Every year we throw away 7m tonnes of edible food in the UK, much of it at Christmas. MARION SAUVEBOIS asked four Swindon women how they recycle their leftovers

WE HAVE all erred on the side of excess when planning a large Christmas meal, or simply overestimated our capacity to ingest food.

The sheer amount left on our plates and clogging up valuable fridge space at this time of year is often overwhelming.

After a few days, the appeal of the limp slices of meat wrapped in tinfoil and Tupperwares full of soggy vegetables fades and, at a loss for ideas for how to recycle the meagre leftovers, we end up sticking it in the bin.

You are not alone. On average, we throw away seven million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year, the majority of which could have been eaten. This is costing us £12.5bn a year – £60 of good food per month – and the blow to our purses is almost as catastrophic as the impact on the environment, according to the Love Food Hate Waste campaign.

Our mothers and grandmothers never let anything go to waste, so why should we?

Being crafty with your food is the clever way to save those pennies.

But it means rediscovering the nearly lost tradition of home-cooking and taking a leaf out of our ancestors’ book as five Swindon mothers have found out.

Living on a farm, CERI CRYER, 35, of Brinkworth Dairy has a knack for devising new ways to use yesterday’s dinner.

Favourite leftovers meal: spaghetti bolognaise and chilli con carne in tortillas.

“Home cooking is important. The evening meal is when everyone comes together. It signifies the end of work for the day and the start of proper family time. We really enjoy having friends and their children over.

“Our life/ business is food and farming so the children will naturally learn a lot about food from being around us. They understand how precious dairy produce is as they know how hard everyone works to get that lovely milk.

“We have so many great raw ingredients that evening meals are always made with fresh food. I will use up the leftovers for my lunch the next day.

“My husband Chad cooks up leftover chicken in lots of soya sauce... much more that I would use as I don’t overuse salt... and it’s delicious.

“If I make a roast, the next day I mince it to make spaghetti bolognaise. The next day, I’d add in kidney beans and some spices like cinnamon to make con carne and serve in tortillas.

“I would probably have run out by then, but if not, I can add in some mushrooms and add pastry on top to make a pie.

“My grandma saves all the vegetable cooking water to make soup with. My mum saves all vegetable water and meat juices for gravy.

“To avoid waste, you need to get a dog for the meat, a pig for the veg peelings, chickens for anything and a great compost bin for the rest... and feel very worthy.”

JANET THEOBALD, 50, of Old Town is a passionate cook who can rustle up a first-class dish out of the contents of her fridge.

Favourite leftover dish: Farmers’ breakfast.

“When my kids were at school they had very limited cookery lessons so it was down to us to teach them the ropes and we still pass on hints and tips.

“My husband loves cooking and is very good at it so he shares his enthusiasm and skills. I think there is too much reliance on fast food and ready meals, we prefer to start from scratch. Plus you know what’s in your meal and don’t get so much salt or fat in it.

“We are very good at using up leftovers, I hate wasted food. But occasionally something gets missed or bread goes mouldy.

“Our favourite meal from leftovers is farmer’s breakfast. It’s good hearty comfort food; fry up onions, potatoes, any leftover veg, a bit of bacon, mix in some egg to hold it together, and brown it top and bottom. Yummy!”

LAURA JAMES, 30, of Taw Hill, discovered the joy of cooking and ‘recycling food’ after giving birth to Fabian, 11 months ago.

Favourite leftovers meal: any healthy mini dinner for her little boy.

“I’ve never been much of a cook but being a mum over the last 11 months has completely changed that, as I wanted Fabian to grow up on all home cooked, nutritious food.

“I now make all his meals and really enjoy cooking and coming up with recipes for him. I also love baking and as soon as he’s old enough will get him involved in making cakes and biscuits.

“We don’t have many leftovers because my husband enjoys his food! But yes, planning is a factor.

“Since having a baby we are much more aware of wastage and the importance of only making what we need, so if cooking for the two of us I’ll try and be more realistic about what we’ll actually eat, and save ingredients in order to be able to use them again instead of wasting cooked food.

“If the meal we have is a roast dinner I would use some meat, veg and potato and whizz it up with some milk to make a couple of small meals for Fabian.

“Or if we just have mashed potato left over, for example, I’ll cook some courgette and mix it with the potato and cheese to make a gratin.

“If there’s mince left over I’ll cook some baby pasta and make a bolognaise with fresh tomatoes added.”

Homecooking and reusing leftovers is not just a matter of preference but of principle for SUE PYCROFT, 58, of Old Town.

Favourite leftovers meal: chicken and rice.

“My husband and I are both really keen cooks, and the evening meal is the most important point in our day.

“Our kitchen is a family room with sofas and a table, so everyone’s together while one of us cooks. We almost always cook from scratch, but chopping veg and stirring are great ways of relaxing after a busy day, so neither of us thinks of it as a chore.

“We often make meals from whatever’s left in the fridge. Or I’ll buy a large free range chicken from the Wood Street Food Hall on a Saturday, do a roast on Sunday, make a green chicken curry on the Monday and finish it off on Tuesday with rice, and a mix of vegetables and herbs.

“The chicken and rice dish has many variations, but is basically this: sauté some spring onions, garlic, sliced fennel bulb and chopped peppers in a wide, deep frying pan until soft.

“Add some chunks of cooked chicken (free range is best) and fry until heated through, then add thin slices of preserved lemon or fresh lemon zest, and maybe some frozen peas or sliced green beans.

“Keep stirring as it cooks for a few minutes, then add some sweet chili sauce and maybe a splash of white wine (you can also add a little cinnamon and/or ground cloves, if you want).

“Keep hot while you microwave some Veetee Basmati rice (just takes one minute) then stir rice into mixture, add a handful of torn coriander leaves, a handful of pine nuts or chopped almonds, and some pomegranate seeds, salt and pepper and serve.

“This dish also works with prawns instead of chicken – and a bit of chorizo added to it early on gives it a lovely smokey taste.”

Don’t bin it...

  • If you have a roast on Sunday, the remains of the joint make a great curry or a delicious risotto later in the week, and you will always find enough for a sandwich. 
  •  If you have some dinner left in the pan, bag it and pop it in the freezer as a ‘ready meal’ for one.
  •  Even the smallest amount could be pureed up for the baby or served as a kid’s portion for lunch the next day. 
  •  The last dregs of wine or beer can also be frozen in ice cube trays and popped out into stews and casseroles when cooking.
  •  Cut the bruises off old apples and toss into the pan with your sausages.
  •  Even black bananas can be saved. Just mash them up and add cream for a super-quick pudding the children will love.