People in York and North Yorkshire are being urged to think how they can make the most of their food when organising Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations over the next few days.
The national Love Food Hate Waste campaign – of which the Partnership is a member – has teamed up with The Big Jubilee Lunch to offer support on how best to reduce the amount of food waste which is produced as a result of the celebrations.
The Big Jubilee Lunch is part of the Diamond Jubilee programme of events on Sunday 3 June. Led by the Eden Project and funded by the Lottery, the aim is to encourage neighbourhoods to come together in the garden or street to share lunch and a few hours of community, friendship and fun. A record number of people are expected to get involved as part of the Diamond Jubilee Weekend celebrations.
Love Food Hate Waste has been named as an official supporting organisation for The Big Jubilee Lunch.
Executive Member for Waste Management, County Councillor Chris Metcalfe, said:
The Big Jubilee Lunch is a great idea for getting together with your neighbours to celebrate this summer – and with a little bit of forward planning, the events needn’t cause any unnecessary food waste.
We waste over 7 million tonnes and £12 billion worth of good food and drink every year in the UK just from our homes, but with a little planning, together with a few cool boxes and supply of freezer packs it’s easy to be well equipped for keeping food safe, fresh and tasty for longer.
Tips on how to organise a Love Food Hate Waste Big Jubilee Lunch
It’s surprising how many tasty dishes can be made from ingredients people already have in cupboards and fridges. In fact, every day food that is perfect for summer al fresco dining gets thrown away: including around 5 million potatoes, nearly three million tomatoes, and one million slices of ham.
Try to estimate how many people will be coming and only buy for that amount to avoid throwing food away. Love Food Hate Waste’s perfect portion planner can help.
Get the storage right so that food keeps fresher for longer. Salad should always go in the fridge, bread in the bread bin or freezer (never the fridge), fruit and veg (except bananas, whole pineapple, potatoes and onions) should be kept in the fridge and keep things like sliced meats and cheese in an air-tight container once opened.
Fruit juice, smoothies and yoghurts can be frozen into ice-lolly moulds, perfect for keeping the children entertained.
Fill sandwiches with tasty and unexpected combinations of leftovers, such as chicken, bacon and mayonnaise, leftover roast lamb and mint sauce or cheese and coleslaw.
Try making leftover potatoes (or ones that have gone a bit sprouty) into a tasty salad with sliced red or spring onions and mayonnaise – a tasty salad that also travels well.
