Madam would you like a dash of rubbish with that No thanks!

Thankfully, when eating out, I dont get asked that question.  It would put me right off my food.

However, if you take responsibility for your waste footprint, you really have to have your wits about you, to know that the drink youre consuming isnt going to result in the bottle ending up in landfill, along with any excess plate waste going to the dump.

Over the last few years, Ive become increasingly aware of the sustainability practices of my favourite eateries and yes I confess that I am much happier to frequent those that take this subject seriously, much more than those that dont, even if their motivation for reducing waste is simply financially motivated.  At the end of the day, I want to ensure that wherever I spend my money, I am not leaving a waste trail behind me.

And one of my favourite haunts is the visitor restaurant at Ickworth House, a National Trust property close to Bury St Edmunds, where we often go for family walks. Being a member of the NT, I am aware that the national organisation has championed a range of sustainability projects over recent years, from energy conservation to allotmenteering.  Therefore it was of no surprise when I met with the buildings premises manager last week, that catering waste was also high on the propertys agenda.

Ickworth House takes recycling very seriously and already uses the local councils trade recycling services, which enables them to recycle mixed plastics and aluminium as well as paper.  Glass bottle recycling was introduced a couple of years ago along with separated cardboard.  In the last six-seven months the kitchen has also started to compost whatever food waste it can, saving an estimated £500 per year from trade waste costs.  The compost is used in the grounds, to feed the Italianate Garden and the next project on the horizon is a rocket composting system, which will also enable the property to manage any cooked food waste.

Admittedly, Ickworth House is privileged to have such facilities, but any catering business can take steps to reduce waste, whether its buying into the local authority or private contractor recycling services, to divert cans, glass or plastic bottles or other packaging from its landfill waste bill.  Many services also now include the collection of food waste.  Depending on trade waste costs, these services should incur a saving and help increase profits. And if youre paying for a skip in collection service, a mini-compactor can help to reduce the number of collections.

Tackling catering waste is a major issue and one which brings many opportunities. The Sustainable Restaurant Association offers advice to the catering industry on how to reduce waste as well as improve other areas of sustainability, conducting audits and providing consultancy.  If businesses want to find independent solutions, they might want to consider reducing packaging at source, speaking to suppliers, or switching from single servings to refillable jars etc. 

For restaurants in London, signing up to the Too Good To Waste campaign and supporting customers who may want to take leftovers home with them is another way of reducing the food waste impact, as is, in some cases, reducing portion sizes. It would be great to have more of these campaigns rolled out regionally to raise awareness more locally.

Pubs and bars in the Soho area of London are also leading the way in reducing the number of plastic straws that go to waste.  Straw Wars is an independent campaign that encourages the community to think twice about single use disposable plastic and supporting establishments now only offer customers a straw if they really want one.  Again, this is a simple idea that could be adopted by towns and other cities across the UK.

Another idea that Ive seen being introduced more locally in my own town, include cafes such as Saints in Bury St Edmunds giving away its coffee grounds for customers to take home for composting.  The Coffee House, in Moreton Hall, also encourages "take-away" customers to use the Keep Cup, which they sell onsite and give a 10% discount on every top up.

So during this finale week of The Rubbish Diet challenge, do keep your eyes peeled for examples of good practice while you are out and about.  Reducing waste might just begin in the home, but our waste footprint follows us wherever we are.

If youve spotted any great ideas being implemented, then do please share them in the comments box below.

Read More..

Roasted tomato soup madam Oh yes please

Bernadette, one of the owners of Saints Cafe, where they always provide a friendly welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

As well as its great food, the one thing I especially love about Saints is the fabulous atmosphere and very warm welcome. Its the kind of place where the owners and staff let you get on with your business in a non-intrusive manner, but if youre the type to seek out some friendly chat and humorous banter, theres plenty on offer, to make this one of the most engaging eateries in town.  

So, can you imagine how delighted I am to have a valid excuse to dine out at Saints Cafe to celebrate the National Zero Waste Week awareness campaign.  Its like home from home, but without having to do the cooking. And Im here all week, learning some great tips in using up perfectly healthy ingredients that might not be obvious to an average householder. 

And todays lesson is the humble tomato, which when freshly delivered is great for summer salads but when the sides soften dont look so great on the plate. 

In the past, I would have just chucked out any tomato that didnt sport firmness worthy of a six-pack, but  I now know better and have since boiled up plenty of very ripe tomatoes to serve up an unidentifiable "Cannard Creation".   Anything to avoid waste, even if it did mean Id be sat on my lonesome at the dining table. 

What Ive really needed is a good dash of inspiration so when Engin at Saints told me that todays "pot luck" lunch was Roasted Tomato Soup, both my tastebuds and imagination jumped for joy.  No sooner had I sat down and settled myself in getting ready to blog and have a natter on Facebook, Kathryn arrived with the soup and accompanying garlic bread.

So for a proper look at what was on todays "pot luck" menu, and a game of  "guess the ingredients" heres the close-up shot!  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Roasted Tomato Soup, courtesy of Saints.

Being a tomato lover, this soup was just the ticket for my first day in the cafe.  It was delicious, full of mediterranean flavour and the texture was just perfect, and I managed to grab Engin for a quick run-down of  ingredients....although I am quite proud of myself that I guessed most of them, even if there was one ingredient that totally suprised me.

Aside from the vine tomatoes, which were roasted in olive oil for 20 minutes, the other vegetables included onions, carrots, celery, all softened on the hob with olive oil to release their flavour.  And the surprise vegetable was potato, which Engin introduced as the ingredient "no soup should be without" due to its fantastic thickening properties.

With the skins removed, the roasted tomatoes and pan juices were added to the softened vegetables and brought to the boil in a pan of regular home-made vegetable stock, seasoned with fresh coriander, a touch of basil, some parsley, salt & pepper and simmered for 20 minutes.  It was then whizzed up (my words not Engins) and served with some fresh cream and a sprig of parsley.

So how easy is that!  Its definitely something I have the confidence to recreate at home.  And while Ive been typing up this blogpost, Ive already been contemplating this soup as a great rescue recipe for some squashy tomatoes and bendy carrots I have at home, as well as some onions and potatoes that have begun to soften.

The only problem is, those soft potatoes I mentioned.....well, er, I have an awful feeling that in my hurry to exit my holiday lodge at Center Parcs this morning I left them in one of the kitchen cupboards. My only hope is that I left my husband there to pack up the car while I dashed off to take the kids to school.

So as I end this post with a keen desire to make Roasted Tomato Soup at home tonight, the mystery of the potatoes might just thwart me.  And given that my hubby was close to throwing them in the compost bin last week when all they needed was a wash and the eyes removed, Ive got a feeling that if he had found them, he might have left them there.

Oh well.  Thatll get me back to the drawing board then.

In the meantime, my huge thanks go to Engin and Bernadette at Saints for a fabulous Day 1.  I look forward to coming back to see whats on the menu tomorrow.

______________________________________________________

Its not too late to join in the National Zero Waste Week.  For more information about how you can get involved, visit www.myzerowaste.com.

Read More..