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Your Food Waste Questions Answered

Your Food Waste Questions Answered

Find out the answers to your burning food waste questions in our handy guide packed with tasty tips & clever hacks.

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Here at Baker Street we’re on a mission to help everyone better combat food waste with our cleverly packed range of products that are lovingly baked to last longer.

But to go that next step further, we wanted to try and answer your food waste questions to help you find out clever ways to save your bread from unnecessarily going in the bin.

We’ve recently conducted some food waste research with 2,000 UK adults which found that one in 10 people would like to reduce the amount that they personally create, but just don’t know how.

Baker Street Top 10 Reasons Why Brits Do Generate Food Waste

That’s why we’ve gathered plenty of tips and tricks that Baker Street has gathered over the years, to help you search for ideal ways for you and your family to reduce food waste at home. We’ve also enlisted two experts to give their advice on food waste – sustainability influencer, Alessandro Vitale – aka @ _spicymoustache_ – shared some of his top tips on Instagram. And Annabel Karmel, an expert on nutrition and cooking for kids and families, has partnered with Baker Street to showcase ways to reduce food waste.

Take a look at the answers to your food waste questions below.

You can also find out more information on our Food Waste page, as well as Creative Food Waste Recipes on our blog.

CLICK THE QUESTION BELOW TO FIND OUT THE ANSWER

What can I make with leftover bread?

How can freezing food help to reduce food waste?

Are there any ways to combat food waste before buying or cooking food?

YOUR FOOD WASTE QUESTIONS ANSWERED

What can I make with leftover bread?

There are plenty of tasty meals and snacks that you can make with leftover bread, and at Baker Street we strongly believe that no slice of bread, bun or roll should get left behind.

On our wesbite, we have some fantastic features you can use to easily find ways to use your loaves, get through your whole pack of burger buns, or make sure every hot dog roll gets eaten. Take a look below…

Leftover recipes: we have a dedicated category for recipes that uses up leftover food – not just bread. We have also created numerous recipes for meals throughout the day – breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and dessert – so that you can get creative in the kitchen

Meal ideas & tips

On each of our product pages, scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see a Meal Ideas & Tips section. We’ve created this so if you have that specific product at home, you can find out easy and quick ways to use up all of that product.

Alessandro has also shared one of his favourite childhood meals from Italy – Cheese & Bread Soup, which is called Zuppa di Formaggi in Italian – which uses leftover bread in a delicious way: “Old bread is cooked in a broth and served with cheese on top and still now, it’s my absolute favourite thing.”

He added that his memories from his grandparents helped him with knowing how to live a more sustainable lifestyle free from any or minimal food waste: “My grandparents never used the term food waste because they had none. My grandpa had a composting system outdoors so whatever we didn’t use was going into there and the garden, and my grandma was using all the leftover food to make amazing things. For example, rissoto was turned into something like arrancini but a much simpler version and way more delicious.”

And Annabel Karmel’s blog post shares some exciting recipes that uses a variety of leftover food and transforms it into tasty meals. Our favourite recipes that she has created using leftover Baker Street bread include…

Open Rye Bread Protein Vroom Vroom Toasts

Vroom Vroom Sandwiches

Using the last slices of our Seeded Rye Bread in a pack, this lunchtime meal is also a great activity to do with the kids when you have some time at home. Find the recipe

Other leftover Baker Street Rye Bread recipes include:

  • Caramelised Oranges & Cream Cheese Toasties: a different meal idea, but one that can make the most of your last slices of Baker Street Rye & Wheat Bread, as well as any leftover oranges and cream cheese in the kitchen.
  • Rye Pizzas: forget making a complicated pizza dough base, use any remaining slices of Baker Street Seeded Rye Bread in your pack to make a quick and easy pizza at home.
  • Leftover Sausages Brunch on Rye Toast: got some leftover cooked sausages from a previous meal? Use them to create a delicious brunch in less than 20 minutes.

Strata with cheese, bacon, eggs & tomatoes

This savoury one-dish recipe is great for a weekend breakfast, or even a dinnertime meal for those who love all of the classic breakfast ingredients. Leftover slices of our Baker Street White Sliced Loaf get a new lease of life in this recipe.

