Seasonal summer savers

Save the woody bottom bits of asparagus stalks to drop into a stock for summer soups thickened with leftover mashed potato; whiz tough broad beans in a blender with garlic and a splash of olive oil to make a dip, or boil them and mash with rosemary, garlic and oil. Blend rocket with pine nuts, parmesan and oil to make pesto sauce.

Remember that fresh fish fillets hold up well for three days in the fridge, and use spices and handfuls of garden herbs to pep up surplus ingredients. Finally, make jams and pickles from summer’s abundance of vegetables and berries and freeze any excess for later in the year.

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Background

• How to cook without wasting food

• Top 10 ways to forage for free food

• How to start a vegetable garden

• How to survive for a day without folding

• 10 ways to get kids growing vegetables

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• How to cook without wasting food

Think of them not as the rejects of one meal, but as the foundations for the next. Even the soggy remains of a dressed salad or a few unwanted carrots will add flavour to a jug of stock or bulk out a stir-fry. I like to make weekend soups and stews using up vegetables left over from the week. In go the last dregs of wine bottles that have been loitering around the kitchen. Gervase does a wonderful thing with leftover risotto, frying it up in patties after poking a bit of cheese into the middle (ideally mozzarella but cheddar will do).

Try out a cooking cycle

For meat eaters, the simplest way to do this is to start with a roast – cook more than you will eat otherwise the cycle won’t last long. The following day, the leftovers can be turned into a stew or pie (for the pie, I cheat by using shop-bought puff pastry, simply laid on top of the dish). What’s left after that can be bulked out with some rice or pasta and turned into an array of exciting risottos or pasta bakes, before its final incarnation as soup (add some lentils or pearl barley for texture). By which point you’ll be bored of anything related to the original dish, so it’s time to break the cycle and demand to be taken out for supper.

Shop carefully

According to research done by the Government in 2007, around one-third of shoppers do not check what food they need or take a list (from the Waste and Resources Action Programme, funded by Defra in March 2007). A shopping list is a crucial and underrated part of any eating plan. I’m not saying that every snack should be planned to the last crumb, but thinking about what you need and having a scout around the cupboards before you leave for the shops is not a bad idea. It’s better than waiting until you are ravenous and then coming home with an assortment of munchies that you don’t really need. Important tips are: check cupboards first; make a list; don’t shop when you’re hungry; shop alone (so no one can weaken your frugal resolve).

Experiment with sit-boiling

If you’re not familiar with the term, it refers to the cooking that takes place after you have turned off the heat. Take broccoli: once it has been on the boil for a few minutes, it can be removed from the hob and left in the hot water to complete its cooking. Not only does this save energy, it reduces the chance you will overcook the vegetables, turning them to mush. It is a form of slow cooking that should be encouraged.

No peeping

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