The Zero Waste Kitchen Challenge
Handbook Your guide to wasting less food and saving more money
Contents
About this handbook What is Waste less, Save more? ? Why should I care about food waste
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09 Planning 11 Top tips and products 15 Cooking 17 Portioning top tips and products 21 Portion planning for kids 23 Recipes to use up leftovers 29 Storage 31 Top tips and products 35 Food rescue 37 Top tips and products Responsible food waste disposal Top tips and home composting
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47 Technology
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About this handbook Many of us want to reduce waste, live more healthily and save money. But it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. We want to make it easy for people to waste less and save more. In this handbook you’ll find tips, tools and advice that will help you make the most of your food and stop edible food from being thrown away. Use this book for ideas and inspiration. If you’ve got a particular challenge you’d like help with or you’ve got a great idea tell us more and join the conversation online at sainsburys.co.uk/waste Delve in and enjoy.
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“At Sainsbury’s we’ve long been working hard to reduce food waste and we’re proud of our work to date. Whether donating surplus food from our stores to local charities, or working with suppliers to minimise waste in the supply chain, we know that even small actions can make a big difference. More recently though, our customers have told us that cutting down on their own food waste is one of their biggest priorities and, knowing that the average family throws away £700 of food each year, it’s easy to understand why. To help, we’ve launched Waste less, Save more, a pioneering five year plan to help customers do just that: waste less food while saving more money. It’s no small feat and we’ve committed £10 million to help tackle the issue over the years ahead. This handbook brings together a range of learnings, recipes, hints and tips to help you start making a difference today, with ideas to help with planning, cooking, storage and using up leftovers. There’s no one concrete way to reduce food waste at home, but we think that by making some small, considered changes to our daily habits we can all make a difference and ultimately Waste less, Save more.”
Mike Coupe Sainsbury’s CEO
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What is Waste less, Save more? Sainsbury’s is on a mission to change the way we think about the food we buy, cook, eat and throw away. 07
Why should I care about food waste?
Why does food end up in the bin? 2
70%
In the UK we throw away
overbuying
15 million
tonnes of food and drink each year 1
63%
65% of
cooking too much
parents say their kids won’t clear the plate
The average UK family could save
r Sma
rage o t s ter
L earn how to use up leftovers
That’s the same weight as two million double decker buses per month by not throwing away edible food 3
Plan mea ls
Source ‘Estimates of Food and Packaging Waste in the UK Grocery Retail and Hospitality Supply Chain’- WRAP October 2015. Results from Populus polling comissioned by Hubbub circa 2015. 3 Source ‘Household Food and Drink Waste in the United Kingdom 2012’- WRAP November 2013. 1 2
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Planning A little bit of planning really is the key to reducing food waste, and will help you save time, money and eat more healthily.
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Top tips Meal planning
Avoid waste by buying the right amount of food each week. Think about the meals you would like to make and how many people will be eating.
Make the most of your freezer
It’s a good idea to plan ahead but when time is short, freezing leftovers can make a great option for a quick and healthy mid-week meal.
Freezer inventory
Check your freezer on a regular basis to remind yourself what’s in there and avoid buying anything you don’t need
Take a shelfie
Take a picture of your fridge or cupboard shelf – a shelfie – to remember what you already have when you go shopping.
Know your dates
‘Use by’ dates refer to food safety and are found on perishable foods such as meat, fish, milk and eggs. Even if a food looks and smells ok, eating it after this date could put your health at risk. ‘Best before’ dates refer to food quality and are found on foods such as rice, pasta, and other dried and tinned goods. Eating food after this date should be safe to eat although it may no longer be at its best.
Going away
Before going on holiday, plan your meals to use up whatever you have left in the fridge. Freeze any bread, milk, cheese, meat or fish (as long as it is within the ‘use by’ date) or give any food you can’t use up to friends or neighbours.
Top tip - Perishable foods can be frozen any point up to their expiry date.
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Planning tools
Noteboard
Stick a memo board on your fridge, in your kitchen, or keep a notepad close, which you can use to keep track of what needs replacing. 14
Note pad
Avoid overbuying with a list.
