How to eat well and waste less

WITH MELISSA HEMSLEY

How often do you look in your fridge at the end of the week and see a bag of wilting salad that’s headed for the compost heap? Or miss the use-by date on a meal and feel a pang of guilt as you close the bin lid?

Food waste is an issue we’re all trying to get better at managing, so who better to give us their top tips on how to feel good and waste less, than best-selling cookbook author, real food activist and sustainability champion, Melissa Hemsley. She is passionate about spreading the power of feel-good food – that’s food that not only tastes delicious, but nourishes our bodies and is grown with the seasons, with respect for the people who grow it. More than this, it’s food to be enjoyed, shared and used to its full wholesome, nourishing potential with nothing wasted.

HERE’S WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY… Q: Melissa, what is your inspiration behind Zero Waste, Sustainability and Feeling Good? A: I wanted to immerse myself in doing good for myself but also for the planet. Like everyone else, we all intend to do good. It’s not just about delicious food but nutritious food to help you feel better. In my latest book “Feel Good”, I hoped to have brought these themes together in one place. Q: Leightons have been supporting The Trussell Trust for a couple of years, starting with the pandemic. You work with a few food projects and movements to help support communities, can you tell us more about them and how we as individuals can take part? A: There is a hunger and food waste crisis at the moment. At least 3 million tonnes of edible food waste is generated by the UK food industry each year. I have started working with organisations; Felix Project, UK Harvest and Olio. The Felix & UK Harvest projects provide much needed assistance to charities and vulnerable people, by collecting surplus food from all types of food providers, delivering it directly to charities 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 price of one or my plans have changed. I make a habit of uploading my surplus food on a weekly basis. To access items, users simply browse the listings available near them, request whatever takes your fancy and arrange a pick-up via private messaging. It’s a great community movement. Q: In your new book, “Feel Good”, you emphasise the importance of minimising waste and cooking seasonally. Can you share a few tips to help us get started if we aren’t doing this already? A: I always recommend to friends and family to do a non-judgment audit of their compost 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 suggestion, if you bought a packet of apples and they start to over ripen, I would suggest to cut them up and either freeze them for your next smoothie, or add to your next salad to add sweetness. Same with preparations of meals, I would suggest keeping the peels or leftovers for freezing or to add to your next stock, soup or gravy. Something I always love making is a frittata.

Another great tip is to cook seasonally. I would highly recommend subscribing to a weekly fruit and vegetable box that supports local farms. If it’s too much of a commitment, start incorporating seasonal fruits and vegetables into your weekly meal planning. Trying to change old habits, you will start enjoying your food so much more. As you will be eating tastier fruit in the season it grows best, like strawberries, and there will be no need to add extra flavours like sugar. Q: We are becoming more conscious of what we eat and how it affects our brain health. What foods would you recommend we add into our weekly shop to nourish our brain? 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 bitter so always pair it with sweet potato or carrots to make it tasty. If you are very busy, you can make a simple soup and add foods like beans for extra flavour and nutritional value. My best friend has become a thermos flask! Always remember to chew and most importantly, enjoy it.

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

Simply email competition@leightons.co.uk and let us know how you have changed your meal planning habits to minimise food waste and incorporate 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 Wednesday 30th November 2022.