05 May 2023
Are you organising a Coronation Big Lunch or hosting a family gathering? We've handpicked a few top tips to help you get the most out of your food.
This weekend, many across the nation will be celebrating the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort, an event that hasn’t happened within many of our lifetimes. With street parties and neighbourhood picnics happening up and down the country, a huge amount of food will no doubt be consumed and disposed of by millions of people.
According to the charity WRAP, the UK produced around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste in 2018, of which 6.6 million tonnes (70%) come from households1. Festive occasions often see a significant increase in leftover or surplus food being thrown away – with roughly two million turkeys2 and one million Easter eggs3 ending up in the bin every year.
Are you organising a Coronation Big Lunch or hosting a family gathering? Are you planning to cook from scratch or order royalty-themed platters that are ready to serve? Take a look at our top tips to help you minimise waste and make the most out of your food this Coronation weekend.
1. Plan, plan, plan!
It can be tricky to estimate how much food to buy and prep when you’re serving a bigger group than usual. Try this food portion calculator to get a close estimate.
Before you head to the shops, don’t forget to check your fridge, freezer, and cupboards to see what you already have and stick to buying what you really need.
2. Love your leftovers
There are so many ways to make delicious food with leftovers, as long as they’re stored with care to make sure they’re safe to reheat and eat.
Cook a hearty casserole or stir fry; make infused water with strawberry tops or lemon peel (add to your water and leave to infuse overnight); turn extra produce into pickles ready for BBQ season; or whip up a refreshing smoothie (all you need is yogurt, fruits, and a blender).
3. Sharing is caring
Ask your guests to bring a reusable food container to take home any leftovers that would make for a perfect packed lunch at work or snack bowl at home.
You can also share any surplus food with those who need them most through your local supermarkets, a Community Fridge, or an app like Olio.
4. Recycle your food waste
Some food waste – like carrot peel, bones and skins – simply can’t be avoided. The good news is they are the perfect ingredients to create renewable energy that power our homes, instead of being sent to landfill.
If your local council provides food waste recycling services, all you need to do is get a caddy to dispose of any uneaten food like:
- Dairy, meat and bones, fruit, vegetables and peelings, rice and pasta, cakes and biscuits, eggs and eggshells, fish bones and shells, pet foods, tea bags and coffee grounds.
Or you can compost your scraps and peels at home to create nutrient-rich compost to feed your plants.
At Severn Trent Green Power, we work with many local authorities across England and Wales to turn household food waste into clean energy. Find out how we do this through a process called anaerobic digestion.
If you’re a food waste producer, collector or Local Authority looking for a partner for your recycling needs, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch with our Commercial Team (commercial@stgreenpower.co.uk).
Sources:
1. Food waste in the UK - House of Lords Library
2. A third of Brits throw away Christmas turkey and sprouts - The Guardian
3. Too Good To Go MD on Fighting the UK’s ‘Staggering’ Levels of Easter Food Waste - Grocery Gazette