Labels
Labelling your food helps you keep track of use by dates.
Apps
There are several apps that could help you better plan and shop. Have a look at the ones we recommend on page 47.
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Cooking It’s easy to prepare too much food. Portion planning and being savvy with your leftovers can make a huge difference in helping you waste less and save more.
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Top tips Cook once, eat twice
Cook more than you need and freeze the rest for another meal. Or if it’s pasta or rice, cook double and make a salad or stir fry for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner. Save energy and time and have a home cooked meal ready to go.
Get the measure of things
Measure or weigh your pasta, rice or cous cous rather than making too much and wasting it - or eating more than you meant to.
General guide to an average adult portion Beef, lamb, pork 100g
Chicken, fish, turkey 140g Milk One pint is generally enough for 4 bowls of cereal Potatoes 5 small potatoes constitutes an average adult portion Rice 75g – 80g (1/4 of a mug) Pasta 100g Lentils, chickpeas, beans 3 heaped tablespoons (80g)
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Measuring tools
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There are many ways to measure your ingredients and to help you get your portion sizes just right.
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For kids Portion planning for children
We know that children’s changing appetites and their likes and dislikes can lead to a lot of edible food being wasted. Families with children waste, on average, £700 worth of food a year. Here are some tips for reducing food waste as well as making meal times fun and healthy. • Offer smaller portions at first, and encourage children to ask for more if they’re still hungry. A full-to-the-brim plate can be daunting. • You could get older children to help themselves (with a bit of guidance.) If they feel in control of putting the food on their plate, they’re much more likely to eat it. • If children get full mid-way through a meal keep the leftovers and offer them an hour or two later when they inevitably get hungry again, instead of a less nutritious snack. • Cut up fruit into slices. Research has shown that children eat more fruit when it’s cut into manageable portions, and it also makes it easier to share one piece of fruit rather than wasting two. • Fun food designs can encourage children to finish the food on their plates.
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Recipes • Whether it’s transforming tired veg or using up leftovers from your roast dinner, there are a wealth of creative cooking ideas to help and inspire you. Here are a couple of recipes to use up commonly wasted food items.
Mexican bean soup Sip your way to five-a-day with this healthy and warming soup. Add whatever leftover veggies you have in the fridge to use them up. Ingredients (Serves 4)
For more recipe ideas check out these websites: • sainsburys.co.uk/waste Browse the helpful hints and inspiring ideas, and try out some new kitchen magic.
1 tbsp olive oil / 1 onion, roughly chopped / 2 sticks celery, washed, trimmed and sliced / 2 carrots, washed and diced / 1 red pepper, washed, deseeded and diced / 2 cloves garlics, crushed / 0.5 tsp paprika / 1 red chilli, washed and finely sliced / 400g tin basics chopped tomatoes / 400g tin black eyed beans, drained / 400g red kidney beans in chilli sauce / 600 ml vegetable stock, hot / 50g dark chocolate, grated / 0.5 bunch spring onions, washed, trimmed and finely sliced / 1 lime, cut into wedges / 80 ml soured cream
• lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes The Love Food Hate Waste recipe section has a range of food saving recipes. Type in the food type or ingredient you’d like to use up and see what takes your fancy.
Method
• bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/ The BBC food website has thousands of tried and tested recipes. You can browse to see what takes your fancy, or search by ingredients to find new ways to use up old food.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, celery, carrots and pepper. Cook over a medium heat for 8 minutes until the vegetables are soft. • Add the garlic, paprika and half the chilli and cook for 2 minutes. • Stir in the tomatoes along with the drained black eyed beans and the kidney beans in chilli.
