One of the aims of the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign is to provide everyone with helpful and practical hints and tips on how to enjoy the food we buy, and cut down on the amount of good food thrown away. Here are some ideas we thought we’d share:
Keep an eye on perishables you have and plan to eat meals with in their ‘use by’ date. View our advice about food date stamps.
Meals made from leftovers can be delicious and timesaving – whether its dinner from the night before or food left in the fridge or cupboard. Do your own ‘Ready Steady Cook’ and see what meals you can make. Try using an on-line recipe database to give you some inspiration. When cooking for a family – take a few minutes to measure food out – perhaps into a favourite cup – so you get the right portion per person.
Keeping your fridge between 1-5 degrees centigrade helps you get the best of your food.
Leaving food such as milk, cooked meat and salad can cut shelf life by 100%.
Make good use of the fridge and freezer to keep food better – for example, most ripe fruit can be kept in the fridge to make it last longer.
Chilled and fresh food has become more popular over recent years – however sometimes it may be worth purchasing frozen or ambient food to increase shelf life at home. This is particularly useful if your meal times are more unplanned due to work or family schedules.
Remember, that often fresh and chilled produce can be frozen at home if it is not going to be used in time.
You can also influence the shelf life of your cupboard storage,
See our compost page
Home compost your peelings and cores, this is a great way to prevent unavoidable food waste such as peelings, cores and teabags ending up in landfill and can do wonders for the garden.
Dover District Council Wasteline: 01304 872428
E-mail: waste@dover.gov.uk
