How to Love Food and Hate Waste this Valentine’s Day
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a candlelit dinner for two or a banquet fit for all your family and friends; there’s just nothing like a good meal to bring people together. From chatting in the kitchen as we peel potatoes to sitting down and tucking into our creation, and from sharing family recipes to lovingly cooking someone their favourite meal, some of life’s most loving moments revolve around food.
Love your leftovers
It’s incredibly satisfying conjuring up a meal from what’s left of last night’s dinner – and just as gratifying when you’re preparing a meal you know will make for an easy lunch tomorrow. Yes, let’s hear it for leftovers! Why not make your food go the extra mile this 14 February by:
- Cooking something you can scale up, so there’s some left for lunch next day.
- Agreeing with your other half about what to eat, so you don’t cook something that won’t get eaten.
- As with any special occasion, a little planning will make sure you buy the right amount of food. You can calculate your perfect portion sizes using our food portion calculator and there’s always the freezer for anything you don’t quite have room for on the day.
- If you find you’ve cooked too much for your Valentine’s meal, simply pop it in a box in the freezer so you can enjoy it again at a later date! You can brush up on foods you never knew you could freeze – don’t forget to label and date anything you put in the freezer to keep track of what you’ve got and when it needs using.
Share the love with sweet treats all round!
Whatever your relationship status, Valentine’s Day is a day for enjoying chocolate. If you’re lucky enough to have received a box of chocolates this year, or you’ve treated yourself, you might be wondering what to do with the ones you’re not so keen on. Perhaps the coffee ones aren’t your cup of tea, or the caramel ones leave you cold?
The answer: chop them up and use them to make something delicious! Why not add them to homemade chocolate chip cookies, chocolate brownies or rocky road? These also make thoughtful little gifts to show your friends, family and colleagues how much you appreciate them – spreading the love as well as the leftovers!