Plan your Easter lunch perfectly in Warwickshire
Each year in Britain we throw away over eight million tonnes of food and drink from our homes, and the Easter holidays are no exception.
But the Love Food Hate Waste campaign has plenty of tips and recipes, plus advice on storage, to help us make the most of any food we buy at this time of year, including;
· If you need to freeze leftover lamb, let it cool before you freeze it, cut it up into smaller pieces so it will defrost quickly, and seal well in a plastic freezer bag with the date written on – it will keep for up to a month and will taste great in a stir fry.
· Bubble and squeak can be made up of many tasty leftovers: don’t worry about what you throw in the pan (leftover vegetables, potatoes) as long as you chop a little onion into the pan first – it’ll make a great Monday night dinner. Don’t forget, store onions in a dark cool place and they’ll last for longer.
· Multi-buys and discounted foods can be good value, as long as you plan how to use the extra food. Have a think about what holiday meals you could cook with the items, and whether some of it could be frozen for later.
· Understanding what date labels mean can help us to shop smarter in the supermarket. Use By (mainly on meat, fish and ready meals) is the one we need to pay attention to for safety reasons but Best Before is only a guide for quality (found on bakery & longer life products)
· If you buy a load of eggs to make some Easter cakes don’t forget to put the ones which need using up first at the front. These can easily be whipped up into omelettes with a bit of grated cheese from your freezer. Serve with some greens for a tasty, nutritious dinner. Eggs can be frozen if whipped first.
For more tips and inspiration on how to reduce food waste at home this Easter please visit http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com
The West Midlands Love Food Hate Waste campaign aims to help residents make more of the food they buy, reduce food waste sent to landfill and save money. If your local community group would like to get involved, get in touch with the county council or visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/waste
Local authorities across the West Midlands want to help everyone in the region make the most of the food we all buy and avoid throwing it away. This will help to save the local authority money from not having to pay money to dispose of it. In fact it is not just about saving money; the greenhouse gas emissions associated with food and drink waste amounts to approximately 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year - which is the equivalent of one in four cars on UK roads.