The average UK household throws away 20% of all food purchased, which equates to around 7 million tonnes (around £700 worth) of food every year! Of all this food waste, it is believed that 50% is still edible. This is a travesty born in part by the ‘use by date’ system, which while a useful gauge of food safety, does create a wide margin for error in judging many foods’ edibility. The potato is one of those foods most frequently disposed of unnecessarily (second only to bread) off the back of these misjudged markers for freshness. Contrary to popular belief, the humble spud actually remains edible long beyond it might otherwise be resigned to the bin. With National Recycling Week now upon us, we’re jumping on the #wastelesssavemore bandwagon, which aims to increase understanding of the shelf lives of everyday foods, plus up the ‘know how’ of maximising the meal potential of these basic stock ingredients.... potatoes included. . Potatoes are arguably one of the most versatile kitchen ingredients, with many of the best waste-saving ‘ways with’ having their basis in soup-making, and the infinite potential for mixing and matching with other ‘waste’ vegetable ingredients that this method represents. It’s an approach which is as open to experimentation as it is imagination, and the ultimate back up plan for those between-shop days which might otherwise be met by ‘empty fridge’ angst! . If all else does fail on the economising cooking front, the plan B for reducing domestic food waste is always ‘recycling’ - either through food banks and charities, or by using a food bin which allows for waste to be composted, turned into animal feed, or even converted to energy by way of the gases it releases. Taking these steps means we can cut our CO2 emissions and reduce our carbon footprint by up to 25%, which is as important a saving as the one that will inevitably also be felt in our pockets!