Hoxton restaurant aims to make doggy bag diners’ new best friend

A Hoxton restaurant is taking part in a nationwide campaign to revive the unfashionable doggy bag. The Sustainable Restaurant Association’s (SRA) “Too Good To Waste” campaign aims to reduce the 600,000 tonnes of food thrown out by restaurants each year by 20%.

The Hoxton Apprentice is doing it’s part in the economic down turn by encouraging diners to take their left overs home with them. The doggy bag targets the estimated six tonnes of food discarded by each restaurant every year from diners’ plates.

The cost of wasted food

Working together for a world without waste (wrap) have estimated the cost of all food waste that is collected by local authorities. It includes all food waste produced, including that which is unavoidable. The estimated cost is £million per year of the food waste that is collected by local authorities via residual and food waste collection.
We have put it into the chart below. Are the numbers surprising? Let us know!

Click the image to go to the interactive chart for more info!

A GUIDE TO… SCAVENGED SEAFOOD

Last week’s guide to wild mushrooms proved to be popular, and now that spring and summer are well on the way there is plenty of opportunity to get into the countryside and scavenge fresh, delicious ingredients for dinner (we can’t wait!). It is important to stay safe whilst scavenging, however, and to know what you are doing. And so, as requested, here is a guide to our two favourite types of scavenged seafood; Mussels and Crabs.

STAY SAFE

1.Before you go fishing, crabbing or mussel collecting make sure that you have checked a tide timetable. Tide times vary, even within a few miles, so make sure the timetable applies to the correct area. Either buy one from a newsagent for the whole year, or Google ‘tide times.’ Do not go out across rocks and sand dunes at low tide, when the tide is turning and about to start coming in, as you could get stuck and have to swim back, which could be very dangerous.

TEN EDIBLE BRITISH FOODS TO SCAVENGE THIS SPRING AND SUMMER

Spring is in the air and it is a fantastic time to taste fresh and delicious food from around the country, for free. Here is a list of ten edible British delights that can be foraged from hedgerows and gardens across the UK…

1. WILD GARLIC

Now is the perfect time to forage for wild garlic, or alternatively buy it in Farmer’s Markets. Although called ‘garlic’, its flavour is more like an edible spring onion when cooked. It is only softly pungent and enhances other flavours, rather than overpowering them.

2. WILD STRAWBERRIES

Wild Strawberries will be out in force soon, as spring and early summer is the perfect time of year to find them. They’re tiny but delicious, so look out for them in hedgerows around the country.

A GUIDE TO… WILD MUSHROOMS #2

Last week we warned of the dangers of foraging for wild mushrooms and provided a guide that listed the mushrooms not to eat and to take special care to watch out for. This week we return to the humble mushroom, but with a more positive compilation of wild mushrooms you can eat, where to find them, and what to do with them once you’ve got them.

There are loads of different types of edible mushroom out there; here are some of Come Scavenge’s favourites…

1.       FIELD MUSHROOMS

Picture: http://bit.ly/HlfD9t7

The Field Mushroom, Agaricus campestris, is the most commonly eaten wild mushroom in Britain. It is best cooked within hours of collecting; it can be dried but then loses much of its flavour. It is commonly found in fields and grassy areas and is found in small groups or alone. This mushroom is not commercially cultivated because of its fast maturing and short shelf life, so go out and forage for it!

Here are some of Come Scavenge’s favourite Field Mushroom recipes:

Creamy mushroom Ragout with nutmeg mash: http://bbc.in/HoiVOM

Devilled mushroom with pan-fried liver and spinach: http://bbc.in/HStBBC

A GUIDE TO… WILD MUSHROOMS #1

POISONOUS MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms are delicious, and even better, they can be free. In recent years there has been a growing interest in foraging for mushrooms, championed by celebrity chefs such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver. But it is important to know what mushrooms you can and cannot eat to make sure that you stay safe. And so, without further ado, here is our guide to the poisonous mushrooms you should NOT eat.

1. THE DEATH CAP

Picture: http://bit.ly/I1Q2qh

Introducing… the most poisonous species of mushroom found in the British Isles. This mushroom is deadly poisonous, if you eat it there is no known antidote and ingestion is usually fatal. The Death Cap is responsible for the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide. Symptoms may not occur immediately after ingestion, but take a few days take affect you. The toxicity is not reduced by cooking freezing or drying, so be VERY CAREFUL when foraging, not to pick one of these.

The Death Cap has a white stem and a streaky pale olive green cap. After collecting, the mushroom may have a sickly smell. The Death Cap is common and can be found on the ground in deciduous and coniferous woods.

IN PRAISE OF…. SAMPHIRE

If you are heading to the British coastline this Spring or Summer, watch out for samphire, the ultimate classy freebie.

Samphire is a sea vegetable that grows abundantly on shorelines, in marshy shallows and on salty mudflats. It is similar to asparagus (but better), has a crisp texture, and tastes of the sea. It is a delicious freegan favourite.

Collecting samphire is a coastal British tradition; in the 17^th Century Shakespeare referred to the dangerous practice of collecting rock samphire from cliffs, saying: “Halfway down, Hangs one that gathers samphire; dreadful trade!”

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has said “This native plant is tasty, goes brilliantly with fish and, if you can be bothered to go looking for it, completely free.”

Skipping and the Law

Many people have asked me about the legality of bin diving and the need to do it under cover. In response, I have compiled some information about the law’s attitude to bin diving in different countries.

Dumpster diving in itself in most countries is not illegal. However, in practice there are ways in which dumpster divers’ could get on the wrong side of the law. It is handy then, to be aware of what the laws are in different countries and be savvy to make sure that you in no way could be accused of breaking them.

1. GREAT BRITAIN

In the UK dumpster diving is legal. However, divers may occasionally get in trouble for trespassing whilst dumpster diving. Doctor Sean Thomas, senior Law Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, has explained that a freegan cannot be prosecuted for stealing abandoned goods because abandoned goods cannot be stolen. The problem lies in proving that the goods have been abandoned. A freegan, taken to court, could argue that there is a moral right to take rubbish because it benefits the environment and that they believed that the owner would not mind.

Our zero tolerance policy to food waste!

Sam Richards is the managing director and owner of Sealyham Activity Centre in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The Outdoor Pursuits Centre provides accommodation for up to 200 guests to stay on site and also provides three meals each day for them. Despite this, Sam says they have relatively little food waste. Here he explains to me how they do it.

How much food waste do you have?

We don’t believe in food waste and so the premise of the company is that we try not to waste food. Obviously there will be some waste but I believe it is a relatively small amount, considering that we cook around 400 meals a day; breakfast and dinner for our guests.

Incredible edible – growing local food and giving it out for free

Incredible edible has just been listed as on of Britain’s top 50 new radicals by The Observer newspaper.

Businesswoman and former council leader Pam Warhurst, of Todmorden, Yorkshire, had the idea for Incredible edible in 2008, when the economy was beginning to get into trouble and fears of climate change was rising.

All over town, she saw green areas of public land going to waste, while people were forking out for food from overseas. Pam decided to put these public spaces to good use and grow food in them. The organisation refers to these places as “propaganda gardens”