Friday 17 November 2023
Guernsey Waste has been producing its free Love Food Hate Waste recipe calendar since 2016 and for 2024, it has picked 12 of its all-time favourites including some great money and food saving tips.
The aim of the Love Food Hate Waste calendar is to help people think a little more about how to reduce the amount of food ending up in the bin or their food waste caddy. It includes simple, practical steps incorporating ingredients kept in most store cupboards and can be picked up for free from local supermarkets across the island.
It is estimated that more than £10 million worth of food is currently thrown away in Guernsey each year. More than 3,500 tonnes are collected annually from local households, about two thirds of which could have been eaten.
Waste Minimisation and Sustainability Manager, Tina Norman-Ross said; "The average Guernsey family spends as much as £700 a month on food and drink shopping, and too much of that food ends up being thrown away. By cutting down on your food waste, you could save around £900 next year. All it takes is just a few small changes, then you can think about what to do with the extra money you save."
Janis Lucans, Operations Manager for Channel Islands Co-op is excited to receive his copies of the calendar. "It's always very popular and disappears off the shelves extremely quickly. It is also full of really helpful food waste prevention tips.
"As a responsible retailer we are always looking at ways we can reduce the amount of food waste our stores generate. It takes months, sometimes years, to plant, grow and produce some of the food we eat - so it's more important than ever that we try and stop as much as possible ending up in the bin."
This year's calendar includes some great recipes created by local chefs over the years.
"This year we thought it was time to give our chefs a break and instead reuse some of their favourite recipes," said Mrs Norman-Ross.
"As you can imagine we were spoilt for choice! The main focus for our chefs was to ask them to come up with seasonal dishes that incorporated general store cupboard ingredients using fresh local produce wherever possible.
"We hope islanders agree we have chosen a great mix of family favourites from a warming winter soup, some tasty meat and vegetarian dishes, puddings with a local twist, fish and pasta dishes and recipes with a little bit of spice. Hopefully we've chosen something for everyone's tastes."
Mrs Norman-Ross said the run up to Christmas was an important time to get the message across, given the emphasis on food and drink over the festive season. Guernsey Waste was also grateful for the support from supermarkets.
"We are in a really fortunate position of being able to look forward to the festive season as we would any other. As we get ready for Christmas, we are encouraging islanders to reduce their waste in general over the next few weeks in the lead up to the New Year."
"The Love Food Hate Waste calendar will then hopefully be a reminder throughout next year to keep thinking about what ends up in the bin. It is a great way to get the Love Food Hate Waste message directly into island homes for a whole 12 months and highlight how a few small changes can save a lot of money."
Islanders can pick up a copy of the calendar from the following retailers:
Aladdin's Cave
Alliance
Checkers Xpress at Capelles
Co-op stores
Forest Stores
Iceland
M&S Food Halls
Morrisons
Waitrose
