Gary’s top tips for wasting less food

Plan for the week ahead

It may sound boring but I can think of nothing that will improve your cookery, diet, wallet and what you are chucking in the bin more than planning. We tend to buy the same stuff week in and week out, but if you spend a little time each week planning what you are going to buy, you will save money and ultimately reduce your household food waste.

Change how you shop

Meal planning is the first step in helping you start on the journey of a much more varied diet, and will reduce your food waste, too. But be warned, you do have to put some time and effort into meal planning, rather than simply shopping on autopilot, which most of us are prone to do.

Control your portions

I’ve found most household food waste comes from leftovers. The first thing to combat waste is simple; reduce everyone’s portion sizes. I find my kids tend to eat more when there is less on their plate (there is satisfaction for them if they clear their plate) and this can save a huge amount of food going in the bin. If stored properly after cooking, anything that’s not been on a plate can be reused for another meal.

Keep it in the family

Try to avoid serving food directly on plates. Instead, serve meals on platters, bowls or large plates placed in the centre of the table or kitchen counter, allowing everyone to help themselves. Guests won’t feel obliged to eat a plateful which might be too much for their appetite. Kids eat more food this way. Before long they are back up for seconds. This style of serving is rightly enough called “family service”.

Love your leftovers

When it comes to storing leftover food, you have loads of options. The first storage solution is tubs. I was tub mad and all shapes and sizes filled every cupboard in my kitchen. Tubs are great as they are easy to use and inexpensive, but another option is freezer bags. They can be labelled easily, they’re inexpensive, and they freeze and defrost food quickly. Plus, they also take up much less room.