Do I really waste food?

More than two million of us have made changes to the way we shop, prepare, store and use food. This is brilliant – but there is still a lot more we all have to do. Love Food Hate Waste can help everyone take simple steps to stop wasting food and save money as a result. 

 Do I really waste food?

57% of us claim not to waste food (or very little) but in fact as a nation we are throwing away millions of tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year, and most of this could have been eaten. And while one in four of us think that the food we throw away doesn’t cost much, the fact is that food waste is hitting us in the pocket – it currently costs the typical household £480 a year.

If you really think you don’t waste food, why not set yourself a small challenge? There are some very simple steps you can take to ensure that you’re making the most of the food you buy.

The challenge!

First thing would be to look at what you are wasting. Try keeping a food waste diary for a few days, or put all the food and drink that you’d normally throw into the bin into a bucket or other container, to see how much there is. Then follow the simple steps below and measure again to see how much your waste has gone down!

Planning meals before heading out to do the shop and writing (and sticking to!) a shopping list really can save you pounds on your food bill. It only takes a few minutes to do, and there’s even a template meal planner on www.lovefoodhatewaste.com to get you started. Or, if you have a smartphone, you can do it using our new app! And if you need inspiration for what to eat, we’ve got hundreds of mouthwatering recipes online.

Once you’ve planned your meals, writing a list is easy – here are our top tips to make it become second-nature:

1. Keep a pad and pen in the kitchen - when you’ve got through the last of your favourites such as milk or cheese scribble it down on the list.
2. Shopping for specific ingredients with meals in mind and taking a list helps ensure we use what we buy.
3. Buying foods that can be used for several different dishes gives us flexibility to create different meals.
4. Look for food with the longest use-by date or fresh foods which can be frozen in case you don’t get round to eating them in time.
5. Have a quick rummage through the fridge, freezer and store cupboard once a week; it’ll end those evening runs to the local late night shop for essentials.

 

Skilling up in the kitchen

If you’re not feeling all that confident about your culinary capabilities, Love Food Hate Waste has a range of videos to show you how to cook some delicious, cheap meals from scratch! From an omelette to a quick pizza, a stir fry to a shepherd’s pie and pancakes to fruit crumble, there’s something for everyone. Don’t forget you can ask us questions via our website or Twitter if you get stuck.

Watch our neat video about meal planning to get more top tips: http://england.lovefoodhatewaste.com/content/meal-planning-tips

Perfect portions

Do you often find that you cook way too much rice, pasta or potatoes? Getting your portions right before you cook is one of the quickest and easiest ways to cut your food waste. Our Perfect Portion Tool removes the guesswork and makes sure you get the perfect portion, every time. It’s available on the app, too!

If you do end up cooking too much, don’t panic! There are countless fabulous recipes for using up these ingredients. And did you know you can freeze rice?

Share your successes!

There is nothing more satisfying than experimenting with ingredients to create new recipes that you and your family enjoy – and at the same time saving money! If you discover a tasty new way to use up a particular piece of food – tell us on our Twitter and Facebook pages! We’ll happily feature it on the website. Also, share your new kitchen confidence with your friends and family – everyone loves learning new tips, trying new recipes and finding interesting new ways to use up foods that they may otherwise have been thrown away.

Try this for a couple of weeks and see how much you can save on your food bills. A typical family would save £13 a week – how do YOU compare?