GUEST BLOG: Love food, hate waste

By guest blogger TRACEY

We pulled quite a crowd at Shaw Market in Oldham on Wednesday 13 September. I would like to think it was mine and Siobhan’s market-banter that attracted the crowds… but actually it was the fragrance and collective colours of freshly chopped garlic, onion, coriander, broccoli, carrots, curry mix and a purple cauliflower (a wee bit psychedelic but tasty all the same) that drew the crowds over to query, question and sample the deliciously spiced batches of vegetable curry with lentils. 

We shared a stand with Oldham’s Waste Management team and jointly spread the message that left-over meat and veg can easily and quickly be used to make countless dishes. Many within the crowd were eager to share their own tips on reducing food waste; planting raw potato skins can yield a healthy crop, using the peelings from many vegetables (leek, beetroot and carrots, for starters) will add heaps of flavour to a simmering joint of meat, and some tender loving care can produce a batch of tomatoes from the previous years’ seeds.

It was great to see that while many of the crowd had never used nor tasted lentils, they were quickly sold on the economic and health values of this little pulse! I am pleased to say there was not a ‘spot left in the pot’ and many onlookers and samplers took a copy of the recipe sheet to try making the curry at home. This was a great session and we felt extremely welcomed into the ‘marketer’s domain’ - thanks, guys!

There are lots more photos from this event on our Facebook page. Click here to be redirected.