Seven steps to waste-reduction heaven

“ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT SHOPPING AT A FOOD MARKET IS THAT IT’S EASY TO BUY THE EXACT QUANTITY YOU NEED”

If you love cooking and you’re on TikTok, there’s every chance you’ve already found yourself hypnotised by Lagom Chef and his high-energy mission to keep good food from being thrown away. For the uninitiated, Martyn Odell – as he’s known in real life – is a self-described ‘food waste disruptor’ who’s been harnessing the extraordinary power of social media to help millions of people save money and reduce their environmental impact. With an approach that favours fun and creativity over po-faced moralising, his videos provide flavour-packed recipes and practical advice, all of which result in a full stomach and an empty bin.

When Martyn joined us to record a special episode of the Borough Talks podcast, alongside fellow campaigner Chloë Stewart of nibs etc., we asked him to provide his top tips for reducing food waste.  

Here’s what he told us:

1. Think of your kitchen cupboards as a dry store where you keep all the ingredients that are the backbone of the meals you make. We’re talking tinned foods, pulses, grains, pasta and rice. A few key herbs and spices. Then, you have the basis of a huge range of nutritious, home-cooked meals and can add in fresh ingredients as and when you need them. Not only is it economical but reduces waste in a huge way.

2. If you’re tight on storage space, stick to some key flavourings to pep up your cooking. My top suggestions for a super-versatile spice cupboard with maximum flavour are smoked paprika, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, Aleppo pepper, fennel seeds and smoked salt. Flavour-packed store cupboard heroes like miso, different vinegars, gochujang and harissa also give you an incredible jump-off point for a recipe.

3. Don’t feel pressure to fill your fridge with loads and loads of fresh ingredients. Try to only buy what you need. One of the great things about shopping at a food market is that buying the exact quantity you need is much easier, as very little of the produce is pre-packaged. If all you need is a single egg or a one small onion, someone will sell them to you.

4. If you have a surplus of fresh ingredients in your salad drawer, don’t panic! You can usually turn it into something that will be an incredible versatile base to freeze. For example, if you have loads of tomatoes, cook them down into a really intense tomato sauce. Add in any combination of grated veggies and you’ve got a great base to make a whole range of meals including shakshuka, soups, stews or curries.

5. You can freeze more than you think. Grated ginger freezes really well, as do yoghurt, milk and bread.

6. Ask the experts. Traders at Borough Market know better than anyone how much you need to buy, how soon their produce needs eating and what to do with it once it’s a little bit past its best, so don’t be shy about picking their brains.

7. And finally, enjoy the process of cooking and eat what you love.