Food

"Unfortunately, we live in a world where many people do not have access to food in general, and good-quality food specifically, while at the same time millions of tons of perfectly fine food are being disposed of. In the UK alone, the extent of food poverty is staggering, as millions of people with low or no income find it harder to access affordable, nutritious food."

Tony Lowe, Director at FareShare

The Issue

The food distribution system has changed dramatically in the last several decades. As the economy moves from small local retailers to large supermarkets it is an inevitable consequence that food waste is generated. It is estimated that food retailers waste 500,000 tonnes of food each year in the UK with a similar amount generated from the private catering sector (Evolve EB 2007). This waste increases pressure on the environment as more waste ends up in landfills, and more CO2 is released into the atmosphere.

The need for change

FareShare, a national food redistribution social enterprise, estimates that 125,000 tonnes of food can be reclaimed before it heads for the bin . Currently, no more than 15,000 tonnes are being redistributed in the UK out of the 500,000 tonns of food wasted each year (Evolve EB 2007).

If you are interested in supplying FoodCycle with your surplus food please follow the link!

The FoodCycle Meals

We aim to achieve the highest standards of nutrition when we cook our meals. Yes, our meals are free, but nutrition and meal quality do not suffer. We serve restaurant quality meals that tantalise the taste buds. We use a variety of fresh ingredients and very little saturated fats. Our vegetarian meals are jammed full of vitamins and nutrients. These meals are not made just so you feel ‘full’, they are made to nourish the mind and body.

Each meal consists of 3 courses designed for sit-down service. Below are some sample dishes we cook:

Starter:

Roasted vegetable soup with caramalised leeks 3 Seed Garlic breadCauliflower Mash with garlic and rosemary

Mains:

Pasta Putenessca with courgette and mushroom Italian Aubergine bakeStir-fried Sesame Brown rice with mixed root vegetablesVegetarian lasagne in a white cream sauceSun dried tomato quiche

Dessert

Mixed fruit crumble Chocolate chip banana muffinsBlueberry rice pudding

Sound yummy? That’s because it is!

Our volunteers follow a golden rule, which is:

Would you serve this to your grandma? If it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for us.