best. Even if fruit and vegetables have gone a little soft, they are still fine for cakes and muffins. Try Butternut Pecan Loaf, Banana Rum Raisin Cake, Sweet Potato Bread or Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake.

Whether it’s recycling more, making do and mending, shopping locally, buying less packaging or like me, reducing food waste, your one more thing can make a real difference, both to the environment and your budget.