I owned a café in Bristol for over 12 years and it was there that I first started to essentially concentrate on the monetary significance of not losing something. In a small enterprise, the previous adage ‘take care of the pennies and the kilos take care of themselves’ is one thing it’s essential to take into consideration daily. Each uncooked ingredient that got here into the enterprise had for use with most effectivity. We developed all types of methods; we’d flip any bread leftover on the finish of every day to make croutons for soup the subsequent. We’d use each single little bit of the free-range chickens the butcher delivered; making inventory from the carcass and crisping the pores and skin up into ‘rooster crackling’ for sandwiches that our prospects went wild for.
Once I closed the café in 2018 and began writing recipes full time, I had an actual understanding of avoiding meals waste however an entire new downside. I used to be shopping for elements to check recipes and would typically want to purchase particular issues once I actually didn’t must buy groceries in any respect. Substances would construct up in my fridge and I needed to get superb, very quick, at utilizing stuff up in order that nothing bought wasted.
What began as a manner to economize and cut back waste in my own residence rapidly was a ardour for serving to others do the identical in theirs. Alongside the way in which, I found not solely how a lot I might save but additionally how satisfying it’s to remodel odds and ends into scrumptious, resourceful meals. My #RolloverLeftovers sequence on Instagram has been going since Could 2023 and I share how I actually prepare dinner at house, daily.
These 10 money-saving hacks are tried-and-tested ideas I’ve realized that make it simple to stretch your price range whereas embracing a zero-waste kitchen.
Tip 1: Soup is your good friend
Soup is your good friend in terms of utilizing up each leftovers and gluts of produce. Spot a bag of carrots with a yellow sticker? Make a soup! Purchased a bag of onions because it was the one manner they got here, regardless of solely needing one? Use the others to make a soup. Acquired some leftover vegetable curry? Add some inventory and coconut milk and make a soup. Each cooked and uncooked leftovers can be utilized in soups and issues like lentils and beans will stretch out meagre leftovers and rework them right into a filling meal.
Take a look at all of our simple soup recipes for inspiration, from fast veggie concepts to comforting noodle broths.
Tip 2: Leftovers pizza
Make a leftovers pizza – even tiny quantities of elements are value saving and a pizza is a good place to make use of them. I like to purchase margherita pizzas and use them as a base to make use of bits and items up. 4 olives left? Slice them up and also you’ll have lots to scatter over a pizza. Attempt a tiny little bit of purple onion (slice very thinly and scatter over earlier than cooking) or a bit of rocket (even when it’s wilted) – thrown over the cooked pizza earlier than serving. You may additionally make a dip on your crusts utilizing leftover dairy elements like soured cream and recent herbs like chives.
Take a look at our greatest pizza recipes to get flavour inspiration.
Tip 3: beat the takeaway cravings
Craving a takeaway? Utilizing up leftover cooked rice to make egg fried rice all the time scratches that itch for me! Take a look at olive’s 18 completely different fried rice recipes, taking inspiration from all around the world and utilizing up all kinds of elements. I really like making a easy egg fried rice with frozen peas when the fridge is severely missing in recent veg, however there are such a lot of different choices. Each cooked and uncooked elements (in addition to frozen) can discover a house in a fried rice dish, and it’ll make a incredible place for utilizing up all the things from the top of a bottle of hoisin sauce to some leftover roasted rooster.
Tip 4: save your bananas
A smoothie from a café can price upwards of £5. Save your self money and meals from getting wasted and make your personal at house. If bananas are going brown, peel them and freeze them then add the frozen bananas to a blender, together with the opposite elements. They add thickness and fibre and sweetness and offer you a chilly smoothie with out watering it down with ice. I really like frozen banana with spinach (an effective way to make use of a bag up) and oat milk. Should you don’t fancy a inexperienced smoothie, do this kefir, banana, almond and frozen berry smoothie.
Tip 5: flip leftovers into breakfast
Should you’re after extra breakfast on the go choices, to cease you spending cash in your solution to work or on a prepare journey, what a couple of frittata? Excellent for many who commute, as you can also make a frittata to maintain within the fridge then simply seize a slice or two as you run out the door. I take advantage of six eggs to make a frittata of eight beneficiant slices, all the time utilizing sliced cooked potatoes (both fried slices of cooked new potatoes or sliced up leftover roast potatoes) and cheese. You may grate all types of laborious cheeses into the combination or burn up comfortable cheeses in spoonfuls on the floor (or each).
Uncover our greatest frittata recipes to get began.
Tip 6: pasta bakes
Mix leftovers with pasta, add a sauce and bake, for a comforting dish that’s nice for utilizing up leftovers that have to be bulked out to make a full meal. Mixtures that work properly embody broccoli and cheese on this broccoli pasta bake recipe (use leftover cooked broccoli when you’ve got some to make use of up, slightly than cooking from scratch – simply add in at step 3) or this meatball pasta bake is nice for utilizing up leftover mascarpone, crème fraiche, cream and even comfortable cheese.
Tip 7: batch prepare dinner
Batch cooking and freezing parts individually will prevent a lot money and time, in addition to power. Enhance the financial savings by utilising leftovers in your batch cooking and making issues like soffritto. Should you’ve bought celery to make use of up plus onion and carrots, they will all be very finely diced (you need two elements onion, one half carrot, one half celery) after which both freeze uncooked or sauté till comfortable (and the onion is translucent) in olive oil and freeze in parts. This vastly speeds issues up firstly of so many recipes – strive utilizing it to save lots of you time in a basic spaghetti bolognese.
Tip 8: use leftovers on your packed lunch
‘Save money by taking your personal sandwiches to work’ will not be actually rocket science, is it? However remembering that leftovers sandwiches could be completely epic, slightly than a tragic, unexciting possibility, is vital. Take into account concepts corresponding to coronation rooster (utilizing up leftover roast rooster) or this egg mayo sandwich which makes use of up all types of issues in jars you may need hiding in the back of the fridge, like pickled walnuts, silverskin onions and cornichons.
Tip 9: save your bread
Don’t purchase breadcrumbs, make your personal. I save the ends of sourdough loaves, wait till they’re a day or two previous and dried out after which blitz in my meals processor till I’ve advantageous crumbs. I hold the breadcrumbs in a bag within the freezer and use straight from frozen for issues like pangrattato or coating items of fish to make do-it-yourself fish fingers. This comforting butterbean stew makes use of breadcrumbs fried with sage for a crispy topping. Tender bread (from a sliced loaf) is nice for issues like meatballs and bread and butter pudding.
Tip 10: stick with an inventory
Earlier than going procuring, make an inventory. And earlier than making an inventory, do a fridge audit. Make a full and full record of completely all the things, put a star subsequent to issues that want utilizing up first after which work out what you can also make with these objects. A meal plan that leaves areas for consuming up leftovers is a sensible transfer. At all times keep in mind to prioritise utilizing something within the fridge up first, earlier than issues that will probably be advantageous left within the freezer or cabinet. Checking what you’ve already bought and never mistakenly shopping for duplicates will save each meals waste and cash.
