Resident Chef Peter Gorton is an award winning Master Chef of Great Britain and has been cooking since the age of 16. Peter now runs his own restaurant, Gorton’s in Tavistock.
Each month the average family throws away almost £60 of good food that was bought but not eaten. As they say love food, hate waste, so get familiar with your fridge and freezer, check the use by dates and use things up before they go off.
Love your leftovers
- Grate odd bits of cheddar and mix with breadcrumbs and herbs for a savoury topping or stir into mash potatoes. Use up your yogurts in fruit smoothies for the kids.
- As a chef I always plan my menus in advance, this prevents waste and over ordering and could save you a lot of money. Try to have a weekly planner of what you are cooking so you only buy what is needed.
- It’s not just over buying that creates costly waste, daily staples like rice and pasta go in the bin because we cook too much. Check you have got your portion sizes right, for example, for two adults and three children you only need 380g of pasta.
- Remember leftovers can create a lovely meal, roast chicken in risotto for example.
Be a clever shopper
- Buy loose fruit and vegetables, this will save a few pounds over time, as you’re likely to buy just the amount you need.
- Buy own brands they are cheaper than the big named brands.
Freeze fruit
Open freezing saves money when you have an abundance of fruit. This is a technique for freezing certain fruit whole so they don’t stick together in a big lump or get crushed or damaged. When ready to use just pour or scoop them out of their container.
Lay the fruit in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper and open freeze for a few hours or until fruit goes solid. You can then tip the fruit into a freezer bag or container, seal, label and return to the freezer and they will keep for up to a year.
Some seasonal treats in season for June
- Elderflowers
- Strawberries
- Mackerel
- Lobster
- Sea trout
- Beetroot
- Garlic
- Peas and broad beans.
For more information about Peter visit www.petergortonmasterchef.co.uk or to find out more about Gorton’s restaurant see www.gortons-tavistock.co.uk