Perfect portions this summer

If you are planning on inviting family or friends round for a barbecue this summer, knowing how much food to cook for a crowd can be tricky.  So Shropshire Council is encouraging residents to save money by using the free online portion calculator (www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/perfect_portions) 

The average family in Shropshire throws out £550 worth of food each year – much of which could have been eaten.  Most of this ends up buried in landfill sites in the county, which has a huge financial and environmental impact. 

So to help everyone waste less, here is a taste of our top barbecue tips: 

• If cloves of garlic are a bit dry, they are still OK just for flavouring.  Try adding them to olive oil and soy sauce to infuse overnight to make a simple marinade for your barbecue skewers.
• If you’ve bought too many lemons, sliced lemons can be frozen for a refreshing addition to cold drinks.
• Any bread rolls that have gone a bit stale can be broken up into breadcrumbs and used for a savouring topping to pasta bakes or for making stuffing.
• If raspberries, strawberries and blueberries look past their prime, cook gently in a saucepan until soft and then serve over ice-cream for an easy post-barbecue pudding.
• Leftover cooked meat can be wrapped and kept it in the fridge for up to two days.
• Leftover dips?  No problem, just add a dollop to a sandwich for lunch the next day.
• Keep any leftover sausages wrapped in tin foil in the fridge.  Cold sausages make great lunchbox treats. 

Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for waste and recycling, said:

“During beautiful weather many of us will be enjoying a good barbecue with family or friends, but catering for large numbers can be expensive.  By planning meals carefully, using up leftovers, getting creative and making use of what you’ve got in the cupboards already, you can make tasty dishes and save money and avoid waste at the same time.  For more tips like this visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.”