The thought of tucking into a slap-up meal made entirely from leftovers might not sound the most appetizing.
But the organisers of the ‘Wasted Supper Club’ at Waterford’s Harvest Festival are hoping to show diners’ how to turn foodstuff destined for your rubbish bin into a three course dinner.
Around €700m worth of perfectly edible food –around 1 million tones – is chucked in bins every year.
“Food waste is a huge problem in Ireland – people are basically throw away one in every three bags of shopping they buy into the bin,” organiser Michael Kelly said.
The Wasted Supper Club chefs are asking diners to drop leftovers intended for their bins to the restaurant and they will be transformed into a meal.
Kelly says the key to reducing food waste is to eat ‘family style’ and from ‘root to tip’.
“People should use all the vegetables from root to tip. The tops of carrots can be turned into a pesto, beetroot steams can be used in a stir fry, or steamed like spinach and served with poached eggs.”
“Eating family style around a table with plates in the middle and everyone helping themselves to how much they want,” he added.
Other ways to reduce food waste include menu planning, and growing your own vegetables.
“If you have spent four months growing a row of carrots you will connect with the food and are less likely to throw them out.”
The Waterford Harvest Festival runs from September 6th – 8th.
There are 70 free and ticketed events taking place including seaweed tasting workshops, grow-it-yourself workshops, and local food markets.
One of the highlights of the festival is the annual Blaa Eating competition where contestants battle it out to see who can eat the most floury baps and be crowned World Champion Blaa Eater 2019.
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