• Pour in the stock, then simmer for 10 minutes. • Sprinkle over the grated chocolate and stir though the spring onions. • Divide between 4 bowls or mugs and scatter over the remaining chilli. Serve with the lime wedges and soured cream on the side. Each serving provides ENERGY
FAT
SATURATES
SUGARS
SALT
1662kj 397kcal
10.1g
5.5g
17.7g
0.8g
% OF THE REFERENCE INTAKES
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Chicken, chorizo and bean stew Low on fresh ingredients? This is a good recipe for using up your store cupboard staples, without the need to buy more fresh ingredients. This smoky stew is both tasty and hearty with the addition of creamy butter beans. Ingredients (Serves 4) 125g chorizo, diced / 1 onion, finely chopped / 1 fat clove garlic, crushed / 2 tbsp smoked paprika / 4 sprigs fresh thyme / 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes / 200ml chicken stock (made with half a stock cube) / 2 x 400g cans butter beans, drained and well rinsed / 1 tsp olive oil / 615g skinless and boneless chicken thighs / bread, to serve Method
• Cook the chorizo in a large non-stick saucepan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until it releases its natural oils. • Add the onion and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until softened and slightly golden. • Add the garlic and cook for another minute. • Stir in the paprika and add the thyme. • Pour in the chopped tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 18-20 minutes until thickened slightly.
• Add the butter beans for the last 5 minutes to heat through. • Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Rub the oil all over the chicken thighs. Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. • Serve the stew in bowls, topped with the chicken and bread on the side. Each serving provides ENERGY
FAT
SATURATES
SUGARS
SALT
2407kj 575kcal
28.0g
8.6g
9.7g
2.1g
% OF THE REFERENCE INTAKES
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Apple and custard tarts These tarts are lovely as a special treat. Spread a little custard onto the puff pastry and top with leftover or tired looking apples for a quick and easy dessert. Ingredients (Makes 4)
250g puff pastry / 2 large Bramley apples / 396g tin instant custard / 3 rounded tsp golden caster sugar
Method
• Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper. • Roll out the pastry then use a saucer about 18cm in diameter as a guide for you to cut out two circles of pastry, then re-roll the trimmings and cut out two more circles. • Score a smaller circle about 1cm in from the edge of the pastry circles to help the outside to rise and the inside to stay flat. • Peel the apples, core and finely slice. • Spread a little custard over the middle of each pastry circle, saving some for serving, and then top with the apple slices in a circle – cram them in tightly.
• Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the tart. • Bake for 15 minutes – check the tarts halfway through and, if the apples are turning brown, lower the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. • Heat the remaining custard in a pan and serve with the tarts. Top tip - Cut any leftover pastry into small squares, sprinkle with parmesan, salt and pepper, and pop in the oven on a baking tray to make cheesy crackers.
Each serving provides ENERGY
FAT
SATURATES
SUGARS
SALT
2135kj 510kcal
28.6g
28.6g
28.6g
28.6g
% OF THE REFERENCE INTAKES
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Storage There’s a lot more to storage than just a neat looking kitchen. Storing food in the right way extends the life of your food, and helps you stay on top of what you’ve got.
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Top tips Fruit and veg
Fruit and veg should be kept in the drawers at the bottom of the fridge (in their original packaging or a loosely tied bag) - the exceptions are onions, potatoes, bananas and whole pineapple, which should be kept in a cool and dark place, but not the fridge.
Bananas
Bananas are best kept out of the fridge and apart from other fruit. If kept together bananas cause other fruit or veg to ripen quickly and spoil.
Fish
Cover with cling film and store in the coldest part of your fridge (usually the bottom). Most fresh fish freezes really well. Always freeze in meal-size portions so you can unfreeze just what you need.
Bread
Bread is best kept in the bag you purchased it in, in a cupboard or bread bin. Slice and freeze it for a constant supply of fresh bread.
Meat and poultry
Store raw meat and poultry in clean, sealed containers on the bottom shelf of the fridge, so they can’t touch or drip onto other food. Follow any storage instructions on the label and keep cooked meat separate from raw meat. 32
Cheese
Keeping cheese in resalable packs, cling film, foil or a plastic tub prevents it drying out, particularly important in the fridge.
Eggs
Eggs should be kept at a constant temperature below 20°C. They are best kept in their packaging in the fridge.
Milk
If it’s looking like you’re not getting through your milk you can always freeze unopened cartons.
Cereals, pulses, grains
Store your dry goods in glass jars or in plastic containers. This keeps them fresher for longer and makes it easier to see how much you have.
Herbs
Place soft leaved herbs (basil, parsley, coriander and mint) in a jam jar with a couple of inches of water and store at room temperature. Wrap hard leaved herbs (rosemary, chives, and thyme) a in damp paper towel and place them in a pierced plastic bag in the fridge.
Salad
Wrap salad in a loosely tied plastic bag and keep it in the bottom drawer of your fridge. 33
Storage tools
Bag clips
Use a clip to seal up opened bags keeping the crunch in your cereal and the life in your loaf.
Thermometer
Keeping your fridge at the right temperature (0-5’C) keeps your food fresh for longer.
Freezer bags
Freezing food is a great way to prevent waste. Add a date label to help idenitify food that’s been stored in the freezer for a while. 34
Glass Jars
Keeps your dry goods fresher. 35
Food rescue Despite the best intentions, there will still be times when we will struggle to use up food before it’s past its best. Rescue your leftovers with some handy ideas.
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Top tips Stale bread
Citrus
Cheese
Feeling adventurous?
Blitz up to make breadcrumbs and freeze – you can then take out as much as you need for recipes, whenever you need it. Grate any lingering odds and ends of cheese and freeze – you can take a handful whenever you want it to add to a sauce, soup or pasta dish.
Bananas
Peel, slice and freeze over-ripe bananas then blitz into a smoothie, or add a touch of milk to make quick banana ice cream.
Fruit
Freeze berries or stew then freeze fruits such as apples, pears and plums to mix into smoothies, yoghurts and desserts or add to breakfast cereal. They’re delicious in crumbles and pies too.
Veg
Freeze slices of leftover lemon and lime and add to your drink. Ice and a slice in one. For something a little different you could try: • Oven drying fruit slices, or vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers. Once dried, store in air tight containers (in some oil for the vegetables) to have as a snack or use in recipes. • Pickling or fermenting vegetables. Visit Sainsburys.co.uk/waste for saving tips and inspiration to preserve your leftovers. • Making your own jam, chutneys or relishes.
Chop and sauté unloved, leftover veg, add some stock and any other ingredients you fancy (cheese, herbs, pesto), blitz and freeze for a nutritious soup. You could also add leftover pasta, rice or pulses.
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Smoothie recipes Snack smoothie
40g rolled oats 2 kiwi fruit, peeled and cut into chunks 100g strawberries, hulled 100g banana 100g raspberries 50g Greek yoghurt 500ml skimmed milk A squeeze of honey, to your taste
Tropical smoothie
1 papaya (approx 290g), peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks 100g frozen mango chunks Juice of 1/2 a lime 100 ml skimmed milk 1 handful ice cubes (approx 100g) 2 slices of lime, to garnish
Forest fruits smoothie
Blender
Freeze fruit to use in smoothies. Blend together with juice or milk for a refreshing and healthy drink.
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300g frozen black forest fruits 200g fat free Greek style natural yogurt 200ml semi-skimmed milk
Boost smoothie
300 ml coconut or almond milk 1.5 tsp vanilla powder Small bunch of mint 2.5cm piece of root ginger, peeled 1 red grapefruit, peeled and chopped 2 handfuls of frozen strawberries A handful of ice cubes
Greens-for-all smoothie
150g ripe pineapple, peeled 60g frozen spinach ½ ripe avocado Juice of ½ lime 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated 250ml rice milk or coconut water
Berry breakfast smoothie 140g Greek style natural yogurt 320g frozen berry mix 70g porridge oats 1 tbsp runny honey 400 ml skimmed milk
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Homemade jam Use up any excess fruit by making a jam. Replace the strawberries in this recipe with any fruit you have leftover – and experiment with creative flavour combinations. Ingredients (Serves 50)
900g firm strawberries / 1kg jam sugar / juice of half lemon
Method
• Cut the stalks from the strawberries and cut the fruit into chunks. Tip into a large saucepan, add the lemon juice and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes. Pour in the jam sugar and stir over a low heat until completely dissolved. • Bring the mixture up to boiling point, then as soon as it starts to boil, leave to boil rapidly for 6 minutes. Either test for setting point using a sugar thermometer or spoon a little jam onto a chilled saucer. Chill for five minutes. Push your finger over the chilled jam and if the jam wrinkles up, it will have reached the setting point. If not, boil again for a few minutes and re test.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Using a large spoon remove skim off any froth from the surface of the jam. Leave the jam to cool for 15 minutes. • Meanwhile, wash the jam jars in hot soapy water and dry in a hot oven to sterilise. Spoon the jam into the jars and top with a waxed paper disc. Seal and store until ready to eat. Once opened, store in the fridge.
