Our Waste Education and Environmental Health Officers joined forces with Level 3 Student Chefs from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) to produce a new booklet to help residents reduce food waste at home.
The booklet combines practical advice and a selection of tasty, budget-friendly recipes that show how to make the most of leftovers and everyday store-cupboard ingredients. It also promotes energy-saving cooking methods and explains how to make cost-effective choices in the kitchen. Alongside the recipes, there are useful tips on storing and cooking food safely.
LCCC’s Chair of Environmental Services, Alderman Owen Gawith, met with the students to officially launch the booklet. He praised their efforts saying: “I was really impressed by the way the students have shown that small changes in our kitchens can have a big impact in reducing food waste.
“Their creativity shows that cooking sustainably can be simple, tasty and affordable. If every household followed just a few of the tips in this booklet, we would see less food wasted and more money in people’s pockets.”
The students embraced this project wholeheartedly, their work showed creativity and reflected the practical importance of reducing food waste. The project was showcased at the SERC Project-Based Learning Expo in the Sustainability and Environmental Impact category. After impressing judges at the Lisburn heat, the team went on to achieve second place in the final.
SERC Lecturer, Ian Thompson, added: “Sustainability is embedded in the course, so researching, testing recipes and coming up with new ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, complemented the students studies.”
A limited number of booklets will be available at the Sustainability Village in Wallace Park during the Mayor’s Family Fun Day on Saturday 9th May.
Community groups can also receive copies of the booklets by taking part in the Waste Education Team’s informative “Tackling Food Waste and Saving Money” talk.
To learn more about our free talks and workshops, email waste.education@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk