Help the planet and your pockets by reducing how much food you waste. Although Surrey residents are actively reducing how much food they throw away, there is still more that can be done. So why not challenge yourself this season and see how much money you can save? We have some ideas below to help get you started.
Planning meals in advance is the best way to utilise all the food in your kitchen. Try out our top tips below to help use up your leftovers and save money, all while enjoying tasty food.
Toss leftover veg, meat or soy in the frying pan to make a tasty lunch or dinner.
Layer up leftover vegetables between two tortillas, add cheese, a sauce and then bake for 15-20 minutes. Once cooled, cut up and either eat straight away or place in a container. Quesadillas can last for up to four days in the fridge and six months in the freezer!
Leftovers from last night can be turned into healthy and delicious lunches by just adding rice.
Changing the way you store food can save you a trip to the shops. Check out our top storage tips below.
Can’t eat it? Freeze it
- Milk, cream, butter, cheese and yoghurt can all be frozen. We recommend using small containers or ice trays for each and thawing it out in the fridge when you are ready to eat.
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- Top tip: if you’re freezing milk, make sure you don’t put a full bottle in the freezer as milk expands when frozen.
- Cool it quickly by placing the container of rice in cold water, cover it and pop it into the freezer within an hour of cooking. Before eating, defrost the rice in the fridge and then reheat it until it’s piping hot.
- You can freeze eggs by cracking them into a sealable container.
- No matter how they have been cooked, potatoes can go straight in the freezer. If they are uncooked, boil them for 5 minutes before freezing.
- Whether it’s a loaf of bread, a cake or a packet of croissants, you can freeze it.
- Top tip: Stop bread slices sticking together by giving your loaf a quick tap on a hard surface before freezing it. Cut cake into slices before freezing and put greaseproof paper between the slices so you can take out a piece at a time.
Fruit bowl tricks
Banish your bananas! Keep your bananas out of the fruit bowl. Apples and pears will make them ripen quicker and once ripe; bananas can also speed up the ripening process for other fruit.
How to store your vegetables
- Make them last 10 times longer by storing them in an airtight container, lined with a paper towel.
- Make your cut avocado last 4 times longer by wrapping in plastic or storing in an airtight container.
- Make your lettuce last 4 times longer by wrapping it in a paper towel and storing in a zip-lock bag.
- Make them last 2 times longer by placing them in an airtight container.
- If you store your chopped celery in an airtight container lined with a paper towel, then it will last up to 5 times longer.
Make food shopping and meal planning easier with an app. Here are our favourites:
- Write or add your own private recipes
- Create a recipe collections
- Schedule meals and get cooking reminders
- Generate smart shopping lists
Download it here.
- Plan your meals for the week
- Weekly shopping list
- Easy recipes
- Pantry list
Download it here.
- Scan shopping receipts
- Set the use-by dates for all your food
- Receive notifications when items are close to their expiry
- Record shopping lists and meal plans
Download it here.