We waste millions of tons of food: Look what you can create out of all that food you throw away

As the cost-of-living crisis begins to bite, we’re all closely watching what we add to our shopping trolleys.

But maybe we should be paying a little more attention to what we’re putting in the bin.

Experts have warned that the cost of the average annual grocery shop is predicted to rise by £643 in the next year – or by nearly £13 a week.

Yet it’s estimated that Britons throw away 4.3 million tons of edible food annually – worth £800 to every family and the equivalent to each household putting eight uneaten meals in the bin every week.

New data from investment website Up The Gains has also predicted that we could collectively throw away 27 per cent of the food we buy for Christmas dinner – worth a staggering £100 million.

Experts have warned that the cost of the average annual grocery shop is predicted to rise by £643 in the next year – or by nearly £13 a week. (File image)

Among the most wasted food and drink are potatoes, bread and milk.

With families struggling to make ends meet, as part of The Mail on Sunday’s Beat The Squeeze campaign, we asked some of Britain’s top chefs for ways to turn leftovers into healthy family meals.

Stuffed whole seabass

Giovann Attard, executive chef at Norma in Central London, has created a dish which will help you to get the most out of a whole piece of fish.

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS: 2 sea bass filleted and canoed (cut along the top to make a pocket for the stuffing), 1 lemon, olive oil, salt

For the stuffing: 100g bread which can be a few days old, 25g black olives chopped, 50g tomatoes chopped, 20g capers, chopped parsley, 50ml extra virgin olive oil, ½ lemon zested

For the dressing: 1 small shallot chopped finely, 50ml extra virgin olive oil, 10ml Moscatel vinegar, 10ml lemon juice, 2tsp parsley chopped finely

Method: Cut the bread into rough pieces, then blitz in a blender to make coarse breadcrumbs. In a bowl mix the ingredients (apart from the salt) and set aside.

For the dressing, mix all ingredients and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 180C.

Dry the inside of the fish with disposable kitchen towel to make sure that it is clean.

Drizzle olive oil on a baking tray and place the fish on their bellies. Drizzle some more olive oil on the inside of the fish and sprinkle a little salt.

Giovann Attard, executive chef at Norma in Central London, has created the stuffed whole seabass dish (pictured) which will help you to get the most out of a whole piece of fish

Stuff the fish with the mixture (you should have around 100g of stuffing per fish). Drizzle a little more olive oil on top.

Place in the oven for around 12 minutes until the fish is cooked and the stuffing mix is golden brown.

Serve with the shallot dressing and a lemon wedge.

A tasty traybake

Eran Tibi, chef at Bala Baya in South London, has created this Middle Eastern-inspired dish which uses leftover rice or pasta.

SERVES 4

Ingredients: 400g meat leftovers, 500g leftover rice, pasta, bulgar or roast potatoes, 200g diced onions, 2tsp spices, pinenuts or walnuts, 100g tahini, 50g water, 30g lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, chopped coriander or parsley

Method: Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Fry the onion with olive oil, salt and pepper until golden brown. Add the spices and diced meats until cooked. Add the nuts, then remove from the heat. Layer your carbs into a lined baking tray and pack down level with your hand. Add the meat mix and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Mix the tahini, water and lemon juice. Take out of the oven and add the tahini. Garnish with herbs.

Stale bread brownie

This is a brilliant no-waste recipe from celebrity chef Tristan Welch, of Parker’s Tavern in Cambridge, pictured above.

SERVES 4-6

Ingredients: 125g stale bread, 90g brown sugar, 30g cocoa powder, 1tsp baking powder, 250ml milk, 1tsp vanilla extract, 1 egg, chocolate chips (optional)

Method: Pre-heat your oven to 160C.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a blender until the mixture has a breadcrumb texture. Add the milk, vanilla essence and egg, and continue to blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small baking tin – if you like you can add some extra chocolate chips at this point.

Bake for 14 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

This is a brilliant no-waste recipe from celebrity chef Tristan Welch, of Parker’s Tavern in Cambridge, pictured above. Pictured: Stale bread brownie