COOK WITH LESS WASTE Nadiya Hussain’s tips to use more and throw away less

Our columnist used to throw away so much food – until she had children

Like all of us, I hate waste, but I didn’t always think about it. For that I feel a pang of guilt. But you live and learn. I have learnt and I am still learning every day. Growing up, I never saw my parents waste a thing. They used to use everything they bought and shopped at the greengrocer’s so they never had plastic waste, either. Brown paper bags would be shredded and used in the pigeon house and rabbit hutch. When I left home and lived on my own, I didn’t really think twice before plating up too much food, then mindlessly throwing away leftovers. I didn’t give it a second thought. Everything my parents did hadn’t rubbed off on me.

But we had to tighten our belts when we bought our first house: we had a mortgage and a baby on the way. I thought carefully about everything I bought, how I would use it and how far it would go, meal-wise. Thirteen years on, we live in a town where waste is discouraged and recycling encouraged – which helps in our quest to waste less and think more. Cutting down on waste starts with how I buy. I have realised it’s the way I buy that determines whether there’s waste. I write down what I’m cooking Monday to Thursday and then make a list. And I do all the food shopping online so I’m not distracted by the offer signs in the shops. And today, after years of walking into shops empty-handed, I make sure I have carrier bags with me. Thank you, Sir David Attenborough, for opening our eyes!

At weekends I use what’s in the cupboards and fridge – it’s made me a better cook

So on weeknights I know exactly what I am cooking, but weekends are a case of cooking with what we have in the fridge and cupboards. This has made me a better cook. It’s also taught me how to cook with what we have, and to not be tempted to pop out to the shops every time we need something. By the end of the week, there are lots of (lovely) meals with eggs and potatoes and it means we can have a fresh start come Monday. I’m hopeful that by cooking and eating this way, I can teach my children about waste and making the most of what you have. But like most generations – much like myself – they will probably forget everything I say. They will move on and do damage, as we did before them. But later, they will hopefully have their moment of realisation. It’s a process, a way of learning.

But with parents – and Sir David Attenborough – showing us the way, I’m hopeful that we won’t go far wrong.

& Turn to page 128 for columnist Tony Naylor’s take on food-waste crimes