How to eat well and waste less

WITH MELISSA HEMSLEY

How of ten do you look in your fr idge at the end of the week and see a bag of wilting salad that ’s headed for the compos t heap? Or miss the use - by date on a meal and feel a pang of guilt as you close the bin lid?

Food was te is an issue we’re all tr ying to get bet ter at managing, so who bet ter to give us their top tips on how to feel good and wa s te less , than bes t-selling cook book au thor, r eal food ac tivis t and sus t ainabili t y champion, Melissa Hemsley. She is pa ssionate abou t spr eading the power of feel - good food - that ’s food that not only t a s tes delicious , but nour ishes our bodies and is grown with the seasons, with respec t for the people who grow it . More than this, it’s food to be enjoyed, shared and used to its full wholesome, nour ishing potential with nothing was ted.

HERE’ S WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY… Q: Melissa , what is your inspir ation behind Zero Was te, Sus tainabilit y and Feeling good? A: I wanted to immer se myself in doing good for myself but also for the planet . Like ever yone else, we all intend to do good. It’s not jus t about delicious food but nutr itious food to help you feel bet ter. In my lates t book “Feel Good”, I hoped to have brought these themes together in one place. Q: Leightons have been suppor ting The Tr ussell Tr us t for a couple year s, s tar ting with the pandemic. You wor k with a few food projec ts and movements to help suppor t communities, can you tell us more about them and how we as individuals can take par t? A: There is a hunger and food was te cr isis at the moment . At leas t 3 million tonnes of edible food was te is gener ated by the UK food indus tr y each year. I have s tar ted wor king with organisations; Felix Pr ojec t , U K Har ves t and Olio. T he Felix & U K Har ves t pr ojec t s pr ovide much needed assis tance to char ities and vulner able people, by collec ting sur plus food from all t ypes of food provider s, deliver ing it direc tly to char ities across the UK . The Olio app is a great way to help individually. I use the app weekly. I might have bought 2 bags of salad for the pr ice of one or my plans have changed. I make a habit of uploading my sur plus food on a weekly basis. To access items, user s simply browse the lis tings available near them, reques t whatever takes your fancy and ar r ange a pick- up via pr ivate messaging. I t ’s a gr eat communit y movement . Q: In your new book , “Feel Good”, you emphasise the impor tance of minimising was te and cooking seasonally. Can you share a few tips to help us get s tar ted if we aren’t doing this already? A: I always recommend to fr iends and family to do a non - judgment audi t of their compos t and food bins. This allows us to consciously see what we could potentially reuse in another dish and maybe to motivate us to change habits. A sug ges tion, if you bought a packet of apples and they s tar t to over r ipen, I would sug ges t to cut them up and ei ther fr eeze them for your nex t smoothie , or add to your nex t salad to add s weetness . Same wi th prepar ations of meals, I would sug ges t keeping the peels or lef tover s for freezing or to add to your nex t s tock , soup or gr av y. Something I always love making is a fr it tata . You can make one that tas tes

like a piz za by using lef tover cheese, mushrooms and olives. Another great tip is to cook seasonally. I would highly recommend subscr ibing to a weekly fr uit and vegetable box that suppor ts local far ms. If it’s too much of a commitment, s tar t incor por ating seasonal fr uits and vegetables into your weekly meal planning. Tr ying to change old habits, you will s tar t enjoying your food so much more. As you will be eating tas tier fr uit in the season it grows bes t, like s tr awber r ies, and there will be no need to add ex tr a flavour s like sugar. Q: We are becoming more conscious of what we eat and how it af fec ts our br ain health. What foods would you recommend we add into our weekly shop to nour ish our br ain? A: I’m not a nutritionist or dietician, but working with others who are, I have learnt to include foods like: berries, beans, pulses, omega 3 also with chia and flaxseed, fermented foods and deep leafy greens. Children might find deep leafy greens a bit bit ter so always pair it with sweet potato or carrots to make it tasty. If you are ver y busy, you can make a simple soup and add foods like beans for ex tra flavour and nutritional value. My best friend has become a thermos flask ! Always remember to chew and most impor tantly, enjoy it.

WANT TO WIN A COPY OF MELISSA’S L ATEST BOOK , “FEEL GOOD”?

Simply email competition@leightons.co.uk and let us k now how you have changed your meal planning habits to minimise food was te and incor por ate seasonal foods. The 20 most creative ideas will receive a FREE “Feel Good” recipe book.

Terms and conditions: 1. Entrants agree to have their data handled and processed by Leightons Opticians & Hearing Care in accordance with their privacy policy (www.leightons.co.uk/privacy-cookies). 2. Winners will be contacted by telephone and/or email. 3. Winners agree for their name to appear in Leightons Opticians & Hearing Care publicity material. 4. UK residents only. 5. No cash alternative. 6. One entry per person. 7. Competition closes 23:59 on Friday 30th September 2022.