This month’s five foodies focus on cutting food waste and eating more economically
Bob Arora
Sachins Punjabi Restaurant Newcastle
Chicken or turkey pilau is the ultimate comfort food and a great way to feed a crowd using leftover roast meat. The warmth of the spices always hits the spot the day after a big family roast. Meanwhile, bubble and squeak can be taken to another level with Indian spices. It’s a cracking way to use up any leftover veg, and staple Indian spices like turmeric, cumin and garam masala give a delicious Indian twist.
Dean Bailey
Appetite magazine
Reducing food waste and unnecessary cost, and generally trying to eat as much good food as possible, produces some of our favourite meals at home. Extra roast chicken makes for fabulous Monday night curries and Yorkshire pudding wraps (a must if you haven’t made one before!). Leftover bread invariably becomes bread and butter pudding – a real favoutire of mine. Our pet guinea pigs also eat up our vegetable peelings and fruit cores (just check what’s safe for them to eat online first!).
Linda Lee
Home economist and food stylist
Get into meal planning and buy only what you need. To use up veggies, roast carrots, squash, courgettes or aubergines with a little olive oil and rosemary, then mix with lentils and finish with a light vinaigrette for a warm winter salad. Chop herbs finely, divide between ice trays and add a little water to each then freeze for casseroles, stews or bolognaise sauce. Use stale bread for croutons, Panzanella, bruschetta, bread and butter pudding, or add marmalade to make Osborne pudding.
Daniel Contreras
Little Mexico Hexham
Fresh corn tortillas are great for tacos, and then, as they firm up, cut them up and fry them to make nachos. As they firm up a little more, they make the base for a dish called chilaquiles, with broken nachos fried with a green sauce and finished with beans and cheese. Our carrot and ginger cookies include some of the fibre leftover from our cold-pressed juices. They make fantastic cookies which are also good for your digestive system.
Ralph Hellens
The Blackbird, Ponteland
Shopping for seasonal vegetables reduces the distance your food has to travel before it gets to your plate and is likely to taste fresher as a result. You can also reduce waste from weekly meals by giving your leftovers new life. Add some mint sauce to lamb or horseradish and rocket to beef and you have a delicious sandwich filling for the next day, or use leftover meat to make a hearty stew perfect for the winter.
