It’s Stop Food Waste Day - here are some tips to beat waste, save money and make food go further at home with Cranswick Kitchen.
With 42% of us Brits valuing food more than we did seven weeks ago (YouGov), we’re already meal planning, freezing and using all our leftovers. What else could we do to minimize the amount of food thrown away? Here are some kitchen hacks to help make your food go further, using every scrap…
1. THE ‘WHATEVER YOU HAVE’ STEW
Use up any veg left in the fridge at the end of the week in a rich, saucy stew. Any of it! Use a heavy-bottomed pan with any beans or chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, maybe some grains or pulses and some stock (see below).
2. SCRAPS FILLED CHICKEN STOCK
Keep all the veg peelings throughout the week in a container in the freezer, all of it. At the end of the week, add to your heavy-bottomed pan, season with salt and cover with plenty of water, some herbs, bay leaf, pepper and a garlic bulb. If this is after a chicken roast, add the chicken carcass. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 3 hours, skimming off the foam every now and then. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and keep it in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a month.
3. IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, START THINKING ABOUT REGROWING YOUR OWN VEG
Make your own kitchen circular economy by saving the last half inch of the spring onion bulb where it turns green, add to a glass with enough water to submerge the roots but leave the stem uncovered. Leave on a sunny windowsill and top with water then it runs out, change the water every other day. Just chop the top and return the bulb to the glass to regrow.
4. ROOT VEG PEEL CHIPS
You don’t need to peel your veg at all, but if you do, try rinsing your peelings and pat them dry, place into a roasting tray with a good glug of oil, and salt. Roast in the oven until deep golden brown and crispy them tip directly into a serving bowl - eat warm!
5. SAVE WILTING HERBS
Chop fresh herbs and place into an ice cube tray with water, pop out and use next time you need some flavour. Some of our colleagues also do this but they replace the water with olive oil, and then start off their cooking with flavoured oil.