Recipe for success:
Elly Curshen’s smart ideas can help you throw away less food – and whip up some tasty meals to boot
Whether it’s turning last night’s spaghetti into a tasty new dish or rustling up delicious snacks from a pile of potato peelings, Elly Curshen loves finding new ways to use up leftover food in her kitchen.
And she’s on a mission to inspire the rest of us to throw away less food too. “I love helping people to stop wasting so much,” she says.
Incredibly, 70 per cent of all food waste comes from our homes – a shocking 4.5 million tonnes of it each year.
And as 30 per cent of global greenhouse gases go into producing what we eat and drink, cutting food waste could make a real difference to climate change. Curshen, a regular contributor to Waitrose Weekend, believes we should start in our own homes.
She explains: “Sometimes environmental issues feel insurmountable. But food waste is something where, every single day, three times a day, people have got opportunities to do their bit, to see real results and stop that helpless feeling.”
The cook and author – aka Elly Pear – is passionate about helping us reduce the
4.5 million tonnes of food waste that comes from our homes each year. She also has a delicious cheesy recipe using a whole cauliflower – leaves and all
Simple tips to reduce food waste and save money
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Turning leftovers into meals to help others
Cauliflower cheese soup with crispy croutons
1 medium cauliflower, with green leaves attached
2 medium potatoes
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1L semi-skimmed milk
3 sprigs thyme
500ml vegetable stock
2 tsp English mustard powder
50g mature cheddar, grated
25g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
Method
For the soup
Serves 8
1. Trim any gnarly edges off the cauliflower, then chop the entire thing into small pieces, discarding only the end of the core piece and any blemished outer leaves. Wash and dry.
2. Peel the potatoes (keep the peel in long sections, covered with a clean, damp cloth, and it can be coated in a little oil and seasoning, roasted and made into crisps). Chop the potato into small pieces.
3. Put the cauliflower, potato, garlic, milk and thyme into a large saucepan. Add enough stock to cover everything (you may not need it all, or you may need a little more). Cover and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato is totally soft.
4. Remove the thyme sprigs. Add the mustard powder and cheeses to the pan, then use a heatproof stick blender or food processor to puree until smooth. Season to taste.
5. For the croutons, preheat the oven to 180C/200C non-fan/gas mark 6. Cut the bread into cubes (1.5cm-2cm). Put in a mixing bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle over the garlic granules and mixed herbs, if using. Mix well with your hands.
6. Spread out the croutons on a large baking tray in a single layer and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden.
To store them for later use, cool completely, then keep in an airtight container for up to two days. Serve the hot soup scattered with the croutons, plus a little extra cheese, if liked.
Photography: Pal Hansen for Bridge Studio
The author of books like Fast Days and Feast Days, Let’s Eat! and Green, Curshen has a passion for cutting food waste, forged while working in the hospitality sector running businesses such as former enterprise The Pear Café.
“You want to make the most of every single raw material that comes in, to maximise profit,” she says.
Curshen believes we should be following the same logic at home. “Act like you are running a business, because you are – you are running your own home.”
With the nation wasting enough food annually to fill 38 million wheelie bins, or 90 Royal Albert Halls, there are plenty of tips at waitrose.com/foodwaste on how to make the most of what you buy. Curshen also has great advice on what we can all do differently at home.
Store your food properly – put potatoes in the dark and stow bananas separately from other fruit. A butternut squash will be fine in a cool, dry place for months
“
The nation wastes enough food annually to fill 38 million wheelie bins, or 90 Royal Albert Halls
38 million
“Put a bowl next to your chopping board for trimmings so you can freeze them for stock.
“When peeling potatoes, dry the skins, toss them in some oil and bake into crisps to have as a snack with a glass of wine while you’re waiting for dinner to cook.”
Curshen recommends making dips by mixing leftover sour cream or crème fraîche with mayonnaise, as well as pesto.
She adds: “You can even use the liquid leftover from canned chickpeas, called aquafaba, to make a fantastic chocolate mousse.”
Finally, Curshen says we should use up leftovers, whether in smoothies, soups or by freezing portions in containers to use another day. “Takeaway tubs are brilliant for this,” she adds.
She suggests combining leftover mash with tinned fish to make fishcakes, and combining spare spaghetti covered in tomato sauce with whisked egg to fry up for a frittata. “And if you’re getting a takeaway,” she adds, “put leftovers in the fridge for the next day, rather than leaving them on the side.”
Cutting down on food waste can save time and money, and make you appreciate your food more as you learn to cook different things. “Relish the challenge!” Curshen says.
For the croutons
3 thick slices stale bread
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic granules (optional)
1 tsp dried mixed herbs (optional)
She says: “First, find out what you have already got. Do a stocktake so you save money and don’t duplicate items.
“I have a container in my fridge for condiments, so I don’t end up with, say, three jars of mango chutney. I also have a drawer in there for older stuff that needs using, and I put new things in the back.
“Second, make sure you store your food properly – so putting potatoes in the dark and stowing bananas separately from other fruit. Was the item chilled in the supermarket? A butternut squash, for example, will be fine in a cool, dry place for months.”
Organisation is key too. Use old jars and label them. “You think you’ll remember what’s in them, but you rarely will.
“Third, make the most of whatever you’ve bought. Quality carrots can just be scrubbed, not peeled, and you’ll get more flavour and nutrients. And a whole cauliflower, with leaves, can be used in soup.
The cook and author – aka Elly Pear – is passionate about helping us reduce the
4.5 million tonnes of food waste that comes from our homes each year. She also has a delicious cheesy recipe using a whole cauliflower – leaves and all
Waitrose has committed to cutting its food waste by half by 2030.
One example is a partnership with the charity FareShare, which is dedicated to fighting hunger across Britain. It can use leftover food from stores to help those in need.
The scheme means that staff at any Waitrose store can scan and upload surplus products using the FareShare app. This is then collected by local charities and turned into meals that can be redistributed.
Since 2017, more than seven million meals have been redistributed to a network of 10,500 charities and community groups. That’s around three million kilos of food, which equates to a saving of 9.5 million kilos of CO2.
For more information and tips on how you can help reduce food waste, visit waitrose.com/foodwaste
@ellypear
Find more recipes, hints and tips by visiting waitrose.com/foodwaste
Waitrose has committed to cutting its food waste by half by 2030. One example is a partnership with the charity FareShare, which is dedicated to fighting hunger across Britain. It can use leftover food from stores to help those
in need.
The scheme means that staff at any Waitrose store can scan and upload surplus products using the FareShare app. This is then collected by local charities and turned into meals that can be redistributed.
Since 2017, more than seven million meals have been redistributed to a network of 10,500 charities and community groups. That’s around three million kilos of food, which equates to a saving of 9.5 million kilos of CO2.
For more information and tips on how you can help reduce food waste, visit waitrose.com/foodwaste
@ellypear
Find more recipes, hints and tips by visiting waitrose.com/foodwaste