Peeling Sustainable

Did you know that tons of food go to waste every year at homes, restaurants, schools and hospitals? Food waste presents a significant problem due to the volume produced each year. In fact, in the UK alone, it's estimated that we throw away around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste annually. Ouch! Creating higher costs to everyone's pockets and added environmental stress.

You get Hotter Every Year *wink wink.

But getting hotter and hotter isn't good for the planet. At Cleverchefs, we strongly believe in running sustainable kitchens, minimising food waste, and making the most of every ingredient.

We handle stock carefully to ensure quality and make sure food is well-spent. We also monitor portion control daily and pay careful attention to the amounts of food served. In addition, because we run chef-led kitchens, our chefs understand how to reinvent dishes and create innovative solutions to avoid food waste.

Rooting for You

Whether we are using day-old bread for making croutons or turning vegetable peels into delicious cakes, we are always looking for ways to use all of our produce. Executive chef, Nathan Phillpot, explains.

We realised we often had lots of carrot and parsnip peels from our roast days. So instead of binning these, we experimented and developed a new recipe for what we call "Root Bakes" - like our "Peely Carrot Cake Muffin" packed with veggie goodness, fibre, vitamin C and B3 which are more concentrated in the skin of carrots than in the actual carrots.

Like carrot peelings, parsnip, potatoes, and even cauliflower can be used in baking, often resulting in delicious and extra nutritious cakes and desserts.

Tip - Rooting for you at home!

Why not make chips from your root peels for a delicious and crunchy snack? Season them with spices like paprika, garlic, and herbs, bake them, or air fry them into crunchy and healthy chips. Make sure you wash them and pat dry them before you cook.

Avoiding Food Waste at Home

This is often easier said than done. As we live busy, hectic lives, it is easy to forget about leftovers and food that gets pushed to the back of the fridge. However, here are a few tips:

1. Meal planning: By planning out meals in advance, we can make sure to use up ingredients before they go bad. This can also help us save money, as we can buy only what we need instead of over-purchasing and letting food go to waste.

2. Clean your cupboard and fridge regularly so that you are aware of food expiration dates, and rotate your stock. But also, check your fridge temperature; It should be between 0-5C. Food, especially milk, will go off much quicker if it's warmer.

3. Give your bread a second life by turning stale (but not mouldy) bread into breadcrumbs or croutons for your soups and salads.

4. Composting at home: Not only does composting reduce food waste, but it also helps create nutrient-rich soil for gardening or local farmers. It can also be a fun activity to do as a family.

Remember, every little bit helps! So let's make every day a "Stop Food Waste Day".