Each serving provides ENERGY
FAT
SATURATES
SUGARS
SALT
180kj 43kcal
0.1g
0.0g
10.4g
0.0g
% OF THE REFERENCE INTAKES
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Disposal There will always be odds and ends that can’t be used such as coffee grounds, banana skins and tea bags, but these still have goodness left to give. 44
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Responsible food waste Composting is easier than you think and is a great way to make the most of the food you have to throw away. By composting (at home or via a collection) we’re not only keeping it out of landfill, we’re also creating a valuable new product.
Home composting
Composting is an inexpensive, natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste into a valuable and nutrient rich food for your garden. It’s easy to make and use.
Collection
Some councils offer separate food waste collections and others collect food waste along with garden waste. If your local authority has given you a kitchen caddy to collect food waste, you can usually recycle any cooked or raw food scraps. Make sure you remove all packaging from your food waste, especially plastic.
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Six easy steps to home composting 1. Find the right site Ideally site your compost bin in a reasonably sunny site on bare soil. If you have to put your compost bin on concrete, tarmac or patio slabs ensure there’s a layer of paper and twigs or existing compost on the bottom. Choose a place where you can easily add ingredients to the bin and get the compost out. 2. F ill your bin up with the right mix of greens and browns 3. Wait a while It takes between nine and twelve months for your compost to become ready for use, so wait and let nature do the work. Keep on topping up your compost with greens and browns. 4. Ready for use Once your compost has turned into a crumbly, dark material, resembling thick, moist soil and gives off an earthy, fresh aroma it’s ready to use.
What to add to your compost.
Aim for a balance of 50% greens and 50% browns in your compost bin. Browns (organic matter high in carbon) Dry leaves, woody plant trimmings, straw, pine needles, sawdust and paper products. Greens (organic matter high in nitrogen) Kitchen scraps, coffee grounds and filters, leafy plant trimming, grass clippings, manure, fur, feathers and hair.
What to keep out of compost •A shes from charcoal barbeques, fireplaces or wood stoves.
5. Removing the compost Lift the bin slightly or open the hatch at the bottom and scoop out the fresh compost with a garden fork, spade or trowel.
• Disease or insect infested plant material.
6. Use it Don’t worry if your compost looks a little lumpy this is perfectly normal. Use it to enrich borders and vegetable patches, plant up patio containers or feed the lawn.
• Weeds with seed heads
•M eat, bones, grease, fats, oils, or dairy products.
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Technology Could technology hold the answer to reducing food waste? Find out for yourself by trying out these food waste phone applications all available from the App Store or Google Play: Food Rescue app - input up to nine ingredients and receive recipe inspiration from more than 1,200 choices ranging from full dinners to simple snacks. Love Food Hate Waste app - keeps track of the purchase date and use by date for food in your fridge, freezer and cupboard. Features include meal planner, portion size planner, shopping list and recipe database. EatBy app - barcode scanner keeps track of the food you have in your kitchen and reminds you to eat it before it goes past its use by date. Sharing function makes it easy to share your shopping list or let your family know what’s for dinner. OLIO - a free app which connects neighbours with each other and local shops so that surplus food can be shared.
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Where can I find more help? sainsburys.co.uk/waste sainsburysfoodrescue.co.uk hubbub.org.uk lovefoodhatewaste.com