A new partnership between the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Sydney café Cornersmith reveals a world of ideas to make your way through the never-ending whirlwind of eating and drinking we all do at Christmas, save money and cut down on food waste all at the same time.
With more potential food waste over Christmas – and much of it finishing up in landfills – being smart about your festive feasts may also be the tastiest way you can imagine to help our environment.
The secret is all about being clever about using what you already have, according to Cornersmith Cooking School co-ordinator Jaimee Edwards.
“A little sense of quality over quantity can go a long way. After that, ask yourself how you can use what you already have, do more with less, and what you need,” Mr Edwards said.
“Our recipes use kitchen and pantry scraps and give them another life for entertaining or gifting.”
Cornersmith certainly practices what it preaches in its business. That’s why teaming up with the EPA’s Love Food Hate Waste program to get support for its schools’ cooking program was a no-brainer for the family-run café that is all about ethical food choices, education and sustainable business practices.
The sustainable approach to food taken by families and businesses like Cornersmith saves a motza in hidden costs, says EPA’s Love Food Hate Waste Program Manager Amanda Kane.
“In the lead up to Christmas, Aussie farmers dedicate their time to produce the high-quality food for our Christmas events. Precious water is used to grow our veggies, energy is used to keep food cool, and emission-generating fuel is used to bring these goodies to our door,” she said.
“Partnering with organisations like Cornersmith helps us spread the word about food waste and tap into the skills and passion of the community to reduce food waste.”
Ms Kane said the Love Food Hate Waste Partnership program supported innovative projects like the Cornersmith Schools initiative and provided up to $1,000 to community groups to share food waste avoidance messages.
Other partners include the United Nations Association of Australia, Grow It Local, The Happy Hens social enterprise and Port Macquarie Community Gardens.
Check out the Love Food Hate Waste website for more information about becoming a partner and festive food waste tips and recipe ideas like Cornersmith’s Christmas Waste Hack Bitters below.
Food smart tips for Christmas.
- Use what you have: Look through your pantry and fridge before Christmas and use up existing ingredients to make space for Christmas cooking.
- Be a smart shopper: Create a shopping list and buy only what you need for your event. The shops are shut for just one day, so you can visit your favourite grocery stores again closer to your next party. This means you’ll always be serving guests the freshest produce.
- Plan a smart menu: Plan dishes that use the same ingredients to avoid leftovers to deal with and save space in your fridge and pantry.
- Avoid costly discounts Before picking up food on sale, consider if you will use the item or have enough room to store them. A tray of mangos may sound nice but not if you throw half of them in the bin
- Select second best: Picking imperfect produce is good for your wallet and the environment. Plus, your guests will never know.
- Dine out on leftovers: Portion leftover ham and store – wrapped in plastic and then foil – in the fridge or freezer for future use. It takes about 4-6 hours to thaw a 500-gram cooked ham in the fridge
- Be cool and fresh: Turning your fridge 1-2 degrees lower when the fridge is full will help keep seafood fresh for longer.
- Treat yourself: Let your guests serve themselves to suit their appetites. It will avoid plate waste and allow more room for dessert
- Try a side hustle: Plan dishes to meet various dietary requirements without making additional dishes. Serve dressings, nuts and meats as a side when possible, it will allow guests to add to their plate if they wish
- Bring that treat back: Encourage your guests to bring reusable containers or have your own spare containers on hand to fill with leftovers for people to take home
- Pack a pickle: Pickle leftover raw ingredients such as carrot, onions and cucumber. Place in a jar, cover with a brine mixture, add some herbs and spices, seal with a lid and pop in your cupboard for a rainy day. See recipe below.
- Give ‘em curry: Transform your leftover meat and veggies into a curry or pie fillers for the next meals.
Cornersmith Christmas Bitters Hack
The holiday season is here and entertaining is on the agenda. Whether making cocktails or mocktails, you will want these bitters on hand for tasty and creative mixes. Usually, bitters is made with traditional bitter herbs and barks for a pungent adventure in flavour. But here we maximise the bitter compounds in citrus pith and skin to make a waste hack version of one of our best selling products.
This version is aromatic, tart, a little heady and just the thing you need to make a gin and tonic or refreshing booze-free beverage over the festive season.
Ingredients
The pith and skin of 4 oranges, lemons, mandarins or 2 grapefruit
5 all spice berries
2 star anise
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 stalk lemongrass
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
Place the citrus skins, spices sugar and salt in a pot and cover with 2 cups of water. Over a medium heat bring to a boil and then turn the heat down. Cover and allow to gently simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the ingredients steep overnight.
