North London residents serve up recipes with a left over twist

News: North London residents serve up recipes with a left over twist

A cookery book featuring winning recipes from residents and restaurants
across north London was launched yesterday (3 December) showcasing sizzling meals made from leftovers.

'The Food Lovers Cookbook' gives leftovers including old pasta, unused bread and even old tea-bags a new lease of life as they are transformed into a series of starters, mains and desserts by 26 budding local chefs.

The final recipes featured in the book were chosen by a panel of judges as
part of a competition which ran in Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney,
Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest during the summer.

Recipes include:

- Old fashioned bread pudding, by Jackie Kane from Barnet
- Meat and two vegetable biryani, by Dinishia Mitford from Camden
- Diner in the oven by Ann Beale in Enfield
- Super veggie strudel, from Katharina Erne in Hackney
- Finish-up frittata by The Back 2 Earth Community Café in Tottenham
- Sunday roast cakes, by Brian Kavanagh in Islington
- Sizzling bean chilli, by Organiclea and the Hornbeam Centre Café in Waltham Forest

Cllr Clyde Loakes, Chair of the North London Waste Authority, said:

“Everyday we see the large amount of food that is thrown away in north London and the sad thing is that a lot of it needn’t have been thrown away at all.

“This competition was about making the most of the food you love and the book is full of simple, tasty and money-saving recipes which banish leftovers by putting them to good use. I’d encourage everyone to have a go at making some of the meals which are both kinder for the environment and kinder to your purse.”

Martin Burrows at the Back 2 Earth Community Cafe in Tottenham, who are featured in the cookbook, said:

"At Back 2 Earth we showcase community cooks and their dishes from around the world and the Finish Up Frittata was from our Mediterranean menu. It always goes down well and so we are absolutely delighted that it has been featured in The Food Lovers Cookbook.

"The recipe competition is something we really wanted to get involved with as it was all about encouraging people to make the most of good food and wasting less, something as an environmental community project we wholeheartedly support. We have always been firm believers in making full use of all our products and ingredients and we hope to inspire others to do the same."

In the UK £12 billion worth of food is thrown out every year, with householders throwing out on average £480 per year. This increases to £680 a year for families with children – or £50 per month.

The competition and book launch are both part of the north London Love Food Hate Waste campaign which shows that by doing some easy, everyday things in the home we can all waste less food, which will ultimately benefit our purses and the environment.

To view the book go to www.nlwa.gov.uk.

Information about the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign, including food facts and hints and tips is available at:  www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

Ends

For further information please contact Rosie Elliott, media and marketing officer on 020 7974 6944 or email rosie.elliott@camden.gov.uk

Notes to editors:

The Love Food Hate Waste campaign is running across the seven North London boroughs of: Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest between June 2009 and February 2010.

The campaign is being funded by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and includes: kitchen workshops, online food waste diaries and a dedicated website full of information.

Information is being produced for restaurants and retailers who want to get
behind the campaign and presentations are available for community groups on request from: post@nlwa.gov.uk.

Key facts from the Love Food Hate Waste campaign:

• £12 billion worth of food is thrown out every year in UK homes. Householders are throwing out on average £480/year. This increases to £680/year for families with children – or £50 per month.

• We throw food out for two main reasons: 1) we let food go off, either completely untouched, or opened/started but not finished, costing £6.7 billion per year.; 2) we cook or prepare too much, costing us £4.8 billion per year

• In terms of weight: 5.3 million tonnes of good food is thrown out every year in the UK – such as cheese, meat and fish, fruit and vegetables and bread. This figure does not include anything we wouldn’t normally eat, like peelings, bones, or crusts.

• Wasting food has a huge environmental impact – if we stopped throwing food away, it would save the equivalent of at least 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.  That’s like taking 1 in every 4 cars off our roads. 

• Food waste is damaging to the environment because producing, storing and getting the food to our homes uses a lot of energy and resources – all of which are wasted when food gets binned. And most of this food reaches landfill sites where it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

• Since the Love Food Hate Waste campaign launched, 2 million homes are feeling the benefits of cutting back on the food they waste, saving £400 million overall – or around £200 each every year.

The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) was established in 1986 and is the
waste disposal authority for Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey,
Islington and Waltham Forest. This means its primary function is to arrange
the transport and disposal of waste collected by these boroughs. It is the
second largest waste disposal authority in the country, measured by tonnage.

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