Find The Recipe Here
Annabel Karmel & Baker Street Strata With Cheese, Bacon and Eggs leftover recipes food waste

Other leftover Baker Street White Sliced Loaf recipes include:

  • Mini Sweet Breakfast Cups: great to eat fresh from the oven, or even batch cook for the week ahead, these sweet treats are perfect for breakasts on the go, a sweet lunchbox snack or even a little treat whenever you need it.
  • Bread Sausage Rolls: one of our favourite and most creative ways to use leftover slices of bread – this recipe only uses four ingredients and in less than half an hour, get sausage rolls ready for the whole family to dive into.
  • Nutella & Fruit Roll Ups: this is a great recipe as an alternative Pancake Day recipe idea, but equally, works perfectly as a breakfast idea. Roll our our bread slices, fill with Nutella and fry up for sweet meal everyone will want again and again.

How can freezing food help to reduce food waste?

There are various ways that freezing food can help you in combating food waste at home. One of our favourite ways is for breadcrumbs – you can simply blitz the leftover bread in a food processor and then use it straightaway, or freeze them in an airtight container or plastic sandwich bags and save them for another time.

Breadcrumbs are great for a variety of different meals. Here’s some inspiration for ways to use breadcrumbs…

Annabel Karmel also explains that using frozen fruit and vegetables is a great way to make sure you’re not creating unnecessary food waste. They’re often much cheaper than fresh fruit and veg, and she claims they can be packed with more nutrients.

In her video, she’s also given a great freezer tip on how to have flavoursome herbs to hand to add into your meals when cooking. By mixing up chopped fresh herbs in a bowl either with some melted butter or olive oil, and then pouring the mixture into ice cube trays to put in the freezer, you can then use the frozen herby butter cubes to saute meat or vegetables in a pan.

Are there any ways to combat food waste before buying or cooking food?

Baker Street and our two experts have various ways to tackle food waste before you even buy any ingredients or cook any meals up at home – take a look at our top tips for reducing food waste below…

  1. Meal prep

We’re firm believers like Annabel Karmel that if you plan out your meals for the week ahead, it will not only make your life easier but will likely help save any bread or other food from going in the bin unnecessarily.

“Before you head to the shops, make a list,” Annabel explains. “Note down what you already have in the fridge and cupboards, so you don’t double up on ingredients.

“If you can, try and plan your recipes or meals for the week (starting with recipes that will make the most of those ingredients you’ve already got to use up) so you know exactly what items to head for.”

It’s also really tempting to buy more than you need when you’re actually in the supermarket, but try as much as you can to stick to that list. You won’t waste money for the sake of it, and feel more positive that you’ve bought only what you need.

  1. Take a photo of your fridge & kitchen cupboards

You may be super prepared with your list, but sometimes it’s hard to remember if you need some extra from the shops, but can’t remember if you already have it at home.

Taking a picture on your phone of your fridge, freezer and kitchen cupboards before you head out the front might sound a little excessive. But trust us, your future self will thank you for it!

  1. Buy wonky fruit and veg

Whether it’s crooked carrots, lopsided lettuce or apples that look a little awry, don’t judge them on their look – they’re just as delicious as the more perfect looking fruit and veg in the shops, and are often a little cheaper because of their unsual shapes.

Most of the supermarkets are now selling wonky fruit and vegetables and there are also dedicated subscription boxes that you can get delivered straight to your home.

  1. Stock up on tins and cans of food

Opting for tinned foods may be one of our favourite ways to cook up a waste-free meal. Annabel Karmel agrees and believes food in tins or cans can be used for various dishes.

“It takes no time at all to create a quick tinned tomato-based sauce for pasta or use a tin of chickpeas to make a veggie curry, mini falafels, burgers or a quick hummus,” she explains.

Spiced Chickpeas and Sweet Potato With Spinach On Rye & Wheat Bread

Take a look at some of our Baker Street recipes that use tinned food…

  1. Store your food in the right places

Sometimes food waste can be a result of not storing food in the right places. General rules are that dry foods, tins and cans can be stored in a dark and cool place like your kitchen cupboards.

Fresher items like milk, eggs and cheese should go in the fridge, and often product packaging will tell you whether you can freeze it or if it should be kept in your fridge.

One of the benefits of Baker Street’s product range is that it’s been cleverely packed to last longer, so that you can pop it either in your bread bin or a kitchen cupboard and use it when you’re ready (ideally the best before date).

Meal Prep - Your Food Waste Questions Answered
  1. Batch cooking

Certain recipes lend themselves well to batch cooking and get ahead with meals for you and your family.

Chillis, bolognese, pasta bakes, curries and soups are all great to make in bulk and then store in airtight containers in the freezer.

Batch cooking can – in the long run – save time, money and food from going in the bin.

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