HAPPY & HEALTHY
Around the world with nine cooks! ‘From Brent to Bowl’: A community cookbook that chops up food waste
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omeone once said ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, but what if a community came together to cut food waste and rethink traditional recipes made from leftovers? Well, local residents and budding chefs have done just that, taking action against climate change through their love of food, by sharing tasty recipes through a new community cookbook. ‘From Brent to Bowl’ includes tips on how to make mouth-watering dishes from around the world with a Brent twist. The 48-page cookbook, which is available online at www.brent. gov.uk/frombrenttobowl, celebrates the rich diversity of culture and food in Brent and tips for reducing food waste from across the world that have been passed down through the generations.
Fighting food waste means fighting climate change Food waste is a serious issue. Food that is still good enough to eat is thrown out for reasons ranging from ‘its bruised, passed its sell-by date or I don’t fancy it anymore’. In the UK, we waste 6.5 million tonnes of food every year, 4.5 million of which is edible. Those 4.5 million tonnes are enough to fill Wembley Stadium at least nine times over. The journey of getting food to your plate leaves a large carbon footprint, which involves food wrapped or packaged in plastic and created from fossil fuels. Often transported by plane, boat, lorry or car, it is important that nothing is wasted and every food item bought is eaten. Everyone can do their bit to tackle climate change by reducing the amount of food wasted and taking small steps each day to help get closer to solving the climate and ecological emergency.
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YOUR BRENT | WINTER 2021
Love your leftovers, control your portions By loving your leftovers, you can save yourself a lot of money, while also saving a huge amount of food from going to waste. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers to save them for another day, or turn them into a completely new meal. Why not dedicate one evening each week to make a meal entirely out of leftovers? Leftovers are great because: They are already cooked You can save money Mix it up by adding some variety – soup can be turned into a pasta sauce and stale bread makes the perfect breadcrumbs to top the pasta
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“The best mangoes from India and Pakistan are sold in Kingsbury. You can also grab the most authentically delicious Caribbean food, Eastern European delicacies, Middle Eastern favourites, Somali produce and so much more.” Asma Khan
Founder of the Darjeeling Express restaurant, Covent Garden, and featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table
Shop local You will find a huge range of fantastic independent shops and markets across Brent that stock foods from around the world. Shopping in your neighbourhood helps the local economy but is also better for the environment. Shop Local, Buy Brent. Find out more at www.brent.gov.uk/shopsafeshoplocal
Eat for the planet Becoming aware of what you eat, how it has been sourced and your eating habits are ways you can start to think about how to reduce your carbon footprint when it comes to food consumption. Some things that have the potential to make a big impact: Eat more plant based meals Eat local and seasonal produce where possible Use wonky veg – they are often cheaper and more regularly wasted, but taste just as good Eat less meat Grow your own food
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