New figures show Nottingham’s most frequently eaten beef dish is a roast beef dinner, but that the UK throws away equivalent of 300 million burgers every year
Love Food Hate Waste teams up with Beedham & Sons to remind us to plan our meals and use leftovers
Love Food Hate Waste has joined forces with Nottingham butchers, Beedham & Sons, as the campaign reveals that every year people in the UK throw away 34,000 tonnes of beef – the equivalent to 300 million beef burgers.
Research carried out by Love Food Hate Waste shows much of the waste, worth £260 million annually*, could be avoided by taking simple steps, such as planning meals in advance, understanding date labels, storing food better, serving the right portions and cooking with leftovers.
According to its new poll, only a third of people who buy beef in Nottingham (35%) plan their meals in advance and purchase only the amount they need.
But beef is popular in Nottingham kitchens – a traditional roast beef dinner was named the city’s favourite beef dish and nearly a quarter (24%) picked it as their most frequent beef dish to eat at home. This was followed by spaghetti Bolognese (17%) and a steak dinner (12%).
However, not everyone got around to using it up. One in six (16%) Nottingham residents who bought beef said it had gone to waste as they had left it to go past the use by date. 8% admitted they’d thrown it out after leaving it uncovered or in an open packet.
The quality of the product (26%) and suitability for a recipe (22%) were the two most important factors to shoppers when buying beef, while a tenth of respondents in Nottingham (11%) were tempted by a deal or special offer.
Johnny Pusztai of Beedham & Sons, an award-winning butchers based in Nottingham, is backing the national campaign which was recently launched by livestock and TV presenter Adam Henson.
Johnny said: “Beef is a very versatile meat – there are lots of different cuts and joints to choose from, which is why it remains very popular. There are also lots of ways to make it go further – using up leftovers, utilising unused portions in a wide range of recipes or freezing it for future use, so there’s no real excuse for wasting it if you have some that hasn’t been used up.
“By speaking to your local butcher, on the high street or in a supermarket, you can make sure you buy the best type and quantity of beef to suit your needs, get advice about preparation and storage, and ensure you get the best value for money. I think Love Food Hate Waste’s Meaty Issues campaign is a great idea and I’m right behind it.”
Richard Swannell from Love Food Hate Waste said:
“Our research has shown that despite our love of beef, we still throw away hundreds of millions of pounds worth every year in the UK, with a weight equivalent to 300 million burgers (alternatively this is the weight of 150 million steaks†).
“That’s why we’ve launched our Meaty Issues campaign, to encourage people in Nottingham to get the best out of their beef and other meats, saving them money and helping the environment.”
Richard added: “If you’re like the 81% of people in Nottingham who have leftovers after their Sunday roast, the Love Food Hate Waste website has lots of handy hints and top tips about how to make the best of your beef and other meats. We’d encourage everyone to save money and reduce waste by giving some of them a try.”
Love Food Hate Waste is also on the hunt for Nottingham’s best leftover beef and meat recipes. To find out more and learn more about the Meaty Issues campaign, visit: www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/meaty-issues
Top tips for getting the best from beef from Love Food Hate Waste
· Leftover roast beef doesn’t have to be used just in a sandwich – it works brilliantly in a cottage pie, a soup or shredded and added to a stir-fry.
· Not enough beef to go around? Add some chick peas or kidney beans to Mexican meals or curry to make dinner more filling and save money on meat.
· Remember to check date labels so you know when your beef needs to be used by.
· Going shopping for beef? Plan ahead by using Love Food Hate Waste’s handy portion planner to get the perfect amount.
· If you’ve found a great special offer or don’t want to use all of your beef at once, freeze some for another day and use when needed.
· It is perfectly OK to freeze cooked meat and small portions freeze best. Then it can be added from frozen to your dish. The most important thing is to ensure that when you are reheating the meat that it is piping hot all the way through before serving.
· Check out Love Food Hate Waste’s recipe finder for ways to use smaller portions and cheaper cuts to make delicious meals.
And there are lots of other ways to make the most of ALL of your meat:
· Before roasting a chicken, cut the wings off. Wrap them tight and freeze them. After three or four roasts you’ll have enough wings to cook for another meal.
· Freeze leftover sausage to make tasty sausage rolls.
· If you buy a big pack of bacon, rashers can be frozen easily by putting greaseproof paper between them. Then you can cook from frozen whenever you are treating yourself to a weekend fry-up.
· Marinades are a quick and easy way to pep up meat that is almost at its use-by-date or has been in the freezer for a while. Just put chicken fillets, beef steaks or chops in the marinade for about 30 minutes in the fridge, turning once.
· For a chicken marinade, use soy sauce, honey and mustard. For beef try chilli flakes, ginger and coriander and for lamb use garlic, rosemary and lemon juice.
· Leftover Sunday roasts can be made into tasty money-saving dishes like lamb rogan josh, Moroccan chicken stew or roast sausages.
· Eat from the freezer one night a week.
· Take a ‘shelfie’! Taking a picture of your fridge before you go shopping means you won’t be doubling up on items you already have.
