London,
22
March
2011
|
23:00
Europe/London

Top tips to help reduce food waste

Hackney Council has teamed up with other North London organisations in the Love Food Hate Waste (LFHW) campaign to offer some top tips for spring cleaning fridges, freezers and store cupboards.

LFHW is a campaign that encourages people around the country to turn leftover food into delicious meals and snacks. These include using stale biscuits and cakes to make trifle or cheesecake bases; and adding paprika, Worcestershire sauce, sweet chilli sauce, and a splash of vinegar to an almost empty marmalade jar to create a tasty marinade for meat or fish.

Other ideas to avoid generating food waste include remembering that food can be frozen right up to its use-by date; and that in most cases, best before means food may be past its tastiest, but is still safe to eat. The exception is eggs, which should not be eaten past their best before date.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “People could be wasting up to £50 a month by throwing away food that could be eaten. With many people in Hackney feeling the pinch, now is a good time to focus on food waste.

“I support the Love Food Hate Waste campaign because it provides lots of practical advice from shopping smartly to food storage and recipes that not only save you money but help to make Hackney greener.”

A free LFHW cookery book, featuring winning recipes from residents and restaurants across North London, gives leftovers a new lease of life when transformed into a series of dishes. To download the book, visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/greenerliving-love-food-hate-waste

For more hints and tips to help reduce food waste, visit: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com