Reduce food waste with these top tips and recipes (2024)

As new research suggests we're unnecessarily wasting more food than ever, reduce waste in your home and save pounds in the process with these simple ideas and recipes

A new report has revealed that Britain wastes more food than any other country in Europe. The study, published in August in the journalEnvironmental Research Letters,exposed that for each UK citizen, the equivalent of one in three carrier bags of food is thrown away.

Earlier research carried out by the charity WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) showed that British households throw away seven million tonnes of food and drink each year. In monetary terms this equates to a whopping £470-worth of food being wasted a year per home. For a family with children, this figure is £700, the equivalent of £60 a month.

Why the waste?

Photo: WRAP

he two main reasons for discarding foodare that consumers prepare too much, or it has passed its sell-by date. It is estimated that households throw away 38% of all the food they buy.

Love Food Hate Waste, a campaign launched by WRAP in 2007, has helped reduce the amount of avoidable food waste by more thanone million tonnes. It has showed that the foods wewaste mostare fresh vegetables and salads, drink, fresh fruit and bread and cakes.

David Moon, head of food sustainability at WRAP, says, "For every two tonnes of food and drink consumed in the home, there's another tonne of food going to waste at some point in the chain".

The national impact

Love Food Hate Waste estimates that food waste costs the UK economy £12.5 billion every year.

A number of independent initiatives are working hard to help reverse this trend.The Real Junk Food Project, set up by 29-year-old trained chef Adam Smith, feeds customers who visit its cafés with food found in bins or skips. Customers are encouraged to pay what they think the meal was worth, and in his first 10 months, Adam fed 10,000 people on 20 tonnes of unwanted food, all of which was perfectly edible.

A new innovation calledthe Bump Markwas designed by Solveiga Pakštaitė, an Industrial Design and Technology graduate from Brunel University, to tackle the problem of sell-by dates. A bump of gelatine is attached to food packaging, and because it deteriorates at the same rate as food, when the bump turns to liquid, it signifies that the food has gone off. Bump Marks could start to appear on packaging by the end of this year.

A great way to cut down food waste is to plan your meals.The Make A Meal appandLove Food Hate Waste's meal plannersare perfect ways to use up leftover food and practise making the right portions.

Here are five top tips for cutting down food waste, each with a perfect recipe for using your leftovers, from our Food and Drink Editor, Alison Walker:

1.Instead of throwing away double cream that's near its use-by date, turn it into butter. Beat on medium speed in food mixer until it splits into butter and buttercream. Drain through muslin into a bowl. Rinse the butter under cold running water and shape into a block. Adding salt will keep it longer; can be frozen for up to a month. Use the buttermilk to make theseButtermilk Scones flavoured with lavender.

2.Stale bread can be made easily into breadcrumbs. Store odds and ends in the freezer and when you have enough, turn into dried breadcrumbs. Heat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan oven) gas mark 2. Cut the bread into rough chunks and spread over a large baking sheet in one layer. Bake for 30 minutes or so until dry and hard. Leave to cool completely. Blitz in a food processor to make crumbs. Keep in an airtight container. Looking for something to do with them now? Try theseStuffed Auberginewith garlic, pine nuts and herbs.

3.So many recipes specify lots of egg yolks or whites but don't tell you what to do with the leftovers. Well, both can be frozen separately. Lightly blend egg yolks with a pinch of salt or sugar before freezing. Egg whites can be frozen as they are. Then use the egg whites to make our deliciousFruity Hazelnut Pavlova.

4.Freeze summer berries before they deteriorate and once you've built up enough, add them straight to smoothies instead of ice or use to make ourJumbleberry Jamand enjoy on top of freshly baked scones with a good dollop of clotted cream.

5.Make it a habit to do a weekly stock take of your fridge, then turnany tired-looking, floppy vegetables into a delicious, nutritious homemade vegetable soup. Soften a combination ofpast-their-best carrots, onions,celery, parsnips or potatoes in a little oil or butter with a large pinch of salt and a bay leaf for a few minutes,add hot chicken or vegetable stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. You can bulk out the soup by adding red lentils or canned beans and pulses, too. If you prefer a smooth, creamy soup, whiz with a hand blender or in a food processer and enrich with a splash of milk or cream. See our other deliciousSoup Recipes, including thisCream of Chicken Soupwhich is a perfect way to use up the leftovers from a Sunday roast.

Do you have any more tips for how to reduce waste? Leave us a comment in the box below.

Words by Beth Rowland