10 WAYS TO PREVENT WASTE ON FOOD SCRAPS…

Many of us are watching our pennies at the moment with rising costs every day. They say that the average family wastes and throws away over £800 of food every year. But many of these scraps could be used for your meals. Every day 4.4 million potatoes go to waste in UK homes. Here are ten ways to prevent your food scraps from ending up in the dustbin.

1. Some of your vegetable peelings including potatoes, carrots and parsnips are packed with fibre and full of antioxidants so instead of throwing them away, turn them into healthy crisps by spritzing with olive oil and baking them at 200C/Gas 6 for 15-20mins.
2. Avocado stones can help with digestion so place the stone in a small pan of water and simmer for five minutes. Chop it finely then add to your teapot and infuse in boiling water for 5 minutes then strain into your cup and stir in some honey.
3. Left-over celery can be used as a base for soups, chillies, or stew and just some onion and carrots. If the stalks are floppy then cut off the bottom and pop them into a glass of water and they will crisp up again.
4. Add parmesan rind to stocks, pasta sauces, soups or risottos while they are cooking but remember to take it out before serving. It will add a delicious taste to your food.
5. You can use an orange peel instead of seasoning. Just wash the fruit then grate or cut off the zest, avoiding the bitter white pith. Sprinkle over fish or chicken cavity before roasting or place strips in a bottle of mineral or gin for a citrus-infused flavour.
6. To make a delicious stock add onion peelings with other vegetable peelings to a pan. Cover with water, add a bay leaf and some peppercorns and simmer for around 15 minutes. Then strain and divide the portions using an ice-cube tray and freeze. You can also do this with leftover red wine.
7. You can easily make croutons by blitzing breadcrumbs and then freezing or breaking ends into small pieces. Finally, spray with oil and bake until crisp.
8. If you mix your leftover lime wedges with water you can use it to spray around your windows and doors to deter ants.
9. Do not throw away your cauliflower leaves instead cut and use as a side vegetable or add to a stir fry.
10. Use your broccoli stalks as stock to make a soup or to add to a stir fry.