Love Food Hate Waste

Make the most of your breakfast

To reduce the amount of food thrown away, lots of people plan their meals for the week ahead. If you plan evening meals why not try it for breakfasts too?

Planning

It sounds complicated but it's not. Planning your breakfast is one of the most effective ways you can save time and cut waste. Start by checking your fridge, freezer and store cupboard before you go shopping and write a list so you don't buy things you've already got. Get the kids to help by suggesting breakfasts they like, then work out a simple plan for the week ahead and help make the most of your weekly food budget. If you plan what you're going to eat the evening before it saves loads of effort in the morning.

Speedy solutions

   -  If you enjoy cereal try adding something different. Nuts and seeds make a healthy topping or use any flavour yoghurt instead of milk. Slice the last apple on top of your muesli or add a squeeze of orange for a zesty porridge treat. Add the last blueberries, strawberries or honey to any cereal, hot or cold

   -  The microwave is a great way to save time at breakfast. Use it to make quick porridge or re-heat baked beans.

Leisurely start to the day

   -  Use up eggs to make pancakes or try an omelette with ingredients you've already got in the fridge - cheese, peppers, mushrooms, whatever's there

   -  Treat yourself to a full English breakfast and make hash browns to use up potatoes. Cooked sausages and bacon keep in the fridge for up to 2 days

   -  Try kedgeree if you've got fish in the fridge – it's tasty and filling

   -  Yoghurt and fruit make healthy smoothies and will keep up to 2 days in the fridge.

Recipe ideas

Try one of these tasty breakfast recipes from the Love Food Hate Waste website to help use up your leftovers:

French toast with honey

Breakfast bagel with bacon, tomatoes and eggs

Banana sour cream pancakes

More recipes for using up leftovers are available on the Love Food Hate Waste website: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes

Pancakes are traditionally made on Shrove Tuesday to use up any remaining butter, milk and eggs the day before Lent begins. It’s also a great opportunity to use up any leftovers from your fridge or kitchen cupboards.

Love Food Hate Waste has the perfect recipe for creating something delicious from leftover yoghurt and overripe bananas which might otherwise go to waste. If you have any spare sultanas, flaked almonds or soft berries at home these all make tasty additions to the batter too.

Recent research shows that around 1.3 million unopened yoghurts are thrown away every day in the UK, and fresh fruit and veg tops the list of the most wasted food type. Instead of sending your leftovers to the bin, why not follow our simple recipe for a Shrove Tuesday treat?

Ingredients:

1 egg lightly beaten
125ml milk
125ml yoghurt
2 overripe bananas mashed with a fork
150g plain flour
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions:

• Mix together the egg, milk, yogurt and bananas
• Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl then stir in the 'wet' ingredients and the sugar. The batter will look a little lumpy
• Transfer to a mixing jug and allow to stand for 10 minutes
• Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over a medium heat until smoking hot, turn the heat down and pour small amounts of batter into the pan. Cook in batches on each side until golden.
• Use a palette knife to flip the pancakes and keep them on a plate in a warm place until you've used up all the batter.

Once you've mastered this pancake recipe idea, why not try something different? Savoury pancakes are great too and can be eaten as a main meal with toppings such as ham and cheese or chilli.

For more creative ideas for using up your leftovers visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com