Recently, I was asked by The Daily Express to write about the very real problem of food waste and what we can do with all the stuff we needlessly throw out.
According to the environmental charity WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme wrap.org.uk) we produce a staggering 6.6 million tonnes of household food waste each year – 4.5 million tonnes of which could have been eaten. This ‘edible’ element of waste is responsible for 14 million tonnes of greenhouse gas – as much as would be produced by flying from London to Perth more than 4.5 million times. If every UK household stopped wasting food for one day, say the charity, it could do the same for greenhouse gas emissions as planting 640,000 trees per day (around 230 million per year).
I talked to some great people including plant-based chef and food writer Shane Jordan (foodwastephilosophy.com) and Hortense Julienne, founder of superfood snack company Miss Nang Treats (missnang.com) who gave me some inspirational ideas on what to do with what I’d normally consider food waste.
For example, who knew you could eat banana skins? “Many people are surprised that banana skin is edible,” Shane told me .”More and more chefs are starting to cook with them now. Boil banana skins until soft, season them then cut and add into curries, stews and pies.”
Also, why not try:
APPLE SCRAP TEA
Made an apple pie? Nick Moyle and Richard Hood, authors of Wild Tea (£16.99, Welbeck Publishing) suggest using discarded peel and cores to make a tasty tea. Simply add to a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain into mugs and add brown sugar, honey or maple syrup to taste.
ZERO-WASTE VEGGIE STOCK
Collect the (clean) tops, ends, peels and leaves from carrots, spring onions, onions, celery, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and herbs in a large zip-lock bag in the freezer. When it’s full, pop contents into a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for an hour or two until the liquid turns rich and dark. Use the resulting stock as a base for soups, stews and sauces.
CARAMELISED ORANGE PEEL
“Wash the discarded peels from two large oranges (about 50g) and cut into thin (2-3mm) strips,” says Hortense Julienne, founder of superfood snack company Miss Nang Treats (missnang.com) “In a non-stick pan, add 50ml water, 100g cane sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir with a wooden spatula until the sugar becomes frothy, then add the orange peels with two pinches of cinnamon or nutmeg. Ensure the peels are completely covered with the sugar mixture and keep stirring until the peels and pan are dry. Remove from heat – the peels might still be stuck to each other, so keep stirring until they separate and the sugar becomes more like a powder. Pour your caramelised peels in a large tray and leave to cool for an hour before eating. By this time, they will be harder with a slight crunch. These will keep in a sealed jar for a month for vitamin c-rich sweet treats.”
BREAD ENDS
According to WRAP, 20 million slices of bread are thrown away at home in the UK every day. Use dry (but not mouldy) bread-ends to whizz up breadcrumbs in a food processor (to top pasta bakes or to bread mushrooms) or cube it, add olive oil, herbs or seasonings and bake to make croutons to add to salads or soups.
POTATO PEELINGS
“After making mash, coat potato peelings with vegetable oil, herbs and spices and bake on a high heat to make potato ‘crisps’,” says Shane.
Do your bit…and bin less!
Photos by Chandra Oh , Neha Deshmukh , Maria Petersson and okeykat on Unsplash