Waste

What has been wasted? If veg, can't you make soup or something else from it?

(Love the challenge of what to do with excess food!)

Well I made dinner for my daughters and partners and the meat that was left will serve us both in gravy tomorrow and the leftover veg I'm making into a Spanish omelette for lunch, I don't waste much around here. Next time don't get so much in if they don't like what you offer them they will have to go hungry

We have just hosted a big family dinner. I made a point of making less veg, as I always make too much.
The left over turkey will become a stir fry tomorrow night, left over desserts went home with family, my daughter went home with some turkey to make a salad for lunch tomorrow and the potatoes will be made into potato scones.
No waste at all. I am always looking for ways to use the left overs. I hate waste and love the challenge.
Oh, that sounds a bit smug!

I don't waste food when it's just me and MrA but I do think it's harder to recycle children's leftovers.
There's only so many half-chewed apples I can helpfully eat up and bits of soggy toast I'm afraid I don't find particularly appetising.
Don't get me started on the half-consumed bowls of breakfast cereal

But it's not often they are able to visit so it's a small price to pay

What bugs me is the milk on their breakfast cereal - I always put in a tiny bit and they ask for more, then eat the cereal and leave the milk - they have learned now that Grandma insists that they tip up the bowl and drink up the milk.

I cannot beat wasted food - sometimes if it becomes unavoidable to throw some away I ask OH to do it for me as I cannot bring myself to do it!

I'm another who doesn't waste much. I make soup and stir fryups out of leftovers. Our daughters take a lot of it home with as do grown GC. It's a fun challenge.

I know what Izabella means. DH and I waste nothing - I'm renowned for leaving a couple of pips and a stalk when I eat an apple and we've even attempted peapod soup - but there are always a lot of few half-chewed and snotted over leftovers scraped into the food waste when the DGS have been. Even I wouldn't make soup with them.

Grandchildren leaving food? Not a concept I'm familiar with .... I have four gannets

mine all have hollow legs ,theres no filling them .My fridge and freezers empty at an alarming rate when my 4 visit ,and they are all built like whippets .

I don't do wasted food with any children. I can't afford to throw food away. If food is on their plates then it's expected that they eat it. I never put on more than they can comfortably eat or give them food that they hate. We also have the 'leave your dinner then no dessert' and 'leave a meal then you don't eat until the next mealtime' rules.

It sounds harsh by modern standards but the children accept it as the norm in this house and it doesn't seem to bother them. Also it means that mealtimes are peaceful family times as we don't have the food whinges/eat your food arguments.

I've just had DGD(8) for a week - she has a huge appetite and used to eat most things, but now getting a bit fussier. Likes fish & chips and mussels, but not salmon; loves beef/burgers but not lamb so I stocked-up on what I know she will eat. She also likes too much cake and sweet things but that's another story!

Our council composts leftover food so there's no waste. I thought quite a lot of councils were doing this nowadays?

No wasted food in this house - we have a labrador!

After 2 Dgc's for the weekend I have 1 leftover fish finger and there was the excess milk from cereals!
I don't seem to mind so much when the few leftovers go straight into the green compost caddy (like bags ).
Don't most councils do this? Apart from the composting benefit I feel it really raises awareness.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-148117-006.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-365530-007.jpg

Lisalou We spent Christmas with a friend and her labrador. This is a piece of Blagdon Blue cheese that I had contributed, which was on the worktop in the kitchen while we ate our dinner in the other room. The other picture is of Winnie looking not at all sorry after she had been discovered to have eaten more than half of it

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-47212-006.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-85456-007.jpg

so what happened to the pictures

I know what Isabella means, I do think many children get a lot of choice at home, and it seems to be ok to leave what they don't want to eat. I agree that seeing the wasting of food is hard especially for those of us on s limited budget. However, we do have a nationwide obesity problem, so I'm not sure it's such a good idea to teach children they must clear their plates. It's taken me years to learn I don't actually have to !

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-595249-006.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201704/medium-668417-007.jpg

Grrr!

Oh FFS Sorry everyone

I imagine most people don't make food for themselves that they don't like so no waste. This is not going to be so easy with visitors.

I think it may also depend on how old the GP is and how large the generational gap. There are very different eating traditions for people who grew up in the war, say and for small children now. I am unable to eat many things because of IBS but my children (in their 40s) very kindly take this into account. I am not keep on Japanese food either but my little Aussie family see it as everyday food - they indulge me with that too.

Jane... The pics are both there on all your posts .... And I'm writing to say WHAT a lovely dog!!! ( I had a beauuuutiful black Labrador and I miss her greatly!!!)

Should have said that I hope I treat everyone the same a I like to be treated so I would ask first if there are any problems or loved food (cucumber is a current favourite for snacking)and then try to be as tolerant of youth as I hope people are of me and my foibles of age.

My terrible cooking means our family motto is 'eat out' so just buy what they all want.........no waste and if there is it is someone else's fault.

Why waste food when you can make something else from it? Vegetables can be made in to soup or used in an omelette. Potato can be made in to potato cakes or roasted to go with meat. Left over stew can be made in to curry with rice. Not a good idea to use left over fish and re-cook it so make salmon/tuna sandwiches instead. Mash it up with a bit of pepper and salt. Delicious! Food is very expensive, too expensive to just bin.