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The Real Meal Deal

Great family-friendly recipes to cut your carbon emissions and waste. Enjoy food at its best, eat with the seasons, reduce food waste, and enjoy a sustainable diet.

tuna fishcakes with green salad
Featured Post

Before You Buy ANY Christmas Food… Do This

Hi Reader This week I’m keeping things very simple: before we all start piling our trolleys high with Christmas food, it’s time for a brutally honest Kitchen Audit plus handy recipes to make your xmas prep easier this week. If you’re anything like me, you think you know what’s in your cupboards and freezer. You probably don’t. Most of us are sitting on ingredients we’ve forgotten about, duplicates we never meant to buy, and spices that last saw daylight in 2019. So before you spend a penny on...

leftover gammon and ham recipes a great collection of easy recipes

Hi Reader This week, I've been planning my food menus for Christmas and so I thought I'd share some tips with you. These are the things I'm doing to get ready food wise. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing more tips to help you get ready for Christmas and get the most out of the food you buy. Eating up food in my freezer. Christmas food is expensive and it's important to make room for those leftovers. Getting ahead and making Christmas food I can put in the freezer. My super easy Mince...

tagliatelle carbonara in a bowl

Hi Reader By now, you’ve hopefully got your pantry inventory lists sorted! 🙌 Now, the key is to keep them updated. Make sure they’re visible for the whole family to see and remind everyone to mark things off as they use them. Now that you know what’s in your kitchen, it’s time to get creative and make a plan to use it up. Here are a few tips to get you started: Tip #1: Keep it simple! The best recipes are the ones that don’t require a ton of ingredients or anything you’ll only use once. Just...

quorn spaghetti bolognese topped with cheese

Hi Reader Have you thought about what you might do with all the money you’ll save just by wasting less food? The average family in the UK could save around £1,000 a year (and about $1,600 in the US). Imagine someone just handing you that cash — no strings attached! Now that you’ve already started tackling food waste, how about taking it a step further? I can help you save even more and eat well at the same time. Because here’s the best bit — eating a sustainable diet isn’t just good for the...

collage of ideas to reduce food waste

Hi Reader What’s hiding in your pantry? When I filled out my own pantry inventory sheet recently, I’ll be honest – there were a few surprises. A couple of ingredients I’d bought for a “special” recipe I never actually made, and a packet of those ultra-low-calorie noodles I really wanted to like… but let’s just say they didn’t make the cut. Doing the inventory was a bit of an eye-opener. It helped me see where food (and money!) was slipping through the cracks – and just getting a handle on it...

carrot and red pepper soup topped with fresh coriander.

Hi Reader How are you getting on with your Food Waste Toolkit? Once you’ve filled out the inventory sheets, it takes very little time to keep them up to date. However, I get that starting out can feel a bit daunting. Maybe you’ve already had a quick look in your freezer, then shut the door again. Don’t worry, just do one shelf or drawer today. Who knows, you might even find tonight’s dinner! Essential Food Waste Money Saving Tool Kit.pdf (here it is again in case you missed it) This is food...

peanut butter brownies

Hi Reader Last week, I sent you a copy of my FREE inventory sheets for managing Food Waste. If you missed it, you can download it here Essential Food Waste Money Saving Tool Kit.pdf Have you started filling out your sheets yet? I like to start with the fridge as it’s the easiest as well as being the place most food waste happens. Finding things in my refrigerator that have gone off always fills me with guilt, but keeping an inventory list really helps. No more surprises finding stuff in there...

food waste inventory sheets

Hi Reader This week I've been focusing on something a bit different and as a subscriber, I don't want you to miss out. I'm excited to share this with you as it can save you a considerable amount of money and who doesn't need that? Did you know the average family in the UK now throws away around £1000 a year of good food? In the USA, the number is around $1600 and with food inflation only going up, that number is just getting higher and higher. Whilst you can't do anything about food...

chicken and chorizr risotto in a bowl

Hi Reader This week I've been focusing a lot on leftovers. With two kids now at university, my food shopping has really changed, and I'm having to get used to cooking a different amount of food for our dinner each night. I've also taken the opportunity to revisit the freezer, and we've been having lots more 'Eat the Freezer' nights. One of my food waste tips is to make sure you regularly eat meals from your freezer. It also gives a lovely opportunity for a night off cooking and saves on...

slice of apple and pear loaf cake

Hi Reader Cooking with seasonal produce is a great way to eat more sustainably. Did you also know that it's often cheaper? When there's an abundance of something, the price comes down. Also, fruit and vegetables start to lose their nutritional value as soon as they are picked, so eating in season helps get the best nutritional value from your food. What is in season in Autumn / Fall? Here's a handy list! French beans, runner beans, beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, butternut squash,...