I hate waste of any kind, but food waste tops them all for me!
Having been brought up in a household where nothing went to waste, and ‘mix up’ night was one of our favourite meal nights of the week (when my very resourceful Mum would produce a feast out of leftovers) I have always honoured that teaching by doing the same. Not only does this save money, but forms really good household planning and budgeting habits from a young age.
Now more than ever as we prepare for change and uncertainty, everyone is thinking about tightening the purse strings a little. Add that to the change in season and you have a fabulous recipe for a cosy Winter of semi-hibernantion and nourishing food.
Below my two favourite recipes for my ‘Bottom of the Fridge Soup’ and of course the famous Banana Bread-both favourites in my house as cosy dinners and quick snacks on the go as we juggle school, sports, work and life!
BOTTOM OF THE FRIDGE SOUP
Not so much a recipe as a guide! You can add anything to this and I tend to do this when I have a hodgepodge of floppy, past it’s best veg in my fridge. Nothing is out of bounds including lettuce, cucumber and old salad ends, spuds, root veg, shrooms-the lot! Wash/scrub leaving skins on, roughly chop, add water, a stock cube, seasonings of your choice along with any old fresh herbs lying around, bring to a boil, and simmer until all the veg are fork tender. Blitz to your preferred consistency and add a splash of single cream , crème fraiche, or natural yoghurt for a creamy finish!
BANANA BREAD
1 ripe banana, 1tbs milk, 50g soft butter, 75g plain flour (you can use a gluten free variety here if you prefer), 75g caster sugar, ½ tsp bicarb, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 x egg. Either mix by hand until smooth or blitz in a processer. Pour into a loaf tin which has been lined, tap on the counter and pop into a pre-heated oven at 180 for about 40 minutes or until a knife placed in the centre comes out clean.
You can freeze both of these recipes in portions/slices for the freezer.
Happy cooking, and big love from Tracy and the team at HH!
